Vitality launches series of films to encourage more people to live healthier lifestyles

Health, life and car insurance and investment company Vitality has unveiled a series of short films that share first-hand experiences of people who have overhauled their lifestyle using sport and exercise as catalyst. 

Featuring real life accounts, the short videos aim to inspire people to get more active as part of Vitality’s core purpose – to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. The films also showcase in a relatable way the positive impact rewards and incentives can have in encouraging people to change their behaviour and approach to health and wellbeing.

The second in the series of films -  one of three - tells the story of Bristol-based entrepreneur and mother of two Mel Bound, who went from wondering if she’d walk again to creating This Mum Runs, a community of more than 150,000 mother-runners. As a sports science graduate and lifelong runner Mel had always been physically active. Yet having suffered a serious back injury in 2010, and with two young children, Mel struggled to stay active and fell into a period of depression, which had a significant impact on her home life and relationships.

Vitality has been the Official Wellness Partner of This Mums Runs since October 2020, which has enabled them to invest in supporting the community through a range of initiatives - including Vitality hosted expert events - that have added value to the community and positively impacted their health and wellbeing. Vitality also sponsors the community’s Run Angels, who are the network of dedicated volunteer runners engaging local communities and hosting the group’s sessions.

Vitality is a long-time supporter of community programmes, with partners across many sports from grassroots to professional level. Working in collaboration with these partners, Vitality aims to increase physical activity at a local level. Each of the films features a partner of Vitality - parkrun, This Mum Runs and England Netball - and is part of the insurer’s Stories Behind Change campaign they launched earlier this year to highlight how their members have positively changed their lives in some way, improving their health and wellbeing.

Nick Read, Managing Director for Vitality said: “Often, taking the first step to being more active or living a heathier life can be the most challenging and we hope that by bringing to life these stories and working with our partners, we can help break down those barriers and help people see how making small and incremental changes to your lifestyle can make a massive difference.”

The first film in the series, released earlier this month, profiled Leeds father-of-two Curtis Ledger, whose motivation to see his children grow up led to a love-affair with parkrun that has inspired a community.

The final instalment, which will be released mid-November, will feature 19-year-old netballer Halee Robinson, who reflects on her personal growth since becoming a qualified netball coach through Vitality's #WeAreRising campaign, launched during the Vitality Netball World Cup in 2019.