Free bikes to be given out to fat people by the NHS in health bid

Regular cycling is more effective at cutting the risk of heart disease and cancer than many drugs, and now the NHS can give bike rides out on prescription

In the first scheme of its kind, NHS patients in parts of Cardiff will be given prescriptions for free bike rides.

It is an attempt to cut the risk of death from heart disease.

A recent study regular cycling cuts the risk of heart disease by 46% and cancer risks by 45%.

Even just cycling part of the way to work - to the station perhaps - can reduce your chances of heart disease and cancer by 36% and 32% respectively.

And now GPs in Cardiff are testing using the city's bike share scheme on prescription.

The new plan allows doctors from Lansdowne Surgery, in Canton, and Fairwater Health Centre to prescribe patients free 30-minute hire sessions for six months with the bike share provider.

The plan is being funded by the bike-share company - nextbike- for the trial period, with the hope it will then expand to other surgeries across the city.

The company also operates in Bath, Milton Keynes, Glasgow, Exeter, Belfast, Stirling and the University of Warwick.

Dr Tom Porter, consultant with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board and Public Health Wales, said: "Not only can cycling to work reduce your risk of death from heart disease by 52%, but it's also a great way to get around the city without using your car, making it good for both you and the environment around you, and helping to keep the air clean for everyone while reducing carbon emissions."

Dr Karen Pardy, one of the GPs who will be able to prescribe nextbike to their patients, said: "While we are aware of the many benefits of exercise for our patients, people are sometimes reluctant to engage.

"Nextbike on prescription allows people to have a go at cycling around Cardiff and realise how this can help to support their overall well being."