Thanks to Viv for this history, and to the Skuses for sending pictures of Health Walks over the years …
\n![\"ABINGDON](\"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/imag17\/2017102601.jpg\")
\nWhen I retired from teaching in 2003 I wanted to help in our local community. I was really lucky; I read an article on Health Walks and their benefits. I love walking and the outdoors, so started the daunting task of recruiting volunteers to help me.<\/p>\n
I used the gym at the Leisure centre where I started talking to any individual who enjoyed exercise and admitted to liking walking! I recruited them and we started one walk on a Wednesday morning from the White Horse Leisure Centre in Audlett Drive.<\/p>\n
Initially we had one led walk and only 3-4 walkers. Gradually we have grown and grown, so to date we now lead 8 different walks per week as follows:-<\/p>\n
Monday and Wednesday mornings at 10.30 am. There are 3 walks a gentle, moderate and a brisk.<\/p>\n
On Thursdays mornings we have a first steps walk that is based at Preston Road Community centre. This is 30-45 minutes in length and is the gentlest of our walks
\n![\"ABINGDON](\"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/imag17\/2017102602.jpg\")
\nIn October we are starting a Friday morning moderate walk from the White horse Leisure Centre.<\/p>\n
Since we started 14 years ago Abingdon Health Walks have grown from one weekly walk with 4 walkers, to 8 walks of varying speeds every week. A typical attendance on any single walk is 10-20 people.<\/p>\n
We receive support from the Leisure centre but are not funded in any way. We believe this is our strength- no officialdom. We have around 300 regular walkers on our database. 75 walkers have undertaken training to become leaders or backmarkers.<\/p>\n
These committed volunteers also organise coach trips, holidays(3 this year), a picnic, pub walks, evening pub walks and a Christmas party.<\/p>\n
Coordinating this Scheme is the most fulfilling activity that I am involved in. The support of the leaders and the group is amazing. The walkers support of each other, whenever there is a need, gives me faith in the people of Abingdon and the surrounding area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Thanks to Viv for this history, and to the Skuses for sending pictures of Health Walks over the years … When I retired from teaching in 2003 I wanted to help in our local community. I was really lucky; I read an article on Health Walks and their benefits. I love walking and the outdoors, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[168],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-walk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19415\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abingdonblog.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}