Get Walking Lanarkshire currently organises 33 free weekly health walks which last no longer than an hour and go at a gentle pace. They offer an opportunity to meet new people – often with a cuppa at the end!

Local people who take part in the walks have shared the top 10 benefits they experience:

• make friends and enjoy friendly company
• gentle exercise supports improved mobility and general health
• enjoy fresh air
• the short distances of the walks are accessible for most people
• getting to know the local area
• better sleep after a walk
• enjoying nature and greenspaces
• having a regular date in the diary encourages participation
• mental health benefits from being out and about, and
• helping to manage weight.

A social media campaign will tell the positive experiences of some of the hundreds of people who take part in a health walk each week – follow @GetWalkingLanarkshire on Facebook.

Get Walking Lanarkshire is a partnership between North and South Lanarkshire Councils, NHS Lanarkshire and Paths for All.

The partners met at Strathclyde Country Park to celebrate the 10th anniversary and the success of the initiative which has welcomed 75,947 walkers on 7,113 weekly health walks across North and South Lanarkshire over the last decade. A team of 90 walk volunteers lead the local walks.

“Over the last ten years, the number of health walks has grown steadily as more people have joined, appreciating the many benefits of short, regular walks with others,” North Lanarkshire Provost Kenneth Duffy said. “As well as celebrating the achievements of the last ten years, we are also looking ahead to how the initiative can continue to grow and enable more people to take part in a fun, healthy exercise.”

And Margaret Cooper, the Provost of South Lanarkshire, said: “Over the last 10 years Get Walking Lanarkshire has shown that everyone, no matter what their fitness level, can get out and about in their local area, make friends and not only improve their physical but mental health at the same time. I hope many more people will decide to take part in these free walks as the next 10 years of this initiative gets underway.”