Forum Topic

lazy Hounslow

Have any of you had a chance to look at Hounslow Borough's performance on Sport Englands's Active Places survey.Its grim reading. This borough is crammed full of lazy people and people who just don't participate or volunteer.  The national average for 3X30 active partcipation in sport is 21%.  We fall well short of that and whilst we aren't as bad as Brent or Newham we are shockingly bad compared to all our neighbours.Sport england is working on cross-tabulating the Active people survey with Active Places Power.  That might shed some light on whether its just plain rubbish leisure facilities on the part of the Council or if its us.

Conal Stewart ● 6688d20 Comments

Pesky cross trainer, Vanessa.  I have started on some of the weights which I quite enjoy and the treadmill is easy peasy.  I asked if there was an exercise machine to make me taller, but they keep it at the Tower of London ...

Sarah Felstead ● 6680d

Maybe, but the fact is that if you get your 3X30 you are actually more productive throughout your working week.

Conal Stewart ● 6685d

sarha, horseferry rc used to be on the patch of land between the waggon and kew bridge i beleive.and while there are no clubs on brentfords doorstep, mortlake anglian and alpha, quintin, putney town and tideway scullers are all 10 minutes by bike.we go out all the time on the river. falling in rarely happens in a rowing boat anyway

Jamie Halliday ● 6686d

Crumbs! You have bought a cross trainer!  May I ask, how did you decide on which one to buy?  (I could possibly do the adverts, at a push!)    ;-)

Sarah Felstead ● 6687d

NamesJim – an aside.  The street directory you have included – is this from a Kelly’s directory?  It is fascinating how records have changed over the over the years – all the women listed are called Miss or Mrs – yet the men are named in full.  I was doing some research on the Asylums at Epsom and the 1901 census which should list names – to account for people – shows all the inmates by their initials; they were too insignificant in society to be registered by their name?The Manor Asylum Horton Epsom – RG13/584

Sarah Felstead ● 6687d

ConalDo you have the URL for the Report which mentions Hounslow score?  Also what does 3x30 mean in the context of your posting? And what are MUGA'S.  Sorry about that..but I'm in the dark.Whilst I can understand that the UK Sporting Body needs to know what is going on ..and the people undertaking this nationwide survey must be on a nice little earner..I fail to understand how "Hounslow" can be deemed almost bottom of the class!Take Chiswick for example the place is packed with sports clubs ..keep fit classes and more. On Dukes Meadows alone there are hundreds of people playing sport there every week...plus the boats clubs,and the golf course. I can think of 5 busy tennis clubs, and the tango classes at Chiswick Town Hall are as energetic an activity as you could wish!All those Rugby teams at the Civil Service, Meadonians, Isleworthians, Centaurs, Grasshoppers and more. and all that activity in the vicinity of Boston Manor Park.  Add the scottish dancing at Heston Hall..and the David Lloyd Club..and the Airport Hotel sports facilities (open to public)..and it is not a surprise to read that there are over 200 facilities in a 5 radius of us all.Look at these maps from that website.."Hounslow" and Lincoln  (city). Don't we win 200-20? ..notwithstanding population differences.vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvPS: the mention of Richmond Ice rink brings back memories... and whilst Slough may be far away..there were Xmas rinks at Hampton Court, Kew, and at the natural history Museum.I would love to see a huge indoor ski facility..like they have at Tamworth ..and in Dubai.  That would keep a lot of people in good trim..and it's all downhill!.

Jim Lawes ● 6687d

Sarah,We have bought a cross-trainer - I have discovered bits of me I didn't even know I had since using it daily. The plus is you can use it whilst watching Corrie or Emmerdale!

Vanessa Smith ● 6687d

Vanessa - I agree that the gym and other facilities at Isleworth are good value - but if you just want to 'try it out to see', it is a bit of a deterrent to have to buy 3 to 4 months membership because it can only be paid for by direct debit!  I had a go on some of the serious looking equipment today – no problems so far, but I might have difficulty getting up in the morning?  …  ;-) I agree with you about the Ice rink.  So many people socialised around the Ice rink and the trek over to Slough is fine by polluting car – very easy in fact – but by public transport it is a bit long winded because of the distance.  We had a couple of years trekking over there for skating and ice hockey lessons.  As for this Country getting anywhere in ice sports goes – a Canadian book on Ice hockey sums it up; ‘your child will know by the age of 8 whether he is destined to be goalie’.The nearest canoe and rowing clubs are not along our stretch of the river – not that I have ever been keen on the idea of falling in along this part of the Thames because of the Mogden sewage discharges.  It would be nice if there were river clubs along the canal at Brentford or along the river fronting the canal.  Does anyone know if there have ever been rowing or canoe clubs in Brentford?Chiswick Pier canoe club –http://www.chiswickcanoeclub.co.uk/Asp/home.aspPutney Town Rowing Club – beside the tip at Kew.http://www.putneytownrc.co.uk/PTRCwebsite_content.html

Sarah Felstead ● 6687d

Jamie, my point was that people were short of time, not necessarily money! Maybe they are not lazy but busy!

Frank Sykes ● 6687d

'Maybe people are just too busy working to make ends meet to be able to afford the luxury of sport and leisure activities.....'the most expensive rowing club on the tideway is about 27 quid a month with no join up fee.no excuse not to go for a paddle.

