Cargill Global Walk Challenge

What is it?
The Cargill Global Walk Challenge is aimed at young people between the ages of 10-11 years (Year 6), in and around the City of Lincoln. Their challenge is to accumulate the equivalent amount of steps it would take to walk to as many of the 63 countries where Cargill operate. Every participant will receive a pedometer to calculate the amount of steps they have taken, be given a global route, and then asked to record how far they have walked each week as recorded by their pedometer reading.  This will take place over a six week period.

Why set it?
In order to maintain health and improve fitness levels, the British Heart Foundation report that 10,000 steps a day can give you a healthy heart and reduce body fat. Britain is currently the unhealthiest country in Europe and has the highest level of obesity. On average, people in Britain walk just 3,000-5,000 steps a day. If current trends continue, 9 out of 10 adults in the UK will be overweight or obese by 2050.

With growing concerns regarding the ever increasing obesity levels of young people in the UK and with life expectancy reduced by up to nine years as a consequence, it is important that we target children at a young age to set the foundations of a healthy lifestyle. The aim being that this will nurture and encourage an attitude towards exercise and fitness to become an accepted part of everyday life. This in turn should help pupils live a healthier lifestyle and make exercise a part of their lives.

The pedometer challenge has been developed for young people to achieve, through support, encouragement and motivation, 10,000 steps a day for the duration of the ‘challenge’, and hopefully beyond.

How does it work?
This pilot project will be run over the current academic year, seeing each school undertake the challenge over one term, during which time we will make four visits to each school, working with the year six class. Each visit will be for an hour where Lincoln City FC Sport & Education Trust coaches will discuss the importance of a healthy lifestyle, check on the progress of individuals and deliver health based activities. We will give a booklet to each of the children to record all the data and keep a personal record, and also issue each class with a wall chart to record and view their total distance walked. Upon completion of the challenge, certificates will be given to all children who took part.