A SCHEME which offers walks around Bridport needs volunteers to lead people on strolls in and around the town.

Bridport Health Walks, a Dorset Council project which offers gentle walks around town on level ground with no steep hills or gates to climb over, is looking for volunteers.

The role of the volunteers is to lead and promote the walks, with main duties including taking registers, checking out new routes, chatting to walkers, and making sure everyone is welcome and no one is left on their own.

The walks take place every Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 10.30am, meeting and finishing at the Borough Gardens on Gundry Lane. Each walk takes around half an hour and the pace is set to suit the group on the day. The group typically goes for refreshments afterwords in a local café or pub.

The walks are part of a national programme with more than 8,000 walk leaders supporting schemes around the country. All volunteers are required to undertake free training, which involves a couple of hours of learning on your own to introduce you to the scheme, shadowing a scheduled walk, plus a training workshop on the practicalities of being a walk leader which can be attended online or in person.

The next face to face training session in Bridport is scheduled for Thursday, October 7, running from 9.30am to 1pm. More dates are available elsewhere in Dorset and there are many more online, all available to Bridport volunteers.

Cllr Jill Haynes, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer and Community Services, said: “Safe exercise and socialising are two of the best things we can all do to look after our health and wellbeing, especially given the challenges we have all faced over the past 18 months.

"Bridport Health Walks is a free and friendly scheme that helps people get active and meet others, and we want to hear from anybody who could help us promote and lead these great activities. Either drop us line or come along to one of the walks to see what it’s all about.”

For more information about walking or to register your interest in volunteering please contact Sarah Davies on 01305 252222 or at sarah.davies@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk.