A campaign by the Glasgow evening newspaper, the Evening Times, to improve the health of the city's residents, has delivered some impressive results, including 15 million cigarettes not being lit.
Reports a supplement in the paper last week, the Glas-goals campaign set local residents the challenge of walking, running, swimming or cycling over a million miles and losing half a million pounds in weight. The campaign, launched in January last year, had hoped for a million cigarettes to be 'stubbed out'.
The campaign was launched with five partner organisations, including NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Said editor, Tony Carlin, in the supplement: “Glasgow's appalling health record is a disgrace. The tag of Sick Man of Europe is one which has haunted generations of Glaswegians who have died far too early.
“That's why, as Glasgow's newspaper, we decided it was time to play our part in addressing the lifestyle issues which contribute to our problems.
“It was important we got over the message that a healthy lifestyle isn't just calorie-counting and hours on the treadmill. Healthy living can be fun too.
“Working closely with our partners, in what became the biggest and most successful campaign of its type in Scotland, we set out to make a difference and to have a few laughs along the way.
“What was key to the project was to get the whole of Glasgow involved, from the very young to our senior community, from inspirational elite athletes, to those for whom a walk to the shops was a challenge. And what a year we had.”
It is estimated readers walked, run, swum and cycled a final total of 1,000,293 miles, stubbed out 15 million cigarettes and lost 514,216 pounds in weight.
