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WFW Virtual Walk 46
NUMBER 46
Hello everyone, 

This week in our virtual challenge we have made it to Khartoum, the second capital on our continent-spanning journey! 

As usual, we also have your photos, a new walking route, and a resource to help you get the most out of your walks this week.

Just your weekly reminder-  if anyone has any photos, videos or memories from any of the countries we're passing through (i.e. Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa), please send them in. It would be great to add a bit of real life to our virtual journey! 

Finally, I know lots of you are very creative people, so just to make you aware that Response has a very exciting opportunity coming up over the next few months. They will be running some film making, creative writing and active courses- download the info here and here, and here, to find out more!

Best wishes, 

Francesca
Walking for Wellbeing Project Facilitator


In this Newsletter...
 
Virtual Walking Challenge
In our second virtual walking adventure of the year, we are traversing the length of the African continent from Cairo to Cape Town. Stay updated on our progress here...

Miles Walked...  
1463.94

Current Location...

Wad Madani (c85 miles south of Khartoum)
After a long, sweaty trek through the desert, finally we make it to Khartoum, the nation's capital, at the point where the White Nile and the Blue Nile meet. These two tributaries of the Nile are in fact slightly different colours, and at the point where they join you can actually see the waters mixing! We stop and marvel at this for a moment before turn south-east along the Blue Nile, making towards Wad Madani,  a bustling, modern city on the west bank of the river.  Next week, we will continue to follow the Blue Nile east- which will eventually take us into the next country on our list, Ethiopia. 
Our progress so far

This week's leaderboard

  1. Rosamond...23 miles walked
  2. Ewan Urquhart...21 miles walked
  3. Alyrene...16.4 miles walked
  4. Colette...16 miles walked
  5. Bernadette and Alice... 15 miles walked
With thanks to...
 
Rachel, Lisa, Sharon, Richard,  and 4 anonymous walkers 

... who also contributed

Pictures from our walks this week...
Khartoum and Blue and White Niles
More pictures from Tam's parents' holiday to Sudan! From top left to bottom right- a picture of the dervish gathering that happens every Friday, the mosque in the city centre, Khartoum university, and the point where the Blue and White Niles meet.
Jarn Mound
Dianne and Cyril have been taking in the view at Jarn Mound, a scenic vantage point in Boars Hill. 
Canal Walk
Lisa has been on a lovely sunny walk along the canal in Banbury with her dog.
Wildlife of the week- Kestrel
from volunteer Ewan

'On my regular walks around Farmoor Reservoir I often come across a confiding male Kestrel that does not seem too bothered by the increasing numbers of people coming to the reservoir and that like me are seeking and/or enjoying some form of spiritual peace by walking beside the waters of the reservoir.

Today I came across the Kestrel sat in the top of a hawthorn tree almost above me. We looked at each other and then we went our respective ways.

Later I found him again, this time perched on a metal pole on the far side of the reservoir bank looking down into the grass for a meal.

I stood, watched and waited and it was not long before he dropped into the grass with wings outspread and caught a vole which he ate there and then.

Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes passed watching the Kestrel and during that time I forgot my worries and anxieties and even when the Kestrel had flown away I still felt the spiritual lift of encountering and watching a wild creature go about its life.'
Riverside Walk
Colette took these lovely pictures by the riverside around Abingdon!
Beautiful View
Bernadette took this lovely picture of blue sky and countryside on one of her walks this week!

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. 

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. 

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 
Headington Hill Park
About this route

Always reliable whatever the weather, this lovely walk takes you on a short, gentle stroll through the variety of mature trees that grace Headington Hill Park. 

Time

30 Minutes

Good to know

You can extend this walk by exiting the gate in the top left corner of the park,  taking the next turning on the right and walking through the carpark,  past Headington Hill Hall and up the steps. This will take you to the bridge across the road. Cross it, pass the Brookes Sport Centre and student accommodation and you should come out at South Park! Enter the park and go back down the hill that way. 
Directions

Start: The Mill, 46 Cowley Road.

Turn left and walk down to the pedestrian crossing

Cross the street and turn right

Turn left onto Tyndale Road.

Turn right onto the alleyway between Tyndale Road and Alma Lane.

Turn left onto Alma Lane.

Walk down to St Clements and turn right.

Continue down the road until you reach the pedestrian crossing opposite H.I.M. Cross over.

Keep going along St Clements on the left-hand side until you reach the junction with Marston Road.

The gate into the park is straight ahead of you, just on the other side of the pedestrian crossing. Cross over and enter the park.

Follow the path straight ahead until you reach the place it forks. Turn left and follow it. The path goes in a big loop through the park which will give you a good chance to take in all the woodland scenery.

The path will bring you back to the junction where you entered. Follow the path straight again until you’re back at the gate to the park.

Return to The Mill the way you came.

On the way you might see...
Mature Trees
Squirrels
Students
Oxford skyline
A virtual walk from the archives....
Caribbean Island
https://www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk/virtual-walk-caribbean-island/

A lovely bit of escapism for gloomy early March days! 
This week's resource 
What's that bird?
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/identify-a-bird/

Not sure of the name of a bird you've spotted on one of your walks? Why not use the RSPB's online bird identifier to help you narrow it down!
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 9th March-  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/143071170723
Thursday 11th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/143071275035
Tuesday 16th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/144403064453
Thursday 18th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/144402149717

Banbury 

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

Friday 12th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/143071327191
Friday 19th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/144403232957

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 and based within Oxfordshire Mind. 

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