Inspire others to get walking with free training

Walking enthusiasts are being called upon to inspire others to take up the activity this New Year.

In a bid to get more people walking in areas local to them, the council will be offering a free training session for anyone interested in becoming a “Worcestershire Health Walks” Walk Leader.

Walk Leaders run safe and enjoyable walking sessions and routes for other local people of varying abilities. It is a voluntary role and walk leaders usually set up walks in their local area at a time to suit them.

The training to become a walk leader will take place on Wednesday 2nd February 2022 and will take approximately two hours from 2pm to 4pm. A local venue will be confirmed when it is known how many people are interested in attending. It is open to anyone from Redditch Borough or Bromsgrove District.

The training will help participants to:
•    understand the role of a walk leader
•    be clear about some practicalities of running a safe and enjoyable walk
•    know that walking is good for us all, and how to help others overcome barriers to joining a walk
•    gain the confidence needed to lead a health walk
•    meet each other, share ideas and trouble-shoot any concerns about walks

Whilst Walk Leaders will be responsible for many aspects of the walks they set up, the council will provide support with promoting the walk to the public as well as admin and cover when needed.

Walks come in all shapes and sizes, with current sessions covering everything from gentle walks for the more unsteady to buggy walks for new parents.

Cllr Joanne Beecham, whose portfolio covers Leisure Services, said: “Many of us reassess our health and wellbeing at this time of the year, and the pandemic has heightened that for a lot of people. Walking is a cheap, simple way to get fitter, get outdoors and meet like-minded people. Thank you to all our current volunteers without whom we would not be able to run these sessions. If you’d like to inspire others to get moving, please sign up to the training and help us get more of our residents walking for health.”

For more information or to sign up for the training, please contact us here.