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Young people in Liverpool prisoners in their own homes
RESEARCH
released by The Scout Association has revealed that young people in
the UK are spending worryingly little time outside engaging in the
activities that enable them to enjoy a longer and healthier life.
The findings, commissioned to coincide with the launch of The Scout
Association's 'KidsOutdoors' campaign, highlight how 8
million young people between the ages of 7 to 18 (89%) spend far less
time engaged in physical activity per week than is recommended by
the Department of Health.
The Government recommends that Children should accumulate at least 1
hour or more of moderate physical activity most days of the week.
The research also identified that over 600,000 (7%) young people
between the ages of 7 to 18 spend no time at all participating in
outdoor physical activities outside of school.
The research questioned both young people and their parents on their
attitudes to the outside world and found that whilst both groups
appreciated the benefits, barriers such as a lack of outdoor space,
low knowledge of local activity, concern for personal safety, the
pressures of school work and economic constraints meant that the
positive attitude was rarely translated into action. Screen based
activities in the home still remain the most popular uses of young
people's leisure time.
In response to these
statistics, The Scout Association is launching 'KidsOutdoors',
a campaign aimed at getting young people and their parents outside
and participating in a million new outdoor adventures across the UK.
The campaign is also encouraging other charities and companies to
sign up and tackle the problem as a coalition, with the British
Heart Foundation, Outward Bound, Duke of Edinburgh, National
Children's Homes all signed up already.
Specifically, the 5 campaign objectives are to:-
1. Encourage parents and young people to engage in 1 million outdoor
adventures across the UK
2. Call for a halt to
the erosion of outdoor space for physical activity (including
playing fields, swimming pools, and public gardens)
3. Provide more
information for young people and parents on what is going on in
their local area
4. Raise £10 million
for investment into facilities and logistics to encourage young
people in the UK to experience outdoor adventure
5. Ensure more adults volunteer to work with young people in their
local communities.
Tom Meaney, 17, Explorer Scouts, said:- "Scouting and the
Outdoors go hand in hand, there is so much I like doing canoeing,
walking, even just kicking a ball about on the field. The activities
me and my friends take part in help me keep fit and health and I
feel great for doing them to!"
Alex Tosh, Crosby
said:- "Scouting offers many opportunities to get outdoors and
experience adventures. We welcome anyone and you benefit straight
away from the games, activities and weekends away.
They all add
together making you feel healthier and enjoying your self at the same
time."
The campaign will be focussed at
www.kidsoutdoors.com
where the emphasis will be on user-generated
content such as blogs, video and images of activities, that
demonstrate just how fun and easy outdoor activity in a safe and
secure environment is.
Chief Scout, Peter Duncan, said:- "The findings of this report
should come with a national health warning.
It is a fact that young
people who spend more time outdoors are healthier than those who do
not and at the moment the outlook is bleak.
Scouting has
chosen to launch the 'KidsOutdoors' campaign because it
already encourages 400,000 young people into the outdoors every week
of the year.
The campaign is for all of the 14 million young people
in the UK. It doesn't matter who you are, but the message is simply
to get out there and get involved in the adventure."
David Barker, Head of Communications for the British Heart
Foundation, said:- "With predictions that one in four children
will be obese by 2050, it is essential that we get children and
young people more active.
Physical activity can help build a healthy
heart, develop strong muscles and bones and may help reduce the risk
of some chronic diseases in later life.
The Scout Associations
Kids Outdoors initiative is a great campaign and will help young
people to get the recommended daily dose of at least one hour of
moderate intensity exercise each day."
Evidence shows that active people have a longer life, less risk of
developing many diseases, greater well-being, less anxiety and
depression, lower stress levels, lower rates of smoking and
substance misuse, greater ability to function at work and home,
improved sleep, better maintenance of a healthy weight and increased
social opportunities.
