Written by Wayne Hatton Bolsover District Council Physical Activity & Sports Development Manager
Bolsover District Council Physical Activity and Sports Development Team were asked by our Employee Engagement Officer if there was something we could do as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. We staged two short lunchtime social walks and as a result of this we were requested to provide more.
We put together the Nothing Works Like Walking Programme, which is a series of lunchtime circular walks, around 2 miles long and lasting about 45 minutes. Walks began in early June and are staged alternately from the councils’ facilities at the Arc and at the Riverside Depot, they are planned and led by qualified Walk Leaders. If the walks remain popular it is intended that a volunteer is identified and trained in order to continue them after PA&SDT step away in early October.
Being Sports Development we were keen to find ways to maintain and develop Bolsover District Council’s employees new found enthusiasm for walking and we created two walking challenges. Mainly aimed at those new to walking, we looked to maintain and then increase the distances being walked.
In July we introduced a 50 4 50 Team Challenge Walk and combined it with the District Council’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. Teams of four employees were challenged to walk 12.5 miles each (or 3.125 miles per week) along a virtual 50 mile route around the district taking in the councils current and former office sites and attractions such as Bolsover Castle and Creswell Crags, all linked by the district’s trails. Teams, who had given themselves names, Red Hot Chili Steppers and Scrambled Legs to name but two, had four weeks to complete the route and each week their whereabouts on the route was plotted and circulated. Distances were recorded on Strava or on hard copy record sheets and totalled each week. Some provided excellent photographs taken whilst rambling about the countryside, as asked, these provided some excellent views of the area, points of interest and wildlife.
Eleven teams took part and completed the 50 miles by the end of July, allowing them to be placed in the hat for a walking related prize draw, this giving us forty four walkers each week wandering into the countryside and walking over and above their usual walk distances, some were absolute beginners encouraged by the team ethos and others were regular walkers inspired to walk further.
Hot on the heels of the Team Challenge we have introduced the 50 4 50 Individual Challenge Walk which began on August 5th, this increases the distances walked during the Team Challenge from 3.125 miles per week to 5 miles per week, the aim being to complete the 50 mile route in ten weeks.
There have been thirty three employees begin the Individual Challenge, lots who have continued their meanderings from the Team Challenge and others have entered afresh.
Feedback from the Team Challenge has been really good with positive outcomes.
HG – A great initiative, that has brought us together as a team – and uncovered some competitive streaks!
KW – Phew! I did it! I am going to walk to Tesco in future – I always used to drive, thanks for setting it up – I literally wouldn’t have walked one of those miles without it.
TG -This is definitely making me walk more and getting me out away from my desk at lunch time. Happy to be involved in the next challenge.
LD – Thank you! Great work setting this up Wayne and Laura 😊
PW – Thanks Wayne and Laura! It appears to have been a huge success! Great job!
JM – I have been conscious for some time about my lack of walking. During lockdown I was walking around 10K a day, every day as I only worked part-time. Now full time since April 2022, I no longer find the time. It has bothered me, but my routine was completely upended.
I joined the challenge to give me that bit of push and focus. Not wanting to let the side down helped me get into the mindset, albeit near the end! A new thing was doing a village walk into the countryside around a village that I usually only drive through.
The takeaway for me from the challenge is to build on this by trying to get walking into my daily routine, as well as using the weekends to explore some new bits of the countryside around the villages where I live.
