Walking for Health

• In the mid-90s Dr William Bird set up health walks for patients at his Oxfordshire GP practice.

• By 2000 Walking for Health was launched across England as a national health walks programme run by Natural England.

• In April 2012 the programme was divested to the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support.

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Introduction to the national programme

Walking for Health

• The Ramblers is Britain’s walking charity and run a range of projects aimed at encouraging inactive people to start walking.

• Macmillan estimates that out of the 2 million people affected by cancer around 1.6 million are not physically active to recommended levels.

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Introduction to the national programme

Our vision is that everyone will have access to a short, free and friendly health walk within easy reach of where they live, to help them become more active and stay active.

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Walking for Health

•530 Walking for Health schemes•2,600 weekly walks across

England•130,000 walkers per year•12,500 active volunteers

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Where we are today

Hertfordshire Health WalksWalkers (Jan-Dec 2013)

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• 2015 walkers (Herts CMS)• 2015 walkers (Herts CMS)

• 835 new walkers (Herts CMS)• 835 new walkers (Herts CMS)

• 300 walkers (national average)• 300 walkers (national average)

• 70 new walkers (national average)• 70 new walkers (national average)

Hertfordshire Health WalksVolunteers (Jan-Dec 2013)

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• 237 volunteers (Herts CMS)• 237 volunteers (Herts CMS)

• 188 hours per week (Herts CMS)• 188 hours per week (Herts CMS)

• 27 volunteers (national average)• 27 volunteers (national average)

• 28 hours per week (national average)• 28 hours per week (national average)

Hertfordshire Health Walks

Hertfordshire Health Walks gained the new accreditation standard in July 2014.

•Confidence to funders and local health and social care professionals.•The scheme provides walks suitable for beginners and those with long term health conditions.•The scheme fulfils national standards on volunteer management.

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Walking for Health accreditation

Walking for Health

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Promoting the scheme nationally

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Walking for Health

• Further work to engage with health and social care professionals

• Every Step Counts: helps the most inactive people take part in 12 week programmes of tailored walks

•More resources and materials to help schemes deliver walks locally

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Plans for the future

Many thanks to all Hertfordshire Health Walks volunteers!

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