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WFW Virtual Walk 47
NUMBER 47
Hello everyone, 

This week in our virtual challenge we're well on our way to Ethiopia, having made it to the eastern Sudanese town of Al-Qadarif!

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 acting 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 Africa from Cairo to Cape Town. Stay updated on our progress here...

Miles Walked...  

1463.94

Current Location...

Al-Qadarif (East Sudan)

As we turn away from the Blue Nile and strike out east, on the most direct route towards Ethiopia, the land starts to get slowly greener. Here the summers are hot and wet, and the average annual rainfall can reach 900 mm. In Al-Qadarif, the capital of this region of Sudan and our destination this week, they mark the start of the rainy season by the arrival of flocks of flamingos. Next week we'll continue along the road to Ethiopia, towards the border town of Gallabat. 
Our progress so far

This week's leaderboard

  1. Ewan Urquhart...31.5 miles walked
  2. Rosamond...28.4 miles walked
  3. Tam.... 24 miles walked
  4. Colette...22 miles walked
  5. Alyrene... 12.7 miles walked
With thanks to...
 
Richard, Sharon, Francesca, and 2 anonymous walkers 

... who also contributed

Pictures from our walks this week...
Friendly Faces
Sharon continues to explore the fields around her village, while Dianne and Cyril have been on a lovely sunny walk around Port Meadow!
Stratfield Brake and Port Meadow
Pictures from a couple of Dianne and Cyril's recent walks, including Port Meadow and Stratfield Brake.
Riverside Walk #2
More lovely riverside photos from Colette this week. 
Frogspawn
Another early sign of spring! Rosamond discovered this in the Lye valley
Getting ready to golf again
Keen golfer Richard is dusting off his clubs ready for the scheduled reopening later this month!

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 
Aston's Eyot
About this route

A little-known continuation of Christ Church Meadows, this East Oxford oasis is well-loved by those in the know. You might have glimpsed it from the other bank of the river as you were walking along the towpath and wondered how you get over there! This little patch of wilderness is a great spot for watching wildlife- you can see all sorts of birds, insects and small mammals, including (if you're lucky) kingfishers and muntjac deer. 

Time

45 Minutes

Good to know

This used to be a rubbish dump in Victorian times which is why you might see shards of glass or pottery on the ground! These days people make artwork from things they find here.
 
Directions

Start:
The Mill, 46 Cowley Road.

Turn right out of The Mill and right again onto Circus Street.

Keep going straight until you hit Iffley Road.

Turn left and continue down the road until you reach the pedestrian crossing opposite the Fir Tree pub.

Cross over the road and walk a little bit further until you reach Jackdaw Lane on your right.

Turn down Jackdaw Lane and follow it right to the end, until you see a gate and a sign marked ‘Aston’s Eyot’.

Enter the park and follow the path straight ahead of you, down to the river.

Follow the path along the river until it eventually curves away back into the park.

You will eventually come to a little bridge that leads away to your right. Cross over. You are now in The Kidneys.

Walk around the edge of the little field until you come to a gate to exit the park.

Turn left onto Meadow Lane. Keep following it straight until you hit Jackdaw Lane once more.

Return to The Mill the exact same way you came.



On the way you might see...
Muntjac deer
Kingfisher
Boathouses
Hawthorn
A virtual walk from the archives....
Under the sea
https://www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk/under-the-sea/

Journey with us to the bottom of the ocean in a slightly more adventurous virtual walk!
This week's resource 
What's that bird?
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/wildlife-guides/identify-a-bird/

Back for week two!

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 16th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/144403064453
Thursday 18th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/144402149717
Tuesday 23rd March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/145673051017
Thursday 25th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/145673169371

Banbury 

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

Friday 19th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/144403232957
Friday 26th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/145673305779

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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