COUCH potatoes have been urged to take part in a project to encourage the Tendring community to get fit and healthy in the new year.

A county-wide website was launched on Monday offering health advice to see the residents of Essex get healthy.

The www.livewellcampaign.co.uk website will be a one-stop-shop where information about health initiatives in their local area.

To celebrate the launch of the website, residents are being encouraged to take part in a-number-of #21 challenges - a nod to the fact that it takes 21 days to break or create a new habit.

The first part of the campaign is #21situps21days and it will run on social media for three weeks.

Lynda McWilliams, Tendring Council’s councillor responsible for health and education, fully backs this new initiative.

She said: “We are always looking to promote healthier lifestyles and wellbeing for our residents and this project ticks so many boxes. It is all about making those little changes in the way we live that will benefit us in years to come.

“Working together we can help to make a significant difference to the overall health of our communities.”

Follow @livewelllocal on Twitter or @Livewell Campaign on Facebook.