Flora joins Defence Ministry to promote healthy lifestyles

Tuesday, 13 November 2012 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

In line with its commitment to encouraging healthy lifestyle habits amongst Sri Lankans, as the health brand of Unilever Sri Lanka, Flora extended its support to the Ministry of Defence and the Urban Development to launch the Colombo Cycling Club at the Independence Square, Colombo.

Sealing this partnership, Amal Cabraal, Chairman, Unilever Sri Lanka, formally handed over the newly-constructed bicycle renting booth along with 25 bicycles and equipment to the Chief Guest of the event, Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa, during a ceremonial event.

Fitness enthusiasts will now be able to rent bicycles for the amount of Rs. 100 per hour from the ‘Rent-a-Bike’ booth run by the Colombo Cycling Club, which will be managed by the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development. In addition to promoting health and wellbeing among public, the funds collected by Colombo Cycling Club by renting bicycles will be channelled to the ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ fund.

Commenting on this endeavour, Asanga Ranasinghe, Director Marketing, Unilever Sri Lanka said: “We are living in exciting times where Colombo is rapidly developing into a buzzing cosmopolitan hub thanks to the visionary leadership and hard work by the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development. As Sri Lanka strives to lay the foundation for a sustainable and a prosperous future, we as citizens should cultivate healthy lifestyle habits to be able to contribute effectively towards the development of our nation. As a responsible corporate citizen Unilever Sri Lanka believes that growth and sustainability go hand in hand. As such, a key pillar in our sustainable living plan is to help people improve their health and wellbeing. In this context we are pleased to contribute to the mission of ensuring that Sri Lankans understand the value of a healthy lifestyle and are able to engage in health and fitness generating activities.”

Another key highlight of the event was the launch of the Flora website and the Facebook page by Rajapaksa and Cabraal. These new communication mediums are expected to generate greater accessibility and responsiveness to fitness conscious public by providing them with tips and hints on health and wellness.

The unique launch event further highlighted Flora’s dedication to enhancing fitness and health awareness among Sri Lankans with the lineup of educational and value adding programmes such as the Zumba lessons conducted by an expert instructor and the Health Assessment Test (HAT) session for the participants who attended the launch event.

Taking this initiative further, Flora will organise a Zumba class free of charge on 17 November at Independence Square as well as a Zumba party on 24 November which will contribute to raise awareness about health and fitness among the public.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that an individual should get 30% of his or her calorie requirement from fats and more than 20% from good fats.