OneLife Suffolk, the free healthy lifestyle service deliver a range of services supporting local people to live healthier lives. Their services include Health Walks which are led by trained volunteers in the community and are open to everyone.

Due to current Covid guidelines, OneLife Suffolk are offering the Health Walk Leader training online via zoom. You must attend two 1.5 hour sessions to qualify from the course, however you can mix and match the day and time, if that suits your schedule. The dates and times available include:

Tues 5^th and 12^th January Time : 19.00-20.30 (2x1.5 hour sessions)

Thurs 7^th and 14^th January Time : 10.30-12.00 (2x1.5 hour sessions)

Further information is detailed below but if you have any questions about this course or would like to book a place contact Jane Dow jane.dow@onelifesuffolk.co.uk

What is Volunteer Walk Leader training?

The Volunteer Walk Leader course is a free half-day course (or 2x1.5 hour on-line sessions) for anyone who would like to lead walks for the Stepping Out In Suffolk Walking for Health scheme. This can include front, middle or back markers.

Walking for Health is part of England's largest network of health walk schemes, helping all kinds of people to lead a more active lifestyle. Our walks are led by friendly, knowledgeable people, specially trained for the job. Along with fellow walkers, our walk leaders provide all the advice and encouragement a new walker needs to build fitness at a pace that's right for them. In just a short time, a small amount of regular exercise can significantly improve a person's health, well-being and confidence. And from what our walkers tell us, there's plenty of laughter to be heard on our walks.

By the end of the course you will:

• Understand what Walking for health is about
• Understand the benefits of walking and physical activity
• Get to know the role of a walk leader
• Have access to follow-up support and resources to help people make the most of their skills, including an online Volunteer Walk Leader manual

• Be confident to lead a health walk in due course (following the course completion process outlined below)
• Have met and shared best practice with other walk leaders

What is expected of you after the training day?

1. Usually we offer a practice walk at the training session – this is now held after the zoom training. Dates will be provided for practice walks at locations around the County with one of the 3 Health Walk Coordinators, myself, Emma Freeman and Alex Bond. At the walk you will have the opportunity to refresh your memory and put your learning into practice.
2. When you have completed the online walk leader training sessions and the practice walk your trainer will sign and date your progress card to show that you have attended the sessions. They will also need to sign off the following stages of your progress card.
3. You will then observe 1-2 health walks and take note of how the existing walk leaders run them.
4. The final stage is to lead your own walk.
5. When you have completed these stages, and your progress card has been fully signed off, you will be a fully qualified walk leader and will receive your nationally-recognised certificate from your coordinator.

For information –

Lots of people like to start by "back marking" and you will not be expected to do anything you are not comfortable with. A back marker is a trained leader who walks with the back of the group of walkers, making sure no-one gets left behind.

You will be part of the national network of health walk schemes and will have the opportunity to attend meetings and walk leader get together with the scheme coordinator and other walk leaders as well as being given access to further training and support.