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WFW Virtual Walk 39
NUMBER 39
Hello everyone, 

Welcome to Week 1 of our virtual walking challenge!

We've made very respectable progress in our Lands End-John O'Groats odyssey this week, getting clean out of the West Country and a good distance to the north, winding up near Leominster (Herefordshire). Congratulations to Oxfordshire Mind AMHT Wellbeing Team who topped our leaderboard this week with a stunning 56.17 miles....ones to beat for next week!

In this newsletter, we also have a new route card around the People's Park in Banbury for you, an artistic activity for you to do on your walks,  as well as some lovely pictures from our contributors out on their walks this week.

Follow the links below to find out more!

Best wishes, 

Francesca
Walking for Wellbeing Project Facilitator


In this Newsletter...
 
Virtual Walking Challenge
This January we are walking from Land's End to John O'Groats together. Stay updated on our progress here...

Miles Walked...  

247.4

Current Location...

Just outside Leominster (Herefordshire)
After making our way up the West Country, through Penzance,  over Bodmin Moor, and passing Okehampton, Tiverton and Taunton, we cut up to Bristol and cross the Bristol channel at the Severn Bridge. Then it's a brief duck into South Wales, before coming out into the rolling green hills of the English-Welsh borderlands. Spread out before us is a landscape of sleepy farmland, where the River Wye turns in lazy loops and herds of Hereford cattle amble across the fields, peacefully chewing the cud. 
Our progress so far

This week's leaderboard

  1. Oxfordshire Mind AMHT Wellbeing Team ...56.17 miles cycled
  2. Rosamond Renow....33.7 miles walked
  3. Annie Sillence...17 miles walked
  4. Tam Richmond... 16.07 miles walked and cycled
  5. Collette Norbury...15 miles walked
With thanks to...
Lisa Harle Ward
Francesca
Rachel Knight
Tuesday Mill Walkers
Thursday Mill Walkers
Alice Willington
Richard Dewar
and  5 anonymous walkers 

... who also contributed

Pictures from our walks this week...


Friendly Faces
Walking for Wellbeing Volunteer Richard is staying safe with a mask this week while out for his walk ...while Cherwell and West Locality Manager Lisa is keeping cosy in a bobble hat while out for a run.
Christ Church Meadow
Walker Rosamond took these shots of a very frosty Christ Church Meadow on her walks this week.
Jericho Canal
Dianne and Cyril captured these atmospheric wintry pictures on their walk around the canal in Jericho.
Snowdrops
Our Thursday Mill group spotted these early snowdrops in Headington Hill Park!

How to take part in the challenge


1. Go out for a walk, run or cycle around your local area on your own, with members of your household, or with a single friend in line with government regulations.

2. Find a way of tracking how far you've walked. You could use your smartphone, a pedometer or fitbit, or just measure it on a map. 

3. Send me your mileage and a picture of you out on your walk (if you like) by filling out this form:https://form.jotform.com/210061907549051 . Please submit all distances to me in miles. You can easily find converters from steps to miles by searching online. 

4. Each week I will tally up how many miles we've all done together, input it to my map, and figure out where we are on the route from Land's End to John O'Groats. 

Each week, there will be a list of everyone who has contributed...and even a leader board of the people who have walked the furthest.  This is completely optional, you can also participate anonymously if you like. At the end of the challenge, there will be prizes for the people who have walked the furthest overall. 

If you'd like your mileage and pictures included in the newsletter on the Monday, please send them to me at the latest by the end of the day on Thursday of the week before.  Otherwise your mileage will be included in the next week. 

If you would like to fundraise for Oxfordshire Mind through your walking challenge, you could set up a Just Giving page and ask friends and colleagues to sponsor you.
This week's featured walking route 
People's Park
About this route

Popular with our Banbury group, this pleasant stroll takes you through Banbury Town Centre, past Banbury Cross and St Mary's Church, before taking in the tranquil People's Park. Tucked away at the end of a hidden alley, this is really a town centre gem, complete with Rose Garden, aviary and stunning mature trees.

Time

30-40 minutes 

Good to know

There's a mobile coffee van which regularly sets up shop near the main entrance to the park- perfect to keep you warm on socially distanced meets!
 
Directions

Start- Banbury Wellbeing Hub, Britannia Road

Turn right when leaving the centre and walk down Britannia Road.

Turn right down Gatteridge Street and follow it past the library, until you get to High Street.

Turn left down High Street and follow it up to Banbury Cross.

Turn right at Banbury Cross and follow Horsefair until you get to the pedestrian crossing in front of St Mary's Church.

Cross over the road and follow the little alley by the side of the Quaker meeting house- The Leys.

You should now see the entrance to the People's Park in front of you. Enter the park.

How you experience the park is up to you, but we suggest you make a left and follow the path round the side of the park, past the tennis courts.

Turn right to stay in the park when you see the other gate in front of you. 

Turn left when you come to a crossroads, then right to enter the Rose Garden.

Walk through the Rose Garden until you come out the other side. You should see the aviary in front of you. 

Walk over to the aviary. Stop to say hi to the budgies and cockatiels!

Keep on following the path round the side of the park until you have completed your circuit and are back at the gate where you entered.

Follow the Leys back out of the park and cross over the pedestrian crossing again.

This time, go straight ahead, entering St Mary's churchyard.  Walk around the left of it, following the path, and exit the churchyard through the back.

You should now be in a little lane between some shops. Follow it to the end, then turn right down Church Lane.

Turn right onto High Street.

