14 September 2004
Coronation Street Stars Step Out on The Albert Dock in Support
of '25 Great Walks in England's North
Coronation Street stars Wendi Peters ('Cilla') and Trevor
Dwyer-Lynch ('Patrick') will be joined by Northwest Olympians* in
support of a joint venture for ITV's Britain On The Move walking
campaign, a walking guide to the region: '25 Great Walks in
England's Northwest '.
The actors and Olympians will be joined by Granada Reports
presenters Tony Morris, So Rahman, Eamonn O'Neal, Jeff Turner and
Managing Director of ITV Granada, Susan Woodward OBE and
Peter Mearns, Director of Marketing for the Northwest
Regional Development Agency(NWDA). They will only be allowed
their lunch if they take part in a brisk guided tour of The Albert
Dock by Blue Badge Guide, Jonathan Schofield!
The Walking Guide, funded by the NWDA is free and features walks
in some of the region's most beautiful places, including several
'city walks'. The guide is part of ITV's Britain On The Move, a
National Walking Campaign to encourage the nation to walk their way
to health. Coronation Street's Wendi Peters said:
"I love walking, especially with my Springer spaniel Edison, but
like most people I'm guilty of using the car too much. I'm going to
make a big effort to get out and do some of these walks and visit
places I've not been too before."
ITV's Britain On The Move campaign is the first ITV wide
social action campaign - with all 11 ITV companies participating.
So far there's been ten million hits to the website, more
than 500,000 calls to the freephone number and 250,000 free
stepometers have been given away to viewers who want to walk
themselves to fitness.
ITV Granada Managing Director, Susan Woodward said: "Britain On
The Move has been a huge success , and it's partnership projects
like this Guide, which we've done with the NWDA and Country
Walking Magazine that help us get the message about walking across
to our viewers."
Coronation Street's Trevor Dwyer-Lynch ('Patrick') said: "Since
we've had 'Cash' our Old English Mastiff, my wife Joanne and I have
done a lot of walking, which we love. The Northwest is packed
with fantastic walks, I'll be putting this guide in my back pocket
and getting out there."
The Launch comes at the beginning of a busy week for ITV which
is building up for National Walking Day on Sunday September 19.
Thousands of walks will be taking place across the country
including more than 100 in the Northwest . The public are invited
to participate in the walks, many of which have been organised with
ITV's partners in the campaign including The Countryside Agency;
The Ramblers Association; Fitness First; Step Into Cheshire, Sport
England and professional sports clubs in the region including
Manchester United, Liverpool FC, Manchester City FC and Lancashire
County Cricket Club.
Peter Mearns, NWDA Director of Marketing, said: "We are
delighted to have funded the production of this guide.
England's Northwest is home to an extensive variety of walks, and
possesses some of the most enchanting and diverse attractions in
Britain. This impressive guide highlights 25 walks with
a selection of some of the best and most unusual strolls in the
region. It will help to encourage visitors to explore and
rediscover the region's dazzling sights, sounds and
architecture."
Information about to obtain the walking guide and about walks on
National Walking Day can be found at: www.itv.com/britainonthemove.
For more information pls contact:
Vicky Matthews, Project Manager Britain On The Move, ITV Granada
Media Group 0161 835 6155 / 07990 55 69 71
For further information please contact Claire Palczykiewicz,
Press Officer on 01925 400235 or 07764 239 856 or email Claire.Palczykiewicz@nwda.co.uk