Walks organised in Chatteris, March and Wisbech

Here is the fortnightly Get Active column, written by Fenland District Council physical activity co-ordinator Heidi Lemmon...

Going for a walk, or wheel, can be great for so many reasons. Besides the exercise and the physical benefits it brings on a regular basis it has a huge impact on our mood and mental wellbeing. Also, walking in your local area may help connect to the local community too.

Spring is a great time to get out and walk with the natural beauty found all around, and mostly good weather too. The best thing is that it doesn’t matter how far or how fast you go, you will still be able to reap a lot of the benefits of walking.

Introducing the new Ramblers Wellbeing Walks. The Ramblers National programme aims to provide opportunities for everyone to be able to enjoy a local walk as part of a social walking group. The Ramblers Wellbeing Walks are great because:

• They are designed to be short in duration. Walks can start at 10 minutes and are no longer than 90 minutes to be suitable to different walkers.
• Fitness level does not matter, walks are designed over easy terrain and at a steady pace to suit everyone.
• No specialist equipment is required.
• The Wellbeing Walks are led by volunteer walk leaders where the routes are pre-planned, just join the Wellbeing Walks as a walker and enjoy.

Here in Fenland, we would like to set up some local regular wellbeing walks as part of a wider Cambridgeshire and Peterborough scheme.

Currently Active Fenland are looking for Volunteer Walk Leaders to lead Ramblers Wellbeing Walks in your local town or village.

As part of the Ramblers’ programme full training and support is provided, all you need to be is a friendly and outgoing individual who likes walking and would like to help provide opportunities to others.

If you would like to be part of the programme, or for more information get in touch with Active Fenland by email: activefenlandbookings@fenland.gov.uk or call: 07874893316.

We are holding some taster walks for potential volunteer walk leaders. This will be an opportunity to see a walk in action and ask any questions about the volunteering role and process. All walks will return to the start point and will last approximately 30 minutes. Here are the details:

• March – Thursday, May 12, 10am from West End Park Bandstand. This walk is wheelchair accessible.
• Chatteris – Thursday, May 12, 1pm from the Little Acre Fen Pocket Park. This walk has some uneven ground.
• Wisbech – Friday, May, 13, 10am from Wisbech Park Bandstand. This walk is wheelchair accessible.
• Whittlesey – Friday, May 13, 1pm from Whittlesey Marketplace at the Buttercross. This walk has some uneven ground.

If you would like to join a walk as a walker, then walkers are encouraged to sign up online to the Ramblers Wellbeing Walks programme prior to the walk.

To sign up as a walker, for more information about the national Ramblers programme, or to have a look at the details for the taster walks or other local Cambridgeshire and Peterborough walks visit the Ramblers website: beta.ramblers.org.uk/go-walking/wellbeing-walks