Public Health Cycle Challenge 2018 Rides Into Newry

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council welcomed the Public Health Cycle Challenge 2018 to the district on Monday 21 May 2018.

This year’s Public Health Annual Cycle Challenge 2018 took place over nine days, between 18 and 27 May 2018. The challenge began in Wales, then continued with a three day Public Health Cycling partnership with public health officials from the island of Ireland, and then finished with a three day Public Health cycling partnership with public health professionals in Scotland. 

Newry, Mourne and Down District Chairperson, Councillor Roisin Mulgrew said, “We were delighted to welcome the Cycle Challenge to the district and I truly believe that the place of cycling in our society is set to grow. 

“Cycling is a great way to get out in the fresh air and appreciate the beautiful surroundings we have across the district.  Within Newry, Mourne and Down District Council we offer a range of cycling programmes, suitable for all abilities. We value our working partnerships with colleagues from other organisations and government departments which can help improve the health and wellbeing of all our citizens.

“We are pleased that we are now firmly part of this annual cycle which promotes public health, the benefits of physical activity and encourages everyone to be active.”

The Public Health Cycle Challenge is organised by the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) and Healthy Ireland. ADPH is a collaborative organisation working in partnership with others to both maximise the voice for public health and to minimise the use of resources. In order to support the Directors of Public Health in their roles, the Association aligns itself centrally between the NHS, Local Authority and Public Health. It therefore aims to have close working relationships with national organisations working across sectors.

Caroline Bloomfield, Senior Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager at the Public Health Agency, said: “We are delighted to welcome our public health colleagues from England and the Republic of Ireland for this cycle challenge and hope they can help us promote our programmes of physical activity here.

“We have been developing and promoting a number of active travel initiatives over recent years as active travel improves people’s physical and emotional health, as well as benefitting the environment.

“Cycling is an activity that can be incorporated into everyday life and is an easy and fun way of getting more physically active and staying healthy. It is also one of the best ways for people to improve their health, fitness and wellbeing. Apart from burning away body fat, cycling reduces the chances of heart disease and helps to combat diabetes and high blood pressure. Cycling can also be a much more efficient way of getting around, especially in the city and is kinder to the environment.”