Thousands of youngsters will be taking part in a major Highland event next week that could help transform their lives.
Healthy Highland 2007, has been organised by Partnerships for Wellbeing with support from NHS Highland and Highland Council, begins on Monday (Jan 15) and continues until Sunday (Jan 21).

The event is a celebration of the Highlands as a healthy and vibrant place to live, with as many local groups as possible - clubs, community centres, schools – organising healthy or health-related events.

It will play an important part in launching the Highland Year of Culture, a special year of events relating to the six strands of Highland culture (arts, sport, heritage, environment, language and science) and will be officially opened by Scotland’s First Minister, Jack McConnell.

Many schools have already designed their own events and have registered their involvement. The ‘Your Choice to Healthy Living’ group have also come up with the following ideas to enable all schools to take part:

• The Highland School Catering Service has designed a special ‘A Highland Helping’ menu, so that every pupil can enjoy a healthy themed
  lunch, you can choose which day you would like to have this on. The menu includes Howtowdie, clapshot and peas or Mince, Neeps and Tatties. Students can contact their school cook for more information.
• The Your Choice Health Action Group is offering a prize for the best photo that tells a story of your event. All entered photos
  will be collected for a brochure of schools events. Contact Louise Thomas on 01463 704959 for more details.
• The School Travel team are encouraging schools to have a winter welly boot walk. If your school is interested please contact Ailsa Campbell/ Lisa Mackellaich on 01463 702673.
• The Active Schools Co-ordinators are willing to work with their schools to develop an innovative physical activity. Please contact your ASC for more details.
• The Health Promoting Schools Team/HealthyWorking Lives are running a Staff Health and Wellbeing event during the week in Dingwall on Tuesday (Jan 16) in the evening. These are free to any school staff.

Schools are staging a variety of activities during the week, including sport, musical, dance, healthy eating and cooking events.

Garry Coutts, Chairman of NHS Highland, said:  “It is a spectacular achievement to see every school participating in this special week. All schools in Highland are ‘Health Promoting Schools’ and many have suggested that every week can be deemed a healthy week in their school. It is a testament to the partnership working that has taken place between all members of the school communities.”

Louise Thomas, Health Promoting Schools Manager, said: “School staff, parents and pupils are really celebrating this week, creating and developing new ideas. We are certainly seeing a positive change in attitudes to health across Highland, thus creating a new generation of Healthy Highlanders."

Bruce Robertson, Director of Education, Culture & Sport Service,said: “The key message is that change is taking place and through the hard work of hundreds of staff, parents and pupils we are seeing a difference. This week is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the culture of enthusiasm and commitment to improving health in Highland.”

Anyone interested in finding out about all the events going on in schools in the Highlands should log on to www.healthyhighland.com

Contacts: NHS Highland Communications Manager Clive Dennier 01463 704903.