In March, 2015, about thirty people met at the Bridge St Recreation Centre for the
first time in Overton for an hour-long ramble under the Walking For Health (W4H)
scheme. We had at that time four walk-leaders-in-training and our first few
outings were led by members of Whitchurch W4H as we four shadowed them and
until deemed competent to lead walks on our own. In October that year a second
walk was introduced, which was shorter than the existing one, and at a gentler
pace. The ‘long walk’, then extended to become 90 minutes in duration.
Until March 2020, we had walked every Monday, through snow, torrential rain, hail,
and blistering sun (as well as many beautiful days of course). We led walks on
almost every bank holiday, except for Christmas Day when it fell on a Monday,
and some brave souls enjoyed a led walk on the Tuesday. And then Lockdown hit!
We were forced to close along with the rest of the country, for many months.
But when the rule of 6 was introduced, we were back leading several walks with
6 in each, including the walk leader. We weren’t allowed to meet inside the rec
centre for tea and coffee, but some of us, in our small groups, met in each
other’s gardens for well-earned refreshments.
In 2021, we were at last able to meet inside. We decided to come out of the national
Walking for Health scheme and become independent. On 1st November,
Overton Walking Group was officially born, and now has its own committee and a
new logo. We also have a Facebook page and as you can see, a website.
Contact us on: overtonwalkingroup@gmail.com
