Failsworth Community Alliance 'THE HUB'

 Health Walks 'Family Active'

Walk scheme coordinator Louise King

Sundays 3pm (Book by 3pm Fri: 07789301636)
 Meet at Daisy Nook Visitors Centre, off Stanybrook Rd

Dog walkers welcome

Join us on one of our weekly walks, most are suitable for people with pushchairs

All welcome, whatever your age or ability as walks will be adjusted as much as possible to suit participants abilities

The majority of the walks incorporate the canal towpath as we want to encourage locals to make use of the existing footpaths and raise awareness of physical activity that can take place around the waterways and open spaces. Routes are:

Ø Brookdale Park (Circular walk)

Ø Moston Brook (Circular walk)

Ø Rochdale Canal

Ø Woodhouses/Daisy Nook    

Can you spare 1.5 hours a week?

Become a trained Volunteer Walk leader 

Training available in August

Failsworthhealth walks started in 2006, it now forms part of Failsworth Community Alliance and our main aim is to reduce inactivity and social exclusion through providing opportunities to improve Health & wellbeing. 

The scheme now has some funding so promotional material will be available at various locations around the local area, i.e., G.P surgeries and so on.

Now that most of the 'leg work' has been done (pardon the pun) in producing literature and securing funds others are now needed to form a team of qualified walk leaders.  Training will be provided and the opportunity to input your own ideas to make the scheme a success.

So what are you waiting for? Give me a call on 0161-681-8613 to arrange an informal meeting

Next training day with refreshments: TBA

The following information is taken from The Walking the way the Health website of which our founder is a member and Trained Health Walk leader
The short definition of a health walk is:

"a purposeful, brisk walk undertaken on a regular basis"

and it can include any walk which is specifically designed and carried out for the purpose of improving an individual's health.
With regard to cardiovascular health, the walk should be purposeful and 'brisk' (in other words more than just a stroll). Moreover it is a structured or semi-structured activity which is carried out on a regular basis as part of an individual's exercise regime.
Walking (without the 'health' bit) is a healthy activity in so far as any energy expenditure has health benefits, regardless of intensity.
In addition to this, organised walks (brisk or not) can have a health impact on individuals by providing an opportunity to socialise (good social networks enhance health) and a distraction from everyday stresses (stress contributes to poor health).
It is the relevant intensity of the walk for the individual and the regularity of participation that can really have an impact on heart health.

The Family Active: Health walks & picnic events delivered as part of the Rochdale Canal Festival were a huge success. 70 people in total over the two events took part. All ages and abilities had a great time as we walked from Failsworth Canal Basin to The Boat and Horses pub in Chadderton for a buffet lunch. All the children received a goody bag with our Activity log books, fruit and crayons, and some recorded the journey by listing the wildlife they saw and wrote reports about the Rochdale canal! Each was awarded with a certificate at the end of the 4.5 mile walk, that’s 7,700 steps! Well done kids. 

To view more photos from our Health Walks go to our GALLERY

A sad occurrence witnessed by all the walkers was the thousands of dead fish in the canal, which met their end due to pollution in the water. The toll by Friday 25th was 15, 000 fish dead! All voiced their feelings on the matter, which gave a real sense of community as feelings were discussed by adults and children. Let's hope the culprits are found and this never happens again. Here is a copy of 2 letters we were handed by one of the children who took part in the walks.

"Help our environment. The way people treat our environment is dreadful and it needs to stop because through the past few days there has been some terrible things happening to the canal like over 4,000 fish have been killed by pollution and possibly acid, on Wednesday 21st July 2008 I went on a canal walk with neighbours and people from the volunteer centre. As we walked down the canal the smell was getting worse and worse until we spotted over 4,000 fish dead on top of the water. The fish have done no harm and I’m sure this wasn't done intentionally but it should not have been done in the first place. Please if you know who has done this please tell the council. Also little baby swans having bricks thrown at them. There is no need to be doing that they have done no harm surely but anyway there was one adult duck spotted in some ones garden nearby Propps Hall school and was rescued by a young man. Could have died but was reunited....."

"Our Dreadful Canal. On Wed 21st July I went on a health walk around the Failsworth Canal with a few other people out of our community who were two chaperones Cathy and Louise. Whilst I was on that walk I realised that too many fish were getting polluted.

They were getting polluted by the way the environment is treated. I don't think it is fair because fish have the rite to live I mean what have they ever done to you nothing exactly so STOP TREATING THE ENVIRONMENT LIKE IT'S A RUBBISH TIP!!!!!!!

Also the little baby swans are being killed by men throwing big bricks at them to kill them how nasty are some people! I witnessed an adult swan in the middle of Oldham Road damaged and hurt but luckily a young man helped it out of the road and placed it on some soft grass thank goodness it was reunited. "

By Amelia Leach