Breadcrumbs
Walking the Way to Health: Making tracks and friends with WHI - 7 March 2006
Health walks are providing more than just mental and physical benefits. A national evaluation by Oxford Brookes University revealed additional social benefits. More than a third of people surveyed live alone, many are widowed or separated, and WHI groups became an important lifeline for many of them ‘meeting people and making friends’ was cited by many as the primary reason for coming along to walks.
Moira Halstead, marketing and development manager for WHI, said: “Walkers of all ages and backgrounds are enjoying a wide range of benefits from WHI groups. In addition to the obvious health benefits of walking, for many making new friends and sharing experiences was just as important. We know that people with strong social networks enjoy better health. WHI provides those social networks for many people who live alone. ”
Case Study:
Winifred Freeman, 67, was diagnosed with diabetes at 60 and gave up her active work as a school cleaner. Over time she became overweight, lost the confidence to go out and became house bound for days on end.
Maureen from ‘Walk from Home’, a WHI scheme for people who need to rebuild confidence to go out walking, accompanies Winifred on short walks from her home. She now has the confidence to visit her daughter across town.
Winifred said: “There’s a lot more I’ve got to do, but I’ve come from nothing to what I’m doing. My diabetes will never get better but my will power is doing things now. Maureen’s got me going.”
There are an estimated one million people walking more as a result of WHI. An evaluation was also carried by the local WHI groups which shows impressively high retention rates. Unlike joining a gym, once people start walking regularly with a local group, they rarely drop out.
A significant part of Walking the Way to Health is monitoring success, so the evaluations were undertaken to ensure that the scheme continues to meet the needs of walkers.
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For more information, photographs or visits to WHI groups, please contact the Countryside Agency press office on:
Matthew Heard: 01242 533476 or 07900 608168
Beth Rose: 01242 533306 or 07900 608052
NOTES TO EDITORS
Walking the way to Health (WHI)
WHI was launched in September 2000 and is a joint venture between the Countryside Agency and the British Heart Foundation. Initially conceived as a five year project, success has lead to additional funding from the Countryside Agency.
WHI aims to get more people walking in their own communities, especially those who take little exercise or live in areas of poor health. So far we’ve helped to create over 350 local health walk schemes and trained more than 18,000 volunteer walk leaders. To download copies of the evaluations or to find out more about WHI visit: www.whi.org.uk.
The Countryside Agency
The Countryside Agency is the statutory body working to make the quality of life better for people in the countryside and the quality of the countryside better for everyone. It is a non-departmental body sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The Agency is changing as the result of Defra's Rural Strategy (published in July 2004) and the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill which is expected to complete its passage through Parliament in spring 2006. The Bill includes changes to:
- establish a Commission for Rural Communities that will act as a rural advocate, expert adviser and independent watchdog, with a particular focus on disadvantage. Currently operating as a division of the Countryside Agency, the Commission will become an independent body when the Bill becomes law.
- form a single new body – Natural England – that will integrate the Landscape, Access and Recreation division of the Countryside Agency with English Nature and most of Defra’s Rural Delivery Service (RDS). Natural England will work for people, places and nature, with responsibility for enhancing biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promoting access, recreation and public well-being, and contributing to the way natural resources are managed – so that they can be enjoyed now and by future generations.
These changes are expected to come into effect in October 2006, at which point the Countryside Agency will cease to exist.
We may be changing, but our skills, knowledge and enthusiasm will continue to benefit people in rural England. To find out more about our work, and for information about the countryside, visit our website: www.countryside.gov.uk
