10,000 Steps has this week accepted the award for the State Best Overall Project for Queensland for the 2003 Heart Foundation Kellogg Local Government Awards.

The award was announced in late 2003 with a follow-on announcement in November of the project winning the National best overall project and physical activity project.

Sponsored by Kellogg, the 2003 Heart Foundation Kellogg Local Government Awards recognise and promote excellence in local government initiatives that encourage healthy lifestyle and promote heart health.

Heart Foundation Director Mr Cameron Prout commended the 10,000 Steps Rockhampton project’s award-winning efforts to work with the local community to encourage healthier lifestyles.

“Heart disease and stroke continue to be Australia’s biggest killers, but by working with initiatives such as Queensland Health’s 10,000 Steps project, local councils can demonstrate that they can make a difference to the health of their residents,” Mr Prout said.

10,000 Steps Project Leader, Associate Professor Kerry Mummery, confirmed that the community-wide, multi-strategy physical activity project had made a significant impact on physical activity levels in the Rockhampton Community and in particular a number of workplaces.

He said Ergon Energy and Queensland Health’s Rockhampton Health Service District were particularly successful examples of workplaces adopting a healthy lifestyle program for the benefit of their staff.

In the true spirit of “People Powering People”, Ergon Energy’s first signed-up workplace representative, Greg Mylrea, said that Ergon’s take-up of the program across the State had been phenomenal, with about 1000 Ergon staff currently participating in the workplace challenge.

“Physical activity plays an important part in the health and well-being of staff,” he said.

General Manager Operations Peter Billing said Ergon Energy placed high priority on the safety and wellbeing of its workforce across regional Queensland. " We are fully supportive of initiatives like 10,000 Steps that promote activity and the benefits of healthy lifestyle to our staff," Mr Billing said.

"It is pleasing to see that a program that commenced in its infancy within Ergon Energy in Central Queensland has now grown in popularity across the broader organisation with 1000 staff members now participating across regional Queensland," he said.

"This has proved highly motivational for staff in making a commitment to regular physical activity - with an element of fun too. Many workplace teams have been formed with friendly competition towards distance targets - for example, aiming for distances equal to walking the perimeter of Queensland." The 10,000 Steps Queensland project, funded by Queensland Health and based at CQU, is a community-based and multi-strategy program focused on physical activity and the social determinants of health. Those attending the presentation included: Cameron Prout, executive director of the National Heart Foundation; Vince Pheely: Rockhampton Branch, National Heart Foundation; Associate Professor Kerry Mummery, Project Leader 10,000 Steps; Emma Larsen, Operational Manager 10,000 Steps; Rockhampton Councillor Greg Belz; and 10,000 Steps community and workplace participants. ENDS For details call Emma Larsen on 0438 736 731.