Durham County Council Press Release 06 May 2016

A month of healthy walking activities has been launched by Durham County Council as it announces it is taking part in the Everybody Active North East campaign.

The campaign is a collaborative project with Public Health England (PHE) North East and all twelve north east councils, showcasing a different physical activity in the region each month.

In County Durham the focus will be on walking and Councillor Lucy Hovvels, portfolio holder for adult and health services said: “Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do to improve your health. Throughout May, we will be highlighting the various opportunities to walk in and around County Durham. We offer the Walk4life programme, which is a series of short led walks to encourage every day activity to longer countryside guided walks and promoting active travel. There really is something for everyone.”

It is hoped that the project will support increased activity across the population especially amongst the 1 in 5 people who currently do less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week.Research shows that regular physical activity can reduce the chance of developing type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia and depression. It can also help prevent falls, joint and back pain.

Councillor Hovvels added: “Being active makes you feel good and it’s never too late to start. Something is better than nothing and by starting small and doing just ten minutes at a time is enough to provide benefits. We hope that by taking part in this campaign we will be providing people with the opportunity to become more active, get together with friends and even make new ones.”

A full calendar of Durham County Council’s activities that are part of this month’s campaign can be found at www.durham.gov.uk/walk4life

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2% of adults in the North East are inactive- achieving less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week. 53.6% of adults in the North East achieve the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. Figures for individual local authorities can be found at www.phoutcomes.info

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Get active with Durham County Council’s month of walking