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WFW Virtual Walk 49
NUMBER 49
Hello everyone, 

Hope you're all well and enjoying the extra hour of daylight! This week we have made it past the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, and are well on our way down the East African Rift, stopping off at one of the rift lakes, Lake Ziway. 

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! 

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...  
2317.9

Current Location...
Lake Ziway (100 miles south of Addis Ababa)

Our route this week takes us through the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, before heading down the Great Rift Valley. This huge scar in the landscape is a visible sign of the massive tectonic forces working under the surface of the earth's crust, pulling the continent of Africa apart. In the gap in the mountains opened up by this titanic struggle lies a chain of freshwater lakes, teeming with fish, crocodiles and other aquatic life. It's at one of these lakes- Lake Ziway- where we finish our journey, watching the hippopotamuses bask in the shallows while the sun sinks behind the mountain. 
Our progress so far

This week's leaderboard

  1. Ewan Urquhart...58 miles walked
  2. Colette...50 miles walked
  3. Rosamond.... 32.5 miles walked
  4. Tam...26.5 miles walked
  5. Bernadette... 9.2 miles walked
With thanks to...
 
Francesca, Alyrene, Richard, Maximus JR W, Sharon and 4 anonymous walkers 

... who also contributed

Pictures from our walks this week...
Ethiopia pt 2
More photos of Ethiopia from Annie's parents!
Port Meadow
Photos from Dianne and Cyril of a recent walk around Port Meadow! You can see Oxford in the distance...and also some very brave swimmers!
Flowers
Ewan sent in these lovely pictures of wildflowers near Farmoor reservoir- dog violet, blackthorn and coltsfoot.
Peekaboo
Pictures from Bernadette of recent walks- Kennington memorial field, and a goat saying hi through a fence. 
Arboretum 
Rosamond sent in these lovely pictures of flowers and a strutting peacock from Harcourt Arboretum!
Sunset, Moonrise
Tam sent in these gorgeous shots of a late evening walk around his local area!
Horse
Colette spotted this truly majestic horse on one of her recent walks!

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 
Port Meadow and North Oxford
About this route

Our volunteer Laura submitted this route back in the first lockdown as one of her favourite strolls around North Oxford. It gives you a chance to take in three different, connected wildlife areas - Trap Grounds, Port Meadow and Burgess Field, as well as spot waterbirds on the canal! You can listen to Laura reading her experience of this route in the 'virtual walk' section below. 

Time

1 hour

Good to know

The cows and horses that graze in the meadow are friendly, but remember they are free-roaming animals and give them the space and respect they need!  Also, I know everyone who's reading this would, but please take your rubbish home with you- there's a chance they might eat it and get sick. 
Directions

Start: The bridge over the canal, Aristotle Lane (north Oxford)

Cross the bridge. Turn right onto the canal towpath.

Follow the towpath for a few minutes.

Take the first turning on the right into the Trap Grounds nature reserve. If  you hit Frenchay Road Bridge, you've gone too far.

Follow Frog Lane into the Trap Grounds. 

Make a left and keep walking.

Take the first fork on the right.

Then the first fork on the left, then follow the path to the left shortly after. 

Take the fork on the right. Follow this parth out of the trap grounds and behind the school.

At the end of the path you'll come to a dog leg. Follow this all the way through, until you get a chance to turn to the right.

You will be back on Aristotle Lane. Follow the path over the railway and into Port Meadow. 

Head straight on, past the Trap Ground Allotments.

Turn right at the first opportunity you get, around the allotments. 

Keep on going until you get to a fork in the path. Veer off to the right.

You will now enter Burgess Field. 

Have a wander around for as long as you would like.

When you're ready to return, follow the path round the allotments back the way you came.

Cross the railway at Aristotle Lane. 

Keep going straight. You will eventually come back to the canal and the point you started. 

On the way you might see...
Port Meadow Horses
Rabbits
Cherry Blossom
Mural
A virtual walk from the archives....
North Oxford
https://www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk/virtual-walk-north-oxford/

Listen to our volunteer Laura read her experience of the North Oxford walk above!
This week's resource 
Nature Bingo- Spring!

Download here!

Spot signs of the new season while out on your walks with this nature bingo!
Book onto an in-person walk 
Please note there will be no Banbury walk on Friday 2nd as it is Good Friday!

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 30th March- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/147546225733
Thursday 1st April- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/147546428339
Tuesday 6th April- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/148239589603
Thursday 8th April- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/148239846371

Banbury 

All Banbury walks meet outside Banbury Wellbeing Hub, Britannia Road, OX16 5DN.
 
Friday 9th April- https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/148239230529

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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