TODAY (1st April) sees the launch of a month-long health and wellbeing challenge by the UK’s leading childcare provider, Bright Horizons. Its entire community begins pledging distances to walk, run, swim, cycle, toddle, or crawl in a bid to reach the goal of half a million miles during April.
Ros Marshall, Managing Director, at Bright Horizons UK said: “A healthy body and emotional wellbeing are essential conditions for learning. These values are at the heart of our curriculum, enabling children to learn to become confident, capable individuals with a positive disposition and strong self-esteem.
“Over the past 12 months playing sport and keeping fit has played a significant role for families in helping to maintain their physical and mental well-being. We’ve launched ‘Half A Million Miles’ to celebrate the importance of exercise. While it still isn’t possible to bring everyone together physically, this challenge is a great platform for our communities to get involved for a shared cause.”
The #HalfaMillionMiles challenge will be in line with current restrictions, as individuals will be doing their miles apart. In the UK there are over 300 Bright Horizons nurseries and preschools, as well as support offices. Employees, clients, parents, and young children connected to Bright Horizons will pledge about the number of miles they want to complete during April.
Donations will be sought by individuals taking part and any money raised through this initiative will go towards supporting the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children. The Foundation has more than 80 Bright Spaces throughout the UK, which provide warm, safe, enriching play environments for vulnerable children affected by abuse, domestic violence, parental imprisonment, and ill-health.
A recent report by Sport England on ‘Children’s Experience of Physical Activity in Lockdown’ show that parents are valuing the time they are spending on activity with their children, believing that sports and fitness are bringing families together: 53% of parents were doing more physical activity with their children than they did prior to lockdown and 61% felt that playing sport and keeping fit was helping maintain their family’s physical and mental well-being.
Ros Marshall said: “With summer just around the corner, it would be great to see families continuing this trend of exercising together. We hope that our challenge throughout April provides another platform for communities to maintain their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Please visit www.brighthorizons.co.uk/halfamillionmiles for more information. Stay posted on our social media channels for updates via the hashtag #HalfaMillionMiles.