NEWS

Liverpool City Region Signs Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration 

Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram has partnered with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham in making a joint, public commitment to set conditions that support women and girls to get active with confidence. 

By signing the International Working Group on Women and Sport’s Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration, the Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities have become the first place-based signatories in its 30-year history. 

A Global Commitment, Locally Driven

This historic partnership between the two sister-city regions sets a new global standard:

• Pioneering Commitment: Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester have jointly signed the Brighton Plus Helsinki Declaration, an internationally recognised treaty for gender equality in sport.
• World-First Status: They are the first place-based combined authorities in the world to adopt this commitment.
• Accelerated Progress: The collaboration is designed to accelerate progress by allowing the regions to share learnings and ideas.
• Future Vision: The ultimate goal is to make the North West a truly gender-equal place to live, work, and play, with the Mayors set to present this pioneering approach at the IWG Global Summit in Birmingham in 2026.

Why Action is Critical: The Widening Activity Gap

The need for action is urgent and clearly rooted in local data and lived experience, revealing significant inequality:

• Only 56% of women in the Liverpool City Region achieve the recommended weekly activity minutes.
• The gender activity gap has widened since the pandemic, with women’s activity rates lagging behind men’s.
• Activity levels are lowest among women with a disability, those outside the workforce, or from less affluent households.
• The majority of active minutes for women are accumulated through walking (leisure and travel), highlighting opportunities to diversify movement.

You can explore the data and context further in our pack: Shaping Change: Women and Girls Leading Active Lives Across Liverpool City Region. 

Creating Lasting Change for Liverpool City Region 

To drive sustainable change, the Active Partnership for Liverpool City Region, Merseyside Sports Partnership (MSP), is adopting a whole-system approach, focusing on two priority areas:

• Workforce Pathways: Improving opportunities and intent between education and employment, and co-facilitating workshops to learn from women’s lived experiences in the sector.
• Safety & Participation: Investing in Active Bystander Training and assisting clubs and active environments in addressing physical and social barriers to access for women and girls.

Justine Blomeley, CEO of Merseyside Sports Partnership (MSP), said:

“We’re proud to lead this work on behalf of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and in conjunction with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and look forward to working with stakeholders to help remove the barriers that prevent women and girls from being active. 

“Our aim is to create a strong network across the region which focuses on gender equality and allows for sharing of knowledge, advice and best practice. 

“We have established a dedicated working group for the region and will be engaging with our partners to share more details on how they can contribute to this important piece of work and help deliver lasting benefits for the region.”

Read more about the specific actions being taken in the Merseyside Sports Partnership Action Plan. 

Join the Movement

This commitment requires everyone – from grassroots organisers to strategic leaders – to play a part. Whether your work aligns directly with sport or simply with gender equity, your voice and expertise are essential to this collective movement.

We welcome everyone who wants to support or learn from this trailblazing work. 

Click here to pledge your commitment to the cause and receive a free toolkit to support and amplify your initiatives.

Any questions? Contact us today to find out more about how you can get involved.