East Belfast Community Development Agency

The physical activity programme being delivered by the Health Development and Connections Team has been operating for 6 months and to date has proved very popular, feedback from users has been very positive.  Through the support of the Eastern Physical Activity Co-ordination Group and WISPA HLC the programmes has been innovative and revolutionary for east Belfast.  It aim’s is to deliver physical activity opportunities in order to improve the health and well being of individuals and communities.

Physical activity has included the full range of human movement with walking sessions, gardening sessions, cycling sessions and a fishing session.  Fifteen people have taken part with over 65 hours spent being active.  The conclusion to the summer cycling included a trip to Newry and a twenty mile cycle along the canal towpath stopping of at a number of sites of interest along the way.

The benefits of an active lifestyle in health and disease prevention are well known and can reduce the risk of premature death by 20% to 30%  and up to 50% reduce the risk of developing major chronic diseases.  However men on average are less likely to be active than women and the visible sign of inactivity of being overweight is only one of a possible 20 chronic disorders that results.

For further information contact Alan on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 9045 1512.