Gold heroes Coe and Jess back our call to save parks
Olympic legends warn that loss of green spaces threatens nation’s health – and st ars of the future
SPORTING greats Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Lord Coe today throw their weight behind The Mail on Sunday’s Save Our Parks campaign.
The celebrated Olympic goldmedal winners say parks should be protected to improve the nation’s health and to nurture sporting heroes of the future.
The Mail on Sunday revealed last month that thousands of green spaces across Britain are falling into disrepair or being sold off by cash-strapped councils.
The duo’s support comes as the NHS launches a new initiative to put parks and green spaces at the centre of new housing developments to promote physical activity.
Dame Jessica, who stormed to victory in the heptathlon at the London 2012 Olympics, said: ‘I am 100 per cent supportive of the campaign to save our local parks.
‘I have seen first hand the lack of funding for my local play area in Sheffield, which is really rundown. Parks and play areas are a really important part of a local community – children need to be able to play and run around in a safe environment.
‘Parks need to be kept for people to exercise.’
She was backed by Lord Coe, who won Olympic gold in the 1,500 metres in 1980 and 1984. Lord Coe went on to organise the 2012 London Games and is now the boss of the IAAF, the governing body of world athletics. He said last night: ‘I was brought up in cities so did my running and training in parks. Parks are an inseparable part of the British leisure and sporting landscape. ‘They are where children learn to safely ride their bikes, where groups gather for five-a-side football, and are the heart of the growing Parkrun events that inspire people to get active. Parks have served every part of the British sporting eco-system over the last century. They must be preserved.’ Health chiefs say parks are key in the fight against Britain’s obesity crisis and to combat t ype 2 diabetes, wh i c h costs taxpayers £12 billion a year. One in three children in the UK is overweight or obese by the age of 11, and almost 37,000 deaths a year could be avoided t hrough i ncreased physical a c t i vi t y, according to t he NHS. Studies have found that people who live within 500 yards of a park or green space are 24 per cent more likely to do the recommended 30 minutes of exercise per day.
This can directly reduce the risk of strokes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, some cancers and type 2 diabetes.
The NHS has launched Healthy New Towns programme to put physical activity at the centre of our daily lives, and is experimenting with the design of ten new towns across the country.
A recent NHS leaflet said: ‘Poorly maintained parks and green spaces do little to invite walking or play.
‘It is essential to help prevent illhealth by planning, designing and developing higher quality places.’ Thousands of readers and celebrities backing our campaign. Kirstie Allsopp, presenter of Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location, added her voice to the crusade last night, saying: ‘We need to save our parks – they are a vital community and environmental resource.’