Willie Mungall, Saughton Park, Edinburgh

I was stagnating a little bit with my injuries. They’ve got me out walking again, eating and exercising properly. I get out everyday and walk up the back of the park

At Saughton Park, retired ex Royal Marine Commando Willie Mungall attends the weekly Park and Stride gentle walking group. Last year, he took part in a 14-week ‘Walk with a Doc’ programme, a new partnership led by Health All Round and working with Sighthill Green Medical Practice, NHS Pharmacists, and the University of Edinburgh that aims to change patient behaviour in a non-clinical setting.

“Health All Round got me involved, because I was stagnating a little bit with my injuries. They’ve got me out walking again, eating and exercising properly. I get out everyday and walk up the back of the park – 2,000 steps. I have a Fitbit watch that my daughter got me, she’s doing 10,000 steps a day for a charity. The Health All Around project got me outside, and I can’t really thank them enough.

It’s a nice place to be. I’m not here for the social, I know I’m going to exercise and I know it’s good for me. It’s made me do more on the other days of the week too, getting out of the house walking.”

Walks start with a 30-minute health talk from a health professional, then the group goes for a walk and talk around Saughton Park with time for a chat and a cup of tea at the end. The programme is part of the Go for Green service which helps people with long term health conditions engage with greenspace to improve their health and wellbeing, which encompasses the natural therapeutic effect of spending time outdoors and of participating in activities which improve physical, social or mental wellbeing.

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