THE Upper Springfield Community Trust has launched their new green health map which contains information on local walks to get people out and about and keep their fitness levels up.

The map which features local beauty spots such as Bog Meadows, Falls Park and Springfield Dam also contains a new art tour where locals can follow a path and see the utility boxes in the local area which have been turned into works of art.

The map was launched in Falls Park Bowling Pavilion by Sinn Féin Councillor Micheal Donnelly and Lord Mayor Ryan Murphy, as well as children from John Paul II Primary School and Holy Trinity Primary School.

Speaking at the launch, Micheal Donnelly said the initiative was to improve the health of people in the area which suffers from high rates of heart disease.

“We launched the Upper Springfield green health map," he said. "It’s to help people get up and about and be active in the community, whether they’re young or old.

“We wanted to launch this because our area suffers from one of the highest levels of cardiovascular disease and we want to reduce that by having people get up and getting active and getting their steps up. 

“The health map contains loads of nearby locations where people can go for a walk including Falls Park, the City Cemetery, Bog Meadows and Springfield Dam etc. We also want people to come out and see the newly created art canvas in the Upper Springfield area where we’ve painted over utility boxes with bright, imaginative designs. 

“We’ve created a walking trail which you can walk along and see all of these and we want kids to go out with their parents and grandparents to see the artwork and get fitter. 

The new health map contains a number of local beauty spots
2Gallery

The new health map contains a number of local beauty spots

He continued: “The West Belfast Partnership Board initially created a health map for West Belfast but we’ve localised it for the Upper Springfield area. It’s a great initiative and I want to thank our funders in the Department of Communities for allowing us to do this. Our objective is to improve the health inequalities that currently exist.

“We believe these walks around some of local beauty spots not only improve people's physical health, but also their mental and emotional health too. For our older population as well it’s a great way to tackle isolation and loneliness by making friends and getting involved in walking clubs. It’s multi-faceted what we’re trying to do here."

Cllr Donnelly added that the new maps will be located throughout the Upper Springfield area and also will be handed out to children at local schools and nurseries.

“It’s brilliant to see the kids today from Holy Trinity and John Paul with us and we’ll be leaving leaflets in every primary school and nursery to urge the kids to ask their family members and guardians to come out walking with them. We’ll have the big illustration boards in key locations throughout the area and we hope every household in the area will be able to have access to this map.

“We made the launch today on the 1 March, the first day of spring when the weather is beginning to get better and there’s no better time to kick-start this initiative.”