One small step for man, one giant leap for health

PEOPLE in other countries have long mocked the Brits for our poor culinary skills, our bad teeth and, worst of all, our ugliness.

Now a new national stigma is emerging -- we are getting fat and it is no laughing matter.

In a recent poll Britain was named the second most obese nation in the world with as many as 304,000 deaths attributed to excessive weight every year.

The National Audit Office is also warning that unless the Government takes action within the next decade Britain could even overtake America, where a quarter of people are clinically obese.

The rise of coronary heart disease as the country's biggest killer completes the picture of a nation in desperate need of a change of lifestyle.

We live in an age where the motorcar is king, many workers spend entire days sitting in front of computer screens and beer and fast food has become the national diet.

It is with these factors in mind that the Bolton Council has decided to bring in an expert to teach people to walk again.

Officials are currently shortlisting fitness gurus for the role of the town's first official walking officer.

The incumbent's brief will be to increase fitness levels in the borough by enrolling an army of local volunteers who will run walks and activities to get Bolton back on its feet.

The post will be funded by a £20,000 grant from the East Bolton Regeneration budgets and £17,000 from the Countryside Agency's Walking to Health initiative

A Bolton Council spokesman admitted it was an "unusual move" adding: "The whole aim is to tackle heart disease."

Nine-months-ago former Wigan Rugby League star Andy Ireland was installed as the first walking officer in St Helens.

Since then around 4,000 people have joined him on walks across the region of between one and four miles.

It is expected that by the summer, he and his army of volunteers, will be operating up to 20 different walks a week aimed at diverse sections of the community.

Already in place are lunchtime strolls for office workers, school sessions and visits to the coast for over 50s walks. Disadvantaged sections of the community are also to be targeted.

Andy said: "People may find it strange that councils are hiring walking experts.

"But most people's level of physical activity is so poor that they are increasing their chances of ill health.

"Inactivity is the biggest contributor to chronic heart disease and the consequences of not facing up to this drastic situation are grave."

He believes it is vital that more people start to make time for walking for the sake of their health.

"People need to learn to walk again. In these days of work-outs, gyms and extreme sports, walking is a much forgotten recreation," he said.

"But just half-an-hour a day can seriously reduce your chances of heart disease."

Andy is also looking at ways of encouraging people to weave exercise into their daily routines.

He added: "These days a lot of people consider exercise to be a walk to the shops or an hour spent washing the car. Unfortunately it isn't.

"Getting people to raise their heartbeat for a short period is the important thing. People can do this by running upstairs rather than taking the lift or getting off the bus a stop early and walking."

His comments are backed by Professor Charles George, medical director of the British Heart Foundation.

He said: "Lack of physical activity contributes to one in three deaths. Exercise can fit into anyone's life. All you need to do is walk briskly for 30 minutes five times a week and you can significantly reduce the chances of developing heart disease."

The North-west currently has 30 schemes which are all part of the Walking the Way to Health scheme funded by a £11.6 million Government grant.

A spokesman for the scheme said: "Bolton's walking officer will aim to improve the health of people who do not take much regular exercise.

"We want to reduce the rate of coronary heart disease in the borough and get across the message that walking is easy and fun."