Enjoy your local park
One great thing about retirement is that you can find time to go out for a walk just for the sake of it, not because you have to. As well as walking on the great Cleethorpes beaches, there are also many parks and open spaces in the area.
Here are 10 park facts you may or may not realise.
1. 91 per cent of people believe that public parks and open spaces improve their quality of life.
2. A brisk walk every day, in your local park, can reduce the risk of heart attacks by 50 per cent, strokes by 50 per cent, diabetes by 50 per cent, fracture of the femur by 30 per cent, colon cancer by 30 per cent, breast cancer by 30 per cent and Alzheimer's by 25 per cent.
3. Air quality, air temperature, water and flood management, are all kept within manageable limits because of parks and green spaces.
4. The more often a person visits urban open green spaces, the less often he or she will report stress-related illnesses.
5. Outdoor play and adventure can increase levels of physical activity and fitness, activate higher cognitive processes and healthy brain development.
6. More than 33 million people in England choose to use their green spaces, with around a tenth of the population visiting daily.
7. Elderly people who have close access to a place where they can relax and enjoy nature, show significantly greater satisfaction with where they live.
8. The number one ranked issue for good parks and public spaces is that they give a sense of community.
9. Owners of small companies rank recreation, parks and open spaces as the highest priority in choosing a new location for their business.
10. Over 50 per cent of us visit a park at least once a week, to improve physical - and mental - health, to enhance our closest relationships, to chill out, to interact with our communities.
Enjoy your local park.
