Voices of the Walk
25 episodes - English - Latest episode: 14 days ago -Voices of the Walk is Paths for All’s everyday walking podcast. Our mission is to get Scotland walking; everyone, everywhere and everyday. In this podcast, we’ll be hearing from a variety of Scotland’s walking champions who are helping make our vision a reality.
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Episodes
Spring Walks
April 30, 2024 12:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBLooking for listening for your daily walk? Or something to transport you outside into nature when you can’t manage to get out? Take a spring walk with our Paths for All staff and hear about the sights, sounds, and smells of nature that they encounter on the way. Listen to their reflections on why they try to walk every day, and the benefits that walking and connecting with the nature around brings them. Hear about the special moments of connection, peace, and wonder that walking has brought...
Attitudes to walking and wheeling in Scotland
April 08, 2024 08:00 - 22 minutes - 15.7 MBWe recently commissioned a national opinion survey on walking and wheeling, the 'attitude survey', which examined the walking and wheeling behaviours and opinions of adults in Scotland. As well as identifying the population’s walking and wheeling behaviours and habits, the survey looks into what motivates people, what barriers and challenges people face to walking or wheeling more, and what people would they like to see in their local area to make it more accessible and appealing for walki...
Mandy Williams: Autism inclusive walking
March 29, 2024 10:00 - 23 minutes - 15.9 MBIn this episode of Voices of the Walk, Valerie Carson from Paths for All’s Walking for Health team speaks with Mandy Williams, Volunteer Coordinator at SWAN Autism (Scotland), previously known as SWAN (Scottish Women’s Autism Network). SWAN Autism (Scotland) was established in 2012 and is an autistic-led charity delivering services, information and support for and by autistic women, girls and non-binary people across Scotland. Paths for All and SWAN Autism (Scotland) have been working in...
Getting up, out and active with the Walk at Work Award
March 10, 2023 12:00 - 21 minutes - 15.1 MBEmployers are facing new challenges and opportunities around how to reduce sedentary behaviour and prolonged periods of desk time. The Office for National Statistics found 44% of people reported home or hybrid working, with 56% travelling to the workplace. 46% of those returning to working in the office were reportedly unable to work from home, with the remaining 10% choosing to work from the office, but able to work from home if they wished. The UK Chief Medical Officers' physical activi...
Voices of the Walk Festive Special 2022
December 15, 2022 12:00 - 10 minutes - 7.03 MBThis Christmas may feel a bit different for a lot of us, with the cost of living crisis and other pressures. So, we thought we’d ask some of the people we have worked with over the past year to reflect on how walking can help bring peace of mind during what can be a busy and demanding time of year. We caught up with Dr Gemma Ryde, a researcher from the University of Glasgow, our artist-in-residence Alec Finlay, Shirley Gleeson, who delivered our expert lecture on connecting with nature, Ka...
Smarter Choices, Smarter Places – supporting active and sustainable travel in local communities
July 18, 2022 16:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBActive and sustainable travel is gaining momentum in line with Scotland’s ambitious targets to reduce carbon emissions to net-zero by 2045. We continue to improve our health, create safer communities, and reduce environmental impacts by supporting more people in Scotland to walk, wheel, and cycle for everyday short journeys, or combine these with public transport for longer trips. To enable and empower communities to choose change travel habits, we need good infrastructure, coupled with enc...
The Step Count Challenge, counting steps to a happy, healthy workplace
May 17, 2022 14:00 - 14 minutes - 9.88 MBEvery year, thousands of people from workplaces across Scotland take part in the Step Count Challenge, an online walking challenge where teams of five record their walking activity over eight weeks, compete on a virtual leader board and hopefully have a bit of fun with their colleagues along the way. The challenge has been running annually for over 10 years and more than 30 billion steps have been recorded in that time. But, as we’ll hear from our guests, the challenge is more than just a...
Expert Lecture Series 2022: The Highlights
February 23, 2022 15:00 - 16 minutes - 11.2 MBIn this special episode of Voices of The Walk we revisit the highlights from our Expert Lecture Series for 2022. The lectures were held over three days in February, with each session exploring one of the key themes of our new Step It Up strategy – that walking is for everyone, everywhere and every day. We were joined by three engaging speakers, well-known for their expertise and fantastic work to empower communities to walk more for physical, mental and social well-being. Bronwen Thornton,...
