A small group of East Dunbartonshire residents has clocked up almost 350,000 steps doing the Walk Well at Home virtual World Walking Challenge – more steps than it would take to walk from Milngavie to Edinburgh and back. And they plan to walk further afield!
As May is National Walking Month, we thought we'd shine a light on their achievement in reaching and surpassing the quarter million mark and see who fancies joining in.
The East Dunbartonshire Walk Well at Home group has signed up to the free challenge on the World Walking website as a means of keeping fit and active during the current lockdown restrictions. They are counting the steps they do around the house and adding them into their ‘Walk Well at Home’ group on the World Walking website.
There are currently 11 walkers in the group and they are keen to recruit more to join them. The group is particularly keen to support walkers over 70 to keep moving and stay connected, but people of all ages are welcome. It’s free to join via the World Walking website and steps can be counted using the World Walking App, a pedometer, Fitbit or just by counting yourself.
Councillor Vaughan Moody, Joint Leader of the Council and Chair of the East Dunbartonshire Leisure & Culture Trust, said, “This step count in less than six weeks is a fantastic achievement, particularly as some of our walkers are unable to get out and are walking at home. It’s great to see the Walk Well at Home group keeping fit, active and so motivated during the lockdown restrictions and I’d encourage anyone keen to get involved to do so.
“The World Walking Challenge is a great incentive, particularly for those over 70 as it keeps you moving and is a way of staying connected with others whilst staying at home. However, people of all ages and abilities can join up – the more steps the further the group can travel. Good luck!”
The walking group is funded through Paths for All and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and is managed and run by the EDLC Trust.
Full joining instruction can be found on the EDLC Trust website but here's a quick guide on how to get involved:
- Go to the World Walking website www.worldwalking.org and select the 'groups' tab where you can search for the 'East Dunbartonshire Walk Well at Home’ group.
- Select ‘join this group’.
- Register using your email address and a password of your choice.
Please note – your details are private and are not seen by other group members. The site is completely free.
How to add your steps:
- Log into the World Walking website.
- Choose the ‘dashboard’.
- Select the ‘add steps’.
- Choose ‘spend steps’ to add your steps to the group’s total.
- The website will show you how far the group has progressed together and the interesting features and history of the route.
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