Walking to Health

Walking to Health is an East Hants Initiative - Headley residents can join either locally or with others at Alice Holt Forest

Headley | Alice Holt

Headley

Local residents of Headley and Headley Down are beginning to benefit from the Walking to Health scheme which started in October 2005.

Walking to Health provides short, safe and sociable walks particularly suitable for people who take little or no exercise. The walks are accessible to all members of the community. Walks are to be held once weekly all year round and are completely free of charge. Walking to Health is already well established in areas such as Bordon, Liphook, Liss, Petersfield, Rowlands Castle and Horndean and has experienced great success.

The walks provided on the Walking to Health scheme can be easily completed within an hour and are of approximately half a mile to two miles in length.

Longer walks on the first Sunday each month start at 11:00 from the Parish Office. A timetable for those walks is available here

They are led by trained Volunteer Walk Leaders who take walkers on varied routes each week. Participants are encouraged to walk at their own pace and are accompanied by the walk leaders.

Those taking part in the Walking to Health scheme will benefit from increasing their physical activity levels. The Chief Medical Officers (CMO) (2004) report ‘At least five a week' states “Physical activity not only contributes to wellbeing but is also essential for good health. Increasing physical activity levels also helps to improve health throughout the life course – from childhood through to older age”.

Increasing your physical activity levels may help reduce weight, decrease blood pressure and help a variety of joint problems. Walking to Health is also a great way to get out and meet new people whilst enjoying the local area.

East Hampshire District Council's Active Lifestyle's Portfolio Holder, Councillor Mrs Jennifer Gray said “The Walking to Health scheme is an excellent way for residents of Headley and Headley Down to improve their health and wellbeing and to meet local people in their community. This scheme was developed with help from East Hampshire District Council, North Hampshire Primary Care Trust, East Hampshire Primary Care Trust and the National Walking the Way to Health Initiative. I am extremely pleased to support this new scheme in Headley as it fully promotes not only local but national initiatives for physical activity and health promotion. I would urge everyone to try it and see how much better they feel".

For more information on Walking to Health in Headley, please contact Liz Barrie on 01730 234067 - liz_barrie@easthants.gov.uk; or Headley Parish Office

PRESS RELEASE FROM EAST HAMPSHIRE DISTRICT COUNCIL
CONTACT: Liz Barrie Tel: 01730 234067 Email: liz_barrie@easthants.gov.uk

5 April 2006

Walking to Health – Alice Holt

A brand new way of meeting people, getting exercise, and exploring the beautiful countryside around Alice Holt Woodland Park is starting at the end of the month.

A new free Walking to Health group organised with help from East Hampshire District Council will be starting at Alice Holt on Tuesday 25th April.
EHDC's Active Lifestyles Portfolio Holder, Councillor Mrs Jennifer Gray, is fully supportive of the new walk and said: "Alice Holt Woodland Park is a fantastic place to hold the Walks to Health and allows people to get out and experience nature and the benefits of being in a natural environment first hand. I would strongly urge everyone to give the walks a go."

People of all ages are being encouraged to come along, particularly those people who are thinking of starting a new exercise regime or those people returning to physical activity following an illness or injury. The Walk to Health at Alice Holt will follow the easy access trail and is therefore suitable for the majority of people including people with disabilities, parents with pushchairs and those who would like to increase their activity levels in a gentle way.
The easy access trail is about 1-1½ miles long and can be completed within about an hour. The trail takes walkers through the beautiful woodland environment and enables people to see the fantastic flora and fauna living in the woodland park.

The Forestry Commission's Active Woods Initiative has recognised that being physically active in woodland or 'green' environments can not only benefit people's physical health but can enormously enhance people's mental and social wellbeing. Being close to nature has been found to have significant benefits for people suffering from stress or stress related illness (Tabbush and O'Brien 2003).

Please wear suitable clothing and footwear. The Alice Holt Walks to Health will be led by trained Volunteer Walk Leaders.

For further information, please contact Liz Barrie, Active Lifestyles Coordinator at EHDC on 01730 234067 or liz.barrie@easthants.gov.uk or Helen Wallace on 01420 520212/23666 or helen.wallace@forestry.gsi.gov.uk .