PW_4_2021

Spotlight on the SIGs

Section UK Virtual Walking Challenge Chris Charlton , Scarborough Branch & Walking Group 122 walkers from 20 countries completed this year’s Section UK Virtual Walking Challenge, raising £450 for the Thin Blue Line Charity. T he idea for the Virtual Walking Challenge was thought up by Chris Charlton & Judith Smith, at Scarborough Branch and Spike & Helen Elliott Sweden “This has been great fun to follow walkers all over the world. Well done re this initiative. My husband and I have done these kind of walks since we met. To do this with IPA friends, extended the “family” and

from Cheshire Branch. Given that four of us had the idea simultaneously, it had to be a good idea. The concept was simple: to challenge members, family and friends to walk either 100km or 50km during June, in a way that was Covid compliant. We might not have been together physically, but we could certainly be together in mind and spirit. Collectively, 122 people walked 15,500 Km (9,600 miles) during that single month. Although the Challenge was intended to be a Section UK event, it was advertised globally. We ended up with walkers from: Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Spain “I will continue walking because I love it and I do it whenever I can, together with my inseparable dog.” Netherlands “Loved it, so I will try to walk 30-40 km each month from now on, besides my fitness and running exercises. Just to have a goal to get off the couch and stay healthy in this crazy world.” UK “I certainly feel a lot fitter than l did before the start of this challenge. Lockdown had a detrimental effect on my weight, strength and general fitness.” USA “It was fun participating and I really enjoyed seeing all of the pictures on FB!” The Netherlands “I really enjoyed this challenge, and hope that in future editions there will be even more interest from IPA members from all over the world.” Germany “Thank you for this amazing challenge and for letting me take part from Germany! I had a lot of fun while walking, and later posting pictures in the Facebook group :-)” UK “The challenge certainly focussed my mind on my level of fitness, and I’ll be continuing my own personal challenges in the months ahead.” Austria “It was a wonderful JUNE 2021. I went “walking” every day off that I had. Every now and then it was an effort, as I was tired from the night shift. On a few days I did two laps!” Switzerland, United Kingdom and the USA. Comments from around the World:

found new places to put our feet in the future.” Australia “Helped me each day with my PTSD and getting me to work. A great idea.” New Zealand “We all enjoyed the challenge and inspired me to get off the couch and do some quite cold, wet and windy walks.” Canada “Thank you for this great opportunity!” Ireland “Thank you so much for organising this- it was a great motivation to get up and out and it was lovely to see the involvement of others on social media.” Italy “Thanks, a good initiative. Nice to see pictures from all over the world.” Japan “Thank you for organizing such a wonderful event.” The Virtual Walking Challenge was organised by the Section UK Walking Group, which was established in 2019, and has aspirations to become a Special Interest Group. It is affiliated to the British Walking Federation (BWF). The BWF coordinates Permanent Trails (PTs) throughout the UK, which are usually around 10km long. The Section UK Walking Group has already established a successful PT in Scarborough, and from January 2022, we will have PTs in Whitby, Harrogate and St. Albans. All members of IPA Section UK are eligible to join the Section UK IPA Walking Group, without any additional cost. So what are you waiting for? If you already have an interest, or want to develop an interest in walking, then get in touch with us at ipawalking@yahoo.com .

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POLICE WORLD Vol 66 No.4, 2021