Get Walking Day

Jointly supported by the RA and Transport for London, the first ever Get Walking Day was held on 30 May. Information on the health benefits of walking which included findings of Ramblers commissioned research by Loughborough University into how walking aids weight control, was communicated through a major media campaign targeting selected radio stations in England Scotland and Wales. RA President Floella Benjamin and Dr David Stensel, leader of the research team became Ramblers spokespeople for the day and were interviewed by 20 radio stations. In total 55 radio stations ran Get Walking Day items which were heard by over 7m listeners. The value of this broadcast coverage to the RA was almost £174k.

Across the country the various Get Walking Keep Walking projects marked Get Walking Day by holding local events attended by their stakeholders and beneficiaries. In Wales Ramblers Cymru, staged a ‘walking bus’ to guide visitors to the Hay-on-Wye Festival and staged a photo-call with Jane Davidson, Welsh Minister for Sustainability and Housing. Ramblers Scotland also supported Get Walking Day and helped spread the message that a minimum of 30 minutes walking at least five times per weeks brings all sorts of health benefits.

This year, Get Walking Day was piloted to evaluate the benefits and resource implications of promoting such a public awareness day more fully in future years. RA volunteers and staff are currently discussing the lessons learned from the day. Future issues of Hike will report on the outcome and how GWD may develop in future.