“I’m all about coming and having a laugh” – Salford’s newest ‘walk/run’ group promoting physical and mental health

A newly launched ‘walk/run’ initiative is encouraging Salford residents to get fit and help newcomers transition from walking to running.

The scheme that started two weeks ago, offers a free week-by-week group that is designed to build the fitness and confidence levels of new runners, with the main intention of the group to increase the running time each week of the participants.

Organisers of the initiative, Walkden Jolly Joggers, have seen a great reception from the community and wants to encourage more people to get involved to talk and socialise with their runs.

Group leader of Walkden Jolly Joggers, Helen Walstow, 43,  said: “So the walk runs are basically a version of a ’Couch to 5k’ but it keeps more walking in.

“We slowly build up. We started on sixty seconds but this week it is a ninety second run. So we do a three minute walk, ninety second run and repeat until we’ve done 5k then next week we will do a two minute run.”

She continued: “You’ll see a lot of people going to ’Couch to 5k’ and by week five, week six, there’s no walking.

“You know, a lot of people who join them will end up struggling and they’ll end up not going back.”

Helen set up the Walkden Jolly Joggers feeling there was a lack of accessible and free running clubs in the area.

She said: “I came over here from Yorkshire and I couldn’t find a local running group. I was travelling to ones that are about 40, 50 minutes away.”

The distance between the local running groups were causing her an issue, so Helen decided to make her own group.

She said: “I’ve been a run leader for five years and I had a running group for quite a long time so I’m just going to build my own.

“I wanted to kind of base it off what I had before because that was free. I found a lot around here charged and I want things to be free.”

Although improving people’s health and fitness is a key aspect of the scheme, Helen wanted to encourage the social aspects of the group and how it can help with mental health, as she said: “I’m all about coming and having a laugh more than the running or the walking side.

“To me, that’s very important,” she said.

“I’ve worked in mental health for years and to be able to go out and talk helps.

“It might be the only person they talk to that week or they might have stuff at home that they are able to get off the chest.”

Walkden Jolly Joggers have also received backing from Salford’s Health Improvement Service, with the extra funding allowing the run-club to offer more to the community.

This week is the last week newcomers can join with the group meeting at Boatshed Fishing Lake at Ellesmere Shopping Centre, Walkden, every Friday at 5.45pm.

Register for the walk/run group here: https://groups.runtogether.co.uk/WalkdenJollyJoggers/Runs