Land Trust staff complete 15,000 mile challenge

Land Trust staff have completed their challenge of walking and running 15,000 miles in one year, finishing one month early.

The challenge was set in July 2019 to mark 15 years of the charity, which owns and manages over 80 parks and green spaces across the UK.

With nearly 40 employees taking part, walks and runs were recorded through apps or smartwatches and combined to add to the grand total. Despite starting the year with just over 5,000 miles covered, the team pulled together and smashed through the target one month early.

Euan Hall, Chief Executive of the Land Trust, said:

“We wanted to do something different for our staff to mark 15 years of the Trust.

“As a charity, we have five aims, which include health and wellbeing, community cohesion and environment, so we encouraged our staff to use green spaces to get outdoors and enjoy taking a walk, or a run, in the park.

“We talk a great deal about the positive impact on physical and mental wellbeing that spending time in green spaces can bring and we know that the volunteers and communities that use our sites experience this on a regular basis. We wanted our staff to enjoy the same benefits.”

Throughout the challenge, staff have been updated on the progress each week, with a weekly leaderboard including the five people who covered the most distance. This has seen some friendly competition emerging, with some stand-out competitors.

Lauren Hull, Estates Manager for the South East, has been walking around six miles a day over the last few months and said:

“Since lockdown began this challenge has motivated me to get out every day and take a walk.

“My distance has increased a lot over the last few months and getting outdoors has made me feel so much better and has been brilliant for my physical and mental wellbeing. I know a lot of people feel the same and that their daily walks have been really beneficial throughout lockdown.

“Walking every day has made me feel healthier and happier, especially when I see my name at the top of the leaderboard!”

Director of portfolio management, Alan Carter, added:

“We manage our green spaces to improve the health and wellbeing of the communities that use our sites. Working with our dedicated teams of managing partners, we deliver a wide range of health activities on our sites, ranging from parkrun which attracts hundreds of runners every Saturday morning, to Green Gym and other volunteering activities all designed to get people active outdoors.

“During the lockdown imposed due to Covid-19 these activities have been curtailed, but the Trust has worked hard to keep its green spaces open for the community to use to keep them physically

active, but also to protect their mental wellbeing during what has been an incredibly difficult period for everybody. It has been great to see our staff being so active during this time and the challenge has been a great activity to keep staff engaged with each other at a time when we are all working from home.”

The final mileage totalled 15,119.6 miles, with the majority being completed during 2020. For more information about the Land Trust’s green spaces, visit www.thelandtrust.org.uk/visit or get in touch at enquiries@thelandtrust.org.uk.