Summer strolls for your first step to better health

Date published: 20/06/2008

If you think you need to take some steady exercise to help you improve your health and fitness, but the thought of jogging or joining a gym fills you with dread, then the Healthy Ambles at Hollingworth Lake could be just the answer.

Organised by Rochdale Council, they last for just half an hour and go at a pace to ensure no one is left behind.

Starting at 11.00am on the last Tuesday of every month, the Healthy Ambles are ideal for those who are looking for a first step on the ladder to regular exercise. Led by a first aid qualified walk leader from the council’s Green Volunteers scheme, the walks take place over easy ground.

Ian Trickett, Green Volunteer Coordinator at Rochdale Council, said: “Walking is one of the best exercises for improving the health of your heart, losing weight, reducing the risk of developing diabetes and osteoarthritis, and generally boosting your immune system, so the Healthy Ambles are a great way for people to improve these areas of their health."

For those who begin to conquer the half-hour walks quite easily, then the council’s Green Volunteers can help you step up a gear and point you in the direction of more challenging walks led by other groups.

The walk leader is supported by Green Volunteers, who are members of the public who participate in voluntary work in parks and the countryside. The volunteers can also get involved in activities such as hedge-laying, woodland management, horticultural and gardening projects across the borough.

For more information about the Healthy Ambles, or if you’re interested in becoming a green volunteer contact Ian Trickett at Rochdale Council:

email: ian.trickett@rochdale.gov.uk
telephone: 01706 922073