Physical fitness. Fresh air. Healthy wellbeing. Positive attitude. High energy.
Sadly, these descriptions fail to compliment the daily activities of many children living in Scotland’s modern society, particularly those from economically deprived backgrounds.
An initiative called ‘the Daily Mile’, also known as the ‘15 golden minutes of childhood’, was introduced to combat this dilemma and has since spread in popularity across the UK and beyond. The objective is to improve the physical, social, emotional and mental health and wellbeing of our children – regardless of age, ability or personal circumstances. The simple and free concept involves children partaking in 15 minutes of walking, jogging or running every day in their primary and nursery schools.
Following the success of this activity amongst children, the Scottish Government approached universities and colleges, as well as public and private sector organisations, to adopt the movement as part of their day-to-day working culture. Scottish Power were proud to be the first company in Scotland to launch their own ‘Walk the Daily Mile’ initiative to employees.
Last Sunday (24th September 2017), we were thrilled to co-host Scottish Power Renewables’ Family Fun Day at Whiteelee Wind Farm. The Breaking Strain Events’ team endured a busy morning of route marking, DIY obstacle construction, and space hopper pre-testing (we’re a serious bunch, can you tell?). It was great to see families out for the day, wind and waterproofed, ready to get active and complete the Daily Mile and obstacle course together.
Today, we’re excited to announce that 2018 will see the launch of our very own ‘Family Mile’ at Run the Blades. We hope this new element will encourage those who are unable to take part in one of our three main races (10K, half marathon, 50K ultra) due to restrictions such as age, to come along and challenge themselves to something more suitable to their ability. We like to go the extra mile for our community, and hope to see more family engagement next year as we work towards supporting Scotland in becoming the first Daily Mile Nation.