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1 Apr 08Launch of Active 3x30
Olympic hopeful Liz Yelling will be helping to launch a new initiative aimed at encouraging more people on the road to a healthier lifestyle.
Borough of Poole has linked up with a host of local organisations to help people improve their health and well-being by joining the Active 3x30 scheme.
Active 3x30 
is a community project connecting people in Poole and Bournemouth with opportunities to enjoy an active life.
Poole-based athlete Liz Yelling, who is in training to qualify for the Beijing Games later this year, will launch Active 3x30 at a special open day at Upton Country Park on Saturday April 5.
The event will be packed with free activities aimed at getting all the family fit and healthy.
Activities on offer include ballroom dance workshops with a professional teacher, a climbing wall, orienteering, power kiting and outdoor exercise classes.
Among other activities on offer will be Buggy Fit - a special class for mums who would like to get some gentle exercise with their pram or pushchair - and workshops giving people a chance to try Nordic walking.
For young people, there is SHOKK Combat, which is aimed at children aged between eight and 13, while later in the day the Friends of Upton Country Park will be hosting a dance and light meal at Upton House to launch Silver Plus, the Active 3x30 club for Poole's older residents. People taking the Active 3x30 challenge and trying three different activities on the open day will be entered into a free prize draw.
Richard Woodrow, Recreation Development Officer, Borough of Poole, said: "Activities like ballroom dancing, orienteering and countryside conservation may not be viewed as exercise, but all they have positive health benefits. This is where Active 3x30 aims to make a difference and by joining up to the scheme we hope to open up a range of health opportunities for people.
"Guidance from the Department of Health suggests we should all be active for 30 minutes, five times a week, but for beginners that be can a tall order so we are suggest 3x30 minutes to get people started."
Cllr Peter Adams, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Culture and Leisure, Borough of Poole, said: "The evidence is clear, if you make yourself more active you can significantly improve your health. For many people, the perception of health and fitness is lifting weights and hitting the running machine in a gym. But there are countless ways to inject extra activity into your lifestyle and few of them involve squeezing into lycra shorts."
Active 3x30 is being launched in partnership with Bournemouth Borough Council , Active Dorset , Bournemouth and Poole Primary Care Trust and Bournemouth University , with workplaces, schools and the wider community also being encouraged to sign up to the campaign.
The benefits of signing up to the Active 3x30 scheme include access to free advice and support, plus information about the hundreds of activities happening in the Poole and Bournemouth area. The scheme is free and there is no joining fee.
Clubs, centres and organisations will list their classes and activities, leaving it up to the individual to tailor their own fitness timetable.
For more information visit the Active3x30 website or contact Richard Woodrow, Recreation Development Officer, Borough of Poole on 01202 261312 or email: r.woodrow@poole.gov.uk.
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