Glasgow's WeeWalkers stomped their way to healthier lifestyles in Kelvingrove Park

PRLog (Press Release) - May 23, 2010 -
There was fun in the sun today – Sunday 23rd May – as Glasgow’s first ever WildHearts WeeWalk event, organised by Scottish charity WildHearts and sponsored by ScottishPower, took place in an almost tropical Kelvingrove Park.  Over 300 participants of all ages descended upon the sun-soaked West End for the event which has been hailed a tremendous success, proving that leading a healthy lifestyle and fighting against global poverty can be fun for all the family.



Children from across Glasgow were treated to an action packed day of adventure and fun while getting active by completing a one or three mile walk around the Park which had been transformed into a World of WeeWalks. The sponsored walk event aimed to promote healthy living among Scottish families while raising funds and awareness for WildHearts' microfinance projects in Ghana.



Event organiser and WildHearts founder, Mick Jackson, was thrilled by the response to the Glasgow WeeWalk www.wilddayout.com/events.  He said:



“This is the first time we’ve held a WeeWalk in Glasgow and the response was just phenomenal, with families, nurseries, schools, Beavers and Brownies participating en masse.  It was fantastic to see so many kids take part and they all had an absolute ball meeting the WeeWalks Characters and tucking into their healthy goodies!  WeeWalks aim to promote healthy lifestyles in a fun way that kids of all ages can really relate to and it’s simply wonderful that so many Glaswegian families share our determination to make Scotland a healthier place."



‘WeeWalkers’ were entertained along the route by a host of wacky characters, including giant monkeys, bears, cats, cowboys and, in keeping with the healthy theme, a huge strawberry! The cute and colourful characters were on hand to dish out healthy snacks, helping the WeeWalkers to re-fuel and learn unique ways to get their 5 A Day.   As well as getting active with their friends and families at the event, participating kids had been encouraged to adopt healthier eating habits in the run up to the WeeWalk by following an eye catching WildHearts healthy eating chart.



ScottishPower http://www.scottishpower.co.uk/, proud sponsors of the WeeWalk event in Glasgow were present to lend their encouragement to the WeeWalkers. Heather McDonald, Group Sponsorships Manager at ScottishPower was one of company’s many enthusiastic participants on the day.  Heather said:



“ScottishPower is delighted to support WeeWalks in Glasgow. The initiative is very worthwhile and anything that encourages children to exercise and eat healthily is a great thing. An added bonus is that everyone involved is helping others less fortunate than themselves. I signed up and took part with my children - we had a great time and really got into the spirit of the day with all the other families," she said.



Mick Jackson was further impressed by the fundraising efforts of the Glaswegian WeeWalkers and their families.



“We’ve been amazed at how many of the WeeWalkers went the extra mile to raise sponsorship for WildHearts.   All of those who raised the suggested target of £25 get to join our ‘WeeHeroes’ club and we can’t wait to send them their certificate, stickers and badges.  They’ll also get regular updates on how the money they’ve raised is transforming lives so that they remember that even at a young age they can make a real difference in the world,” he explained.



WildHearts www.wildheartsinaction.org tackles global poverty by providing micro-loans and business training to women in countries such as Ghana, enabling them to work their way out of poverty, support their families and send their children to school.  In addition to embracing healthy lifestyles prior to the event, and having fun on the day, WeeWalkers received an info pack, bringing WildHearts’ work to life and explaining how their efforts have helped other families and children.  WildHearts encourages youngsters to become global citizens, and participating Glaswegian children embraced this idea by working hard to raise funds for WildHearts’ micro-finance projects in the developing world.