This week’s post is from a guest author – the Change 4 Life team from the Department of Health.
Change4Life is a new mass movement aiming to improve children’s diets and levels of physical activity. Millions of children face an increased risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and depression in later life because of their lifestyles now.
Supported by the Department of Health, Change4Life will invite every family in England to eat well, move more, live longer. It will help parents by providing information, tips and support to empower them to make better food choices for their children and encourage activities like outdoor play, walking and cycling.
Fortunately we are not launching from a standing start. There are already many examples of successful initiatives around the country, run by committed, public-spirited professionals and volunteers. So Change4Life will support these and help share their best practice with the rest of the country. Change4Life will also introduce new ideas and opportunities to get involved, working in collaboration with Primary Care Trusts (PCTs), Local Authorities, schools and voluntary groups, as well as major commercial and media partners.
From walking buses to cookery classes for young mums to sports classes for pre-school kids, there is great work being done. That’s why the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, is personally writing to every identified local activist whose efforts encourage healthier eating and activity amongst children in their locality, asking for their support.
Change4Life will be launched to the general public early in 2009. Their priority now is to ask volunteers to add their support. Your experience and energy will be crucial to the success of Change4Life.
To register your interest in becoming a local partner of Change4Life please visit www.nhs.uk/change4life or call 0300 123 3434. A member of the Change4Life team will then be able to update you on ways that your neighbourhood can benefit from the national 4Life campaign.
Please can you forward this information on to your networks via your
newsletters, websites or by email. We are committed to getting hundreds of
thousands of local organisations on board with this national campaign.