Jamie Halliday ● 6687d

I can't speak for other schools but Isleworth & Syon as a specialist Sports College are second to none in sports teaching, with many boys playing various sports at County level and beyond, in fact it was Sports College of the Year last year beating all comers nationally, and there is still a full sports programme every Saturday one of a small handful of schools that do this in any sector.

Vanessa Smith ● 6687d

Thanks for your info Conal.  Yes it is grim news.Exercise - walking, swimming, cycling, running, games ... - is fundemental to a healthy society.  Sport is an attractive way to take exercise.  Less exercise means more obesity, more heart and major/minor disease problems.A US study of 22000 males announced today finds lack of exercise, obesity, smoking the primary causes (apart from heart problems) of male erectile dysfunction.  Very few people attended last year's Hounslow Scrutiny committee of health facilities in Brentford.  In part of the presentation Hounslow mentioned preventative medicine as an alternative way to improving population health. I made the point that parks and greenery are a facilitatory infrastructure for exercise to be more widely taken up.  Gunnersbury and Osterley are difficult to reach.  Walking, cycling facilities aren't good here and haven't been planned for in developments.In 50 years it may well be possible to buy pills to reduce weight and counter cancer and other diseases.  But today it isn't.  It's exercise that does that.All exercise means is walking 1 mile to shops at a brisk pace each day.Often I'm in Richmond Park. I see many schools walking around the 7 mile perimeter, doing cross-country runs, taking exercise classes.  None of the pupils look obese. Perhaps they do that in Gunnersbury, Osterley.  I've never seen schools using Syon.Yes they are grim statistics.  But Brentford last year was top in internet porn.  Isn't it top in Hounslow's drug league?But

Michael Fletcher ● 6687d

If you look at the map of participation (sorry I can't seem to post it) Lincolnshire and Norfolk are by far the worst.  The most active people seem to be in the rural south west and oddly much of Yorkshire. So is this is a climate thing?Thing I found intersting was the volunteering part. Hounslow was below average but not too bad. But kensington & Chelsea people couldn't be bothered giving their time to volunteering at all.  Someone here made the comment about people being too busy earning a living to participate.  Seems they are too busy to volunteer.

Conal Stewart ● 6687d

Well both places especially Loncolshire are flat and damp and get those east winds, perhaps people there aren't too fond of venturing out to freeze their nuts off? As very rural areas it may also be the distance that people have to travel to access the facilities on offer?

Vanessa Smith ● 6687d

Actually from what i've read of active people there is no direct link between deprivation and lack of participation.  It is a factor but its doesn't appear to be a major one. There is a link with poor provision of MUGAs and indoor sports halls which Sport England didn't expect.Some very poor boroughs in the country punch well above their weight in sports participation.  Some rich ones perform very badly. Still just thank your lucky stars we aren't lincolnshire or norfolk, they are the laziest people in the country according to the survey.Any thoughts why?

Conal Stewart ● 6688d

Sarah - someone told me just this evening that the gym at Isleworth was good value, even so it's still another cost many people would think twice about, and it still doesn't solve the problem of catering for a lot more sports than at present. In my view we need a permanent local ice rink -surely with all the big developments going on there must be a way of funding more leisure facilities, it would make a change from bloody traffic and public transport contributions.

Vanessa Smith ● 6688d

Don’t laugh but the ‘New year’s resolution’ was for a ‘get fit’ year so we are walking with the ramblers - choosing from their wide variety of walks.  After you join you are attached to a main group but can join in walks with any other groups.  http://www.ramblers.org.uk/The last walk was one through Bayswater and Kensington Gardens with picnic/cafe lunch at the Serpentine.  4 miles approx with a wander past Tony’s new pad in Connaught Square – very nice too, the boy’s done well.  I can report that at least his slabs were all pretty sound, under foot.I did look into the Boroughs leisure provision at Isleworth – the complexities of membership often have me befuddled.  The advertising suggests that you can join for a short period, and the cheapest way to try it out is to go for a month’s membership – which they won’t let you pay over the counter so you have to set up a direct debit – which in turn I was told you have to run for three to four months!  A straight month or three month membership over the counter by normal payment methods should be easy to set up, surely?There are plenty of classes and a variety to suit starters (such as me) through to very fit people doing very fit looking things with weights and serious looking equipment.  The gym is full of a mix of people – sizes; shapes; fitness levels; ages; cultures and sexes, so it is quite comfortable using the gym (I wasn’t aware of anyone laughing when I was on that pesky cross trainer!).  The staff in the gym are all very helpful and friendly too.

Sarah Felstead ● 6688d

Maybe people are just too busy working to make ends meet to be able to afford the luxury of sport and leisure activities......

Frank Sykes ● 6688d

"I rue the day that developers were allowed to get away with conning people out of the Ice Rink in Richmond as that was one thing I did do, and there is nothing nearer to us than Slough now"There is a skating rink of sorts at Hampton Court.

Phil Andrews ● 6688d

Although I have to put my hands up and confess to being a dedicated couch potato, Hounslow's Leisure provision has always been one hell of a lot better than Richmond's. I rue the day that developers were allowed to get away with conning people out of the Ice Rink in Richmond as that was one thing I did do, and there is nothing nearer to us than Slough now. Sports provision is a bit more than football pitches and swimming pools and to cater for everyone would be extremely expensive, way outside of any local council's budget. That means private enterprise, and again sports facilties are notoriously expensive to run which pushes the entrance prices up which makes it difficult to get people to participate.

Vanessa Smith ● 6688d