BRIGG SESSION IS JUST WHAT THE WALK DOCTOR ORDERED!

FROM CHRIS O'ROURKE, NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL

North Lincolnshire Council is working with national charity, Living Streets, to motivate people in our area to fit more walking into their everyday lives.
To help encourage more people to develop good walking habits, Living Streets will be hosting free Walk Doctor sessions in North Lincolnshire.
The Walk Doctor will give you advice on how to fit more walking into your lifestyle and hand out ‘walking prescriptions’ to give you goals to strive towards. The Walk Doctor will also help you identify the barriers you face to exercise and give you information and advice to help you stick to your ‘prescribed’ goals.
Come and see the Walk Doctor at:

• High Street, Scunthorpe (between Primark and HSBC bank) on Friday 10 March from 10am to 3pm
• Market Place, Brigg on Thursday 16 March from 9.30am to 2.30pm

Coun Carl Sherwood, from Brigg, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing at North Lincolnshire Council, said: "People face all sorts of different barriers when it comes to keeping active. Maybe you don’t have enough time to fit in exercise or are intimidated by the gym. We want to help break down these barriers for as many people as possible.
“Incorporating more walking into your everyday life could be the small change you need to start to make a big difference to your health and wellbeing. Why not come along to one of the sessions and see what the Walk Doctor prescribes for you?”
A spokesperson for Living Streets said: “We believe walking is a great way to feel healthier. As well as the physical benefits, gentle exercise like walking has been proven to make us feel happier.  Walking is an activity that is free, which you can do from the front door, needs no special equipment and is easy to fit into your life.  You could walk all or some of your journey to work, to the shops, or any short journey you take.
“Everyone is really welcome to meet with our Walk Doctors – they are friendly, ordinary people who have experienced the difference that walking more can make, and will suggest practical, realistic ideas that could help you walk more.”
The Walk Doctor sessions are made possible thanks to funding from the Department for Transport's Sustainable Travel Transition Year Fund.

PICTURED: The Yarborough Road entrance to  Clothes Hedge public footpath, Brigg, which emerges on Churchill Avenue and then takes walkers on a scenic route across the fields to Wrawby. If you are taking up walking, this might be a good starter.