Garden team plant seeds of healthy future
AGARDENING group in Rochdale has been chosen as the focus of a new health campaign across Greater Manchester.
The That Counts! campaign has been created in response to the latest figures that show more than 75,200 adults (aged 16+) and 18,900 children (aged 5-16) in Rochdale are not moving enough.
The Growth Project, on Kellett Street, will front the campaign to encourage people in both the town and wider region to lead a more active life.
Karen Hayday, director of the Growth Project, said: “It’s amazing that our allotment group is starring in the That Counts! campaign. We hope that by seeing local members of the community in the adverts, Rochdale’s residents feel more confident about moving more themselves.
“Gardening is a great way to move more. It can be quite physical; from pulling weeds to digging, to moving things around the garden. You can work up a bit of a sweat sometimes! You can do as much or as little as your body can take and work up to doing more over time.”
Currently, almost a third (31 per cent) of adults in Rochdale are active for less than half an hour a week, despite 30 minutes a day of moderate activity being recommended. Worryingly, with the younger generation, almost half (41pc) are active for less than 30 minutes a day, despite an hour a day being the minimum advised for 5 to 16 year olds.
Alongside the campaign, Rochdale is also planning focused community initiatives at a local level in the borough.
Karen added: “The good thing about this gardening group is that we all help and support each other – everyone using their own talents to contribute.
“And it’s not just toil here. We sit down, have a brew and make friends – which is brilliant for your mental health and overall wellbeing.”
Hundreds of organisations have also pledged their support, including leisure facilities, sports clubs, community groups, businesses and charities.
The inspiring community initiative is an important contribution to Greater Manchester’s aims to reduce inactivity and get 2 million residents moving by 2021.
The campaign has the backing of Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, who said: “Greater Manchester residents are already taking great strides to become more active – and we’re tackling inactivity three times faster than the national average. We’ve got a lot to celebrate, but there’s still some way to go and barriers we can start to tackle as a community.
“That Counts! is an active, engaging and fun campaign that shows it doesn’t matter what you do, or how you do it, there are loads of ways to make movement count.”