Olympic medal-winning athletics star Eilidh Doyle unveiled as ambassador for 'Scotland does the Daily Mile' on June 18, an initiative supported by Scottish Athletics, INEOS and SAMH encouraging school children to be active this summer
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ONE of Scotland's greatest-ever runners is encouraging schools to take part in The Daily Mile, an initiative aimed at improving children's physical, mental, social health and wellbeing.
Hosted by the Daily Mile Foundation, the event is being run across Scotland on June 18 with every school invited to take part.
It is supported by Scottish Athletics, INEOS global chemicals firm and SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health).
'Scotland Does The Daily Mile' has already enlisted 40 per cent of schools across the country to sign up and many more are expected to join in coming weeks.
Super-fit athlete Eilidh Doyle has been unveiled as an ambassador for the project.
As an Olympic medallist and Scotland’s most decorated track and field athlete, her love for running combined with expertise as a teacher is inspiring for children all over Scotland.
The Daily Mile which Eilidh is endorsing is a transformative initiative where children run, jog, wheel or walk for fifteen minutes every day.
It has enjoyed phenomenal success since it was started by Elaine Wyllie eight years ago when she was headteacher at a primary school in Stirling.
“I’m delighted to be the Ambassador for The Daily Mile in Scotland and support this project as I think it is a really positive initiative to get young people more active," said Eilidh.
"As a former teacher I approve.
“It's fantastic to see so many schools signed up so far and I’d urge as many schools as possible to get involved.
"I’m excited to be endorsing this programme because I feel passionately that youngsters should be given the opportunity to be active and that hopefully starts out at primary school. Exercising with friends is so much fun and being active from a young age has many benefits.”
Robert Nesbitt, Head of Physical Activity and Sport at SAMH said “Over recent months children and young people have faced unprecedented challenges; with disruption to their routines, changes in their education and time away from their family and friends, which we know has affected their wellbeing and mental health.
"Now that schools have returned, physical activity is a brilliant way for children and young people to get involved and feel connected again, which is why SAMH is delighted to support The Daily Mile initiative, which encourages young people to come together to get active and in turn develop vital connections with their peers and teachers.”
The Daily Mile currently has over 3 million children running a daily mile across 12,000 schools in 80 countries but this is the first national event in Scotland of its kind.
The hope is to capture the camaraderie that children have missed while schools have been closed, providing young people the opportunity to be active, have fun with their friends in this health and wellbeing initiative.
Elaine Wyllie, Founder of The Daily Mile says, “Getting our children active is more important than ever, and it is very encouraging to see so many schools already signed up to The Daily Mile in Scotland. The past year has been challenging for everyone and we want to get that sense of community and fun back in our schools.
"I hope you can all still join us for our Travel To Tokyo challenge which finishes with Scotland Does The Daily Mile event on the 18th June. There’s still plenty of time to get involved.”
“Scotland Does The Daily Mile” will also mark the finale of a six-week challenge The Daily Mile #TravelToTokyo, which began on May 10, encouraging teams of children to run, jog, or wheel the equivalent distance of Scotland to Tokyo, learning about different countries along the way, in a celebration for the upcoming events this summer.
Schools can register for free here. or visit here for more information on the Daily Mile.
