A sum of £1.2million has been awarded by the UK Government to help fund new walking projects across the country, in the hope of tackling the inactivity crisis in England.
Five cities, including Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester and Norwich, have each been given a grant of £200,000 following a review by the Department of Health. Now thought to be one of the most serious public health challenges, inactivity costs the NHS up to £10billion a year, despite proof that regular walking can considerably benefit health and lower the likeliness of disease.
Ramblers Director of Walking Development, Simon Barnett, commented: “It’s fantastic that these cities now have a great opportunity to help local people improve their health by walking more. We’re sure they’ll come up with some excellent and innovative approaches and we look forward to working alongside them through our local health walks schemes and groups. We very much hope this is only the beginning of some much needed investment in walking, which could save so many lives and improve the quality of life for so many people.”
RELATED LINKS:
www.gov.uk