PEOPLE are being asked to walk the equivalent of the Yorkshire Three Peaks in a virtual steps challenge to help create better, healthier lives in Craven.

The month long event, beginning on Monday June 8, challenges people to complete one, some, or all of a list of ten walks without actually travelling to the areas themselves. They include the 24 mile Yorkshire Three Peaks, 48,000 steps; Malham Cove to Saltaire, 54,000 steps, and for the more adventurous, the 184 mile coast to coast walk devised by Alfred Wainwright, 364,000 steps.

The Step Up! for Better Lives challenge will raise money for Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust’s newly relaunched Better Lives charity.

The charity, formerly known as Bradford District Care NHS Trust Charitable Fund, has been renamed to reflect the charity’s vision to create better lives by improving the physical and mental wellbeing of patients, service users and families across the communities through charitable activity, says the trust.

And, it says Better Lives, is vital now more than ever, to enhance the care it provides to patients who will directly benefit from it.

To achieve this, the charity aims to use its resources to help improve patient experience and outcomes; further enhance its care environments; and support the wellbeing of its staff, during the coronavirus pandemic, and into the future.

To support the re-naming, the trust’s Champions Show the Way service, which runs volunteer community health champion-led health and wellbeing activities in the community, is hosting the virtual steps challenge, which will run until Monday July 6.

It is open to all who use the trust’s services, along with friends and family, and steps can be completed by running, walking, individually or as a virtual team. The trust asks that any groups taking part make sure they follow government guidelines surrounding coronavirus social distancing and exercise.

Also included in the 10 virtual challenges is something for all abilities, ranging from running the length of Blackpool Beach, to walking from Bradford City Park to Bolton Abbey, 20 miles, or 40,000 steps, without actually having to travel.

The challenge is free to enter, and individual challenges can be completed as many times as participants like., and people are being urged to to ask friends, family, and colleagues to sponsor their chosen step challenge per mile, or by donating to the Better Lives Charity directly.

Paul Hogg, director of corporate affairs at the trust said: “The ‘Step Up! For Better Lives challenge’ is a great opportunity to come together as colleagues, families and friends during Covid-19 to enjoy the benefits of exercise, whilst challenging ourselves and raising money for the trust charity, Better Lives.”

To register to take part contact stepupchallenge@bdct.nhs.uk. A team leader will be asked to submit the distance towards their chosen challenge on a weekly basis, and at the end of the completed challenge all participants will receive a medal to celebrate their achievement. People can enter right up until start date, 8, and are being asked to share their efforts on social media using the hashtag #StepUpForBetterLives and tagging the charity @BDCFT_BLCharity on Twitter.

To see a list of all the virtual challenges, visit: https://www.bdct.nhs.uk/step-up-for-better-lives-virtual-walking-challenge/

Donations can be made directly to the charity via the Better Lives JustGiving page, or email: betterlivescharity@bdct.nhs.uk