A Chance To Live
Serious message behind a fun day
THE return of the Great North Walk this summer will provide a great day out for thousands of people. Along with more serious walkers will be droves of ordinary people out to enjoy a day in the countryside around Darlington.
In the recent past, more than 4,000 walkers have taken part in previous Great North Walks at places such as Wolsingham and Auckland Castle, in County Durham, and this year's organisers are hoping for a bumper turnout.
While the atmosphere is always enjoyable, the Great North Walk has a serious purpose - to encourage people to take more exercise in the interests of their health.
Despite progress made in recent years, the region still has some of the worst health statistics in the country.
This is partly a legacy of the North-East's industrial past, but bad habits are lingering on, including excessive drinking, heavy smoking and unhealthy diets.
The region is at the bottom of the national league when it comes to the proportion of people who take regular exercise.
One of the results of such poor health is the large proportion of the population who experience serious heart disease.
It was against that background that The Northern Echo launched its Chance To Live campaign in 2000.
Triggered by the death of Northern Echo photographer Ian Weir, who had a fatal heart attack aged only 38 after he waited nearly eight months for a triple heart bypass operation, The Northern Echo initially focused on a call for speedier treatment for patients who needed heart bypass surgery.
After huge investments in heart surgery, including the expansion of the regional heart unit at the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, the average waiting time for a nonurgent heart bypass operation has gone down from about 18 months to less than three months.
The success of that campaign led to The Northern Echo switching the focus of A Chance To Live to supporting efforts to persuade the people in the region to lead healthier lifestyles.
That led to A Chance To Live banners being displayed at every Great North Walk.
The banner will be on view this summer as the Great North Walk route switches from Weardale to the rural outskirts of Darlington.
This year's event will chime perfectly with Sport England's continuing Everyday Sport campaign, which was launched in the region by athlete and broadcaster Steve Cram in June 2004.
The North-East was chosen as the test-bed for the Everyday Sport campaign, which has now been extended to the rest of England.
As part of the campaign, everyone is being asked to build exercise into their lives by walking the dog, getting off the bus a stop early and walking to local shops, as well as playing sports.
6:08pm Thursday 4th May 2006
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