THOUSANDS of people in the region have responded to The Northern Echo's call to embrace healthy living.

Five years ago, this newspaper launched a campaign to improve treatment for heart patients.

Now, after dramatic improvements in heart services, the focus has shifted to persuading more people to prevent heart disease by taking exercise.

Yesterday, community leaders gathered in Bishop Auckland Town Hall, County Durham, to declare the campaign - A Chance To Live - a huge success.

When more than 4,000 people took part in The Great North Walk, in Weardale, last year the organisers of the campaign knew they were on to something good.

Figures released at yesterday's relaunch of the A Chance To Live campaign showed a huge increase in the number of people taking part in physical activities.

Throughout Wear Valley, Weardale and Teesdale thousands of people have already discovered the pleasure and benefits of taking exercise.

Now the campaign plans to go even further, offering every school-age child in the area the opportunity to get involved in exercise in a new, fun and exciting way.

In just one area, Crook, Willington and Tow Law, nearly 8,000 visits to sports and leisure centres were recorded last year, compared with 2,150 in 2002.

In Weardale, young people clocked up 6,740 visits in 2003, more than twice the 2002 total.

Similar figures were recorded throughout the area.

At the same time, GPs in the district referred 2,592 people to an exercise programme, 500 more than in the previous year.

Two new initiatives announced at yesterday's relaunch included the Leap scheme, one of only ten pilot schemes in the country.

Aimed at encouraging less active children to take exercise, the scheme will offer every school age child in Weardale and Teesdale the chance to get involved in a new type of activity.

The other initiative, backed by £2m of funds from the National Lottery charity, the New Opportunities Fund, will lead to the setting up of 15 healthy living centres around the area covered by Durham Dales Primary Care Trust.

Peter Barron, Editor of The Northern Echo, said now that heart services had improved it was time to concentrate on preventing illness.

"Last year, we joined forces and launched the Great North Walk. It has been a great success, the results speak for themselves. We look forward to the partnership being even stronger," he said.

A Chance To Live is a partnership between The Northern Echo, Wear Valley District Council, Durham Dales Primary Care Trust and Northumbrian Water.

* For information about taking part in this year's Great North Walk from Auckland Castle, Bishop Auckland on Sunday July 18, contact Wear Valley District Council.

Read more about the Chance to Live campaign here.