Go London Go!

Posted by Ben in Innovation, Inspiration, News

Dominic Campbell just sent me a link to a NHS London initiative he’s been working on as part of FutureGov – Go London:

“The Go London social innovation competition is a call for ideas on how to make London more active, the first of its kind to be energised by the groundswell of optimism surrounding London hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. It is a shared movement to create a city where physical activity is a normal part of Londoners lives and contributes to making London a more livable, sustainable and healthy city.

The project aims to help improve activity levels of everyone by finding out what’s already out there as well as asking people for their ideas on how they think London could become more active. In the same way that stories can come from anywhere to inspire others, and we’ll hope to capture as many of these as possible, simple, life changing ideas can spring up too. Through the creative use of social media Go London hopes to capture as many of these ideas as possible.

Once all submissions are collected, those that are judged to have the most potential will be invited to take part in the Go London social innovation competition at City Hall. This day-long event will help develop these original and creative ideas, resulting in a winning project having the opportunity to become a reality.”

It’s a great idea, building upon the success of Social Innovation Camp and applying it specifically to the area of health, which will no doubt be a priority for the Government with the upcoming 2012 Olympics on London. Indeed, one of the past winners of Social Innovation Camp was Good Gym, which aims to connect good causes and people who want to get fit, so the idea already has a track record of success in the area of health.

Ideas submitted so far include creating Netball or Rounders teams in local green spaces for older women, an incentivised scheme encouraged by employers whereby they offer staff the opportunity to get a free pair of running trainers if they sign up for a specified mileage to walk / run per week, and organising a day of light sports or fitness activities that can be done by parents and children. You can view other ideas here.

It’s definitely worth a look, so whether you want to chatter, inspire others with your story, join in the event or submit a winning idea, get involved in the movement by visiting the site here or following them on Twitter - @Go_London.