This May, people across the UK will be leaving their cars at home and taking to their feet in the Great British Walking Challenge.
National Walk to Work Week (14-18) May is one event taking place during the month long challenge which encourages commuters to walk their way to a health lifestyle.
Virya Technologies will be taking part in Walk to Work Week and will be encouraging people to incorporate walking into their daily routine.
During the week, employees will be encouraged to log their walking miles, whether its on the way to or from work, during their lunch break, or even as part of a walking meeting using a special online tool.
National charity Living Streets run the Walk to Work Campaign, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, to highlight the role that walking can play in bringing some much-needed activity into our daily lives. Virya Technologies are taking part in this year’s Walk to Work Week by walking to meetings, taking short walks during lunch breaks, etc.The team actually started the 'pedometer challenge' back in January which has integrated seamlessley with the Living Streets challenge.
Director Ruth Cheesley explains how this fits into the overall strategy to create a healthy and sustainable workplace:"Having won the Small Business Award from Healthy Ambitions Suffolk last year, we set the bar high regarding the health of our workplace. Encouraging our staff to walk more, even if this means simply walking up and down the stairs rather than taking the lift, can have a profound effect on their health and wellbeing. Heading out for a walk over lunch means we're refreshed and ready to start the afternoon, rather than feeling sluggish and tired (and craving coffee!). We're also promoting this healthy lifestyle to our clients, friends and family in the hope that everyone can get involved in making Suffolk the healthiest county!"
The benefits of walking, for health, the environment and people’s pockets, are well documented. What’s often missing is the encouragement to make walking a regular part of people’s daily lives. Living Streets, supported by Virya Technologies, aims to change this by encouraging people to incorporate walking into their daily routine and supporting them with tips, advice and motivation.
You can see which workplaces are in the lead during Walk to Work Week on the Ipswich leaderboard - we look forward to seeing more of you joining up!
