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A group walk spanning 7.8 miles from Ribchester to Hurst Green on Sunday (19 January) has been planned by a local veteran with Inner-peak Wellbeing.
Peter Judson, from Preston, is an ambassador of Inner-peak Wellbeing which is an organisation to support people’s mental health, in particular armed forces veterans.
The walks will happen every Sunday and aim to promote mental and physical wellbeing while helping to raise people’s self-confidence.
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Mr Judson urged people to join to support their mental and physical health.
He said: “It’s a great opportunity for people just to get out, enjoy themselves, and meet new people.
We see people come along with hardly any confidence, and it helps just being in the outdoors and enjoying other people’s company.
It’s not just the mental health side, it’s the physical side as well, people come to get a bit fitter.”
The destination of the walks occurs around the M6 and M65 area with Ribble Valley as a popular walk.
Mr Judson was inspired to create this support for people after struggling with his own mental health from his time as a veteran and to get people from the local community back outdoors after COVID-19.
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January is a popular time for people to join.
Mr Judson said: “You get a lot of people going on a bit of a fitness spree after new year, so you get a lot of people over the next couple of months.”
One in 20 people in the UK are diagnosed with Seasonal Affective Disorder which is a type of depression triggered by the changing seasons, with the NHS labelling it “winter depression.”
The NHS says that taking small lifestyle measures such as regular exercise and getting as much regular sunlight can help to reduce the symptoms.
Anyone interested in joining the walks can visit the Inner Peak Wellbeing website or Facebook page.
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