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Olympics - waste of money?
By Verite Reily Collins of www.after-cancer.com
ON YER BIKE TO AID RECOVERY Having invested massive amounts into the Olympics, the Government is starting to realise just how much these are going to cost. And if they are still in power come 2012, wondering where is the money coming from? So they are milking the Games for everything they can get. Someone, quite rightly, has said cancer patients benefit from exercise, proven to be helpful when trying to overcome side effects of cancer drugs. Fatigue, joint pain and other side effects respond to exercise, so after Tessa Jowell’s incredible idea of getting OAPs swimming to encourage teenagers to aim for Olympic medals, latest idea is to latch on to the popularity of TV shows to encourage “new physical activy to curb our couch potato culture”. In theory this could give us extra sports facilities to help us keep fit and recover more quickly. Another initiative - ‘Be Active, Be Healthy’ aims to get the country off its sofas. Only problem is, having cut back on heating of public swimming pools (so water is too cold to be of benefit for cancer patients), closed down village halls etc. where dances took place every week, and sold off playing fields so youngsters don’t do sport any more, they have suddenly discovered more than 27 million adults in England are not getting enough exercise. But, fear not, “The new plan puts physical activity at the heart of communities and at the centre of local authorities’ efforts to tackle obesity, which is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths each year in England. (sic) - somehow I think they meant something else? Key measures include:
* Partnerships with both private and voluntary organisations to get people moving in their local communities, such as: - a new ‘Learn to Swim’ programme for adults as part of the Government’s ‘Free Swimming’ scheme with the Amateur Swimming Association and Sport England; although the website Having Fun After Cancer shows that swimming pools in Europe, where sport is taken seriously, are on average 2-3 degrees warmer; doctors abroad know that temperatures in our public baths are kept too low, to save on fuel costs. - a working group to explore how we can get all generations active through dance, harnessing the ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ fever that has swept the nation. Can’t wait for John Sergeant to be summoned to Downing Street - perhaps he could get encourage Gordon to loosen up with a quick step? - a total of 2,012 Active Challenge walking routes across England with Walk England to mark the 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games; and - the expansion of the Walking the Way to Health Scheme which supports over 538 local health walk schemes. And who is going to help this happen? Our local GPs. Mine is still waiting for the plan announced over three years ago, where everyone was going to get a personal trainer. But - in our 7 minute consultations about our health, GPs are going to “give brief advice on getting fit to their patients - prescribing physical activities just as readily as drugs. Speaking at the Local Government Association conference, Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo called for a ‘yes, you can’ approach to getting people moving. Bless her - I would have been more impressed if the Government hadn’t wasted money on using a commercial PR company to send out the press release to health journalists. The Dept Health has all our emails on file, but instead chose to pay for a company to distribute the information. The good news is (and believe this, you are a real optimist) “from April millions of over 60s and young people will be able to swim for free thanks to a £140 million investment from Government, in partnership with local authorities. And Sport England is allocating almost half a billion pounds of public money to over 40 sports in a move that will help increase sport opportunities for all. We want to make sure that no barriers stand in the way of anyone who wants to get into sport and get active.” And here it comes - Tessa Jowell, Minister for the Olympics, said: “The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games make this the perfect time for people across the country to take up the challenge to get up and get active. But don’t be surprised if you ask your GP for advice, and are told “on yer bike”. |
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The free swimming for under-16s may have some small effect, but will not help young families who are really struggling to make ends meet. Why? Because Mum or Dad will still have to pay to accompany their kids.
CONTRIBUTOR'S REPLY
You are right - but when did the Government ever think through their 'bright' ideas?!! Verite
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