Follow it till you get to the junction with George Street. Turn left. 

Walk straight down George Street, passing Broad Street, until Britannia Road appears on your right. 

On the way you might see...
Budgies and cockatiels (in the aviary)
Squirrels
Town centre
Dog walkers
A virtual walk from the archives....
Banbury Canal Walk
https://www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk/virtual-walk-from-a-reader/

Another route for our Banbury readers- this was submitted by a reader in the summer!
This week's resource 
Making artwork from nature
 
A simple activity to help you create artwork from objects you find in nature!
Book onto an in-person walk 
The government has kept the exemption in place for mental health support groups during this lockdown. This means we are still able to run a limited timetable of face-to-face walks.

We are pleased that the government has recognised the vital nature of mental health provision and are glad we are able to keep our in-person services open for those who really need it.  In recognition of the infectiousness of new variant of the virus and the pressures on the NHS, however, we have put some new measures in place to ensure we are keeping everyone safe.
  • We now suggest that everyone who attends the walk wears a mask, unless medically exempt. However, if you strongly feel that this will be a barrier to you attending the walk, we will not force you to wear one. 
  • We will be checking temperatures of people who attend with a contactless temperature reader
  • We suggest that people who fall into the clinically extremely vulnerable category access online support for now. If you are clinically extremely vulnerable and you feel that you would still like to come on a walk, please get in touch with us to discuss. This will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
Existing participants can book onto these walks using the links below. If you have not come on a walk with us before, please get in contact with us first using the contact details below. 

Oxford 

All Oxford walks meet outside The Mill, 46 Cowley Road, OX4 1HZ.

Tuesday 19th January- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/132394867613
Thursday 21st January- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/132392402239
Tuesday 26th January- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/136401914799
Thursday 28th January- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/136402061237

Banbury 

All Banbury walks meet outside Banbury Wellbeing Hub, Britannia Road, OX16 5DN.

Friday 15th January- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/132395503515
Friday 22nd January-https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/132396145435
Friday 29th January- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/136401796445

You can also book on by getting in touch with us on walking@oxfordshiremind.org.uk or 07701372060.

Please read the safety guidance before attending.
New! Peer Support Group
In response to the winter lockdowns we have set up a new virtual peer support group to help support each other with staying active through these uniquely challenging times. 

Would you like:
  • To share your love of nature with a group of like-minded individuals?
  • Help with goal-setting and friendly encouragement to keep going with physical activity?
  • Practical ideas for how to get more out of your walks and stave off boredom? 
Then this could be for you!

Please get in touch for more details including timings. 
We want to hear from you! 

We're always looking for new content for this newsletter! If you have something that you think our readers would like to see, we'd love to hear from you.

You could send in photos or videos of you out for your daily exercise, pictures of nice things you've seen, or even just a written message of support or tip for how you've been keeping active and maintaining your wellbeing--  anything that you think would be positive, helpful and encouraging.   If you have an idea for a walk location that would also always be welcome.

Please just don't reveal your home address, or take a photo or video of somebody else when you don't have their permission. 

If you would like to share something, just send it in to walking@oxfordshiremind.org.uk, alongside a completed consent form, which you can download here. 
Virtual Walks Feedback Survey 
We want to know what you have thought of our virtual walks so far!

Your feedback helps us give you the best experience possible and prove that we are doing a good job so we can keep offering this service. 

If you have particularly enjoyed our virtual offer, have thoughts on what we could do better, or just have an idea for a good place to virtually walk, please fill out our survey: https://form.jotform.com/201693360035045
What is the latest government advice?

England is currently in a National Lockdown.

 Please check these links for the latest advice and further detail:

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
 
What if I can't go outside? 

If you aren't able to go outside right now, there are things you can do to still keep active and get the benefits of nature in your life.

Sport England has gathered together some great resources to help you exercise in your home:

https://www.sportengland.org/news/how-stay-active-while-youre-home

Suggestions for what you could do to get the benefits of the outdoors while inside (from https://www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/ ): 

  • Spend time with the windows open to let in fresh air.
  • Have flowers or potted plants in your home.
  • Use natural materials to decorate your living space, or use them in art projects. This could include leaves, flowers, feathers, tree bark or seeds.
  • Arrange a comfortable space to sit, for example by a window where you can look out over a view of trees or the sky, or watch birds and other animals. 
  • Grow plants or flowers on windowsills. For example, you could buy seeds online or look for any community groups that give away or swap them.
  • Look at photos of your favourite places in nature. Use them as the background on your mobile phone or computer screen, or print and put them up on your walls.
  • Listen to natural sounds, like recordings or apps that play birdsong, ocean waves or rainfall.
  • Get as much natural light as you can. Spend time in your garden if you have one, or open your front or back door and sit on the doorstep.

Remember as well that our Peer Support Group is always here for you!
Coronavirus and your wellbeing 

If you are worried about the effect that coronavirus is having on your wellbeing, please read the advice from Oxfordshire Mind below. 

https://www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk/coronavirus-and-your-wellbeing/

There are also handy tips for how those with severe mental illness can look after their health in this time below:

https://equallywell.co.uk/resources/guide-for-people-with-smi-to-look-after-physical-health-during-covid/
About Walking for Wellbeing
Walking for Wellbeing is an Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership-wide project which runs walking groups for people with severe and enduring mental health conditions. We are funded by Sport England, affiliated with Ramblers/Walking for Health, and based within Oxfordshire Mind. 

For more information, please contact walking@oxfordshiremind.org.uk.
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