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How Our Walking Groups Are Changing Lives Across Aberdeen

Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, something quietly extraordinary happens on the paths of Duthie Park.

It starts with a pair of trainers by the front door. For many of the people who come through Vibrant Health Advocates Aberdeen, that small act — lacing up and stepping outside — represents a turning point. Our Walking for Wellbeing programme has been running for three years now, and what began as a modest group of eight participants on a wet October morning has grown into one of the most-attended initiatives we offer.

The programme runs twice weekly across two locations: Duthie Park in the south of the city and Seaton Park near Old Aberdeen. Each session is free, open to all adults, and led by a trained volunteer walk leader who sets a gentle, unhurried pace. There is no fitness requirement, no sign-up form, and no pressure to keep coming back — though most people do. The average participant has attended seventeen sessions in the past year.

What draws people in is rarely the walking itself. It is the conversation that happens alongside it. Research consistently shows that side-by-side activity — moving together rather than sitting face to face — lowers social anxiety and makes it easier to open up. We see this every week. Participants talk about loneliness, about managing long-term conditions, about the relief of being somewhere that does not feel clinical or transactional.

For older adults in particular, the programme addresses something the NHS cannot easily prescribe: regular, warm human contact embedded in physical activity. Aberdeen has some of the highest rates of social isolation among over-65s in the north-east of Scotland, and our walk leaders are trained to notice early signs of deteriorating mental health and to signpost gently toward further support when needed.

The health outcomes we track are encouraging. Participants self-report improvements in sleep, mood, and confidence after six weeks of regular attendance. Several have gone on to join local running clubs or volunteer as walk leaders themselves — a progression we celebrate every time it happens.

This year we are expanding the programme to include a Wednesday morning session in Torry, a neighbourhood where access to structured community health activity has historically been limited. We are actively recruiting volunteer walk leaders for that new cohort. If you live in or near Torry and would like to get involved, we would love to hear from you.

Walking for Wellbeing is free and always will be. It is one of the clearest expressions of what Vibrant Health Advocates Aberdeen believes: that good health is built in communities, not just in consulting rooms, and that sometimes the most powerful intervention is simply showing up.