January Walking Challenge - Project Summary🚶‍♀️💛

This January, we started the year with the January Walking Challenge. Thanks to funding from the Hinkley Point Community Fund, we ran a project to support Bridgwater families in building healthy habits for the year ahead.

A total of 61 people signed up for the walking challenge. At the beginning of the month, participants set themselves a personal walking goal and committed to getting moving. Anyone who reached their goal was entered into a prize draw to win £30.

The minimum challenge was 30 miles in 30 days, but many participants aimed higher. Some chose 50 miles, others 75 miles, and a few even challenged themselves to walk over 100 miles in a single month.

We connected on Strava and started walking together. We ran walking groups twice a week, and several participants also met up at Parkrun on Saturday mornings, either to walk or run. It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm of the participants - especially considering that the January weather was not always on our side!

Prize winner: Naomi Jacob

The lucky winner of the £30 prize was Naomi Jacob 🎉

Naomi said:

“The walking challenge was the perfect start to 2026. It helped me get outside and stay active, even when the weather was grey. The challenge motivated me to walk instead of taking the bus or the car. I noticed that being more active and spending more time outside helped improve my mood and mental health. Fresh air and exercise really clear the mind. I’ve created good habits, and I don’t want to stop just because the January Walking Challenge has ended - I want to keep walking.”

We had many enthusiastic participants. Richard is a proud completer of the 30 miles in 30 days challenge.

Richard, a retired medical doctor, knows very well how important physical exercise is for health, but like many people, it does not always take priority. Richard shared that the walking challenge helped both him and his wife prioritise walking. Previously, they would always choose to drive when going into town or visiting friends, but now they choose to walk instead when time permits. By the end of the month, Richard felt his stamina had improved enormously. At the start of the challenge, he aimed to walk one mile a day, but on the final day he walked 8.17 km (see screenshot from his Strava).

Best of all, nine days after the January Walking Challenge ended, Richard is still keeping up his walks on Strava. Not only that - he has also signed up for the 60+ Fitness Challenge. He joined at the Canalside on 27th January, where he learned an exercise programme he can complete at home to improve balance and strength. He received a fitness calendar and is now ticking off the days he completes his exercises.

Deborah is another enthusiastic walker. She joined the January Walking Challenge and attended Parkrun every week. In February, she has taken things even further - she is now following the Couch to 5K programme, with the aim of running a fun 5K by the end of nine weeks.

And it’s not just for herself - this week she also recruited her brother Caleb to join Parkrun and take part in the Couch to 5K programme!

Participants Feedback

It has been incredibly encouraging to read through the feedback forms and see so many positive comments. Here are some of the outcomes participants reported from the walking challenge:

“I am so glad I signed up for the walking challenge. It gave me more energy and helped improve my stamina, balance, and confidence.”

“I loved joining Parkrun. It is right on my doorstep and I plan to do it every week. I can already feel that it has helped my stamina. I’m not fit enough yet—I can hardly run for one minute—but my goal is to improve.”

“Getting out in the fresh air every day helped improve my mood and sleep, and reduced my stress.”

“Walking has given me more energy and helped me lose weight.”

“The accountability really helped. I work from home and can easily spend a whole month indoors, only walking from the house to the car. The walking challenge motivated me to get outside and be more active.”

“The January Walking Challenge motivated us to walk to nearby places instead of driving. This is a habit we want to keep.”

“Walking with my children gave us quality time together, and it was great knowing we were getting the benefits of regular exercise too.”

“I loved walking with friends, and I will keep this going.”

Thank you to everyone who started the year with a walk — let’s keep it up!

And a big thank you to the Hinkley Point Community Fund for funding our healthy lifestyle courses.