FOR most of us, a golf trip in the Caribbean or luxury spa weekend in the Mediterranean is more than enough to get us feeling fit and healthy again. But there is no need to go abroad to feel revitalised, or even out of the county.

Best selling tabloid The Sun is offering its readers the chance to win an exclusive two night break to – wait for it – Wimborne.

As we reported in Thursday’s Echo, people living in the town are expected to live the longest in the country.

According to the Office for National Statistics’, the East Dorset town is at the top of a long-life league table, with over three quarters of men and almost nine out of 10 women living to the ripe old age of 75 and beyond – without the aid of anti-ageing remedies.

With a population of around 6,500, Wimborne enjoys beautiful surroundings and attractions including the River Stour and its model town, but what is so special to enable longer and healthier lives?

We thought we would go and see what the fuss was all about.

Carolyn Nash, 52, owns the grocery store Minster Greens on the High Street and thinks that other than fairy dust, it must be their fresh fruit and vegetables from local farmers that hold the secret.

She said: “We specialise in local produce and it definitely helps. But also, the number of customers that we have that are octogenarians and members of cycling clubs is vast.

“They come in wearing Lycra and when asked if they want a carrier bag, they say ‘No, they are going in my panniers’. They get loads of fruit and veg daily, they don’t get a taxi and they use their bikes and everywhere you live in Wimborne you are going to have to go up a hill.”

Among the huge number of things to do in the town, many include being active such as walk and cycle routes.

A spokesperson for the Wimborne Tourist Information centre said: “There are lots of health walks and that sort of thing in the area. We’ve also got the Priest House Museum, Model Town and the market which we get coach loads of people arriving for.

“It’s a fantastic town and we love working here. We are not surprised at the news because it is a lovely place to live and it is relatively free from stress.”

At the local Allendale Centre, July is booked to the brim with numerous activities from line dancing and exercise classes to bridge class and a children’s music session.

The vice-chairwoman at the community centre, Pam Furnell, is 80 and moved here nearly 40 years ago from the hustle and bustle of London.

She said: “There are activities not just for old people but right across the board. We are a true community centre that opens for food, activities, evening functions, dances, weddings and all sorts.”

Day-tripper Caroline Sadler, 52, of Christchurch, said: “I like Wimborne, particularly looking round the shops like I am today. It’s a nice vibrant place, which makes it a nice place to walk.”

Local Karen Macklin, 45, said: “We moved to Wimborne from London 16 years ago. It’s so clean and we love the pace of life”.

“We’re always walking – we live by the river so we can pretty much walk anywhere. We also do a lot of swimming.”

Apart from the healthy and active lifestyles of people living in and around the area, deputy mayor Terry Wheeler thinks the longevity relates to the climate.

He said: “It is not only warm this time of year but it is also relatively mild in the winter and that is when the old folks feel the cold.

“We don’t get as much rain as those counties in the far west, and there are never droughts or water restrictions in this part of the world and I think that that makes it an attractive place for people to retire.”

While Wimborne has been referred to as boring in the past, Cllr Wheeler said: “Both my children, who are in their 20s, would probably both say that there is more excitement in Bournemouth but perhaps the fact that they are both still at home makes a statement as well.”

The annual Wimborne Folk Festival, a favourite with younger generations, is a huge boost to the town, with four times the population turning out for the June event.

Last weekend the town was being judged for Wimborne in Bloom, which chairman Anthony Oliver said was another way of keeping the residents fit, especially the litter-pick the night before.

In harsh comparison, under half of those living in urban Manchester are predicted to make 75.

But for anyone hoping to move to Wimborne, a long and fruitful life comes with a price tag, with the average flat costing £160,000, and that’s down 33 per cent from last year according to home.co.uk.