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‘Walking in the Workplace’ has its foundations in a national scheme called 'Walking the way to Health Initiative' (WHI). This ongoing programme aims to get more people walking in their own communities, especially those who take little exercise or live in areas of poor health.
The concept of Health Walks was started by an Oxfordshire GP, Dr William Bird, for his patients at Sonning Common Health Centre in April 1995.
The WHI is an initiative of the British Heart Foundation and Natural England. It has helped to create over 400 local health walk schemes and has trained over 30,000 volunteer walk leaders.
Be-Active Ltd (initially called WWH Ltd) was set-up in 2003 as the official distributor of the WHI Step Counter (pedometer). Since then, it has successfully developed and distributed pedometer resource packs for Schools and Cardiac Rehabilitation Clubs.
Now a pack has been specifically developed for companies looking to implement walking schemes in the workplace environment.
Dawn Vernon - Director
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Dawn is a qualified teacher and has an MSc in Exercise and Health Science. She worked for Wiltshire Health Promotion Service for 8 years and was instrumental in developing the ‘Doorstep Walks’ across Wiltshire. She was also a national trainer for the Health Education Authorities’ ‘Helping People Change’ and ‘Look After Yourself’ courses.
Since 1998, she has managed the ‘Walking the Way to Health’ Training Service. She has been responsible for training 350 Cascade Trainers, managing the delivery of
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2,000 courses and trained 30,000 volunteers. In addition, she has developed walking courses for delivery in the Workplace and has experience of working with Glaxo Smith Klein, Exxon Mobil and HSBC.
Dawn was responsible for developing the ‘Evidence Guide and User Handbook’ and training materials for the National Step-o-meter Campaign. She also developed a training course entitled ‘Promoting Physical Activity in Primary Care, and delivered this to over 400 front-line primary care staff.
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Derek O’Connor - Director
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For the last ten years, Derek has focused on promoting walking and cycling in the UK, working in local government and on a freelance basis.
He is a qualified Coastal & Countryside Walk Leader, Health Walk Leader, Trail Mountain Bike Leader, National Standard Cycling Instructor and Lifestyle Practitioner.
As part of East Dorset Countryside Management Services, Derek developed a programme of outdoor activities for people
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of all ages, ability, fitness and confidence, including a Lifestyle Programme. This year-round programme included walking and cycling events and a scheme called 'Pedal Back the Years' which has been used as a template for a similar scheme implemented across Cornwall and features as one of the Department of Transport’s ‘Encouraging walking & cycling success stories’.
Derek’s earlier background lies in sales and marketing; he fulfilled a European Marketing and Corporate Planning function for an Anglo-French group operating across eighteen countries. He has an MBA from the University of Warwick Business School.
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Trainers biographies:
Val Andrews, MSc
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Val Andrews has been working in Health Promotion for almost twenty years.
Much of her work has centred on promoting physical activity and also health at work, through both the development and delivery of training programmes.
Val is a trained exercise teacher and was a national trainer for the Health Development Agencies ‘Health at Work’ programme.
Currently Val is a trainer for the Walking the
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Way to Health and National Step-o-Meter programmes as well as delivering a variety of training programmes locally in private workplaces, the NHS, Local Government and also for the Voluntary Sector.
Val has taught exercise regularly for many years and has helped many workplaces to design and deliver effective physical activity programmes in the working environment.
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Andrew Stuck
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Andrew has been involved in promoting walking over the last 12 years, as well as researching and disseminating best practice. He is a trained health walks leader.
For Wiltshire County Council he devised the ‘Get Wiltshire Walking’ initiative through which a dozen local walking forums were created.
As a Principal Officer at the National Children’s Bureau he worked on behalf of
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young people, lobbying for better cycling and walking opportunities. He was also a Technical Advisor to the Department for Transport on the needs and desires of hard to reach communities.
He has provided educational and training advice to a number of organisations, including the Academy of Urbanism, Active Lifestyles, Goldsmith’s College of Art & Design and Transport for London.
He has post graduate qualifications in business, ecology, environmental education, e-learning, geography and urban design.
He has contributed papers and mobile workshops on health walking and emotional and physical well-being at international conferences.
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Gillian Burn
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Gillian’s background covers nursing, midwifery, health visiting and includes experience working in the Australian outback with the Flying Doctor Service and 12 years with BUPA. She has a masters degree in exercise and health sciences, is a qualified master practitioner in neuro-linguistic programming, time line therapy® and in creating healthy environments. In addition, she has management qualifications and is a licensed instructor for training in mind mapping® techniques, speed reading and Pilates exercise.
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She has run personal effectiveness training programmes including mind mapping® and speed reading for clients such as HSBC, The Post Office, Shell, NHS and The British Heart Foundation.
Gillian is the author of The Energy & Well-Being and The NLP Pocketbook, published by Management Pocketbooks. She is also the Editor of Personal Development All-In-One for Dummies published by John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
Gillian aims to practice what she preaches! She rows on the river Thames and enjoys swimming, walking, yoga and pilates.
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