Healthy walking challenge for Wolverhampton firms
Released: 29 August 2007
Could you and your employees walk 10,000 steps a day? This October the West Midlands Regional TravelWise Group is challenging companies to walk from the Angel of the North to the Tower of London without leaving the region.
The month long competition encourages companies across the West Midlands to take part in a walking challenge. The idea is for teams of up to five employees or individuals to count how many steps they walk per day. This can include walking to work, walking the children 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.
Deputy Leader of Wolverhampton City Council, Councillor Peter Bilson, 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!”, he added.
This is the second year that the West Midlands Regional TravelWise Group has set the challenge, with over 100 employees taking part in 2006.
Last year a group from the Defence 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 TravelWise Group is hoping many more employees take part. As an incentive, pedometers will be sent to the first 500 people to register.
Jenni Crayford, TravelWise Co-ordinator in Wolverhampton, said: "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 Wolverhampton wins the award! ”, she added.
To register your 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 www.travelwise.org.uk or contact your local authority TravelWise contact: Jenni Crayford TravelWise Co-ordinator, Wolverhampton City Council by e-mail or by phone on Wolverhampton 01902 555747.
TravelWise is the national awareness campaign designed to promote alternatives to car use and bridge the link between travel and health. Further information can be found on the Travelwise website.
Issued by the press office.