GWKW taught the children about Road Safety, The Benefits of Walking & the enjoyable aspects of walking. Below are some of the comments from the children:

“Every Thursday afternoon during the last term, me and my class took part in get walking with our teacher Miss Ryan. This involved us all walking from school to different places in and around Northenden each week. My favourite walk was when we went to Riverside park and the river Mersey because we got to play in the park. At the end of the term we all got a fun pack telling us how important walking is as it help us keep fit and healthy.”

By Travis

“To Get, Walking, Thank you for your help and support I really enjoyed the camera week when we took pictures and we went down the river.  Thank you for the pedometer really I liked counting the foot steps. I do hope you all come back and visit us again at our school.”

Thank you from Rory Fitzgerald

“Every Thursday we did Get Walking with volunteers who took us walking all around Northenden. What I enjoyed about this was it kept us fit walking all around and we went to lots of places like the River Mersey and Riverside park. I will miss get walking on Thursdays  and hope we can do it again next year.”

 By Hollie Mackin

The Heart Help Support Group is a cardiac support group formed by the members of a cardiac rehabilitation programme at Withington Hospital. The primary focus of the group on the social aspect of rehabilitation. The group found that walking fitted perfectly with its  aim, as walking is both good for the health and a social activity.

The group really enjoyed the initial 4 weeks of the walking plan and wanted to keep going on led walks so Get Walking Keep Walking Manchester got in touch with Beth at PARS (Physical Activity Referral Service) who came to see the group and how they might progress further.

18 months on and the group is still walking together regularly and has organised for walk leaders from City in the Community and Beth to lead and support the group.

The group now vary where they meet up giving them opportunity to discover new areas of Manchester. Recently, Jen Green, GWKW coordinator joined the group for a walk and asked them what they felt was the best bits of the walking group, they said:

“We enjoy the company and visiting local places. The walking group really gives us an opportunity to discover places that you wouldn’t go on your own!”

“Not only are you getting exercise but fresh air as well, improving your physical AND mental health”

Walk leader Beth says “The group had enjoyed the led walks with Get Walking and there was a lot of interest in making the group a weekly walk…It’s great getting out in the fresh air each day and exploring Manchester! I also love getting to walk with a huge variety of people”.

Kevin Murphy has been volunteering for Get Walking Keep Walking Manchester for three years and has really enjoyed leading walks and exploring new parts of Manchester. He tells us about his experience of volunteering:

“About 3 years ago I saw an advert in the paper for volunteers for GWKW. At the time I was unemployed  and feeling a bit low, wondering what to do myself.  So I thought, well I like walking,  and I’ve got time on my hands,  I’ll go and take a look.  All I can say if anybody is thinking of volunteering, but is a bit wary of going down, like I was, then just do it!.  Everybody is very friendly, the training is fun, and of course at the passing out parade you don the legendary GWKW t-shirt, which officially recognises you as part of Jen’s and Netty’s green army, with its five year mission….to explore strange new walks, to seek-out new walking groups, to boldly go where no GWKW walker has gone before!

During my time volunteering I have made many friends who I now go walking with socially. I have also joined the Ramblers which has enabled me to go walking regularly, even going away for walking week-ends”.

If you’re interested in volunteering in your area like Kevin then visit the contacts page, contact your local outreach officer and make a difference near you.

Volunteer Vaughan Davidson tells us how he enjoys both planning and leading the walks. In the lead up to the launch of the Middleton walks he spent every Wednesday morning for 6 weeks in a row planning interesting routes –  always finishing it off with a cream trea and chat with a friend. He said: “On the first day I was worried no one would turn up to try out our routes but they did and it was really fun to walk with them because they knew everyone in the village and told us lots of good stories. Walking in Middleton itself was a great pleasure, it is so beautiful walking along the tees, up the dale and back through the historic old village.  We’ve moved on now, but I’ll never forget those unexpectedly sunny six weeks.”

Programmes will be starting in Willington, Crook, Stanhope and Derwentside over the summer months so get in touch to find out more about a programme near you.

“The walks suited me down to the ground, they are the perfect length for me with a straight easy route and no stiles to climb. The volunteers and people taking part in the walks make excellent company. The 12 week programme started me off well and a group of us have continued with our weekly walks, it keeps me fit and I am now looking to increase the amount I do each week”

If you live in County Durham and want to walk more, look out for new programmes starting near you soon.

Jo says:

“I initally joined the Get Walking Keep Walking Programme to get fit and for relaxation in my free time-although I don’t have much of this!!  It was difficult at times to commit the time needed due to work but I continued in the hope of finishing something I had started.

