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Walking the way to Health aims to encourage people to become more active and therefore healthier through recreational health walks.
A health walk
is essentially a short group walk in your local area that has been designed to be suitable for people who don't normally walk very much and want to get started.
All walks are risk-assessed and led by trained Volunteer Walk Leaders.
Many people in the Basingstoke and Deane area would love to walk but don't,
perhaps for some of these reasons:
- Fear of walking in parks or countryside areas
- Lack of knowledge about where to walk
- No one to walk with
- Feeling unable to walk very far, perhaps due to a medical condition
- Lack of confidence.
You can help
by becoming a Volunteer Health Walk Leader.
By leading local groups on short, friendly health walks,
you can remove many of the barriers preventing people from regularly walking.
You can provide people with the opportunity to walk together and become fitter,
healthier and happier, make new friends and discover their local environment.
Leading health walks can really make a difference to your own and your walkers' lives.
Who can apply to be a Walk Leader?
The Volunteer Health Walk Leader programme is open to people over the age of 18 and we encourage and welcome applications from all parts of the community.
How do we get a local group organised?
Ideally we need to get together a group of 4-8 people who enjoy walking,
know their local area and who enjoy meeting new people.
The group will have the opportunity to attend a free training session to become Walk Leaders or back markers.
They will then plan, check routes, and lead local walks on a rota basis in pairs.
The role of the Volunteer Health Walk Leader:
- To plan, lead or back mark regular short, safe and friendly walks
- To help promote the Walking the way to Health scheme to local people and communities
- To support your fellow volunteers and any new Walk Leaders.
What qualities, skill and experience should you have?
To be a good Volunteer Walk Leader you should:
- Enjoy walking
- Have good organisation skills
- Be a good communicator
- Be reliable, punctual and committed
- Have a friendly personality
- Be able and willing to fill in the appropriate forms (very simple paperwork).
It is important that you can communicate with a wide range of people with varying abilities and relate to people in a non-judgemental way.
What support is provided for Volunteer Walk Leaders?
All suitable volunteers will have the opportunity to go on the free one-day (six hours) Volunteer Health Walk Leader training course to qualify as a Walk Leader.
Volunteers receive public liability insurance cover to lead walks and have access to support,
volunteer support meetings, regular newsletters and special volunteer events and activities.
How to apply:
If you are interested in becoming a Volunteer Walk Leader for the Basingstoke scheme or you If you would like more information,
please contact Jane Wilding, Health Officer at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council on 01256 845574
or email jane.wilding@basingstoke.gov.uk
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