The WHI Scheme The walking the way to Health Scheme is an initiative of the British Heart Foundation and the Countryside Agency. It began in England in October 2000 and will run for 5years. The scheme aims to improve the health and fitness of more than a million people, in particular those who do little exercise or who live in areas of poor health.

The Salford Scheme The Salford Scheme Walking for All began in October 2001 and it is City wide. The scheme has funding for two years with a third possible.

Group Led Walks These will be led by trained volunteer walk leaders. There should be at least 1 in each area by the end of this year. There will leave from an accessible point within the area, possibly Doctors surgery, leisure centre, community centre. The group can decide on new routes, however they must be risk assessed and mapped out by the coordinator.

Independent Walking Packages These will be specifically designed for people to use when walking alone or with a friend. They will illustrate at least 2 routes in each of the 9 community committee areas. Each route will have been risk assessed and the map will highlight telephone boxes, seating, difficult terrains and other relevant information. The packs will only be available from clinics, community groups or other organisations who will take names and address`s of those who ask for packs. This is necessary for evaluation purposes.

GP Referral Walks These walks will leave from local leisure centres, led by one member of the leisure centre staff team and a local walk leader volunteer. If you receive a GP referral you will be given a programme of activities from your advisor. Walking could be one. The GP referral scheme is under-going massive change and the hope is to have the referral scheme on offer in all leisure centres and the walks will be included in this. The walks are ideal for GP referral as it is gentle and safe for the majority of people.

The Health Benefits Coronary Heart Disease CHD is the leading single cause of premature death for both men and women in the UK. Walking can prevent and manage heart disease – regular exercise can halve the risk of CHD, particularly in men who walk briskly. Someone who is inactive has as great a risk of having heart disease as someone who smokes or who has high blood pressure or has high cholesterol. The risk of having stroke is three times higher in those who do little or no exercise.

The Health Benefits Weight Management Regular walking can help reduce weight and maintain weight loss – walking just one mile can burn up at least 100 Kilo calories and walking 2 miles per day, 3 times per week can help reduce weight by 14 pounds in 3- 4 months

Health Benefits Older People Regular waking can help strengthen bones and therefore reduce the risk of osteoporosis and associated fractures – hip fractures can be reduced by up to 50% with regular walking Physical activity can improve or maintain balance, coordination and joint flexibility in older people which prevents falls Walking can help reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee Lifelong exercise has been shown to lessen the chances of developing Alzheimer's disease