Walking with Friends

Forest of Dean Walking for Health were delighted when the Forest of Dean Ramblers asked us to join them on one of their shorter, open walks. This was a great opportunity for those who have improved their fitness by walking with Walking for Health to find out what the Ramblers walks are like and to explore the possibility of doing some longer walks as part of a different group. With Macmillan Cancer Care, the Ramblers manage the national Walking for Health scheme so working together locally makes good sense.

There were 36 of us all together and, despite the rather grey day, everyone had a great time. We are now looking forward to the next walk on New Years Day from the Woodlands Car Park at 10.00. For more information about Walking for Health contact Kim on 01594 562240, and about the Forest of Dean Ramblers talk to Barbara 01989 770976.

A Birthday Celebration

A year ago, on the 9th October,  Anne Pitman, Richard and Sue Skinner led their first Health Walk from the The Village Inn Village in Sedbury. There were just six walkers, 5 of whom were walk leaders from the scheme who had turned out to support them.

The day we risk-assesed the new walk.

Anne, Richard and Sue have worked hard to publicise their walks, frequently replacing and renewing posters in local shops, as well as writing the occasional story for the local paper and one of our blogs which was used as the basis for a national Walking for Health story on their website. You can read it here. Sue's story Being members of Singing Club Sue and Anne have persuaded several singers to join the walking group and Richard is able to promote the walk through his role as a Village Agent.

When they started out there was only one route, but in order to offer more variety to walkers there are now six different routes on offer and each week the group decide where they would like to walk. In the summer Anne, Richard and Sue organised two extra walks as part of our summer programme:

The fossil beach at Sedbury

A very wet Severn Bridge

Last Thursday 21 of their 30 registered walkers, and a dog, came along to celebrate the groups first birthday.

Sue cutting the cake

Well done Anne, Richard and Sue for making such a success of your Health Walk. Happy Birthday - and here's to next year!

What have we been up to...?

I can't believe it is four months since I last updated this blog. Where has the time gone? Well, apart from an extended holiday on my part, lots of people have been working hard behind the scenes in order to keep Forest of Dean Walking for Health going from strength to strength.

In early April, after months of drawing up draft constitutions and consulting with our walkers and walk leaders, we formed ourselves into a constituted group. This means we now have a small committee to help make decisions and run the scheme but, more importantly, it means we have our own bank account and can apply for funding from many more places.

Later in April we trained 10 new Walk Leaders. Two were existing walkers who will be helping on our current walks and the others had come to us wanting to set up walks in their communities. Here are the results of that training day so far.

An evening walk at the Arboretum - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of the month at 5.30

A Saturday walk where dogs are welcome at Wenchford - 2nd & 4th Saturdays of the month at 10.00 

Another dog friendly walk every Wednesday at Mallards Pike  at 10.00, starting 11th June

A walk in St Briavels on the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month from the Assembly Rooms at 2.00, starting 17th June

We still have two more to come - a lunchtime walk from FODDC offices in Coleford and a Monday walk in Cinderford from the Foxes Bridge Centre. Details of these and all our other walks can be found at by clicking here . 

In addition to these new walks, we have a summer programme of extra walks for all our walkers to enjoy. The first of these was a tour of the historic Lydney Docks with local guide Bob Turner and, yes, the heavens did open! Well done Bob and the six walkers who braved the elements. 

Our Summer Programme can be downloaded here Summer Programme . Hope to see you on one of our walks very soon.

Could you be a Walk Leader?

We are running free a Walk Leader training day on Wednesday, 16th April in Coleford. Here are some thoughts from Sue Skinner, one of our newer walk leaders, on her training and setting up a walk.

I have always enjoyed walking in the countryside and have long felt the benefits of fresh air and exercise. However, a year ago I never thought I would be leading regular health walks as a trained Walking for Health Leader in my local community, along with a group of enthusiastic friends, neighbours and brand new friends!

I had enjoyed doing a couple of health walks elsewhere in the Forest of Dean, but no-one was running a walk in my area. Thanks to encouragement from our local Scheme Co-ordinator I volunteered to train to be come a leader. This was both easy and enjoyable, and it's amazing how much more information I now have at my fingertips about why walking is so beneficial in so many ways.

A Walk Leader training session, with Sue, standing, on the left.

The only scary bit of the training was when it came to leading someone else's walk, in order to "earn my spurs" and set up my own local walk. Not to worry, I had experienced walk leaders Kim and Graham to hand to give support and encouragement - oh and yes, to present me with about 30 eager walkers to lead on a route I didn't know! This is where my brand new blue Walk for Health whistle came in handy. The walkers had been well-briefed to behave and be nice to me, so all went well and I was duly presented with my WfH certificate. Oh yes, and I have been joined by two more new walk leaders: my husband, Richard, and my friend Anne.

