Pupil helps launch drive to get active

A TEENAGER in the East End has helped launched a campaign to encourage people to stay active with family and friends while social distancing measures are in place.

Smithycroft Secondary pupil Holly Halferty, 16, revealed the Walk and Talk campaign which is backed by sportscotland.

Holly is a young sports leader for the organisation. She is also a member of sportscotland’s Young People’s Sport Panel (YPSP), which she joined in June 2018.

With sport in Scotland at a standstill, the sector has been working hard to ensure people can stay mentally and physically active from their own homes, with YPSP at the forefront of that effort.

The campaign by the panel and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) is encouraging people to set a time for a walk-and-talk phone call with a friend, family member, colleague or teammate.

Each person takes a photo while on their walk and shares it on social media using the hashtag #WeAreHere, tagging @sportscotland and @SAMHtweets.

The campaign was launched during Mental Health Awareness Week but will continue while restrictions are in place in Scotland.

Holly said: “I’ve loved taking part in the Walk and Talk programme. It had been a while since I caught up with my friend and it was amazing to find out how the both of us were keeping ourselves physically and mentally fit.

“I would really recommend it to others as it was nice to get out the house and it can really help everyone’s mental health which is always important, but particularly now.”