Celebrate National Walking Month With A Stroll Around Brighton City

Brighton and Hove City Council is promoting the benefits of walking this month as part of a national campaign to get more of us out and about.

May is Living Streets National Walking Month. This year the theme is #Try20 - and walk for 20 minutes each day.

Brighton and Hove City Council has produced a number of videos which demonstrate the positive impact walking can have on both your physical and mental wellbeing.

They feature Dave Bailey, who was an athlete before being diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and is now a Walk Leader with The Crew Club in Whitehawk.

Dave said:

“I was told any contact sport had to stop so the boxing, the football. I was at a loss and I did struggle. I put on weight I got very lethargic I couldn't run around with the kids.”

His solution was walking.

Dave added:

“Walking is a fantastic way to start getting more physically active. The great thing about walking is it's something you can do alone, something you do with a friend and it’s free.”

“We’ve got an older gentleman, [who walks with the group] he walks a lot independently and he comes to one of our very simple walks just because he's with a group of people.

"It's companionship, it's company, it's been asked about his day he's been able to spend a few hours where he's just not on his own.”

'Wonder drug'

Research has shown that walking 30 minutes a day five days a week can reduce the risk of a number of preventable health conditions, including certain cancers, depression, heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Dr Katie Cumming, a consultant in Public Health said:

“Walking is absolutely the perfect solution. It might be about just taking a really short walk one day a couple of times a week and then slowly building it up.

“There are some great opportunities in the city as well there's things like Healthwalks programmes that go from an easy grade to a more demanding sort of walk.”

“Physical activity is called the wonder drug. If doctors could prescribe physical activity or if you could buy it over the counter, absolutely everybody would be after some.”

Walk to School Week

To coincide with National Walking Month, Walk to School Week also takes place from 16-20 May. It’s an annual five-day celebration of the walk to school, encouraging as many pupils as possible to begin the school day with physical activity before they reach the classroom.

Walking in and around Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove is a great city to walk around in for residents, visitors and commuters.

From strolling along the seafront, to ambling through parks and greenspaces, the city offers routes for all ages and abilities.

The benefits of walking on both our mental and physical health are clear. This is why, in line with the recommendation of Brighton & Hove’s Climate Assembly, Brighton and Hove City Council are planning a Liveable Neighbourhood pilot. The scheme will cut traffic and create more people friendly streets, in which walking is safer and more pleasant.

Find out more about exploring the city by foot, including guided walks on your smartphone, walks to the north, east and west of the city and travelling up to the Downs by bus to explore the South Downs National Park on foot.

The full video can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjECWZMh85Q