Royal Welsh host authorities promote steps to healthy living
20 July 2009
During this week’s Royal Welsh Show, local authorities are showcasing the benefits of good quality, health lifestyles and demonstrating how small every day changes to a person’s life can make a profound difference to their overall quality of health and well being.
Last week, health experts warned that a lack of exercise in children’s and young people’s lives could damage their health. Through a variety of activities, local authorities are encouraging children and young age to develop good lifestyle habits that they can take into adulthood. Parents are also being given useful tips and information on how they can make changes to their everyday lives which could significantly impact on their own health and well-being and that of their families.
Local authority mascots; Rhys Cycle, Enviro-man and Kirk - the Yellowwoods Challenge mascot are challenging children to get active on Wii Fit machines while parents are being informed of the crucial role they play in supporting their children to make healthier lifestyle choices and being encouraged to become more active themselves.
Whilst the benefits of outdoor exercise and play are being highlighted as vital to good quality, healthy living, people are also being encouraged to recycle more and increase their waste reduction as a means to improving the quality of their local environment and to protect the global environment for generations to come.
Through various activities, local authorities, supported by Waste Awareness Wales are raising awareness of the need for people to think more responsibly about environmental sustainability and what changes they could make to their everyday lives which could significantly impact on their overall health and well being.
These include a ‘Meal of Fortune’ game where visitors are asked to guess the current levels of food waste across Wales as a means to increasing their understanding of the necessity for food waste reduction. Home composting displays and tips on how to set up your own gardens for home grown foods are also being showcased in the local government pavilion.
Cllr Meryl Gravell, WLGA Health and Well- being spokesperson said:
“It not just genetics or access to NHS services which determines a person’s quality of health and well-being, but the social circumstances in which they are born, grow, live, work and age. There are many everyday changes that people can make which can give them greater control of their own future and provide them with a healthier quality of living.”
“Developing good habits as a child around healthy living can provide a solid foundation for healthy living during adulthood. For that reason many of our activities this week are geared towards children and educating them on the importance of healthy living from a young age including the benefits of outdoor exercise and play. Healthy lifestyles can not only improve the quality of a person’s life but can also increase their educational opportunities and their social circumstances. We want every visitor to the local government stand this week to take away this very important message, that they have control of their own health and well being and making small, everyday changes can make a big difference to their overall quality of living.”
Cllr Aled Roberts, WLGA Environment Spokesperson said:
“On average a Welsh household throws away approximately £400 a year on food. This isn’t just unwanted left-overs, but fresh foods such as fruit and bread – foods that could have been eaten. There will always be elements from the kitchen that have to be collected, but there needs to be a concerted, joint effort by councils and communities across Wales to ensure that we reduce the amount of waste we throw away, both food and other materials that could have otherwise been recycled.”
“Simply throwing things away without proper treatment is both environmentally irresponsible and a waste of valuable resources and money. Every council in Wales has invested in recycling services and are actively encouraging their residents to recycle as much as possible so less is sent to landfill. With the public now recycling more than ever, councils are committed to investing in an infrastructure that can support further recycling to enable councils to meet both Welsh Assembly Government and European targets but most importantly to secure the environmental sustainability of Wales’ communities for years to come. Councils cannot achieve this goal on their own, they need the support and environmentally-friendly actions of their local communities.”
Local government’s exhibition at this year’s Show is the product of excellent joint working between this year’s host authorities - Swansea, Vale of Glamorgan, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cardiff The WLGA would also like to thank Powys County Council for the support it continues to provide to the WLGA in hosting the Local Government Pavilion on the Showground.
The Local Government Pavilion is located on Avenue E, Plot 390 on the Royal Welsh Showground (opposite the NFU building).
Notes to Editors
During the Show the Local Government Pavilion will host a number of meetings with senior Welsh Assembly Government Members and officials and leaders and chief executives from across local government in Wales. These include:
• A local government reception on Monday 20th July where Cllr John Davies, WLGA Leader will be celebrating local government’s presence at the Show with delegates from across local and national government. Elin Jones AM, Minister for Rural Affairs will also be speaking during this event on the key challenges facing rural Wales.
• Celebration of a funding agreement between the WLGA and the Royal Welsh Show which is helping to secure a stable and sustainable future for the event, while easing the financial burden on each year’s host authority. This will immediately follow the Show’s official opening ceremony.
• A meeting of the WLGA Management Sub Committee where the WLGA senior management team will meet with the political leadership of the WLGA to discuss the key challenges facing local government