The Minister of Health commended a new walking route designed to promote healthy living, as well as diabetes prevention and management.

Kim Wilson attended the launch of the Bermuda Diabetes Association’s Blue Circle Walk on the steps of City Hall this afternoon.

She said: “The Ministry of Health and the Government have to support initiatives like this that are encouraging movement.

“We know that physical activity helps to promote good mental health and scale off the calories. It is good to do our exercise. This is a wonderful initiative that we can all stand behind.

“All the time we are sitting at our desks but we just need to get up and move.

“This will give us a great avenue where we can see a little bit of Bermuda, stretch, get some oxygen in our lungs and help to promote better health for a better Bermuda.”

Debbie Jones, a founder, director and executive committee member of the association, thanked everyone involved in the walk and said: “This is a great example of community, charity and corporate working together for a better Bermuda and its people.

“This year is the Bermuda Diabetes Association’s 45th anniversary — 45 years ago, type 2 diabetes was a shadow on the horizon and today it is a tsunami.

“Anything that we can do to promote physical activity and healthy eating is important, and this is one way we thought we could encourage people to walk around the streets of Hamilton.”

Several businesses in the city supported the event by displaying plaques along the mile-long walk with a QR code that links to the route map as well as information about the charity.

Ms Jones added: “We are hoping that this will be the beginning of many walks, that people will be encouraged to walk, get healthy and turn back the tide of diabetes which is threatening all of us.”

The Blue Circle Walk was named after the United Nations international logo for diabetes.