Ho Ho Ro! Rosetta Primary School steps into the festive season

Rosetta Primary School in Belfast got into the festive spirit by taking part in the Daily Mile Santa Run, complete with Christmas jumpers.

The Daily Mile Network in Northern Ireland hosted an event on Friday 1 December encouraging schools across the region to get moving and talking about physical and mental health. The Daily Mile can be done alongside the Active School Travel (AST) programme which is funded by Public Health Agency (PHA) and Department for Infrastructure and delivered by Sustrans.

Dr Hannah McCourt, Senior Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Officer with PHA, said: “It’s great to see Rosetta Primary putting in such creative and festive efforts to complete their Daily Mile Santa Run. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit!

“The Daily Mile challenge offers a fun and interactive way for children to get moving more and incorporate physical activity into their daily routine. Being physically active helps to build strong bones, muscles and a healthy heart, supports the development of social skills, and encourages a sense of wellbeing. It also benefits children’s mental health, so it really does have a wide range of benefits.”

Simon Melville, Vice Principal at Rosetta Primary School, said: “We love taking part in the Daily Mile challenge every year and the Santa Run is a great way for us to kick off the countdown to Christmas – our pupils loved it! Doing challenges like this is good for our children to get outside and reap the many benefits of physical activity. We always notice they come back to class reenergised and ready to learn. We would highly recommend the Daily Mile challenge to other schools!”

Speaking about the Daily Mile, Dr Brenda McKay-Redmond, Co-Chair of The Daily Mile Network, said:

"The ethos of The Daily Mile is for physical activity to be social, non-competitive and fun. It encourages children to be aware of their health and aims for inclusiveness for every child, regardless of age or ability. Increasing physical activity levels for all children in Northern Ireland is critical and The Daily Mile is committed to supporting the implementation of The Daily Mile across the country and creating an evidence base that is relative to Northern Ireland.”

Dr McCourt concluded: “The PHA would encourage as many families and schools as possible across Northern Ireland to get involved in the Daily Mile programme this year. It’s important that children are introduced to a culture of being active from an early age as it is something that will stay with them and benefit them throughout their lives.”

To find out more about The Daily Mile, visit www.thedailymile.co.uk

For more tips and advice on getting active, visit www.ChooseToLiveBetter.com