University of Chichester takes our walking pledge

At Living Streets, our aim is to create effective new ways to engage and encourage people to walk more. Two of our newest offers target workplaces (Walking Works) and universities (Next Steps at University).

We recently visited the University of Chichester to spread the walking message through a fun and colourful pledge event. The whole university community - both students and staff - can benefit enormously from this simple act and who knows, maybe it could have a positive ripple effect into the wider local community as well.

By chatting to some of the students and staff, we found improved mental health to be one of the most desired benefits of walking. Chris West, a student pledged to ‘take a walk at lunchtime while at work, instead of playing with my phone’. Whilst another student committed to ‘take a mindful walk three times a week’.

Our university offer focuses exactly on tackling these issues. Through our resources, specifically designed to target the needs of students, we aim to empower them to understand how fitting more walking into their day to day routines can improve their life.

The staff also hope that by creating a walking community at the university, they will witness wider community change as well. Already when walking in they see students socialising with local people, even if just saying ‘hi’ to someone on the street.

At Living Streets, we believe that walking is a powerful tool for positive social change. We look forward to witnessing more and more students and staff, taking to the streets on foot - on their way to/from university and beyond!