February is a special month for Milton Keynes Health Walks as the initiative celebrates its 20th anniversary.
MK Health Walks have been operating in Milton Keynes since the first walk ‘Shenley Walks’ which was formed in February 2005 by volunteer, Sue Hadfield.
She and a friend started out on a journey to bring “Walking for Health” to Milton Keynes and this has steadily grown into a programme with a 60-strong team of volunteers leading walks every day of the week. The programme of weekly local walks has grown with support from The Parks Trust and Milton Keynes Council and by 2010 it was operated as a joint programme with a funded coordinator.
With extended support over the years from charities such as the Ramblers and Macmillan Cancer Support the “Walking for Health” programme in Milton Keynes, MK Health Walks has become one of the most accessible and important wellbeing programmes in the city.
In 2022, Milton Keynes City Council were no longer able to deliver the Health Walks programme and so The Parks Trust were approached to take on the management – this was largely due to having experience of volunteer management, recreation programmes and the majority of the walks taking place on Parks Trust land. Some Parks Trust volunteers are also Health Walk volunteers too, so there was a natural fit with the programme’s aims and values.
20 years down the line and there is a Health Walk every day of the week benefitting over 11,500 residents each year!
Sue Hadfield, the first Milton Keynes Health Walks volunteer, says “I love walking myself and Milton Keynes so to put it all together with health and exercise was a lovely idea. We have people who have been walking 20 years and it’s really easy, anyone can do it, you just need a good pair of shoes!”
We wish the MK Health Walks Team a very happy 20th anniversary and hope that the event continues to improve the lives of many people across the city.
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