A SIX month campaign to improve health and fitness in the Fens is launched today by the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard in association with Fenland District Council. Over the coming weeks a series of features and articles will focus on the facilities at

A SIX month campaign to improve health and fitness in the Fens is launched today by the Cambs Times and Wisbech Standard in association with Fenland District Council.

Over the coming weeks a series of features and articles will focus on the facilities at Fenland's three council owned leisure centres to improve people's health and fitness.

There will be tips on achieving a more healthier lifestyle, profiles on people who have successfully resolved to get fitter, and inviting our readers to pass on their stories about tackling health issues.

The campaign will cover diet, exercise, and smoking, and update our readers on some special promotions at the three leisure centres.

Included in the campaign will be news editor John Elworthy's ' If he can, you can' initiative to lose weight, work out in the gym, and , eventually, to stop smoking. (You can read some of his early articles by going to either the Cambs Times or Wisbech Standard website, moving your cursor to 'blogs' on the left hand column, and discovering what prompted him, finally, to adopt a more healthy lifestyle).

The campaign will also:

# promote the wide range of local sports and health groups in the local community

# prepare for a special health and fitness week later in the year

# have its own dedicated section of our website to include up to date news and information

# draw upon the primary care trust's anti smoking cessation programme

# encourage readers to get involved by publicising their initiatives and offering help in getting more people actively involved in all aspects of a healthier lifestyle.

Coming up next week:

# We meet the fitness trainer with his 10 top tips for keeping fit

# We take a guided tour round one of Fenland's leisure centres

n And we catch up with John Elworthy as he enters week four of his 'If he can, you can' keep fit initiative as he reports on his first encounter with a gym in 25 years.

CONTACT: Tell us what you're doing to stay fit. Whether it's working out or walking out, we want to hear your story. Maybe you've got the perfect sandwich for a healthy packed lunch for your husband or children? Or maybe you've got some great recipe ideas for the family? Or maybe you are thinking of, or actually running, a local group that needs more members.

Call the newsdesk on 01354 652621 or email news@cambs-times.co.uk or news@wisbech-standard.co.uk.