ukactive and Sport England’s ‘This Girl Can’ campaign, in partnership with CIMSPA and Women’s Aid, have today published new resources to help fitness and leisure facilities continue to create safer spaces for women and girls to be active.

Research shows that sexual harassment is prevalent across society, with 71% of women of all ages having experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space.

A survey commissioned by ukactive and This Girl Can in 2023 also found that four in 10 (42%) women said they had experienced at least one form of sexual harassment or intimidation, such as inappropriate comments, staring, or encroachment of personal space while in a gym or leisure facility. This figure almost doubled for those aged 16 to 24, increasing to 83%. Among all female gym users, 5% reported feeling ‘unsafe’ in relation to sexual harassment and intimidation at their fitness or leisure centre.

Gyms and leisure centres have an important role to play in supporting more women and girls to be active. The UK Health & Fitness Market Report 2025 shows that 11.5 million people over the age of 16 are members of a health and fitness club and the Active Lives Survey 2023/2024 showed that fitness activities among women and girls aged 16 and over have seen the largest growth across all types of activity since 2022/2023 (1.9%) – with 7.6 million having taken part at least twice in the previous 28 days. Given this reach, it is vital that the sector plays its part in addressing this societal issue.

The new resources, launched today on the updated ‘Safer Spaces to Move’ hub, cover a range of operator guidance and provide operators with staff training modules to ensure they have the foundational protocols in place to respond to any instances of sexual harassment and intimidation, should they occur.

The new resources include:

• Operator Handbook: containing recommendations for operational policies and guidance, advising on best practice in response to sexual harassment or intimidation reported within a facility.
• Staff Training Modules: designed to help staff recognise and understand sexual harassment and intimidation and know how to respond to incidents.

The modules* are free of charge and available to any fitness or leisure operator to download.

These resources were developed by the project partners in consultation with experts and representatives from across the physical activity sector. This included consultation and review with the Safer Spaces to Move Taskforce, a group comprised of individuals from all areas of the sector including public, private and independent operators.

Hattie Jones, Head of Membership and Sector Development at ukactive, said: “We are proud to work with This Girl Can, CIMSPA and Women’s Aid to develop these practical resources, which marks the latest step forward in our sector’s commitment to ensure that every woman and girl feels confident and welcome using gyms and leisure centres.

“It is vital that all industries take responsibility in helping to tackle sexual harassment, and the launch of these resources will support more gyms and leisure centres to create safer spaces so more women and girls can confidently reap the rewards of being active.

“We want to continue this journey of improvement and ensure all operators and their workforces feel empowered and supported to respond appropriately to any instances of sexual harassment and intimidation.”

Claire Edwards, Head of Campaign Activation from This Girl Can, said: “This Girl Can exists so that all women feel they have the opportunity to be active in ways that they love.

“Our research continues to show that more can be done to protect women in all active spaces. Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected when exercising. Harassment, whether in gyms, leisure centres, or elsewhere, in unacceptable.

“Sexual harassment is a crime, but it is sadly a daily experience for many women. Today’s launch enables us to empower gyms, leisure centres and other facilities with the knowledge and tools they need to identify harassment and respond decisively, creating safer spaces for all women to be active.”

Colin Huffen, Associate Director of Policy and Professional Services, The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity, said: “No one should feel uncomfortable or intimidated when exercising. It’s our collective responsibility to do everything we can to make everyone feel empowered and confident while participating in any form of sport and physical activity.

“Making spaces safer must be at the forefront of our sector’s priorities, and the Safer Spaces to Move project is a significant step in safeguarding women who are participating in physical activity.

“The new resources align to the sector’s professional standards and will support our physical activity professionals and their employers in developing their understanding of this topic, providing them with confidence to handle incidents should they unfortunately arise.”

Sophie Francis-Cansfield, Head of Policy at Women’s Aid, said: “Women’s Aid is proud to be the Women’s Safety Partner on Safer Spaces to Move project, which is helping to create safer spaces for women and girls to exercise. Working on this over the last year and seeing the dedication of gyms and leisure centres to combat sexual harassment and create safe, welcoming, and empowering spaces for women and girls to be active has been fantastic, and we are grateful to have been a part of it.

“The launch of the new training modules and handbook will go a long way to ensuring women and girls feel confident to be part of active spaces, with staff getting the support they need to respond appropriately to situations, like harassment and intimidation, which we know can be all too common in fitness and leisure environments.”

To access the Safer Spaces to Move resource hub, click here.