Coronation Street to get Britain On The Move
[06 July 2004]
The nation's favourite soap Coronation Street is stepping out to inspire millions of viewers to walk their way to better health by joining ITV's Britain On The Move Campaign.
Rovers landlady Shelley (Sally Lindsay) puts her staff through their paces by handing them step-o-meters and cabbie Patrick (Trevor Dwyer-Lynch) tries to get his couch potatoes off their bottoms - swapping the sofa for a step-o-meter.
The storyline will be seen by an estimated 12 million people on Wednesday 14 and Monday 19 July, while ITV's specially commissioned Britain On The Move programme on Tuesday 13 July goes behind the scenes on The Street and talks to Sally and Trevor whose characters are at the centre of the 'keep fit not fat? story.
Says Sally: "Shelley gets the idea off Patrick to use the step-o-meters for her own needs really, and she puts them on Liz and Kieran's belt to see if they are pulling their weight in the pub - it's very funny. She tells them that a rep from Newton and Ridley has said that they've got to do it."
In real life Sally keeps up her good looks by fitting exercise into her busy filming schedule.
"I walk a lot and I also swim a mile a day before work - that gets me going for work. I do exercise quite a lot. I have gone through stages in my life where I didn't but I usually go back to it because you get so fat if you don't. I think Britain On The Move is a fantastic idea because we don't do enough exercise. It's easy to walk 20 minutes a day, it's nothing really and it's healthy and it will keep your weight down."
Says Trevor: Patrick is just concerned about his kids really, sitting on the couch playing computer games and Play Station day-in day-out. But it doesn't work, they just strap it to the dog's collar and he clocks up 12,500 steps and Patrick thinks they've done it."
"It's quite worrying to read reports that say this generation might be the first not to outlive their parents. We've created a society where kids don't exercise anymore, whereas when we were kids you played football in the street."
Britain On The Move is a national initiative in partnership with DCMS, the Department of Health, Sport England, learndirect advice, 02 Stores, Microsoft, The Ramblers Association and the Countryside Agency. It is aimed at getting a million people to take part in ITV's National Walking Day on Sunday 19 September. Just by walking the recommended 10,000 steps a day helps to protect against a range of lifestyle-related illnesses, including diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. As many as 6,000 lives a year could be saved in England if people increased their activity.
For more information see our Britain On The Move page