Enefit, together with Merko and Swedbank, has invested €8.5 million over the past twenty years in outdoor exercise facilities

Last month, the Estonian Health Trails foundation (SA Eesti Terviserajad) celebrated its 20th anniversary. Over this time, and in cooperation with local municipalities across Estonia, 130 health trails have been established that are open daily and free for everyone to use. Enefit, as one of the initiators of the health trails alongside Merko and Swedbank, has contributed over €8.5 million to the development of physical activity opportunities for Estonians.

‘At Enefit, our aim from the start has been to ensure that the health trails are accessible to everyone, high-quality and safe. Today, 89 of the 130 trails are lit, which means they can also be used after dark. This is the only way to ensure that people remain active, look after their health, and ultimately live longer and healthier lives,’ says Kelli Toss-Kaasik, Chair of the Management Board of Enefit AS.

‘As electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular, we have started to install electric vehicle chargers at various health trail locations. The idea is that, once your own batteries are recharged through exercise, you can also drive off with a fully charged car to your next destination,’ she adds.

The importance of opportunities for physical activity in the open air is also strongly supported by Toomas Annus, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Merko Ehitus: ‘Statistics show that we live 15 to 20 fewer healthy years than the Swedes and Norwegians. That’s a quarter of a person’s lifetime. One cannot underestimate the cost of this to society. We firmly believe that regular outdoor exercise helps people stay both physically and mentally healthy, and in this way, we can also catch up with the Scandinavians in terms of years lived in good health,’ says Annus.

Everyone can use the health trails in the way they prefer: walking, running, cycling, or skiing. The range of activities is extended by low-rope courses, outdoor gyms, bike trails and pump tracks. Across Estonia, 130 well-maintained and marked health trails have been established on former sports grounds, municipal lands, and state forest areas. These trails span more than 1,100 kilometres and are maintained by trained trail caretakers of the Estonian Health Trails foundation.

‘The work of the trail caretakers is the cornerstone of the functioning and further development of the health trails. They ensure the trails are safe, well maintained, and inviting to use. We highly value the contribution of the trail caretakers and to express our gratitude, we are awarding a lifetime achievement award for the second consecutive year,’ says Toss-Kaasik.

In its anniversary year, the Estonian Health Trails foundation is recognising an individual with a €25,000 lifetime achievement award for an outstanding contribution to the development of exercise opportunities and health trails. The award was presented to Aavo Aunroos on 16 May at the Foundation’s 20th anniversary celebration at Kõltsu Manor. The 2024 lifetime achievement award went to Eido Tasalain, founder and long-time director of the Jõulumäe Recreational Sports Centre.

Watch the special anniversary programme, featuring people for whom exercise is an essential part of everyday life, as they discuss the importance and role of health trails in improving people’s well-being: Tervise radadel | Jupiter | ERR