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SUMMARY:Our Natural Health Service: Is contact with nature integral to hea
 lthcare or just another add on? - Dr William Bird\, Health Walk founder an
 d Natural England's Strategic Health Advisor
DTSTART:20100430T120000Z
DTEND:20100430T130000Z
UID:TALK24308@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Jessica Barrett
DESCRIPTION:Dr William Bird\, Health Walk founder and Natural England's St
 rategic Health Advisor\, has been awarded an MBE in the 2010 New Year Hono
 urs List in recognition of his services to health care and to physical act
 ivity.\n\nDr Bird developed the concept of health walks in 1995 whilst wor
 king as an Oxfordshire GP and established the first health walk scheme for
  his patients at Sonning Common Health Centre. He then worked with the Cou
 ntryside Agency and the British Heart Foundation to establish the Walking 
 the Way to Health Initiative (now WfH) and has been involved in this field
  ever since.\n\nSeventy per cent of people in England are inactive and thi
 s needs to change. Walking is a fundamental way of maintaining physical ac
 tivity and our eventual aim is to give every GP in the country access to a
  local WfH scheme so that they can all refer patients to take part in an a
 ccredited walking scheme.\n\nThe success of Walking for Health is directly
  linked to its location "the natural environment " which has been proven t
 o give people staying power when it comes to exercise.\n\nDr Bird has also
  been involved in the Green Gym and chairs the Outdoor Health Forum. He wa
 s the medical adviser to The British Heart Foundation National Centre for 
 Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University when it was first 
 established. As an independent member of the National Access Forum\, he he
 lped advise the Countryside Agency and Government on the Countryside and R
 ights of Way Bill. Dr Bird is a vice president of the British Trust for Co
 nservation Volunteers\, has held Honorary Research Posts at Oxford Brookes
  and Oxford University\, and set up the Health Forecasting Unit at the Met
  Office where he was Clinical Director.
LOCATION:Large Seminar Room\, 1st Floor\, Institute of Public Health\, Uni
 versity Forvie Site\, Robinson Way\, Cambridge
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