East Malling Health Walks

On Friday 15th June I was lucky enough to be able to join the 'Walking for Health' group that meet at the Centre Café. The group set off at 11am for a gentle walk around the village, led by the group leader Michelle Tatton. As well as being a great way to meet new people, the walks are designed to help people get more active and keep fit. Volunteers make sure that no one gets lost and that the pace of the walk keeps everyone together.

On the day that I attended, we started our walk by heading through Blacklands and along beside Clare Lake. We then took a walk along Bone Alley to the Mill Pond. After that we walked through Stickens Lane and in to parts of East Malling that I had never seen before. It was lovely to see the stream and the old Mills that give 'Mill Street', 'Upper Mill' and 'Middle Mill' their names. Michelle is a local Councillor, as well as a walk leader and is very knowledgeable about the history of the village and the surrounding areas. It was really interesting to hear about the area and discover new places on my door step!

We completed our walk by coming in to the Playing Fields and walking back through the residential roads to Chapman Way. In all we were out for around 45 minutes and I clocked up just over 6000 steps on my pedometer. Although this was not a very taxing walk for me, it was very enjoyable and a lovely way to meet new people. The group would like to expand to include another more difficult route and are currently looking for volunteers. If you think you could help, please do get in touch with the TMBC Healthy Living Team on 01732 876347.

If you would like to join the weekly Health Walk then you will find them every Friday in the Centre Café. People arrive for 11am and the walk departs at 11.15am. If you are interested in other walks in surrounding areas then please visit the Walking for Health website: https://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder