Health Walks in Chelmsford Walking Programme July to September 2017
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Health Walks in Chelmsford Walking Programme July to September 2017 If you have any questions, please contact the Heart and Sole Team: Tel: 01245 606569 Email: [email protected] Post: Chelmsford City Council, Civic Centre, Duke Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1JE Web: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/heartandsole Welcome to Heart and Sole Welcome to Heart and Sole, Chelmsford's free health walk scheme. We hope that you join our programme of walks and find them enjoyable and beneficial to your health. Heart and Sole is a Walking for Health accredited scheme, set up by Chelmsford City Council and Provide. Walks are led by trained leaders and have a back marker at the rear of the group. This means you are free to walk at your own pace without fear of being left behind. What’s more, all of our walks are graded, so you can choose the most suitable ones for your ability. We have tried to ensure that each walk is as enjoyable and safe as possible. The routes use well-surfaced paths mainly through parks and playing fields unless otherwise stated. Where possible we avoid walking beside roads. The routes are all circular, so you start and finish in the same place. After the walk, we welcome you to stay for refreshments and socialising. This may be in a café, sports pavilion or a public house. 1 How to use this Walking Programme Within this programme you will find a description of the walks that are currently availa- ble. We have a range of walks which last approximately 30 to 90 minutes, depending on the distance and your personal walking speed. There are a whole range of walks taking place each week, including at weekends. To find out when and where we are walking this quarter, please see the list of walks at the back of this booklet, making sure you note any cancelled walks. You will notice that our walks are graded to help you find the right walk for your ability. To benefit from any of our walks, we recommend that you walk at a speed which makes you feel a little warmer, breathe a little harder and increase your heart rate; but you should still be able to have a conversation. Of course, you are welcome to attend any of the Heart and Sole walks; the grades simply act as a guide for those who want to know what to expect from each walk. The grade for each walk is indicated on the top right hand side of its description page: Heart and Sole Grade 1 walk Suitable for people who have not walked much before, are looking to be more active, or are returning from injury or illness. They are between 30-45 minutes on flat ground or gentle slopes with mainly firm surfaces and no steps or stiles. Heart and Sole Grade 2 walk Suitable for people who are looking to increase their activity levels. They are between 30 - 60 minutes and may include some moderate slopes, steps, or uneven surfaces. Heart and Sole Grade 3 walk For people looking for more challenging walks and increasing their level of physical activity. They are generally 45 – 90 minutes and may include steeper slopes, steps, uneven surfaces and stiles. At many of our walks we can offer a ‘shortcut’ if there is enough leaders, including Admi- rals Park, Beaulieu Park, Bell Meadow, Chelmer Village, Galleywood, Great Baddow, Spring- field woMEn TIME and Writtle. These are particularly suitable for people who feel that they may not be able to walk the full distance without a rest. Grading descriptions derived from those recommended by Walking for Health. 2 Frequently Asked Questions How do I register? There are two ways that you can register to walk with Heart & Sole: 1. Online via the Walking for Health website: Go to https://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder/chelmsford-heart- and-sole Click on ‘Join this scheme as a walker’ Click on ‘I want to create an account’ Complete the online form and click on ‘Create new account’ Take note of your username and password. To log in in future, go to http://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/ and then ‘login’ on the top right-hand corner. Click on ‘I have and account’ and then enter your details. 2. Complete a paper Walker Registration Form This should be handed to the Walk Leader at your first walk. Either: Print a form from the website www.chelmsford.gov.uk/heartandsole, or; Collect a form from the Walk Leader when you arrive at your first walk. Please arrive 10 minutes early in order to give you time to complete the form. Once you have registered on one walk, you can attend any of our walks without the need to complete a new form (unless your personal details or health change). What shall I wear? To walk you need comfortable, sensible shoes and clothing suitable for the weather. Where do we meet? Each individual walk description within this programme gives you the meeting point and information on public transport, parking, refreshments and toilets. Please arrive at least 5mins prior to the walk start time to ensure you catch the briefing and know which route the walk will take on that particular day. For some walks the route may vary each week. 3 Frequently Asked Questions What about the weather? You might want to bring some water and sun lotion in the warmer weather, or an umbrella. We avoid muddy routes, but there may be puddles after rain. We will not walk if it is dangerous. If we cancel a walk last minute, a Walk Leader will wait at the meeting point to inform any walkers that do arrive. Can I bring my dog? Unfortunately we are unable to welcome dogs onto the walks, with the excep- tion of assistance/guide dogs. Can I bring my friend/family member/children/grandchildren? Of course you can! They can join you on any walk as a guest. Are the walks suitable for buggies or wheelchairs? For walks that are buggy or wheelchair friendly, look out for our NEW! symbol guide on each walking page. I don’t think I can complete the walk without a rest; can I still come? At many of our walks we are able to offer a ‘shortcut’ (see page 2 for details and best suitable walks for beginners). We recommend that you start with these walks, before progressing to the full route and the other walks. Do we socialise afterwards? In this programme we have listed where you can find refreshments following each walk. We will always encourage you to walk and talk, and fol- lowing most walks we welcome you to continue socialising with refreshments at local amenities. How can I help? Thank you for thinking of us! We would love for your to be involved in our fan- tastic scheme. We have put together some ideas on page 5. Do you have any longer walks? We run the Moulsham Mill Walk (see page 17) and have other walks (see page 7). 4 How can I help? Heart & Sole is ever-expanding and we would love for you to help. Help comes in all shapes and sizes: 1. Tell your friends and family about the scheme and get them walking. Most people join a walk through word of mouth and recommendation, so tell some- one about your favourite walk and they may end up joining you. 2. Donate to Friends of Heart & Sole to safeguard the future of the scheme. Turn to page 6 on ways you can donate. 3. Obtain a Friends of Heart & Sole Community Card. Do you shop in a Chelmsford Star Co-operative? Simply use the card when you complete your shopping at a Chelmsford Co-op and they will donate 2 points for every £1 spent (some exclusions apply), which will go di- rect to Friends of Heart & Sole. 4. Administration. Every walk has a register and these need to be inputted into the Walking for Health database. We are providing training for those who want to help with data input. So if you have a computer, and some time, get in touch. 5. Become a walking assistant. Are you familiar with the walk that you regularly attend? Some walks need more leaders than others so help by being a middle marker, showing walkers where to go when there aren’t enough leaders. 6. Become a committee member of the Friends of Heart & Sole. Are you interested in being on the committee the Friends of Heart & Sole? Leaders and walkers are welcome. This requires attendance at quarterly meetings, and can help shape the future of Heart & Sole. This commitment can increase if you so wish. Please contact Rosie Lamb for more information. 7. Become a walk leader. Volunteer Walk Leaders are invaluable to the running of Heart and Sole and we are always recruiting! The next training date is scheduled for September so please get in touch if you want to become a walk leader and we can put you on our waiting list. If you have some spare time to give (even the smallest amount), or you would like to dis- cuss anything on this page, we would love to hear from you. Call Rosie Lamb on 01245 606979 or email [email protected]. 5 Walking News Changes to the walks - Beaulieu — Now introducing the Beaulieu longer option route on the last Friday of the month. See back page for walk dates. - Broomfield—The Broomfield walk has now been taken off of the rota and cancelled.