From 4th to 11th May, there will be hundreds of short walks available, all led by experienced walk leaders. Cheltenham Borough Council’s Health Walks Programme, Walk Well, gives you a great opportunity to discover the wonders of walking in 2013 with a chance to discover the freedom, fresh air and fitness that comes with exploring your local area on foot.
Walk Well is always very popular and has even been awarded accreditation by Natural England. It aims to encourage people to be more active through walking and has been developed with the Walking the Way to Health initiative which is supported by the British Heart Foundation and Natural England.
The walks are free and anyone is welcome to join in. There is one taking place every day of the week somewhere across the borough and they last between 20 and 60 minutes.
Sunday Walks have also returned for the summer – they take place on the first Sunday of each month. These walks will be further afield and a little longer than our normal walks, taking anywhere between 1.5 to 2 hours long and are more countryside based than town.
As well as joining in on the walks the council are also looking for any volunteers who would enjoy leading their own walk. If you are over 18, enjoy walking, meeting new people and want to help your local community why not consider becoming a walk leader? The council will provide the relevant training and support you in managing and promoting your walks.
Rowena Tassell, Healthy Lifestyles Development Officer, says: “We hope ‘Get Walking Week’ will encourage more people to put their best foot forward and join in one of our weekly health walks. We are also on the look out for any walk leaders. All of our walks are led by trained volunteers and we’re always looking for anyone to become involved and lead their own walk in Cheltenham! All they have to do is complete our FREE training day!”
Simon Barnett, Director of Walking Programmes at the Ramblers said: “We are filling this year with countless opportunities for people to get more active. Walking has so many benefits – you can improve your physical and mental health, spend time outdoors and enjoy the company of others – and Get Walking Week is a way to encourage people to make a start. We hope that joining one short walk with your local Walking for Health scheme or Ramblers group will lead to many more miles in the future.”
Get Walking Week is organised by the Ramblers,who are supporting the Britain on Foot campaign to encourage more people to get active in the great outdoors. As well as walks led by Walking for Health schemes across England, Ramblers groups will be leading short walks across Britain for all to enjoy.
To find out more about the walks or to train as a Walking for Health Volunteer Walk Leader, please visit our website (http://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/200044/fitness/524/walk_well-health_walks_programme) or call Rowena Tassell on 01242 775202, email rowena.tassell@cheltenham.gov.uk.
