Pictured at the launch are (from l-r):  Kevin Murray Sport Participation and Wellbeing Manager, Barbara McKiernan VANRATH Managing Director, Natalie Trott Director of Development Alumni Relations, Catriona Edlington QUB Athletics Club, Karl Oakes Head of Queen's Sport and Physical Wellbeing, and Joshua Lindsay QUB Athletics Club. 

The VANRATH Active Lifestyle Programme encourages students who might have fallen off the exercise bandwagon to get stuck into the recreational and social aspect of sport at Queen’s. The Programme is designed to be fun, inclusive and accessible for students of all abilities. 

In the run up to International Women’s Day, Queen’s Sports Participation and Wellbeing Manager, Kevin Murray, wants to encourage young women to take part in the programme. 

He said: “Physical inactivity is a major public health concern, and we know that many female students do not take enough exercise to stay healthy. The VANRATH Active Lifestyle initiative provides a supportive environment and a programme that creates opportunities to have fun and make new friends. It’s a great way of making the most of the student experience and being part of campus life at Queen’s.” 

Both Student Sport Ireland (SSI) and British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) have highlighted the need to encourage more female students into sports with one survey showing that 39% of female students acknowledged their activity levels were inadequate.  Both bodies also note that sport and recreational activity have an important impact on mental health and wellbeing with reduction in stress levels, increased happiness and increased life satisfaction commonly reported. 

Speaking about the significance of sport when it comes to employability, Barbara McKiernan, VANRATH’s Managing Director said: “Employers are increasingly looking at extra-curricular activities that students have taken part in, alongside their degree qualification. Sport helps develop many of the softer skills that are so important in today’s workplace. Given the desire to increase sporting and recreational activity levels amongst female students, we are particularly pleased to be launching the VANRATH Active Lifestyles programme on International Women’s Day.” 

Rossita MacLean, Founder and President of Women in STEM at Queen’s (WiStem QUB) welcomed the huge benefits of recreational activities especially for female students: “WiStem supports young women as they strive for academic excellence in STEM subjects, but we are equally committed to ensuring that they have an excellent student experience and take advantage of all the sporting and recreational activities that the University has on offer. I thoroughly recommend the VANRATH Active Lifestyle Programme for the benefits it brings in terms of physical health and mental wellbeing and I would encourage our female students to take part in some of the many activities and sports on offer." 

The programme coincides with this year's #QUBeWell University Wellbeing Week from 2nd – 9th March culminating in National University Mental Health Day. Find out more about Wellbeing Week here. 

Find out more about the VANRATH Active Lifestyle Programme here.