Newport Live’s Community Sport & Wellbeing Team launched Welly Walks in February half term, a free full inclusive activity aimed at children 3 – 5 years and their families utilising parks and green spaces in Newport and the surrounding area to encourage children to be active during school holidays. 

Over 30 children and their parents took part in Welly Walks at Beechwood Park and Caerleon Roman Amphitheatre during the February half term. The sessions consisted of a 5 – 10 minute animal walk around the park followed by sporting games and physical activities designed to help develop children’s locomotor and fundamental movement skills. Each child who attended one of the walks was given a free activity pack to take home that will encourage families to be active together.

Brittany Cloke, Community Sport & Physical Activity Development Officer at Newport Live said, “Newport Live’s Community Sport & Wellbeing team recently completed a SKIP-Cymru Level 3 and 4 training courses on how to better support children’s physical literacy. Welly Walks were created and launched based on the teams learning and findings from the course, in particular the need for young children to be taught how to move well early on in their development as it will act as the foundation for them to be more physically active throughout their life which will have a positive benefit on their mental and physical health. The initiative has been a great success and we are in the process of planning a series of Welly Walks to take place during the Easter holidays.”

Families who attended Februarys Welly Walks were full of praise for the free activity on offer and the work being done by Newport Live’s Community Sport & Wellbeing team to get Newport’s youngest children to be more physically active.

One parent whose child attended one of the Welly Walks said “They are an excellent activity which encouraged us as a family to get out of the house despite the weather and do something physically active. The activity pack was a bonus, we will certainly keep an eye out for similar activities in future!”

Newport Live’s Community Sport and Wellbeing Team delivers sport, health and wellbeing, inclusion, and Positive Futures youth engagement opportunities for children, families, schools, communities, sports clubs, and local groups across Newport. They strive to make a difference in local communities and to get more people increasing levels of physical activity daily whilst supporting mental wellbeing. The team are held in high regard locally, regionally, and nationally by partners, and continue to use sport as a tool to engage and inspire people to be happier and healthier.

As Newport Live is a charitable organisation, all of its customers and members are helping to support the delivery of community projects and activities across Newport.

To find out further information about Welly Walk events please contact 01633 656757 or email brittany.cloke@newportlive.co.uk