Community First
Fareham Healthy Walks
Please help us to be able to offer sociable, healthy walks to more people in Fareham!
Story
Visiting favourite, or new places, connecting with friends and watching the seasons change all make for a better day. We know that walking relieves tensions and loneliness, lifts our spirits and even gives us more energy.
If it wasn’t for the walk being organised and booked in my diary I wouldn’t have gone out today especially as it was raining. I can’t tell you how much better I feel for seeing everyone.
Guided Healthy Walks provide opportunities to get moving, make new friendships and be part of a small, safe, well-led group. Afterwards, walkers talk about feeling better and look forward to more fun, sometime soon.
My wife and I have been coming on these walks for a little while now. She has Alzheimers and it is a great alternative to come on a walk and chat to others as an alternative to Memory Clinics and the like. We tend to try and walk 25 000 steps a day as it means that she will sleep through at night, so that means I do too.
Like most things in life, there’s always a small cost in making sure everything is planned, kept on time, on track, and insured. In the background, our part-time, paid staff team plan and make sure each walk happens with enough walk leaders. They recruit volunteers, organize essential training, hire training venues, and are there to answer queries, and support our walk leaders when needed. Walk leaders must know their walk routes, welcome walkers and get to know new ones from the moment they join. They must be trained to know what to do in an emergency or deal with the unexpected. Crucially they find the best watering holes on route as they know what makes for happy walkers. We’d like to purchase emergency kits and ‘hi-viz’ tabards (so no one gets lost).
Community First keeps Healthy Walk costs to a minimum in Fareham, Winchester and The New Forest, aiming to make sure they break even. External funding has been massively reduced so we are operating Healthy Walks at a loss and yet we know how much they mean to our 900 walkers. This is why we think you may be able to help through our Just Giving page.
Do you know someone who enjoys one of Community First’s Healthy Walks? We are inviting anonymous donations to help cover our modest running costs. Would you like to help? Whatever you feel you’d like to give would be welcome and if you’re a walker but don’t feel able to contribute that’s okay. No pressure. We’d sooner you could enjoy your Healthy Walk with us.
