Daily Mile decade is marked by activities
A CELEBRATION of the Daily Mile saw about 100 pre-school children taking part in outdoor activities at the KGV yesterday morning.
The Health Improvement Commission event marked the 10-year anniversary of the Daily Mile in the UK, which encourages individuals to walk a mile each day. The campaign was adopted locally five years ago.
‘It is one of the best initiatives I have ever come across,’ said Alun Williams, education lead from the Health Improvement Commission's Be Active team.
‘We introduced it and it was immediately very popular with primary schools.’
He said it was valuable for younger children to be involved with the campaign too, so they could get out and enjoy the environment.
‘It’s an opportunity to celebrate being active and having fun,’ he said.
‘Some of the teachers have explained to the children that it creates happy hormones to make them more energetic and enjoy studying more.’
In a survey of 320 young people in 2019, fewer than half were achieving the recommended one hour of daily activity, Mr Williams said, so including a mile-long walk in children’s daily routines was very beneficial.
‘The benefits of doing 15 to 20 minutes of activity are important for people of any age,’ he added.
‘Children return to classrooms more prepared to study. It gives you a 15 to 20-minute boost.’
The children enjoyed a walk around the KGV nature trail as well as dancing, activities and games, said active travel officer Alex Costen.
Healthy snacks were also donated by the Co-op and the commission arranged transport for pre-schools which needed it.
‘It’s all about getting people to be active,’ she said.
Pre-school leader Fenella Knight added: ‘They have really enjoyed it – they loved seeing the flowers and stream.’
She said it was nice for the children to explore somewhere new.
‘They are in the fresh air, finding nature around them and seeing different parts of the island.’
Three-year-old Gabby Brown, from Little Bears Nature Pre-School, said she had enjoyed the morning. ‘I went by the water and I did some running and rolling down the hill,’ she added.
Dexter Le Cheminant, also three, also had a good time being active. ‘All the way over there we did running,’ he said.
