Celebrating Highland as a healthy and vibrant place to live!

NHS Highland, The Highland Council, Partnerships for Wellbeing and Highland Drug and Alcohol Action Team are to showcase and raise awareness of the importance of being healthy at three week-long themed campaigns being staged before the turn of the year.  The campaigns are: -

• Eat Better, Move More. Why Weight? - 10-17 September;
• Healthy Highland Week for Schools - 9 October – 5 November; and
• Safe Celebrations: does your drinking add up? - 3-10 December.

The campaigns build on the success of the first Healthy Highland Week in January of this year.
 
Garry Coutts, NHS Highland chair, said: “Our environment should be an inspiration to us when we think about improving our health and that’s why we are taking part in Highland 2007. There are lots of activities people can take part in as individuals, families or groups and we’re taking this opportunity to highlight them.”

Dr Eric Baijal, Director of Public Health, NHS Highland, commended all the initiatives that have been launched during this special year by local community groups and the partner organisations. “Healthy Highland 2007 is about creating a cultural legacy and I can’t think of a better legacy than a fitter, healthier population.”

Ian Murray, Head of Community, Learning and Leisure, The Highland Council, echoed the importance of how special themed weeks can lead to sustainable ventures. ”Since the first Healthy Highland Week, we have heard that some of the activities people tried then have really taken off and for a little amount of input the outcomes have been really impressive. Young people in Alness, for example, tried out spinning classes as a taster session and the community has now invested in cycles and trainers allowing young people to continue to use that as a way of getting regular exercise.”