5 million children now taking part in The Daily Mile worldwide
- Phenomenal growth from 30 children in a single school in Scotland in 2012 to 5 million children across 20,000 schools in 96 countries today.
- The Daily Mile Foundation is celebrating the achievements of schools and teachers across the world who are commited to improving the fitness, health, and wellbeing of their children.
- Scientific research confirms The Daily Mile can significantly enhance children’s fitness, heighten their alertness, and boost concentration levels in class, supporting improved learning outcomes and helping children feel happier.
The Daily Mile Foundation today announced that over five million children spanning 96 countries are actively involved in the physical activity and well-being initiative, running, wheeling, or walking for 15 minutes at school.
Scientific research has reinforced The Daily Mile can significantly enhance children’s fitness, heighten their alertness, and boost concentration levels in class, supporting improved learning outcomes and contributing to children feeling happier.
The Daily Mile, is adopted by schools across the world, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa amongst others. It is recognised by accomplished sporting ambassadors such as The world’s greatest Marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, The world’s most decorated sailor, Sir Ben Ainslie, and the world’s most successful rugby team, The All Blacks, as a simple initiative that is having a direct impact on children’s physical and mental wellbeing.
Founded by Elaine Wyllie MBE in 2012 – The Daily Mile was born out of a concern around children’s lack of physical fitness. As the headteacher of St Ninians’s Primary School in Stirling, Scotland, Elaine encouraged her pupils to move for 15-minutes every day to improve their overall health and wellbeing. The initiative, which is supported by INEOS, has grown from a single school in Scotland to a worldwide movement in a little over a decade.
Elaine Wyllie MBE said: “Today we are recognising the tremendous milestone of 5 million children worldwide engaged in The Daily Mile at their schools. However, it is the teachers and pupils who get outside every day to enjoy their Daily Mile and the stories about the positive impacts on their lives that we are really celebrating. I am immensely proud of the achievements of schools, teachers and children over the past 12 years, and the role that we at The Daily Mile Foundation and our partners have played in supporting this.
And we still have work to do. We are committed to our vision of a world where every child can enjoy the benefits of physical activity. We want more schools, teachers, parents, and children to establish daily physical activity as a core part of their school day, ensuring our children become healthier, happier, and better learners.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Chairman and Founder of INEOS, which supports The Daily Mile, said: “My personal congratulations to Elaine, The Daily Mile team, and the growing Daily Mile community –We know that the positive experiences we have at a young age shape habits for life – which is why it’s so key to help young children enjoy getting active daily. Running is the simplest, most natural exercise you can do, it’s fun and social, and it helps to teach the basics of a healthy lifestyle. As childhoods become more sedentary than ever, we’re proud that The Daily Mile has helped over 5 million children get up and running since 2012 – and is inspiring their families, too.”
A teacher from Escola Básica da Moita, in Portugal, said: “We started The Daily Mile in September 2022, with 250 children taking part, and we’ve not stopped since! By doing The Daily Mile every day, we’ve noticed the children show greater motor development, concentration, and attention in class. The children are usually the ones who remind the teachers that it’s time for The Daily Mile. The kindergarten teachers and children really enjoy The Daily Mile, and it is now just part of our daily routine”.
Media Contacts
Laura Courtney laura.courtney@ineos.com +44 7765 585 476
Hannah Oakes hannah@thedailymile.co.uk +44 7435 780 017
Notes to Editors
Interviews with Elaine Wyllie MBE are available upon request.
About The Daily Mile
The Daily Mile was first developed by Elaine Wyllie MBE when she was Headteacher of St Ninian’s Primary School in Stirling, Scotland in February 2012.
Since 2016, The Daily Mile has been supported by global chemical company INEOS, which has enabled the free initiative to grow globally helping millions of kids to get active every day. The initiative is simple – but can be transformational to children’s health and wellbeing. It involves classes heading outside to run, wheel or walk around the school grounds for 15- minutes every day, at whatever pace suits the child best. It gets children active with their friends and teachers and refreshed for further learning. The Daily Mile is free, fun and fits in the school day easily. Though named “The Daily Mile” (as children tend to average running a mile in the 15-minutes), the distance isn’t compulsory, and the ethos of the scheme is of inclusivity, enjoyment, and self-improvement over time. The Daily Mile is intended to help all children, no matter their age, ability, or personal circumstances, enjoy getting active every day – getting fitter and healthier now, but also developing healthy habits for a lifetime.
Please visit our website, www.thedailymile.co.uk, to learn more.”