Walking challenge for local organisations
The gauntlet is being thrown down to Warwickshire walkers to take up a challenge and in the process discover the health and lifestyle benefits that shanks’ pony can bring.
Warwickshire County Council is supporting West Midlands TravelWise in a call to get everyone from hospitals and schools, to large private enterprises walking.
Throughout October businesses are being challenged to put forward teams of people to walk from the Angel of the North to the Tower of London without ever leaving the region.
Teams of up to 5 employees or individuals will count how many steps they walk per day. This can include walking to work, walking the kids to school, walking up and down the stairs in the office or even doing the shopping during the lunch hour.
These steps are all added together and the miles covered are calculated. Awards will be given to the team and the individual who walk the furthest and the person within a team who takes the most steps. Runner up awards will also be given.
The challenge is designed to encourage employers and employees to build physical activity into their daily lives.
The competition is a great way to get active while having fun in the office and without disrupting your work. Physical activity can improve concentration, reduce stress, improve health and give you that all important ‘feel good’ factor.
This is the second year that the West Midlands Regional TravelWise Group has set the challenge, with more than 100 employees taking part in 2006. Last year a group from the Defense Estates Team in Sutton Coldfield won the team award. They managed to walk the equivalent distance from the Angel of the North to the Tower of London and started to make the return journey.
This year the group is hoping many more employees take part. As an incentive, pedometers will be sent to the first 500 people to register.
Nicola Small, Sustainable Travel team leader for Warwickshire says: "This challenge is a fantastic way of getting employees in the West Midlands fit and healthy while they are at work. We want as many local companies to take part as possible, to really benefit the health and well-being of their employees. We also want to make sure that this year a team from Warwickshire wins the award!"
Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: "It is well documented that we spend more and more time in the office, so it is more important than ever that we look at ways to encourage active workplaces.
“This challenge will not only benefit the employees with improving their health, but employers also benefit from reduced absenteeism and potentially less cars clogging up their site as employees turn to walking or public transport to boost their number of steps.”
To register a team of up to five employees or as an individual please e-mail joanne.rainbow@coventry.gov.uk. You will be sent by return e-mail: a poster to advertise the challenge, instructions, a chart to map your progress and a spreadsheet for entering in all your steps. This challenge is open to all companies based within the West Midlands.
For further information on TravelWise go to http://www.travelwise.org.uk or contact your local authority TravelWise contact: Nicola Small, Sustainable Ttravel, Warwickshire County Council Tel: (01926) 412105 or e-mail: sustainabletravel@warwickshire.gov.uk.