Bridget's City&Islington column: "Health and fairness"

12.00.00am GMT Tue 23rd Mar 2004

Here in Islington we are short of GPs and modern GP surgeries, so it's good news that the Council and the local NHS are working together to improve this. As a member of Islington's Health Partnership Board, I meet with health workers and community groups united in a desire to improve the health and well-being of people in Islington. That means not only improving medical care but also dealing with the underlying causes of ill-health.

Every generation seems to have its own health problems - obesity and allergies are now at record levels. In part this is due to our fast-food, fast-faced lifestyles - we rush from one interior to another, with little time or opportunity to enjoy fresh air, fresh food and exercise. Doctors are always telling us to exercise more and walking is a great way to exercise.

Enjoying New River Walk

Walking around Islington allows everyone to appreciate our historic buildings and excellent local shops. The Council is planting more trees to make our streets more pleasant and investing in new street lights to make them safer too. And Islington is greener than you might think. Walk from Essex Road along the New River, via St Paul's shrubbery to Newington Green to get a unique view of Islington and a real breath of fresh air. Or there's the wilder Parkland walk from Finsbury Park, a disused railway line that's now a nature reserve.

Healthy eating also combats weight and allergy problems. So I'm delighted to see that the Farmers market is expanding in Islington, with stalls now at Chapel Market. I hope with improvements at Islington Green and Archway we can help farmers markets spread borough-wide.

This is Fairtrade Fortnight, marking ten years of the Fairtrade Mark, showing shoppers which goods give a fair deal to their producers in developing countries. Fairtrade Fortnight is a chance to celebrate the quality of life for producers enhanced by the Fairtrade scheme and the high quality of Fairtrade products. Long gone are the days of undrinkable 'campaign coffee'. Fairtrade goods like tea, coffee and bananas are now easily available - my favourite is the chocolate like Green & Black's. Lots of us are doing the same - UK sales of products with the Fairtrade Mark rose by 90 per cent between 2000 and 2002 to an estimated retail value of £63m. In years past, people gave up treats for Lent. Now churches are active in promoting Fairtrade goods. So this year, instead of giving something up, you can buy Fairtrade fruit and chocolate and give yourself a healthy treat while helping traders across the world.

Finally, if you're trying to give up smoking, don't forget it's No Smoking Day on 10th March. Islington offers the free NHS Stop Smoking Service. Smokers can choose to have one-to-one support or group support and Nicotine Replacement Therapy is available on prescription. Sign up and quit smoking by the end of the month, and you can get a free three-month membership at Islington's Aquaterra leisure centres. So there are lots of ways to have a healthier spring!