The Age UK Walking Programme
The Walking Programme, which was piloted and funded by Age UK, aimed to encourage inactive older people – those doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week – to be more physically active through walking.
Why Age UK funded a pilot walking programme?
By providing opportunities to be physically active, older people are more likely to remain independent at home for longer and reduce the risk of falls by rebuilding strength and balance that many older people lost during the pandemic*.
To address this, the Age UK pilot Walking Programme aimed to improve the physical health of older people, whilst also addressing loneliness and social isolation in local communities.
Age UK research showed the following*:
- 27% (around 4.3 million) said they couldn’t walk as far
- 17% (around 2.7 million) said they were less steady on their feet
- 12% (around 1.9 million) felt they were less independent since the start of the pandemic
- 10% (around 1.6 million) of older people who had previously been able to get up and down the stairs were now finding it difficult
- 9% (around 1.4 million) of older people who had previously been able to walk short distances were now finding it difficult.
What was achieved?
Age UK is pleased by the results of this 12 month pilot process. Thanks to our funding, 15 walking groups were set up across 5 areas in England, reaching 221 older people. The funding period was for 12 months with most of the groups continuing post-funding.
As a result of these groups, our findings show that:
- 50% of older people attended a walking group regularly for 6 or more sessions.
- There were self-reported improvements to stamina and mobility. Walking in a group helped people regain lost confidence, feel safe and supported.
The Walking Programme was also a gateway to other local Age UK services, linking up with information and advice services, attending scam talks, and receiving benefit checks.
Brian's story
"I was told about the walks by my daughter who had seen it advertised somewhere. I had recently lost my wife, and was looking for something to do, as I was lonely and at home, and I wanted to get out, get active and meet people.
Going on the walks every Thursday brightens my week! It has made me more outgoing. I can talk to people I don’t know much easier now - I would have struggled a bit to do that before - as everyone is so friendly and ready to chat. It has improved my fitness, confidence, and has helped me mentally too.
Our Age UK leader, Claire, has made a huge difference too, she is always there for us, ready to listen and ready to chat. I tell everyone I can to come along and join our friendly group. I have been to other walks lead by other people, but I enjoy this one the most, as the others could be quite cliché-y and not very welcoming to new people. I felt like an outsider at them, but nobody is made to feel like an outsider at our group! We always swap round on the walks to talk to someone different, then have a great chat when we get to the café for a drink.
I love it, and never want it to end."
Brian, Lincolnshire.
Download our evaluation report
Age UK funded a nine-month-long Walking Pilot Programme in 2023 to understand how effective walking groups are in increasing the activity levels of inactive older people.