Walking for health, wellbeing and the environment
January 14, 2022 17:00 - 11 minutes - 7.82 MBIn this episode we are joined by Orla and Jeff, who featured in our 2021 Humans of the Walk exhibition. They share their reflections on the huge impact walking has made to their health, work and everyday life. Our Humans of the Walk exhibition shared life-changing stories and powerful portraits exploring why walking is so important to the people of Scotland and how it can help us live happier, healthier and greener lives. You can view the full exhibition of portraits in our online Hum...
Winter Walking
December 17, 2021 09:00 - 6 minutes - 4.75 MBIn this special festive episode, we hear from members of the Paths for All team to hear why walking is so special to them at this time of year. Listen to the memories that have been made and the moments of peace and quiet that have happened thanks to winter walks.
Building transport services that work for everyone
November 12, 2021 14:00 - 38 minutes - 26.5 MBIn this episode, we look at how walking and public transport can be safer, more accessible and more welcoming for people with disabilities, long-term conditions and those with dementia. Our Senior Development Officer Carl Greenwood and guests Andy Hyde and Hussein Patwa explore what constitutes an inclusive journey, and how design of our transport services can be more inclusive. Our experts discuss the challenges that face people with disabilities when making journeys, and the impact the C...
How social prescribing works
September 16, 2021 10:00 - 31 minutes - 21.6 MBIn this episode we find out how our Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) programme is supporting partnerships to deliver social prescribing projects. SCSP Manager Graham McQueen chats to three guests who have used our funding to deliver interventions that are improving social, mental and physical health and wellbeing through active and sustainable travel and being outdoors. Inverness GP Dr Katie Walter explains what social prescribing is, how it attempts to break down the barriers people...
Series highlights
May 07, 2021 09:00 - 15 minutes - 10.9 MBTo mark National Walking Month, we take a listen back to some memorable moments from the first series of Voices of the Walk. Thank you to all our guests from the last 12 episodes who all believe so passionately in the power of walking.
Recognising the beauty of connecting with nature
March 24, 2021 13:00 - 17 minutes - 11.9 MBDuring our six-week Walking with Nature campaign, we encouraged everyone to appreciate their natural surroundings on daily walks. From listening to and observing birds to performing small acts of kindness that keep our walking routes safe and pleasant for everyone, the campaign aimed to help people unwind and enjoy the small, simple things. In this episode, we talk to University of Derby lecturer Caroline Harvey and PhD student Lea Barbett to explain why we can benefit from connecting with...
Staying socially connected while physically distant
December 10, 2020 14:00 - 21 minutes - 14.8 MBJoyous, therapeutic, invaluable, connection - just some of the words used by our podcast guests to describe Health Walks. In this podcast episode, we hear from walkers and volunteer Walk Leaders who explain their relationship with walking during a turbulent year. Our seven guests tell us what Health Walks meant to them pre-Covid, what they felt about walking during lockdown, and how it felt to be with others again when restrictions started to ease. We hear from walkers who say Health Walk...
Shane O'Mara: The new science behind walking and why it's good for us
November 23, 2020 09:00 - 14 minutes - 9.94 MBFollowing on from his keynote at the Paths for All 2020 Expert Lecture, we caught up with renowned neuroscientist Shane O'Mara to revisit the highlights from his presentation and put the audience's questions to him. During this episode, Professor O'Mara explains the ways walking can help protect us this winter, and his thoughts on walking for wellbeing. He also answers questions from delegates who attended our online Expert Lecture including Dr Fiona Wynde, Senior Evidence and Influencin...
Finding solace with walking during lockdown
August 28, 2020 13:00 - 13 minutes - 8.96 MBWe've all felt the effects of Covid-19. Our routines have been disrupted and restrictions have separated us from friends and family. Through our Humans of the Walk campaign, we have been able to shine a spotlight on what the wonder of walking has meant to people across Scotland through lockdown. In this special Voices of the Walk episode, we hear how walking brought solace and comfort to people challenges during lockdown, from job losses to being isolated or separated from family and friend...
