A WALKING supremo is to be appointed by Bolton Council -- to encourage people to get out of their armchairs and put one foot in front of the other.

It is a new move by the council to tackle heart disease among the town's couch potatoes.

The full-time "walking co-ordinator", whose salary has not been disclosed, will only be funded until 2005.

The idea is that he or she will enrol an army of local volunteers who will run walks and activities long after the walking supremo's job has ceased to exist.

It is part of an initiative targeting ordinary people who are at risk from sedentary lifestyles.

The North West currently has 30 schemes which are part of the "Walking the Way to Health" scheme, a joint project run by the British Heart Foundation and the Countryside Agency.

Spokesman Mitch Counsell said: "It is important to get people of all ages involved in this. Seven out of 10 of us don't do enough exercise and we want to target those adults who are putting their health at risk because of their lifestyles."

A Bolton Council spokesman said: "It is an unusual move and the whole aim is trying to tackle heart disease. The post will be advertised shortly."

Last summer, a series of guided walks were held in Moses Gate country park to help people get to know their local countryside. The new co-ordinator will extend these activities and also go out to community groups, schools and businesses to encourage walking to school, to work and to the shops. Funding for the "walking expert" will come from a £20,000 grant from the East Bolton Regeneration budgets and £17,000 for the Walking to Health initiative.