Kim Spencer, Scheme Coordinator, Sue Skinner, Graham Spencer (Walk Leader Trainer) and Richard Skinner
on the day we risk assessed the new walk

Our walk in Sedbury began in October last year, tentatively, as twice a month with about 4 - 6 walkers. By December there were 19 of us having a slap-up Christmas meal together in the local pub after a sunny morning health walk. So now we have decided to be bold and run walks every week, leaving the Village Inn Pub in Sedbury at 2pm every Thursday.

A January walk in Sedbury

So if any walkers are reading this and would like to become a walk leader, I really urge you to give it a go - you have nothing to lose and lots of new friends to gain.

Ring Graham Spencer on 01594 562240 to find out more about the training day.

Lunch at The Fountain

Paul Chapman, one of the regular walkers on the Bream Health Walk has sent us this. Sounds as though everyone had a good time.

It was all cheer and bon ami in Parkend's Fountain Inn where the Bream Group met for their Annual lunch.

The Fountain Inn, Parkend

Those wishing to walk arrived at 12:00 and proceeded to walk the Cannop Ponds route along the disused railway bed, now a cycle trail. It was a timed linear walk of 30 minutes returning to the Fountain Inn, I suspect, at a faster rate in anticipation of the impending feast.

Walk leaders Pam Heathcote, Anne McDonald and Len Humphries, accompanied us through the occasional shallow flood, but otherwise it was an exhilarating brisk walk. The adjacent stream which drains nearby Cannop Ponds was running high. Two days later, when my wife Joan, daughter Teena and myself found the same track inundated we had to turn back. The stream was running a very strong current.

The Cycle Trail (above) and the nearby stream

Following the meal, Len thanked everyone for coming and referred to the continued success of the Bream Walking for Health Group with special reference to Barbara, Kim and Graham, the local organisers, for their keen support. 

Finally, the staff at the Fountain received enthusiastic plaudits for the really hard work in producing and serving hot and tasty meals and ensuring the comfort and well-being of everyone. 

Well done all at the Fountain!

Les and Linda

We thought readers might like to meet some of the people who actually walk on our walks so here is the first of a short series of such stories.

Les Simmons heard about Walking for Health at his local diabetic support group where he met Ann Gillespie, a regular walker and assistant Walking for Health walk leader in the Forest of Dean. She told Les about the local health walks and how they had helped her manage her diabetes and her blood pressure, and encouraged him to join a walk.

Ready for our Thursday walk in Lydney

Linda Simmons heard about Walking for Health at her local Slimming World and started going along with regular walker, Amy, as a way of getting more active, losing some weight and improving her fitness.

They went along to their first health walk three years ago and now they go regularly, two or three times a week. During the school holidays they often take their grandchildren along too. Les says “I have been able to manage my diabetes by taking regular exercise (Health Walks) and by managing my diet.  Linda and I often go to the same walk, but, because we walk at different speeds, we rarely walk together. We usually end up having coffee together with the other walkers and always go home together!”

Les and Linda are ‘incomers’ to the area and have found the Walking for Health walks a great way of making new friends and building a personal network for themselves. Linda told us “The social side of the health walks  is as important as the physical activity. Its easy to chat to people while you walk along and then there’s always plenty of chat over a cuppa afterwards.”

Walking Works, a report commissioned by Walking for Health and supported by Public Health England, demonstrates that walking is the easiest and best way of getting people active. It can be downloaded here http://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/get-walking/walking-works

Locally, there are organised Health Walks across Gloucestershire and details can be found here http://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder - just type in a postcode to find the nearest.

From Green Hut to Wooden Shed

Jenny Weatherill set up our Yorkley walk in May 2012. For some 80 weeks 25 or so walkers have met every Wednesday at Yorkley Village Hall, known locally as the Green Hut. (Thats over 2000 individual walks!)

A sunny start to an October walk from the Green Hut

The hall closed down at the end of the year because the Hall Management Committee have won £500,000 of Lottery funding to demolish it and build a new, purpose built hall. More details about this are on their website herehttp://www.communitycentreyorkley.co.uk . This has meant that Jenny and her walkers have had to find an alternative venue nearby. The Yorkley Star Cricket Club came to the rescue by offering their lovely pavilion - much more than a shed!

Yorkley Star Cricket Club

Jenny was really worried that the change of venue would mean that some walkers may no longer come along. Also, a very small cricket pavilion with two changing rooms (home and visitors), a couple of loos, and an urn do not offer quite the same space and facilitates as the Green Hut, however old, cold and leaky it was. Not one to be daunted, Jenny set about cleaning the pavilion, persuading the cricket club guys to dispose of bits of kit that was no longer used, scrubbed it from top to bottom, borrowed a couple of tables and some heaters. She collected together lots of mugs for tea and coffees - though some may say that 70 is rather too many!

As you can see, Jenny's efforts were well rewarded both in terms of the number of walkers (25) and how well everyone made themselves at home in the changing rooms! No worries!

Gathering for the walk

The 'home' dressing room - complete with table cloths and flowers!

One other thought. The slightly fuzzy photo below shows Jenny and the band of men she gets to make the tea and coffee and wash up for all the walkers. You might say 'why aren't they walking too?' but we think they are doing a sterling job. Thanks guys!