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Walking to a Healthier Scotland (2011)
This Policy Briefing explores the national policy context and drivers for the local-level 'Cairngorms Walking to Health Programme', run by the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust.
Scotland often makes the headlines for the wrong reasons due to its poor health record compared to other UK and European countries. A number of national, regional and local policies and initiatives have been launched in response to these health-related challenges, including the Cairngorms Walking to Health Programme, run by the Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust (COAT). This is a health improvement and community development project offering short, safe, local walks targeted at people who would benefit from increasing their physical activity.
At the national level, Paths for All is a partnership of more than twenty organisations which share the vision of a happier, healthier, greener, more active Scotland.
This Policy Briefing sets out the national policy context and drivers for programmes such as Cairngorms Walking to Health, before discussing the main findings and policy implications arising from the recent evaluation of the Programme (this is available via the COAT website). The Briefing offers a number of recommendations for future policy formulation in this area, including:
- the need for evaluations to be carried out over the long-term and include a review of the wider 'tangible' and 'less tangible' benefits;
- the importance of such Programmes in offering individuals a personalised and self-directed approach to meeting health and support needs;
- the need to fully integrate Programmes such as this into the health system;
- the need to ensure long-term investment to build on the success of such Programmes, particularly at a time when their cross-sectoral outcomes will allow for greater efficiency of public sector spend.
This Briefing was launched at an event on 9th March in Kingussie. The event saw the launch of the Cairngorms Walking to Health Evaluation Project and was designed to pay recognition to the significant contribution and value of the volunteer walk leaders in delivering the local health walks in and around the Cairngorms National Park.