West Midlands region demonstration project: Staffordshire, Walk to Water
Location Staffordshire, West Midlands
Background The Walk to Water project began in January 2008 and Bekki Houghton has been the project co-ordinator since February 2009. The Walk to Water project offers free green exercise activities in a recognised area of deprivation in Leek, Staffordshire known as 'Haregate'.
The target groups whom we aim to get involved in the project include:
·Individuals
·Families living on the Haregate Estate
·People with mental ill health
·Teenagers
·Older people
Some of these groups are notoriously hard to reach and have low levels of physical activity. The project hopes to be able to engage the different groups through activities tailored to their demographic.
There is an established footpath between this area of Leek and the nearby reservoir 'Tittesworth'. This provides an ideal focus area to get people spending time outdoors. Many of the activities therefore will take place in this area where footpath and access improvements are being made.
Activities Activities offered to raise physical activity levels include:
·Health Walks around the estate
·Conservation work and countryside management along the Walk to Water route and on local green-spaces.
·Outdoor adventurous activities in the area e.g. den building, night hikes
·Early morning walks with a focus on the natural habitat
·Walking one way to the reservoir for activities or on guided walks.
Most of these are offered on an ongoing basis and others such as den building are offered as part of shorter programmes. As well as activities, a grant scheme has been set up (see below) by the project so that local people can apply for funds to deliver their own green exercise projects in the area.
Partners: The Projects key delivery partners are:
·Staffordshire Moorlands District Council
·Severn Trent Water
·Staffordshire County Council
·North Staffordshire Primary Care Trust
We are working with many other local groups and organisations such as ChurnetViewMiddle School, Leek college of Further Education, Borderland voices (a local art and mental health project), Rethink, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and Haregate Residents Association, to offer a wide range of people a wide range of activities.
Project Launch
The Walk to Water project launch was launched on 21st September 08 - a fantastic day that included a Jass band, a BBQ, lots of stalls and a variety of Green Exercise Activities including an ultimate Frisbee Tournament, Welly Wanging, Short and Long guided Walks, Outdoor Aerobics and Den building.
Latest The Walk to Water Health Walk leaves from outside Haregate community centre every Thursday at 2:00pm. The walks last for between 30 minutes and an hour and are taken at a moderate pace.The group is a chatty bunch who attend wind, rain or shine for the walk. The walking group has really opened up our walkers' eyes to the area that they live. The Footpath
The improvements to the Walk to Water route are well under way. The old stiles have been replaced with kissing gates, making it an easier journey for everyone.
We have 10 benches planned for the route - each with its own health message - and eight have already been installed.
Conservation group
The Walk to Water Group meet once or twice a month to undertake tasks in and around the local area and along the Walk to Water route. Working with Severn Trent Water we undertake path improvements, bulb planting, otter holt construction and woodland management.
No experience is required, full instructions will be given and all tools supplied. Most task will run from 10.00 - 3.00 and we ask volunteers to bring their own lunch and we will provide refreshments. Volunteers must be 16 or over.
The first task ran with a group of 4 volunteers removing the old tree guards from a local nature reserve. It was a beautiful sunny day which made the task hard work. The volunteers had a great work out for their arms and legs with lots of squatting down, cutting and pulling.
Green Adventure Days
Over the school holidays Walk to Water offers a series of Green Exercise activities for children aged 8 - 13.
The October 09 half-term programme is as follows:
Monday 26th October “ 1:30 “ 3:30 Walking to The Waste with Den building
Wednesday 28th October “ 09:30 “ 4:30 Orienteering, archery and canoeing with Peak Pursuits “ includes free transport
Thursday 29th October “ 06:30 “ 8:00 Halloween night walk around Tittesworth Reservoir
The activities are open to any children in the local area and we have had up to 32 attending each event.
Grants Walk to Water also provide a ˜Get up and Go' grant which has been set up for local groups and individuals from the Haregate and Ball Haye Green area of the Staffordshire Moorlands. Grants of between £50 and £200 are available to help encourage people to deliver their own exercise activities in the local community. The grant is a good way of encouraging local people to lead more active lifestyles as they are able to use the money to make the activities they want more accessible. Bekki Houghton, Walk to Water Project Co-ordinator
See link below for details of a successful bid made by Rethink, a local mental health charity.
The improvements to the Walk to Water route are well under way. The old stiles have been replaced with kissing gates, making it an easier journey for everyone. 
hard work. The volunteers had a great work out for their arms and legs with lots of squatting down, cutting and pulling.
Case story: Rethink walks improved thanks to Walk to Water grant