Other key findings included... The most significant barriers cited by young people include:-
o Lack of knowledge (58%)
o Pressures of school work (42%)
o Financial constraints (40%)
o Safety concerns (21%)
o Peer pressure (23%)
· 74% of young people would like more youth clubs and outdoor
facilities provided
· Young people say they spend 30 minutes or more outside on an
average of 3.4 days per week
· Only 25% of parents feel their children spend enough time
outdoors. 80% wish their children spent longer outside.
· Regardless of how long they spend on outdoor activities, 64% of
young people would like to spend more time outdoors
· 94% of young people and 99% of adults appreciate that spending
more time outside has a positive effect on an individual's health
and development
· Parents spend about 5 hours a week engaged in outdoor activities,
with two fifths of this time spent with their children
· Running, football, swimming, cycling and walking are the most
common outdoor activities
· Overall, young people attribute positive adjectives to outdoor
activities – three quarters select healthy, energetic and fun,
although inactive young people have more negative perceptions'
· 74% of parents would like their children's schools to provide more
outdoor activities both in and out of school |
EVERTON FC’S SHIP COMES IN
THE 133 metre long Type
23 Frigate HMS Lancaster came to visit Liverpool over the weekend.
She was joined by amphibious assault ship HMS Bulwark which will be
the largest Royal Navy vessel to use the City’s new cruise liner
terminal. Lancaster will berth at Huskisson Dock.
Many of Lancaster’s Ship's Company are from the North West and
several die-hard Everton fans were at the game on Saturday 9
February 2008. On the
Sunday February 2008, 10 staff and players from the club toured the Ship to see the
Royal Navy team at work, with highlights to be recorded for Everton
TV. HMS Lancaster and Everton continued this link over the weekend
with football enthusiasts visiting Goodison Park a 2nd time for a
behind the scenes look at the club.
During a busy weekend of activities Lancaster hosted visits by a
number of sea cadet units including Preston, Accrington, Rochdale
and Middleton & Chadderton. Other visitors included the 33rd Sea
Scouts, the Arnold School Combined Cadet Force, a football match
against HMP Lancaster Castle and a joint training exercise with
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service before heading back to sea.
Every ship and submarine in the Royal Navy is affiliated to
different towns, cities and regions. This helps strengthen the Royal
Navy’s ties with important communities, including other
organisations such as councils, naval associations, youth groups and
charities.
For Leading Seaman (Communications Information Systems) Mike
O'Sullivan, who celebrates his birthday this week, it will be a
weekend to remember: "Having followed Everton ever since I can
remember, it is truly a dream come true to meet my and my son
Connor’s football idols. I received an Everton home shirt with the
name ST Domingo and the number 78 on the back for my birthday
(representing Everton’s original name when it was founded in 1878);
to then meet them in person after watching them play at home against
Reading, will be the best possible birthday present ever. As the
moto goes – Nil Satis Nisi Optimum – Nothing But The Best Is Good
Enough. Just like our team this season.”
HMS Lancaster has a range of affiliations across the North West,
including: the City of Lancaster; the Duchy of Lancaster; The
Queen's Lancashire Regiment; the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry;
Sea Cadet units TS Duke of Lancaster, TS Galloway and TS Eskimo; the
University of Lancaster; the Lancaster Royal Grammar School Combined
Cadet Force; Blackpool’s Arnold School Combined Cadet Force and the
Ship’s associated children’s charity “A Breath For Life”.
Commander Richard Moss, the Captain of HMS Lancaster said:-
“Realistic training is fundamental to everything the Royal Navy does
and fire fighting is an essential skill for everyone onboard. Marine
fires are always dangerous due to fuel, moving machinery and
obviously the state of the sea. The opportunity to work alongside
the Fire and Rescue Service is an excellent opportunity for us to
ensure we are at the top of our game and we enjoy learning from each
other."
