Community Health No 2 - Health Walks in the Community

Health walks (HW) provide the participants with a free, well recognised, and safe means of gentle exercise and social wellbeing. The sponsored HWs are set-up under a national scheme but are organised on a day-to-day basis by trained volunteers. 

A typical scheme's features include:

1. Leaders: several volunteer leaders who have been trained to run walks in their area;
2. Back Leader: a walk has a tail "leader" who ensures that walkers who experience difficulties are assisted;
3. Registration: all walkers are registered on their first walk and are asked to supply medical information (kept securely and confidentially at the local authority office);
4. Routes: say, four or five routes, ie eight or 10 walks by clockwise and anti-clockwise directions on each; 
5. Risk Assessments:  each routes will have been risk-assessed to a generic scheme;
6. Duration:  each walk lasts about an hour;
7. Pace:  the pace suits the individual walker;
8. Scheme's routes: must comply with disability discrimination legislation;