Cosmopolitan Housing Group and the Chester and District Housing Trust (CDHT) have awarded staff for their participation in the Stay Active Challenge.

The housing groups, which joined together in a £1.3 billion merger, entered the challenge as part of their commitment to employee wellbeing.

Former 5,000-metre world record holder David Moorcroft presented employees with awards for their part in the challenge in a ceremony on 13 December.

A five-person team from Cosmopolitan Housing Group won first place in the challenge with a 182% increase in daily activity over three months. A team from CDHT increased its activity by 167%.

At the ceremony, Moorcroft said to staff: “I hope you enjoyed the challenge and that, as a consequence, people are more active in your organisation. The merger is a great time to celebrate the achievements of the group.”

The Stay Active Challenge, run by iGlobalWellness, sees teams compete to increase their daily activity levels through everyday pursuits such as walking, using the stairs and gardening. Participants wear a wireless activity monitor which measures calorie burn, speed of movement and metabolic information, and uploads results to an interactive website.

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