This exercise will allow for HMS Lancaster to fully integrate with
the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. Whilst alongside in
Liverpool the Ship will simulate a fire in one of its machinery
spaces which requires responses by the whole ship and the support of
the Fire and Rescue Service to extinguish the fire safely and
without putting either the Ship, her crew or civilian fire-fighters
in danger. It will give the Ship valuable experience operating with
the Fire Service and to provide them with the opportunity to train
in the complex environment of a modern warship.
HMS Lancaster had a busy 2007. She returned to the UK in March after
spending 5 months off West Africa and in the Caribbean on a mission
which included anti-drug smuggling patrols, support to UK overseas
dependant territories, search and rescue and maritime security
operations. She then entered a maintenance period before acting as a
guard ship for the launch of HMS ASTUTE – the first in class of a new
range of Royal Navy submarines being built in Barrow in Furness.
As a frigate, Lancaster was designed as a submarine hunter and she
recently took part in important training exercises off the coast of
Scotland, before heading off to the Baltic for a multinational
training exercise. She is now beginning preparations for an overseas
deployment later in the year. Powerful and versatile with the
capability to operate anywhere in the world, the Type 23 frigate is
the mainstay of the modern surface fleet; there are 13 Type 23
frigates, forming 50% of the total frigate and destroyer force in
the Royal Navy.
Originally designed for the principal task of anti-submarine
warfare, they have evolved into multi purpose ships, capable of
engaging in all forms of naval warfare. The effectiveness of these
ships is enhanced by their stealth design, which reduces their radar
signature significantly. In addition to the war fighting, the ship
is trained to conduct a wide range of other tasks. These include
embargo operations using boarding teams inserted from the ship's
high speed boats or Merlin helicopter, disaster relief work and
surveillance operations.
The current HMS Lancaster is the 6th to bear the name. She was
commissioned in 1992 by Her Majesty the Queen in her official role
as Duke of Lancaster.
THINKING
ABOUT SEX DAY!!!
WHILE 7 out of 10 Brits would
like a romantic night, or to get intimate this Valentine’s Day, only
a third of these expect either will happen, according to a recent
survey.[1] Differences like these between people’s hopes and
expectations, are part of the reason why the Sexual Dysfunction
Association (SDA) is changing the name of its February 14 awareness
day “National Impotence Day” to “Thinking About Sex Day”.
Dr Graham Jackson, Chair of the Sexual Dysfunction Association
comments:- “Did you know that in the UK, experts estimate that
there are as many as 4 million men suffering from erectile
dysfunction (ED)[2]. As well as being a condition that can
potentially warn of other conditions, such as heart disease and
diabetes[3], the reality may be that many couples can’t enjoy
intimacy on Valentine’s Day because of it. Consequently, ED
may be a man’s problem, but it is a couple’s concern.”
To show who will be thinking about sex on 14 February, over 1,000
people were asked what they would like to happen on the day versus
what they thought would actually happen, with results showing
variations across the country:-
3 out of 4 Northerners are looking
for romance or intimacy on Valentines Day, while almost half of
those in the Midlands are expecting nothing.
More 55 to 64 year
olds wanted to get intimate with their partner on Valentine’s Day
than any other age group1.
The Welsh were the most likely to
be disappointed on 14 February; almost a quarter of men and women
in Wales are hoping for a romantic night or a bit of intimacy but
only 3% expect anything to happen on the night1.
Dr Jackson continues:- “It’s important that we all ‘think
about sex’, and its importance to our relationships and our health.
It’s also important that people discuss any problems they may have,
with their partner, a health professional or by contacting the SDA
for advice.”
The newly re-launched SDA
website, offers a one to
one online consultation service for those suffering from ED,
alongside information and advice. Information and advice on ED
is also available
online.
[1] DOF Pfizer Ltd; British Market Research Bureau survey
[2] DOF Pfizer Ltd; Matson Jack Epidemiological data
[3] L.D. Hodges, M. Kirby, J.O’Donnell and D.A Brodie. Temporal
relationship between erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular
disease. Research Centre for Health Studies, Buckinghamshire
Chilterns University College, ESSM, Vienna 2006 |
