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9 Jan 2024

Canal boat record store Rubber Ducky Records is back on the water after it sank last April, ruining over 1,000 vinyl records and a stow of music equipment stored on...

9 Jan 2024

While mass-market players continue to dominate the UK retail industry, research by Geek Retreat shows that 15% of Brits have set up their own business in the past ten years, and of these,...

8 Jan 2024

The British Independent Retailers Association has said 2024 is anticipated to be a challenging period for shop keepers as economic challenges are still set to bite.

2 Jan 2024

Hudjo is the first online marketplace that lets cyclists park with locals, which relieves the anxiety of parking your bike. 

20 Dec 2023

The ActSmart office will be open as usual (9am-5pm) for the majority of the Christmas period, with some exceptions.

19 Dec 2023

Bira's CEO, Andrew Goodacre, took the spotlight on BBC Breakfast this week and later spoke with Nicky Campbell on BBC Radio 5 Live, shedding light on the rise in retail crime and shop theft,...

18 Dec 2023

Dress shop Pocket Watch & Petticoats in Trinity Street has been crowned the winner in Cambridge BID’s Christmas window competition.

18 Dec 2023

In the age of online shopping, the pursuit of the best deals during the festive season is increasingly common. However, as consumers flock to virtual marketplaces, cybercriminals are seizing the...

18 Dec 2023

Fresh evidence about the increasing problem of thefts from shops has been revealed amid a warning that organised shoplifting is now among the most common type of crimes against small firms.

18 Dec 2023

One of the North West’s oldest record shops has reopened after 14 months, creating a small museum to pay tribute to its long-standing musical connections with the city.

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GPs to prescribe cycling to help improve mental & physical health

Posted on in Cycles News , Outdoor News

The Department for Transport has announced a £12.7m trial to begin later this year, in which GPs in England will be able to prescribe walking or cycling as a way of improving mental and physical health and easing the burden on the NHS.

Initially 11 places will receive funding for doctors are to start "social prescription" pilots. The plan aims to reduce GP appointments and people's reliance on medication. The pilots run until 2025 in Bradford, Leeds, Doncaster, Cumbria, Gateshead, Nottingham, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Plymouth, Cornwall, Bath and NE Somerset.

The new Gear Change Plan pilots would be "hugely beneficial" to overall mental and physical health, said the DfT. The pilots will include adult cycle training for all abilities, plus more walking groups for exercise and mental health. Free bike loans will be offered.

Walking and cycling minister Trudy Harrison said more cycling and walking would "ease the burden on our NHS" as well as "improving air quality and reducing congestion".

The government said the authorities must also improve infrastructure, so people felt safe walking and cycling.

"We need healthier, cheaper and more pleasant ways to get around for everyday trips," he said cyclist Chris Boardman, commissioner of National Active Travel, a government agency set up to improve the UK's cycling and walking infrastructure.

"Moving more will lead to a healthier nation, a reduced burden on the NHS, less cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and huge cost savings."

However, while GPs agree the pilot funding is "great news", with obesity a risk factor for Type-2 diabetes, cancers, liver and respiratory disease, some say overstretched surgeries cannot take on even more work created by the pilots.

"Should GPs refer people to these schemes, or should they look after sick people?" asked Doncaster GP Dr Dean Eggitt.  "We don't have capacity for both."

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