Local residents in Kilbegly, in the parish of Moore and Clonfad, taking part in the 'Walk Your Parish' initiative.

Locals embrace 'Walk Your Parish' challenge in South Roscommon

A 'Walk Your Parish' initiative which is designed to promote physical activity during the lockdown, has been proving popular in Moore and Clonfad this month, with up to 45 locals in the South Roscommon parish participating on a regular basis.

The challenge was set up by local resident Laura Tully, a nurse and health centre coordinator at AIT.

In previous Januarys, Laura held Operation Transformation and 'Fit Farmers' initiatives in the area, but since these involved in-person gatherings she needed to come up with a new approach this year due to the Covid-19 restrictions.

She decided to map out twelve walks in the parish of Moore & Clonfad, and each week the 'Walk Your Parish' participants are sent three routes that they have to complete at a time of their own choosing that week.

"If someone is at an advanced level in their walking they can do the walks twice. But the idea is that at the end of the four weeks of January they'll have walked their whole parish and they'll have done 60km at a minimum," explained Laura.

Most of the walking routes are 5km long, but some are 7km or 8km distances within a 5km loop, in order to ensure compliance with the Covid restrictions on travel.

Approximately 45 local residents are taking part in the initiative, which is doubling as a fundraiser for the refurbishment of Moore Community Hall, with participants each donating a minimum of €20.

Laura said the physical and mental benefits of getting out for regular exercise during these troubling times shouldn't be underestimated.

"It's a mood booster and obviously it's good for your heart health, your brain health, your lungs and your whole body in terms of keeping active, because we can become very sedentary at the moment with the restricted lifestyle," she said.

"So that's the whole emphasis behind this, and also it's a sort of distraction for people. I'm getting messages from the people who are taking part, saying, 'I felt much better after my walk', 'it's great to have something to do', 'we never realised what was on our doorstep', or 'I was never in that townland before, or walked down that road before.'

"A few people who are new to the area, and have married into the parish, are finding that it's a good way to get to know the area," she added.

"People are doing the walks on their own or with their own household, or they might have a walking buddy that they meet, socially-distanced, outside.

"Any time I've been out doing them, particularly at the weekend, you do tend to see lots of high-viz (jackets) around, a bit of activity, and people out with their family, so that's nice to see."

Laura said the initiative was one that could be easily replicated in other parishes around the country.

"It might spur people on in other areas, to say, look, there's no reason why I couldn't find walks within my 5km," she said.

"We are getting a bit of a stretch in the evenings now, as well. Rural areas are not ideal for walking, but we've been doing them either as a break when you're working from home or as a weekend family activity. So there are no excuses!"