CAMPAIGN
We set up a National Campaign for Walking in 2008 funding it through the charity Knowledge Into Action. In the early days we did contract work both for the Department of Health and NHS London and we are very pleased to see more emphasis on London in their policies which have now moved to Public Health England.
We also supported William Bird who created the concept of Health Walks and when public funding was pulled from health walks we got a grant from the Department of Health to prepare a business case for health walks and then to find a funder and a provider. In a very exciting project we were blessed with a great funder, Macmillan, and a great provider – the Ramblers and Health Walks were saved. The National Campaign for Walking no longer needs to be directly involved because of the good work done by these two bodies but we are proud of the achievement.
We plan now to embed walking and Walking Plus namely, walking plus exercises for strength, suppleness and skill, into clinical practice again working with William Bird. One of the first examples of this approach has been adopted and developed in Cornwall.
J.A. Muir Gray