BMF with Bear Grylls will look to active people across the continent with #BeActive Hour, a European-wide initiative set for 30 May.

In partnership with ukactive and EuropeActive, the event has secured the support of the European Commission and will look to encourage people across Europe to unite for an hour of physical activity together every month until National Fitness Day on 23 September.

The workouts will be hosted by Bear Grylls and supported by Tommy Matthews, a BMF Master Trainer, with fitness professionals from a number of countries joining in to promote the positive role played by physical activity.

The date for the inaugural #BeActive event has been scheduled to coincide with the now-cancelled UEFA Champions League final, which traditionally attracts a global TV audience of around 200 million people – challenging the Super Bowl as the single biggest sporting event in the world.

Commenting on the event, Grylls said the aim is to use the event to double the number of people who take part in National Fitness Day this year – with a target of getting 10 million participants active on the day.

“Now, more than ever, we need to help our communities to stay active, healthy and positive in the face of this global crisis," Grylls said.

“This is why our team at BMF have teamed up with the fitness industry’s leading bodies, ukactive and EuropeActive, to unite the sector on a European scale in its mission to help the continent stay active and physically fit.”

Huw Edwards. CEO of ukactive, added: “We hope that football and non-football fans alike will mark the date by committing to getting fitter and joining in the workout.

He added that the #BeActive event would be the first of many targeting dates of cancelled sporting events.

“Across the summer – on dates originally marked for global sporting events such as Wimbledon, Test cricket matches, The Open, and the Olympics and Paralympics – we hope to encourage fans with different sporting interests to commit to a fitness programme that will boost their health and immune systems.

“This will culminate on National Fitness Day on Wednesday, 23 September, where BMF with Bear Grylls will lead the nation in a mass workout.”

Last year National Fitness Day saw more than 20,000 events hosted by physical activity providers across the UK.

Originally founded by énergie Fitness Group 10 years ago, today the campaign is coordinated by ukactive and in 2019 delivered a media reach of 60 million people.