Nanette Mutrie: New focus on "forgotten" Strength and Balance guidelines
May 07, 2020 10:00 - 34 minutes - 22.9 MBThanks to video conferencing, we caught up with renowned physical activity champion, Professor Nanette Mutrie MBE. In this podcast episode, Nanette shares with us her how she likes to keep active, her career highlights so far and the new projects she’s involved with. We also learn more about the role she played in the creation of the new Chief Medical Officers Physical Activity Guidelines published in September 2019 and what’s happening now to make sure these recommendations are communicat...
Elissa Wilson: How walking can support a dementia friendly community
April 29, 2020 13:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MBWe caught up with Elissa Wilson over Zoom to find out about her role as Volunteer Walk Leader and committee member at Dementia Friendly Prestwick. In this episode of Voices of the Walk, Elissa discusses how Dementia Friendly Prestwick has established a successful Health Walk in Prestwick. Their weekly walk is open to the whole community and makes use of the town’s promenade on the Ayrshire coast. We find out about what makes a walk dementia friendly and the benefits that being physically...
Senga McLeod and Heather Macleod: Coordinating Health Walks for 25 years
November 28, 2019 09:00 - 27 minutes - 18.8 MBWith over 25 years’ experience of coordinating Health Walks between them, Senga McLeod and Heather Macleod have seen first-hand the difference walking makes to so many people. In this podcast episode, they chat to Walking for Health Development Officer Nicole Bell about their roles, the impact that Health Walks have on individuals and the community, and the contribution of their fantastic volunteer network. They also share their views on what makes a great Walking for Health project and re...
Professor Jeff French: Social Marketing for an Active Nation
November 01, 2019 12:00 - 20 minutes - 14 MBIn this episode of Voices of the Walk, Paths for All’s Communications and Marketing Officer, Deborah Fox, is joined by Professor Jeff French, thought leader in the fields of behavioural influence, Social Marketing, social communication and citizen focused programme planning and evaluation – and keynote speaker at Paths for All’s 2019 Expert Lecture. Jeff is a visiting Professor at Brighton University and a Fellow at Kings College London University. He has published over 100 academic papers ...
Gillian Craig: Paths for All's Community Path Volunteer of the Year
October 04, 2019 13:00 - 25 minutes - 17.9 MBIn this episode of Voices of the Walk, Paths for All’s Technical Officer Graeme Anderson talks with our Community Path Volunteer of the Year Gillian Craig. Gillian joined Ayrshire Coastal Path three years ago to carry out maintenance work on the 100-mile walking route from Glenapp to Skelmorlie. Since then Gillian has gone on to recruit new volunteers, increase awareness of the path through social media and leading organised walks and has become a member of the group’s management team. A...
Alec Finlay: The art of going for a walk
June 26, 2019 08:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBAlec Finlay is an internationally recognised artist and poet. Alec's work crosses over a range of media and forms including poetry, sculpture, print and digital media. We were lucky enough to have Alec run a workshop at our recent Scottish Health Walk Network Conference, which was hugely popular, so we thought it would be great to hear more about his work and how it links with Paths for All’s mission to get Scotland Walking. In this episode, Alec describes how walking and landscape inform...
Jenny Lim: the first steps of the Big Fit Walk
June 07, 2019 09:00 - 30 minutes - 13.9 MBDr Jenny Lim worked as a GP in Grangemouth, Falkirk, for over 20 years and developed a strong interest in working with young people to promote health and wellbeing. Working with 11-year-olds from local primary schools, colleagues and Falkirk Community Trust, Jenny was behind the first Big Fit Walk, a series of 30-minute walk for all ages and abilities. In this episode, Jenny talks of her pride at being so heavily involved in the development of an event which was fun, free, inclusive and ac...
Mary Allison: researching the impact of the Step Count Challenge
March 31, 2019 23:00 - 26 minutes - 12 MBIn this episode of Voices of the Walk, we talk to Mary Allison. Mary is currently half way through a PhD at The University of Edinburgh's Physical Activity for Health Research Centre looking at the impact of Paths for All's workplace Step Count Challenge. We find out about Mary's findings so far and her reflections on walking, the workplace and the importance of accessing greenspace in helping us all cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life. The Step Count Challenge has been r...