With health and wellbeing at the top of the agenda for local authorities, we hear about a community walking scheme, run by 1Life in North Kesteven, which is getting great results

With 1Life’s involvement and support, North Kesteven Social Strollers – a healthy walking group operating in the East Midlands, UK – has grown into a great success story.

The group was established as part of a nationwide ‘Choosing Health’ initiative encouraging older people to be more active.

Social Strollers’ programme of walks has grown to the point where it now attracts a very broad range of local people, with an increasingly diverse range of offerings.

For example, sensory elements have been introduced into some walks to help dementia sufferers, following a collaboration between the Social Strollers, the Alzheimer’s Society and Macmillan Cancer Support.

A Growing success story
This year alone, North Kesteven Social Strollers has logged 5,700 attendances by members, and welcomed 155 new walkers.

In the main, they’re local people wanting to build confidence or lose weight or who need help to get through depression.

Whatever their reasons for getting involved, the free, safe, volunteer-led walks bring about powerful social interaction among members of the local community. Walk leader Ian Kendrick says: “That’s what the Social Strollers walks are all about – listening to people, getting them out of the house, getting them exercising, boosting their morale and making them smile.”

The power of 1Life
The initiative is a great example of how 1Life collaborates with its local partners to promote physical activity and wellbeing in the community; Health Walks have now been launched in other contracts managed by 1Life using this model.

As a leisure provider able to deliver a wide consumer offering and appeal to new sections of the local market, 1Life is lightening the load for local authorities and supporting them to fulfil their commitment to health and wellbeing for their residents.

TEL: +44 (0)1480 484250

EMAIL: [email protected]

WEB: www.1Lifemanagementsolutions.co.uk