To mark World Mental Health Day (Tuesday 10 October) over 2,000 school children across Aberdeen took part in The Daily Mile, a transformative initiative that sees children run, jog, wheel or walk for fifteen minutes at their own pace to improve physical, social, emotional, and mental wellbeing.
Accessible and free for all partaking schools, The Daily Mile event was organised by INEOS FPS Ltd employees and supported by Aberdeen City Council. Sport Aberdeen, Aberdeen PE Physical Activity and Sport (PEPAS) forum and Aberdeen Amateur Athletics Club provided more than 35 volunteers to support the children from 48 city primary schools during the event, held at Aberdeen Sports Village.
Councillor Martin Greig, convener of Education and Children’s Services Committee, Aberdeen City Council said: “I am delighted that over 2,000 of our primary school aged pupils have taken part in The Daily Mile Go Run for Fun event. The physical, social, and mental health benefits of physical activity are well documented.
“By making running fun we can encourage children from an early age to enjoy the benefits of being outside enjoying the fresh air or indoors at a sports centre where they can meet up with or make new friends and develop an interest in physical activity that continues into adulthood.”
Councillor Jessica Mennie, vice-convener, Education and Children’s Services Committee, Aberdeen City Council added: “The Daily Mile Go Run for Fun event was a great occasion, and it was wonderful to see so many of our primary schools participate. All the children that took part should be very proud of themselves.”
Frazer Smith, INEOS FPS, said: “We are delighted to have held this event in Aberdeen, and our hope is that as a result we have inspired more children to be active, improving their physical, mental health and wellbeing. As a business located in the city, we understand the importance of supporting our community, and seeing the enthusiasm, enjoyment, and sense of pride the children showed after completing their Daily Mile was truly special. A massive thank you to everyone who supported the event, and to all the schools which got involved.”
Small amounts of physical activity (10–15 minutes a day) can reduce stress and symptoms of depression, and boost self-esteem and research shows children experience increased feelings of happiness, and improvements in self-esteem after taking part in The Daily Mile.
Within the Aberdeen community, The Daily Mile is already widely adopted with over 8,000 children from Aberdeen City schools taking part in the initiative on a daily basis.
The Daily Mile initiative was started by former Head Teacher Elaine Wyllie MBE of St Ninian’s Primary in Stirling, Scotland in 2012 and has grown every year, with the support of INEOS.
Founder of The Daily Mile Elaine Wyllie MBE said: “It was fantastic to see so many children having fun participating in The Daily Mile GO Run For Fun event today. The children were a credit to their schools and thank you to the teachers for making this possible. Thank you also to the volunteers and partners for joining today – sharing their passion for exercise with the children from their local area. Just 15 minutes of daily physical activity improves a child’s mood, concentration, and memory – enhancing their ability to learn.”
Globally, there are now more than 4.5 million children taking part in The Daily Mile, across 18,500+ schools, in 95 countries around the world. It is endorsed by some of the most successful athletes including elite marathon runner Eliud Kipchoge, the most successful Olympic sailor of all time Sir Ben Ainslie, Baroness Tani Grey-Thompson, Sir Andy Murray and the All Blacks.