Circle of friends enjoy outdoor life
AGROUP of older residents have been enjoying the great outdoors with a series of canal walks and a seaside trip to Blackpool.
Members of HMR Circle, which supports people over 50 in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, has been holding monthly walks along the entire length of the Rochdale canal.
The group, which averages around 25 members for each walk, have completed six sections out of seven of the walk along the length of the Rochdale Canal, with the final one from Newton Heath to Deansgate/castlefield due to take place on October 27.
Once completed we will have walked the 32 mile length of the Rochdale Canal, starting at Sowerby Bridge and finishing at Dukes Lock, the 92nd lock of the canal.
Circle director and walk leader Mark Wynn said they have secured support from the Canal & River Trust to continue our canal odyssey, this time taking in the Ashton Canal, the Huddersfield Narrow & Broad Canals as well as the Calder & Hebble Navigation.
He said: “We’ve got one section to go to complete the Rochdale Canal and we’ve had support to do more walks. The aim is to do a big loop and complete a big circle of the canal system. They are a bit longer than our normal walks, it’s five or six miles, so we’re pleased we can keep it going. The Rochdale Canal links to these other canals. In effect, it’s like a ring road of canals back in the time when canals were a thing. We’re hoping to do that in shorter bursts because it’s winter.”
Mark said more than 50 members also enjoyed a trip to Blackpool.
“It was really good, people had a good time,” he said. “It was a classic Blackpool trip, fish and chips and then on to the illuminations and stuff like that.
“They all really liked it, it’s quintessentially Northern England - there were some good memories and people had a good time.
“It’s the biggest trip we’ve done post-pandemic.”
Mark said the events had a positive impact on bot the the members physical and mental wellbeing. He said: “As human beings we are social animals so it’s important to eat together and chat. All those things are really positive. It makes you feel better and makes life better. It has an immeasurable impact on your mental wellbeing, a positive impact so that’s why we do it.”