Get your walking shoes on...residents urged to take on fitness challenge

RESIDENTS in a Derbyshire borough are being challenged to go for a daily hour-long stroll during May in a spring fitness drive launched by the borough council.

The target is for people in Erewash to each clock up 85 miles during National Walking Month – which may seem daunting but works out at just 2.74 miles each day.

Over an entire year the same daily distance would add up to around 1,000 miles. That is the equivalent of setting out from Land’s End to John O’Groats - and walking halfway back again.

Erewash Borough Council has teamed up with Legacy Leisure, which runs the borough’s pools, to offer swimming vouchers to the first 50 to complete the May challenge.

The town hall’s Community Health and Wellbeing team is hoping to sign up at least 100 residents for the competition.

To register visit 2024 Walking Challenge Registration on snapsurveys.com.

More information is also available from the council’s community health and wellbeing officer, Rachel Scott, who can be emailed at rachel.scott@ erewash.gov.uk.

The challenge comes after Rachel’s team organised Erewash Walking Week, which saw 236 walkers take part in 18 organised treks across the borough earlier this month.

All the activities are part of the county-wide Walk Derbyshire initiative, which is a mission to get people out and about to improve their physical and mental health.

The Erewash council team is stressing the benefits of regular exercise such as walking. Those unable to cover 2.74 miles in an hour are urged to halve it to 1.37 miles a day if they have limited time.