Devon's hottest walking challenge returns for 2019

The ‘Big Devon March’ encourages work employees to get more active

If you own a device which counts the number of steps you take each day, you can team up with work colleagues and enter a Devon wide challenge! 

The ‘Big Devon March’, an event organised by Active Devon, encourages employees to get out of the office and raise heart rates a little! If becoming healthier isn’t incentive enough, there are also prizes on offer for those workplaces which lead the way in striding out across the county. Individuals can sign up alongside work colleagues and start ‘collecting’ steps! Those who achieve the highest average numbers will put their company on the leaderboard!  

“Increasing physical activity is one of the most powerful interventions known for improving public health and wellbeing.” said Hannah Worth, Director at Active Devon. 

“Physical inactivity can have real business and economic consequences. Workplace sickness alone is estimated to cost the economy in England £5.5bn a year, so we’re hoping this campaign will appeal to employer and employee alike.

“The aim is to help people build a little more activity into their working day and shift the working culture to become less sedentary. Its estimated that for many people 80% of the working day is spent sat down. Sitting for long periods has very negative health impacts, reducing metabolism and increasing likelihood of acquiring conditions such as coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes.” 

Following the walkaway success of the initiative in 2018, there’s now another chance for local businesses and their staff to get involved.  

It’s hoped more than 1000 people across Devon will take part in the 2019 event. Details about how to sign up, and supporting materials, are available on the Active Devon website 

All those taking part in March 2019 will be encouraged to share photos and experiences on social media using #bigdevonmarch