- After ten years as Lead Partner, INEOS is passing the baton to the London Marathon Foundation to support the next phase of growth for The Daily Mile.
- Since partnering with founder Elaine Wyllie in 2016, INEOS has helped grow The Daily Mile from a local Scottish initiative into a global movement reaching more than 5.5 million children in 22,000 schools across more than 100 countries.
- The transition will help The Daily Mile build on its success and reach even more children in the UK while remaining true to its founding principles: simple, free, inclusive and easy for schools to implement.
INEOS has today welcomed the announcement that The Daily Mile Foundation will become part of the London Marathon Foundation, helping the programme reach even more children and schools in the years ahead.
INEOS became Lead Partner of The Daily Mile in 2016, helping establish The Daily Mile Foundation and supporting its growth from a successful local initiative into a global movement that today reaches more than 5.5 million children in 22,000 schools across more than 100 countries, supported by over 130 local partnerships
The Daily Mile began in 2012 when Elaine Wyllie MBE, then a headteacher in Stirling, introduced a simple idea: encourage children to spend 15 minutes every day walking, running or wheeling outdoors. Concerned by declining fitness levels among children, Elaine created an initiative that was free, inclusive and easy for every school to adopt.
What started in a single Scottish classroom quickly spread to around 100 schools. In 2016, INEOS partnered with Elaine and funded the creation of The Daily Mile Foundation, providing the resources, expertise and long-term support needed to scale the initiative globally. Over the past decade, The Daily Mile has become an established part of the school day for millions of children around the world.
In an interview with Sir Jim Ratcliffe earlier this year, Elaine celebrated a decade of INEOS’ support for The Daily Mile Foundation. She said: “Something which really strikes me is how INEOS has taken the Daily Mile from obscurity to being a household name - and that's incredible. What INEOS has done is going to have a huge [long term] impact on the future health of children”.
Tom Crotty, Director of Corporate Affairs at INEOS, said: "We are incredibly proud to have worked alongside Elaine and John Wyllie and The Daily Mile Foundation over the past ten years.
"Elaine recognised a growing problem and created a simple, practical solution that any school could implement. Her vision, determination and commitment have helped millions of children become more active and develop healthier habits.
"As The Daily Mile looks to reach even more children around the world, we believe the London Marathon Foundation is ideally placed to lead its next phase of growth. Their expertise and commitment to boosting young people’s physical activity will build on everything achieved over the last decade.
"We would like to thank Elaine, John, Gordon Banks, the team at The Daily Mile Foundation and all of the teachers, schools and partners who have helped make this programme such a success. We wish the London Marathon Foundation every success as they take this remarkable initiative forward."
The Daily Mile Foundation will continue to operate according to the principles that have made it such a success: simple, free, inclusive and easy for schools to implement, while benefiting from the support and experience of the London Marathon Foundation.
INEOS will continue to support the transition and looks forward to seeing The Daily Mile impact the lives of millions more children in the years ahead.
ENDS
Press contacts
INEOS PR | +44 (0) 207 193 9030 | ineos@firstlightgroup.io
Richard Longden | INEOS | +41 79 962 61 23 | richard.longden@ineos.com