NEWS FROM THE ACTIVE WAY

GET OUTSIDE WITH THE ACTIVE WAY

Get ready for a dose of outdoor fun! If you're looking for ways to get more active outdoors, look no further than The Active Way – we are offering FREE cycling, wheeling and walking activities across the Somer Valley.

We are based at Hope House Surgery every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and we offer pop-up activities in Unit 14, Midsomer Norton, on Tuesdays. We are here to help you boost your health and well-being through active travel. Whether you're looking to try something new, want support to get more physically active, need access to bikes and local walking trails, or just fancy meeting new people while enjoying the great outdoors – we've got something for you! You can pop into Hope House any week, come along to a pop-up in Unit 14 or visit our website to join in at www.theactivewaybathnes.co.uk

The Active Way has teamed up with several well-established providers to bring you free personalised 1-2-1 and group cycling and walking activities:

Snap & Stroll is a creative well-being group that strolls around the Somer Valley, snapping photos along the way. Each week, the group sets off from different locations and supports each other whilst enjoying the creativity that photographing our amazing local wildlife, heritage spots, and countryside brings. You can be creative or a complete beginner, come along and join us. We also hope to create new Snap and Stroll groups; if you are creative and want to learn more about what it takes to lead a creative walking group, please get in touch.

Sustrans runs a friendly 10-week walking and cycling programme, Active Steps, to boost your confidence and activity levels. They set off from Tom Huyton Park and can provide you with a bike or E-bike. They explore different routes and spots each week and aim to give you the confidence to travel actively beyond the programme.

All Cycles Bath & West offer inclusive and accessible cycling for adults and young people of all ages with health, learning, physical and social needs - their accessible equipment and expertise enable wheelchair users to access cycling, ensuring everyone can discover the fun of cycling. Sessions run from Tom Huyton Park, and they welcome carers, family, or friends to attend and join in, too.

The Council’s Bikeability team supports you in increasing your cycling ability and confidence through 1-2-1 adult or family cycle training. Whether you're new to cycling or are returning after a long period, the team will tailor the training to your needs, giving you the choice to cycle off-road or on our cycling network.

Supporting Family Change provide personal 1-2-1 or small group Walk and Talk sessions. These supportive sessions are centred around your needs and physical abilities. Whether you can walk unsupported or use a wheelchair or a stick or frame, these walks are an opportunity for everyone. Walk and Talk sessions allow you to chat with a member of the Supporting Family Change team or fellow walkers and are great for anyone experiencing low confidence or struggling with daily life and feelings of isolation.

KiActiv is a digital physical activity behaviour change intervention offering you a 12-week programme that empowers you to track and visualise your daily movements with the support of a health coach and nifty wearable device. KiActiv is open to all adults regardless of age and physical abilities. Once you’ve got set up with KiActiv, why not sign up for other Active Way activities to see how much more activity you can record?

And there's more!

We have asked GoJauntly to create and map 30 miles of walking trails in the Somer Valley. These walks are step-free and easy to navigate, which allows you to discover more of your local community. Many will be around your local GP practice or street; you just need to download their free app to learn more.

We’re very excited as we’ve just received a fleet of bikes and e-bikes for people participating in our activities to loan for a month. Ensuring that nothing stops anyone from enjoying a ride or trying out an E-Bike.

Our Bikeability team also hosts pop-up Dr Bike sessions, ensuring your bikes are in good order by giving them a bit of TLC for free. We are also working with Sustrans to offer DIY Bike Maintenance workshops to teach you the ABCs of bike fixing, ensuring you’re equipped with the knowledge to care for your bike in the future.

The Active Way is Bath and North East Somerset Council’s Active Travel Social Prescribing project. We are one of eleven local authorities awarded funding to see how we can support residents to increase physical activity levels and their health and well-being by offering active travel activities.

It is well known that getting outdoors and being more active helps to improve physical and mental health and overall well-being, and connecting with our local landscapes through walking and cycling is a great way to achieve this. We are working with GP practices, Social Prescribers, and a range of other local organisations to allow everyone the opportunity to see if being more physically active can support better health and well-being.

To find out more about what’s on offer and to sign up for one of our activities, please visit us at Hope House (any Monday, Wednesday or Friday) or our website, where we have a simple self-referral form, which you can fill out. Once you’ve filled out the form, a member of our team or one of our providers will be in touch to confirm your activity and discuss what support you might need, which group is most suitable for you and get you booked for your first session. We can’t wait for you to join us to start your journey The Active Way!

Website: theactivewaybathnes.co.uk

Email: info@theactivewaybathnes.co.uk

Phone: 01225 477590