Jack from HECK has been walking from Kirklington to Cornwall for charity, and is now on pause due to #lockdown2. But there’s never been a better time to get outside to get a mental break whilst you take a walking break.
If you have been following Jack from HECK’s progress on his walk from Kirklington to Cornwall for the charity SameYou, you will know that his original timescales have been thwarted by #lockdown2 in the UK.
Jack was half way through a charity walk from Kirklington in North Yorkshire to Cornwall, when lock down was implemented. Jack was raising money for mental health charity, SameYou, which raises awareness for post brain injury rehab. Jack has decided to use the time back at base before starting his walk again, to campaign for everyone to get out and walk during Lockdown, and asking employers to encourage their teams to have a “walking lunch break”.
Jack says of his progress before getting locked down, “I have never walked much in my life – I’m more of a gym fan – but the 220 miles I did was brilliant and made me really take a different perspective on life. I was so disappointed to have to come back, but I also realised how much you can really help your mental health, by being outdoors and even taking a brief walk. I’m going to make sure I take a “walking break” every day when back working at home, to keep up the positive feelings and manage the stress of a second lockdown.”
Jamie Keeble at HECK is supportive of Jack’s walk for charity and his call to encourage others to take a mental break by taking a walking break. Jamie is now encouraging his 130-strong team at the factory in Bedale to do the same. “We have a real family culture on site and regularly meet in the canteen, but now we have sent many people home, we can’t come together. We’re encouraging everyone who is either working at home or in the factory, to have a walking break at lunchtime, to boost their mental health.”
Walking guru Julia Bradbury, who has been supporting Jack on his charity walk, is also backing this initiative. “Whether in a city or the countryside, getting outside, especially in the shorter days, is incredibly important. A walk round the block with a friend or to the park in the middle of the day really helps boost your well being and immune system. And with the gyms closed, it’s important to get out earlier in the day so it’s important employers encourage their team members to get outside.”
The “walking lunch break” is something, Erica Wolfe-Murray, author of Simple Tips Smart Ideas has been campaigning for.
“In an office you’d get up and go to the loo, get a coffee, have a chat. We’re missing all of those things,” says Wolfe-Murray, who insists getting outside during daylight hours is essential. “Your health needs it, your mind needs it, your eyes need it. You shouldn’t be sitting look at a computer screen for three hours on the trot. You should be up [from your desk] every 25 or 35 minutes. It’s great a company like HECK are supporting this.
If you would like to keep tabs on Jack’s story, follow him on Instagram here @jacks_big_adventure, and if you have some cash to donate, then you can contribute on Jack’s Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jacksbigadventure