An initiative designed to encourage people of all ages, abilities and walks of life to don their gym clothing and get active has been hailed a success.

Called Any-Body Month (ABM), the initiative was organised by the University of Nottingham and its student union.

Students and local residents were given the opportunity to try out a variety of sports for free.

These included judo, Pilates, wheelchair rugby, powerchair football, aqua fit, tennis, badminton, horse riding and tai chi.

"ABM has come on leaps and bounds since last year's inaugural event, and with the backing of the Inspire 2012 mark we're looking forward to developing ABM for the future," said Hannah Webber, disability sport officer for the University of Nottingham.

She went on to say that she looks forwards to getting more people to enjoy sports at the university in the years to come.

Last month, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, revealed that one of the sports being offered during ABM - tai chi - helps older people to overcome depression.

Posted by Martin Sebborn ADNFCR-2569-ID-800489067-ADNFCR

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