Ellee Seymour

It sounds very impressive to say let’s make our new eco towns "fit towns" to tackle obesity, but many of these proposed facilities are already available.

While it makes sense to provide more cycle lanes and safer walking routes to and from school, at the end of the day it is up to parents to decide how their kids get to school - and many prefer to drive them for various reasons.

I live very close to a primary school and I know where the youngsters live who attend. Our village is safe for them to walk and cycle to school, but the kids are often driven there instead, and for very short distances. I find it inexplicable.

One reason may be because a lot of kids watch TV before going to school, and then there is a mad rush to fly out the door. Mums need to rush off to work too. It’s a lifestyle issue for many. Will it necessarily be any different if they live in an eco-town?

That’s why there needs to be more focus on schools, it’s no good crying over spilt milk about the hundreds of school playing fields that have been sold off in recent years.

Is there any reason why those schools with playing fields can’t have mandatory jogging sessions for kids? At least half-an-hour three times a week. And those schools without them could perhaps provide exercise bikes and rowing machines which classes could take it in turns to use. This is inexpensive equipment and easy to use; this equipment could be adapted so it is suitable for their younger bodies. These are simple measures that could be very effective. They can start instantly too.

It’s interesting that Health Secretary Alan Johnson is modelling his "fit towns" around similar French schemes. My neighbour who travels to France regularly has noticed how they provide "activity" areas for teenagers to use up excess energy, and they are well used, while we do nothing like this for our older children. Not in my area, anyway.

*If our government wants to know how to build an eco town, here is a perfect example being planned in Abu Dhabi, where the emirate aims to build the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste metropolis.

I’m tempted to book a ski holiday at Geoff’s winter retreat at Les Gets. Let’s hope there will be more snow this winter, it was pretty dire last year.

I had three ski holidays before I married and found them exhilarating, especially navigating my way around the moguls in Snowbird, Utah. I’ve never tried a black run though.

Geoff is into snowboarding, I’m not sure how I would get on with that, just the thought of having both feet on one board makes me feel very wobbly.

I’ve always wanted to take my sons skiing (my husband prefers to keep his feet firmly on the ground). It’s much more affordable these days with cheap flights and inexpensive warm clothes.

I trust Geoff’s judgement implicitly and have no hesitation in recommending his apartment to anyone looking for a winter holiday base. It has four bedrooms, is easily accessible by many UK airports to Geneva, from where it is a one hour drive away.

Perhaps we should make the most of of our white winters while we can, I wouldn’t be surprised if milder winters and climate change will have a serious impact on skiing trips. I’m not surprised that more British skiers are preferring to make their own travel arrangements either. It’s much more fun.