Sometimes the things that help us to stay well aren’t flashy, new or expensive but plain, ordinary activities that most people could do. During our Impact Funding Partners funded Angus McFlourish project we worked with folk from Angus Voice looking at what regular activities people from the group could stay well. The group set up loads of regular activities, including a snooker group, a photography club and a walking group. The walking group was a huge success and ran throughout the project, only stopping to become an alternate coffee meeting when the weather meant walking wouldn’t be much fun!

Walking makes you feel good. You can go at your own pace and see somewhere new. You can walk by yourself or as part of a group, as the people from Angus Voice did. Walking can also be a great way to make friends. New people came along to the walking group, met the members and became friendly enough to go to other activities that they were running through the project. Walking is a great way to get to know someone, get chatting and get some exercise.

These are just some of the reasons that we are happy to celebrate Living Streets’s National Walking Month. This May Living Streets is encouraging people to get out and get walking. Why not get involved and see if you can use the bus or car less and walk more? To find out more about National Walking Month click here.

Following the end of the Angus McFlourish project, the walking group continued and folk from Angus Voice decided to carry on organising activities and connecting with the local community. Angus Voice has been working with See Me organising events in Angus as part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival. They aim to raise awareness of mental health, challenge stigma and celebrate creativity in its many forms. The exhibition, open to the public at the Hub in Froickheim until the 8th May, includes around one hundred pieces of work, from poetry to sculpture and photography to handicrafts.  Mini exhibitions will take place across Angus up until the 26th May. Look at the Angus Voice Facebook page for updated information.