 |
 |
| |
European Mobility Week (Sept 16th - 22nd 2008)
European Mobility Week is a good time to think about how you travel and to consider walking, cycling, public transport or car pooling for trips in Galway City and County. Not only does this help your health and finances but you are also doing your part for the environment.
Galway Healthy Cities project and Health Promotion Services HSE West and are among partners involved in this years Mobility Week.
Galway University Hospitals are promoting the week offering staff and visitors the opportunity to receive pedometers and protective flashing light for greater visibility. GUH are also organising a variety of lunch time walks throughout the week. There are many walking routes in and around the grounds of both hospital sites which take from between 15 - 30 minutes to complete. We are encouraging staff to incorporate some physical activity during their daily work routine.
View programme for full details of initiatives in Galway City & County >>
Playground Marking
The 'Playground Markings' is an initiative by the Health Promotion Services, HSE West, working in conjunction with Galway City Council, Galway Community Forum and Galway City Sports Partnership. Playground stencils, which are available to schools on loan, are used to paint traditional playground games onto the school playground. These games include Hopscotch, A Maze, the Snail Game and an Activity Circuit.
The rationale behind the initiative is that physical activity is central to a person's physical, psychological, emotional and social health. It should be seen as part of every child's daily lifestyle. It is hoped that this initiative will encourage children to take part in active games that can help them develop good habits which will prove invaluable throughout their lives. This is very important in light of the increasing rates of physical inactivity and obesity in Irish children.
The playground games are aimed at both group and individual participation. The activities are ideal for games and for informal play which research shows will (a) encourage play (b) prevent accidents and bullying and (c) provide children with structured games.
The cost of the paint is being covered for schools in the city through the Healthy Cities project.
It is suggested that help can be sought from a number of areas for the school to lay out the markings. These include (1) art students (2) senior primary school students (3) art teacher (4) care-taker (5) secondary transition year students (6) CSPE secondary students (7) scouts or guides and (8) local theatre group.
Important things to note:
* The children should select which game they would like to put in their play area (age related games)
* The playground games should not be placed on areas already used for soccer, basketball, tennis etc. as this will lead to confusion.
A pilot was carried out in Scoil Bhride with the initiative being rolled out in September 2007 until the end of 2008 to all primary schools in Galway City and other relevant areas such as community centres and estates.
View our Stencil Information Pack... click here!
For further information contact:
Paul Gillen, Health Promotion Officer (091) 548323 Paul.Gillen@hse.ie
Fiona Donovan, Galway Healthy Cities (091) 548518 Fiona.Donovan@hse.ie
Children from Scoil Bhride using the stencils to mark out playground games with paint
The result... Hopscotch and A Maze
Healthy Activities in Galway City
PDF / Article
<< Return to Projects
|
|
|
