Ramblers pledge to nudge the nation to its feet

15 March 2011

Britain's walking charity today (15 March) welcomes the launch of the Public Health Responsibility Deal and pledges it continued commitment to nudging the nation to its feet.

The Public Health Responsibility Deal brings together organisations from across the voluntary sector, business, industry and retail to pledge to help improve public health by addressing issues around food, alcohol, behavioural change, physical activity and health at work.

The Ramblers has been working alongside the Department of Health to help draw up pledges to encourage people to become more physically active. By protecting the places people go walking and offering over 30,000 led walks a year, the Ramblers has been helping people improve their activity levels for over 75 years. However, with over 60% of adults overweight or obese, the task is more urgent now than ever.

Simon Barnett, Ramblers Head of Walking Programmes and Promotion, commented: "The voluntary sector has a crucial role to play in making Britain a healthier, more active place. Change of this kind has to take place at community level and volunteers, as members of the community themselves, are ideally placed to help others enjoy the benefits of being more active. "

The Ramblers Get Walking Keep Walking project, which works to encourage everyday independent walking in some of the country's most deprived urban areas by running 12-week walking programmes to introduce people to walking, shows the importance of working at the grassroots. The project has been a huge success in helping inactive people including families and those from black and minority ethnic communities make significant changes to their lifestyle and one of the keys to that success is a dedicated group of trained volunteers who lead walks, research routes and act as ambassadors for walking.

Simon Barnett added: "The success of projects like Get Walking Keep Walking also depends on expert, enthusiastic staff with adequate resources. Our volunteers tell us they could not have achieved what they did without that vital staff support, particularly in reaching communities that suffer disproportionately from poor health and low activity levels. With the costs of physical inactivity in England estimated at £8.2billion a year we now need to work together to turn words into actions."

Tom Franklin, Ramblers Chief Executive, said:

"The Ramblers is proud to pledge its support to improve public health and help nudge the nation to its feet.

"We've known for a long time that walking is the closest thing to perfect exercise and can make a positive difference to people's lives. The success of the Ramblers Get Walking Keep Walking project, helping inactive people to take those first steps towards a healthier lifestyle, shows the moves we've already made to help people discover the benefits of walking.

"We're pleased that commercial partners are pledging their commitment, along with support from government and voluntary organisations, to making Britain a healthier, more active and happier nation."

More about the responsibility deal can be found at http://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk

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