Virtual journey to Rio wins Mid Sussex team a top prize

Mid Sussex District Council Leader Garry Wall, West Sussex County Council Leader Louise Goldsmith, Lucie Venables (Community Safety Officer), Jann Palmer (Wellbeing Advisor), Paul Turner (Wellbeing Advisor) and Elizabeth Carter (Wellbeing Manager).

But there are still plenty of prizes to be won in the challenge, which is open to all West Sussex workplaces and runs until the end of June.

The team, from Mid Sussex District Council, received their prize from West Sussex County Council Leader and Chairman of the West Sussex Health and Wellbeing Board Louise Goldsmith, and Mid Sussex District Council Leader Councillor Garry Wall.

Each of the five team members (Kamella Clough, Paul Turner, Lucie Venables, Liz Carter and Jann Palmer) received an iPod shuffle.

Louise said: “Congratulations to the team on their achievement. More than 100 teams have signed up to travel the virtual journey from London to Rio as the next Olympic city and are converting physical activity into miles.

“Reaching Rio has encouraged teams to take up exercise and has proved a great talking point in the workplace. The benefits of physical activity are numerous and we should all try and aim for 150 minutes of physical activity a week.”

“It’s great to see Mid Sussex District Council staff setting such a fine example when it comes to taking part in sport and physical activity,” said Councillor Garry Wall, Leader of Mid Sussex District Council.

“They are all delighted with their recognition but the greater reward will always be the long term health and wellbeing experienced as a result of taking regular exercise.

“The West Sussex County Council Public Health team deserve a great deal of credit for organising this terrific challenge for local companies. One of our Council aims is to increase the number of local people who take part in regular exercise and Reaching Rio has proved to be a really innovative way to get people interested in new sporting activities.”

From walking to football, dance to swimming, Reaching Rio converts all exercise into miles and takes teams on their virtual route from London to Rio. All activity is logged on the website at www.reachingrio.org or via the smart phone app.

Louise added: “The challenge continues until the end of June and there are still plenty of prizes to be won, so if you’re taking part, make sure you continue to log your physical activity online.”

The challenge was developed by West Sussex County Council’s Public Health team. People who do physical activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, strokes and some cancers. It can also boost self-esteem and mood, and reduce the risk of stress, depression and dementia.