During the programme I planned an adventure holiday to Jordan and Egypt with some family members to celebrate my birthday.  The holiday included 3750 steps up Mount Sinai and I was so pleased I was on the programme as it not only gave me the incentive to complete this climb but also gave me the training I needed as well.

Jo climbing up Mount Sinai, Egypt.

I am pleased to say I reached the top of Mount Sinai and saw the sunrise.  It took us 2.5hrs to reach the top and 1.5hrs to get down again.  The hardest part was trying to climb on rocks up a mountain at 1.30am in the morning using torch light to see where you were walking, but it was an experience I wouldn’t have missed.

Since arriving home I still have the ‘walking bug’ and try to get out as often as I can.”

After Jo arrived home she took part in the Get Walking Day Walk from Heaton Park to Piccadilly in Manchester. She’s also hoping to train as a walk leader so she can inspire others to do more walking.

Well done Jo!

Is was all captured by the students on cameras which you’ll be able to watch at a later day, but for now check out the trailer below.

Alicia, Sonya, Yvette, Urondi and Grace took part to our 12 weeks walking programme…

Do you want to share anything with us about the Get Walking Project?

Yvette: “I’m excited that I’ve got a pedometer. I actually look at how many steps I take each day, and try and beat it the following day and the best thing is that its free”.

Alicia: “I liked one particular walk we went in Kennington Park. It was really nice, cause the leaves were fallen on the floor. One of the parents started jumping in them and all the kids started to follow so it was really cool”!

Sonya: “I like meeting with new mums and chatting with other mums, just socialising is really good as well while walking”.

Grace: “I always walk now, instead of taking the bus. I stroll around with my children, it is really lovely”.

Urondi: “I’m really happy to join the group and I am excited to walking on as well”.

Giulia: Thank you very much!

Bye..bye..

I you want to have alook at the video of the interview, please click on the link below of Facebook.

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001509834933&v=app_2392950137

Become a Friend of Get walking on Facebook at www.facebook.com/getwalkinglondon

The day arrived and at the appointed hour, appropriately be-suited, I joined a short queue outside the gate of Windsor Castle which was guarded by armed police who inspected our entry passes and photo identification before being allowed to make our way through the castle grounds up to the State Apartments.

After ascending the Grand Staircase, David Pogson, Senior Press Officer at Buckingham Palace, who I had spoken to earlier in the day, met me and he arranged for an ‘official’ photograph of me to be taken.

On into the next area where I was given my name badge then into the Waterloo Chamber, a large hall dedicated to the Battle of Waterloo and whose walls are covered with relevant paintings. In this hall, all of the 350 guests assembled. We were served with champagne, white wine or fruit juice, together with a selection of canapés and here I chatted to an equerry to Prince Philip.

At just after 6.00pm, the doors at the end of the hall in which I was standing, opened to reveal the Queen and Prince Philip waiting to receive their guests. I was, in turn, formally introduced to the Queen and Prince Philip before making my way into the large and impressive St. George’s Hall where the rest of the evening was spent.

I chatted to several of the other guests and to the Farm Manager at the Sandringham Estate and to the Building Surveyor of the Sandringham Estate who gave me a real insight into life there.

I was again introduced to the Queen and Prince Philip, although less formally this time, and I was able to tell them about the good work that Get Walking Keep Walking is doing in Manchester. The Queen commented on the erosion caused by people walking in the hills and she seemed interested to hear about the plans for the five-year conservation project on Kinder Scout and that whilst the area was to be fenced off, it was to keep sheep off, not people.

The guest list included several famous people and I was able to chat to a few of them including Ben Fogle, Adam Henson (BBC Countryfile), John Craven (also of Countryfile, although those of a certain age will, like me, remember John Craven’s Newsround). I also spoke to the Duke of Gloucester (cousin of the Queen) managed a quick ‘hello’ to the Princess Royal.

Others that I spotted but did not manage to speak to included Martin Clunes, Paul Heiney (ITV Countrywise), the cook Clarissa Dickson, and the Duchess of Wessex (wife of Prince Edward).

It was all over by 8.00pm and I walked back to my hotel, just three minutes walk from the castle gate, to have dinner with my wife Prue who had been waiting patiently for me (in the bar).

The following day, Prue and I did the tour of the castle, including the halls where the reception had been held.

Altogether a very wonderful and memorable occasion for which I thank the Ramblers and Get Walking Keep Walking, Manchester, for the opportunity to attend.