Over 35 participants who attend the County Community Trust’s Social Wellbeing programme reached their aim this weekend of walking a mile, as part of Stockport Council’s ‘Move to a Mile’ event.
County’s Social Wellbeing Group were one of four local groups invited to take part in Stockport Council’s pilot ‘Move to a Mile’ programme, the culmination of which was held as part of the Stockport Moves event on Sunday 2nd July in Stockport town centre.
Move to a Mile was developed to support people who do little or no physical activity to help them to improve their health and wellbeing by encouraging them to build up to walking a full mile over an eight week period with the final event incorporated into the Stockport Moves event.
To help build up to the showpiece town cente event, the participants completed an eight week walking programme. This has seen them walking around the pitch at Edgeley Park, moving from walking just one length of the pitch in week one to completing four laps of the pitch in week eight.
The Trust’s original aim was to try and get around 15-20 participants to sign up to the programme, and over the course of the eight weeks over 40 people have taken part in total with an amazing 35 of them attending and completing the Stockport Moves, ‘Move to a Mile’ final event.
County’s Social Wellbeing Group is a weekly drop-in every Wednesday morning at Edgeley Park, which provides opportunities for vulnerable people within the community to meet up and socialise with County Community Trust staff and volunteers to help them make new friends, swap stories, and reminisce about their present and past life experiences and memories.
Dave Wardle, the Trust’s Operations Manager, who led the Move to a Mile programme said “Watching around 35 of our Social Wellbeing Group take part in the eight-week programme and complete a mile as part of Stockport Moves event was exceptionally inspiring.
“Many of the participants, who range in age and health conditions, had done no physical exercise for many years and most of them had no belief that they would be able to complete walking a mile at the end of the programme.
“Watching people like Barry and Phillip, who are 86 and 87 respectively, cross the line, be presented with their own Move to a Mile medal and get cheered on by the people of Stockport was very moving. It shows the power that taking part in physical activity programmes like this can have and we are hoping that the walks around Edgeley Park will continue to be a central part of the Social Wellbeing Group’s Wednesday mornings.”
