Press release
Health chief leads by example through pedal power!
Bury’s Director of Public Health has been getting on his bike, along with other public sector workers in Bury as part of a Greater Manchester workplace challenge.
28 staff from Bury Council and NHS Bury took part in the Greater Manchester Cycle Challenge during which they jointly notched up over 1,300 miles and burned an impressive 40,000 calories.
Run by Transport for Greater Manchester, the challenge is a free competition which aims to remind people working and living in Greater Manchester of the freedom and fun you can experience from riding a bike.
The Challenge is a chance for individuals and their workmates to get on their bikes and have some fun competing against other workplaces. The competition is based on participation, rather than how far or fast you can cycle, and the aim is to recruit as many new people as possible to ride a bike for at least 10 minutes. The competition ran from 14th May until 5th June and there were some prizes up for grabs.
Regarding the challenge, Dr. Peter Elton, Bury’s Director of Public Health said: “It’s great that some of those staff that took part hadn’t cycled for some time. The challenge inspired some staff to dust off their bicycles from the garage, and for others to buy a bike and start to cycle more regularly.”
“Cycling regularly can help you to improve your fitness, reduce stress and maintain a healthy weight. With the right equipment people can enjoy cycling. It’s one of the easiest ways to fit exercise into your daily routine as it gets you from A to B, so not only does it get you fit and save you money, it’s good for the environment too. One of the key things to remember if you do want to have a go at cycling, is to wear a cycling helmet which can prevent a head injury if you were unfortunate enough to fall from your bike.”
Councillor Rishi Shori, Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Health & Wellbeing added: “It is wonderful that so many people took part in this event. Fitting exercise into busy days can be really difficult, so using a bicycle, to get to work for example, is a really useful way of getting fit and staying healthy without interrupting your daily routine.”
Councillor Andrew Fender, Chair of the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee, said: “It’s great that Bury NHS and Bury Council took up the TfGM Cycle Challenge. Cycling is fun, free and a fast, easy way of getting around Greater Manchester – whether it’s cycling to work, starting or finishing your public transport commute by bike, or cycling purely for recreation – and of course, it has lots of health benefits too.”
“I hope the Bury NHS and Council staff enjoyed supporting the challenge and have been inspired to continue getting out and about on their bikes. It’s National Bike Week from 16-24 June, so it’s the perfect time to make a habit out of cycling to work.”
ENDS
Date: 19th June 2012
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