Where a series of press releases follow the same subject Rochford Life will group those pages together so that you can follow the thread and look back and see how it has developed. The most recent page will be at the top of this page, but then all other articles will be in chronological order starting from the first we received.  To see all articles scroll down.

Follow the Thread : HEALTH & FITNESS (3)

Article Dates: Page 1

16th March 2015 Rochford District Council tackles obesity – by making the most of parks and open spaces

Article Dates: Page 2

5th Oct 2014 - Mark Foster launches ‘Get Active Essex’

5th Oct 2014 - Rochford District Health Walks

10th Dec 2014 - Back to Netball Campaign

Article Dates: Page 3

9th Jan 2015 - Funding for Active Health 2015

9th Jan 2015 - Health Walks receive national accreditation

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£15,000 funding secured to deliver ‘Active You’ health project in the district

9/1/15

Rochford District Council, in partnership with Active Rochford, has secured £15,000 of funding to deliver a series of free fitness workshops to Rochford District residents.

The ‘Active You’ health project will be coordinated by organisation Active Life, which has a track record of sport and physical activity delivery using the expertise and resource of NHS health trainers. The project will encourage healthy and active lifestyles, and aims to get people across the District active.

Six separate 12-week blocks of sport and physical activity sessions will be delivered across the Rochford District until January 2016, starting in the Freight House, Rochford, this month. The sessions will encourage those who do not lead an active life to participate in regular, sustainable activities, and will include dance fit, circuits, interval training, yoga and Pilates. Short informative talks will be given at the end of each week, including ‘making healthy choices’, ‘healthy eating’, and ‘maintaining an active lifestyle’.

Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community, Cllr Jo McPherson, said: “It is fantastic news that Rochford District Council has secured £15,000 to provide this year-long health project across the district. The wide variety of sessions on offer, as well as the informative talks which will be provided, will be of huge benefit to many residents who would not otherwise have the opportunity to access such activities”.

Participants will be signposted via their GPs and health providers, or are able to self-refer. For more information contact Active Life on 01702 567327 or visit www.activelife.com

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Council Health Walks receive national accreditation

9/1/15

Rochford District Health Walks and Castle Point Walk Tall have been officially recognised by Walking for Health and awarded national accreditation for its local walking scheme. The accreditation endorses the quality of experience and support that walkers can expect when taking part in one of the scheme’s 4 weekly and 1 twice a month walks.

Walking for Health, run by the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support, is a nationwide movement dedicated to improving the nation’s health through walking and has recently improved its accreditation criteria.

The robust new requirements are designed to give new walkers added confidence that Rochford District Health Walks and Castle Point Walk Tall co-ordinated by Rochford District Council, can support them to get active and stay active. Accredited Walking for Health walks are free, short and friendly, and close to where you live. Walkers with Walking for Health know that they are in safe hands with each walk led by a fully trained walk leader.

Rochford District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community, Councillor Jo McPherson said: “We’re delighted our short walks have been accredited by Walking for Health. Our volunteer walk leaders’ help all sorts of people to enjoy the many health benefits that regular walking brings, providing support every step of the way. Our walkers have a great deal of fun, making new friends and getting to know their local area. Many of us know we should be more active, so why not make it your New Years resolution to join in and let us welcome you along to our next walk.”

The 2 schemes now run walks that are no longer than 90 minutes in length, with at least one walk of less than 30 minutes every month. By keeping walks short, new walkers and those with long term health conditions will feel more confident getting started.

Local weekly walks include:

Mondays: Richmond Hall, Benfleet 10.30am and Hullbridge 10.45am

Wednesdays: Canvey Island 10.30am

Thursdays: Hockley Woods, 10.45am

A walk takes place in Hadleigh on the 1st and 3rd Friday of each month at 10.30am.

Walking counts towards the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity people should be doing each week. Only 61% of adults in England are currently meeting this recommendation, but walking offers a free and simple solution.

Visit http://www.rochford.gov.uk/leisure for further information on local Health Walks

Visit www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walk to find your nearest health walk.

Walking for Health is England’s largest network of health walk schemes, offering free short walks across the country to help people lead a more active lifestyle. We’ve done this with great success for over 10 years, and in this time improved the lives of thousands of people. Now the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support are working together to ensure Walking for Health gets even more people active and healthy in the years to come.

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Rochford District Council tackles obesity – by making the most of parks and open spaces

16/3/15

Rochford District Council is seeking to tackle obesity by encouraging more people to make use of our parks and open spaces.

The authority has developed a new ‘Open Spaces Strategy’ to entice more people into our green spaces, such as Hockley Woods and Cherry Orchard Jubilee Country Park, in order to lead a more active lifestyle. This in turn will help to promote social inclusion, by ensuring we have pleasant open spaces near our homes for neighbours to meet.

The council will also be seeking to implement new initiatives in the future such as circus skills workshops, woodcrafts, bouncy castles, outdoor adventure skills, fitness classes and artificial ice rinks at appropriate sites to encourage visitors. It will also be working with partners to increase the sporting opportunities available.

This is particularly important at a time when obesity costs more to the public purse than smoking, and is set to overtake it as Britain’s biggest killer in 10 to 15 years if current trends persist.

Rochford District Council’s Portfolio holder for the Environment, Councillor Keith Gordon, said: “We recognise that our open spaces are a powerful weapon in the fight against obesity and ill-health. This strategy will give people every opportunity to lead a less sedentary lifestyle, by encouraging them out into our beautiful parks and open spaces. It’s all about making it as appealing as possible for  people to go for a walk, play football, exercise, have a chat with their neighbours, or simply reduce their stress levels by enjoying the surroundings.”

The strategy also promotes bio-diversity and will manage and enhance areas of regionally scarce and important woodland, such as Betts Wood, Hockley Woods, New England Woods and Rawreth Hall Woods, for future generations to enjoy and learn from. It will ensure that our sites are maintained to a high standard and are clean, safe and welcoming.  This will include seeking to ‘design out’ antisocial behaviour, using practices such as avoiding narrow ‘corridor’ areas of landscape and keeping sight lines clear by avoiding high hedges.

The focus will be on preserving and joining the various assets of The Rochford District’s landscape. This would include working with partners to develop and promote footpaths, cycle-routes and bridleways within the district. The council will also seek to acquire the woodland and car park at Bullwood Hall, with the long-term aim of introducing new activities.

Councillor Gordon added: “The benefits of joining up the assets of the Rochford District’s landscape, such as woodland, farmland, lowland marsh, creeks and mudflats, towns and villages, are two-fold. Firstly, it will ensure that we have a haven for wildlife of which we can be proud. Secondly, it will involve the linking of footpaths, cycle routes and bridleways so that it will be much easier for residents and visitors to make the most of the open spaces on offer. The aim is to ensure we have a beautiful and interesting place to live, work and visit, both now and for future generations to come.’”

Throughout the process the council will continue its support for Friends Groups and seek to encourage the set-up of new groups that wish to help in improving their local parks. The plans also involve engagement with local community and user groups on proposals that change the use of or significantly alter the appearance of parks and open spaces.

The authority will also be working with volunteer groups to identify funding opportunities to enhance these green spaces, while also minimising running costs and maximising value for money. Any opportunities for income generation would be considered after presentation of a detailed business plan, consideration of impact and risks, and consultation with public space users.

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