THE Vale of Glamorgan Council’s National Exercise Referral Service (NERS) team organised a virtual Great Wall of China walking challenge for service users.

18 referral clients, who all live with different medical conditions, adopted the team name ‘The Wall Nuts,’ and walked a total of 5,500 miles between them from October to January.

During the 14 weeks they completed an estimated 400 miles per week and registered just over 11 million steps, which averaged 80,000 steps, per week, per individual.

The challenge helped users to stay motivated during the pandemic, whilst also improving fitness levels, function and mental wellbeing.

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Cabinet Member for Arts, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Kathryn McCaffer said:

“This was a brilliant initiative on the behalf of the team, which drastically improved the physical and mental wellbeing of its users. The challenge was full of camaraderie, friendly competition and togetherness, despite being miles apart, whilst also giving a sense of purpose and accountability.”

The NERS team is committed to helping people who suffer from health problems incorporate exercise into their daily lives. The scheme is currently postponed due to Covid-19, however, the team continues to support the teams via virtual classes and programs. They hope to recommence in future under Welsh Government guidelines.