Active Sunderland Wellness Walking Programme
Summary
The Active Sunderland Wellness Walking Programme has been running since September 2010. It consists of a series of weekly volunteer led Health and Nordic Walks that take place at various locations across Sunderland. The walks are accredited by the National Walking for Health Scheme and each walk lasts between 30 and 120 minutes. The walks are suitable for all ages, fitness levels and abilities, and are aimed at getting people active to improve their health and wellbeing.
The Programme has grown considerably thanks to the enthusiastic and reliable team of volunteers, without whom the walks would simply not take place. Many of these volunteers started out as walkers on the programme and were keen to support its development by becoming Walk Leaders.
The Programme is coordinated jointly by two paid members of staff who recruit, train and manage a team of (currently 29) Volunteer Walk Leaders to deliver fifteen walks every week to an annual audience of over 12,500 people.
The walks explore the diverse landscapes of Sunderland, ranging from the coast and riverside to local parks and urban areas, and are an excellent way to get out in the fresh air and meet new people.
The majority of people who participate in the walking programme are aged 50+ and this has been the case since its inception. The main reason for this is the accessible nature of the activity: free, low impact, low risk walking that takes place during the week.
There is a very strong social element to the programme. Lasting friendships have been forged amongst participants and Walk Leaders alike, to the extent that a number of the walkers organise walks away from the area and organise social gatherings like coffee mornings and Christmas lunches.
https://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder/north-east/sunderland-city-councils-wellness-walking-programme
Key facts
Older people in general
Mental health groups; people who may not be getting recommended levels of exercise
Health, Social protection
Be mobile
- Dementia
- Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
- Inclusion
- Participation
Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):
Engaging the wider community
Local authorities
The Active Sunderland Walking Programme is a local version of the national Walking for Health Scheme. This Scheme is a joint partnership between the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support.
The Scheme provides support in terms of training resources, equipment, documentation, data recording software and troubleshooting advice.
Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages
The Wellness Walking Programme is heavily dependent on volunteer support, which in the vast majority of cases is from the older section of society. This support consists mainly of the role of volunteer walk leaders, who plan and lead walks on a weekly basis throughout the year. Bi-annual meetings are held with all volunteers to review the programme and provide the platform for volunteers to contribute to its overall development.
Moving forward
No
No
Positive feedback is received on a regular basis from participants. The main comments emphasise the importance of the walking programme in boosting the physical wellbeing of participants, helping with weight loss, boosting confidence, forging friendships and helping to cope with long term and often very serious conditions such as cancer.
Yes. The aim is to develop more walks in different locations on different dates to ensure a varied walking offer within the city that caters to a wider audience. Beginner’s walks began in summer of 2017. A nature walk has recently been established close to Penshaw monument and continues to grow, attracting a range of people, including families.
Looking back
When establishing a new walk it can take time to generate interest and initially attendance figures can be low. The key to resolving this is good promotion. To address this issue we used regular consistent emails, distributed posters and leaflets across the city, and used quality images on social media, all aimed at raising awareness of the walking offer.
