At Rossendale Leisure Trust, we believe that getting active is easier when you do it together.
Our free Wellbeing Walks take place throughout the week across Rossendale, welcoming people of all ages and abilities. They’re designed to help people become more active, improve their wellbeing and, just as importantly, become part of a supportive community.
Recently, we joined our Monday morning Wellbeing Walk from Waterfoot Yard, led by our Health Coach and Walk Leader, Shirley, to hear how the walks are changing lives.
What started as a weekly walk has grown into something much bigger.
“When we first started, most of our walkers were in their 60s and 70s,” says Shirley. “Now we’re welcoming people in their 40s too, and many of our original walkers are still coming every week.”
As confidence has grown, so has the community. Walkers now organise their own Friday evening walks, taking on local routes they may never have felt confident enough to do alone.
The friendships built through the walks extend far beyond Monday mornings. The group has formed two quiz teams, celebrates birthdays and milestones together, supports one another through difficult times and is always there with a helping hand. From shopping for a first Christmas tree in 15 years to making sure nobody spends Christmas Day alone, it’s these moments that show what the Wellbeing Walks are really about.
One walker summed it up perfectly:
“I was once alone. I’m not anymore.”
Since joining the walks, he has made lifelong friends, improved both his physical and mental wellbeing, come off medication and now regularly visits Pioneer Gym with people he first met on the Monday walks.
Stories like his remind us that our Wellbeing Walks are about so much more than getting from A to B. They’re about creating connections, building confidence and giving people a place where they feel they belong.
If you’re looking to become more active, meet new people or simply be part of a welcoming community, we’d love to see you on one of our walks.
You can find all of our free Wellbeing Walks across Rossendale at www.rltrust.co.uk/walks-in-rossendale.