Lincolnshire Health Walks

Annual Report

www.lincolnshiresport.com/healthwalks

www.walkingforhealth.org.uk

2013/2014

Introduction

There is plentiful evidence to support the use of physical activity for disease

prevention, treatment, and prolonged independence in later life. UK Active

recently released a report entitled Turning the Tide, which highlights the

prevalence of physical inactivity and its associated issues across the UK. It

is the first time that the scale and impact of inactivity has been established

in this way and provides compelling evidence for establishing it as a public

health concern in its own right. www.ukactive.com/turningthetide

Walking for Health is a well-established national model that gives individuals

much needed support to become more active on a regular basis, supported

by peers in a social environment. Walking for Health is commissioned by

Public Health within Lincolnshire County Council and countywide investment

began five years ago. Health Walks are one of the strongest public health

programmes in terms of impact and value for money.

Context

Lincolnshire Health Walks are funded by Public Health within Lincolnshire

County Council with a total investment of £206,243 in 2013/14. Health

Walks are delivered by all seven district councils as well was

subcontractors across Lincolnshire, and the programme is coordinated by

Lincolnshire Sport. The network continues to develop and thrive, with

experienced and dedicated staff who are supported by 219 regular

volunteers.

Headlines for 2013/14

Cost per ‘dose’ of walking has reduced from £6.35 to £4.39

this year

Cost per active walker has reduced from £38.00 to £28.09

2910 individuals engaged (2595 last year)

1018 new participants

219 active volunteer walk leaders, 34 new to the programme

43 new walkers this year with a cancer diagnosis

90 weekly walks available

6.3% of walkers come from the 15% most deprived areas, and

account for 7.3% of all attendances

47,007 attendances, 6621 of these attendances were new

walkers

96.2% of Walkers are White British

72% walkers are female, 28% male

Jenny, a retired

teacher, says;

‘I cannot emphasise how

good the health walks are. I

have a chronic lung disorder,

COPD, which means I often

get chest infections and am

confined to bed. If I have had

a chest infection, I can do

one of the shorter health

walks instead and build up

my health and strength in a

really enjoyable way. I’ve

seen parts of Louth I didn’t

know existed and met new

people, and I now really look

forward to the walk each

week.’

Five year development

New walkers

2009/2010 saw the first countywide investment and every district began

using the Walking for Health database for collecting data. New walkers

reported in that year reflected a lot of historical data as well as walkers that

joined that year.

Finding more and more new walkers can be challenging, its resource

intensive and people who try it once don’t always convert to become

regulars. Word of mouth continues to be the most powerful recruitment

method.

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2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

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Five year development

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2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 2013/14

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Regular walkers Numbers of regular walkers over the past five years has increased from 3862 to 7342 countywide, an increase of almost 100% regular activity. Investment has remained similar over the same period. The picture of regular walkers shows a clear increase in engagement year on year. The Walking for Health model, with its network of volunteers and sustainable structure, allows coordinators to step away and offer remote support, freeing up time to develop more groups.

Buggy Walks and

Prambles are increasing in

popularity in Lincolnshire.

Working with children’s

centres and healthcare

centres, walking in groups

offers mums and carers

the chance to find local

walking routes and meet

others whilst not needing a

crèche or childcare facility.

Whilst sometimes

challenging to implement,

they are effective and

impactful with younger

populations.

Ramblers and Macmillan update

‘It’s been a busy year for Walking for Health with a new accreditation

process launched in March 2014, with a new robust set of criteria

designed to give people added confidence in their local schemes.

Schemes from up and down the country are applying with applications

open until December 2014. The new accreditation acts as a quality

assurance mark, promoting a common standard, strengthening

awareness and inspiring the support of volunteers and walkers, helping

schemes to thrive and grow.

Last December The Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support were

delighted to announce that they have extended their partnership to

deliver the programme, which will now run to at least March 2018. The

exciting move reinforces their shared commitment to Walking for Health.

Working with schemes, our vision is that everyone will enjoy access to

short, free and friendly walks within easy reach of where they live, to

help them become and stay active.’

National Centre for Walking for Health

2013/2014 - New Walkers

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Bo EL CofL NK SK SH WL

April - June 13

July - Sept 13

Oct - Dec 2013

Jan - March 2014

2013/2014 - Regular Walkers

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Apr-Jun 13

July - Sept 13

Oct - Dec 13

Jan - March 14

2013/14 Attendances and deprivation

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Total attendances

Total attendances

0.0%

2.0%

4.0%

6.0%

8.0%

10.0%

12.0%

14.0%

16.0%

18.0%

Bo EL CofL NK SK SH WL

% of walkers from top 15% deprived wards

% of walkers from top15% deprived wards

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16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75-84 85+

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2013/14 - Age Profile

2013/14 - Cost

The cost of walks must be considered in context of the savings that can be achieved by people walking more. Return on investment has been explored in recent years, and public health is interested in the prevention agenda, to which Health Walks make a significant contribution. The Local Government Information Unit estimated that for every £1 invested, there are wider savings to be found that every £1 spent on a health walk scheme saves the local NHS £7. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) found walking interventions had costs per quality adjusted life year (QALY24) of less than £10,000, well below NICE’s accepted value for money threshold of £20,000-30,000.

£0.00

£5.00

£10.00

£15.00

£20.00

£25.00

£30.00

£35.00

£40.00

2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014

Cost per regularwalker

cost per dose

Volunteer Celebrations

and Rewards

West Lindsey Volunteer Walk Leaders Karen Hunt and Ann

Bradshaw won the Contribution to Physical Activity award at the

2013 Lincolnshire Sports Awards. Both ladies have given years of

service and were humbled and honoured to be thanked for their

time and commitment at such a prestigious event.

Christmas Awards Night

for Lincoln Walkers City of Lincoln Health

Walks Awards night

brought together around

100 walkers during the

festive season and an

award was given to Keith

Gerrish for his time and

enthusiasm in 2013.

10th Birthday Party

Gainsborough Health Walks celebrated their 10th Birthday in February

2014, with some of the programmes very first walkers coming along to

join in the celebrations with 165 members of the walking community.

Giant Tea Party In September 2013, 275 walkers and volunteers attended The Giant Tea Party which took

place at Market Rasen Racecourse, with five walks of varying lengths on offer, so huge

snakes of walkers explored Willingham Woods. The walks were followed by afternoon

tea, a tour of the racecourse, and awards were given to some of our most committed

volunteers.

Volunteers thanked with kit As part of the annual investment for Walks

we have been able to support the active

volunteer walk leaders with fleeces and

rucksacks. We wanted all 200 of our active

volunteers to be rewarded and recognised

for their contribution to the programme, as

well as help them feel part of the national

Walking for Health scheme. Here are some

of the volunteers showing off their new kit.

This report has been produced by Lincolnshire Sport, who would

like to acknowledge the support and contributions from;

Boston Borough Council

East Lindsey District Council

City of Lincoln Council

North Kesteven District Council

South Kesteven District Council

South Holland District Council

West Lindsey District Council

The Ramblers

Macmillan Cancer Support

Walking for Health national centre

Lincolnshire County Council

The Lincolnshire Health Walks programme is commissioned by Lincolnshire County

Council. For more information contact Philip Garner, Specialist Programme Manager,

Public Health on philip.garner@lincolnshire.gov.uk.