Tim Heath, City of Tea Tree Gully (L) with Matt Cowdrey MP, Member for Colton and Tuesday Udell, Walking SA Chair. The City of Tea Tree Gully won a Walking Award: Local Government Award – Organisation for is expanding the Heart Foundation Walking Campaign across their community.
Heart Foundation Walking Campaign
In early 2019 the City of Tea Tree Gully saw the opportunity for expanding the Heart Foundation Walking program across their city. As Heart Foundation Walking is a well-known brand with strong connections to the community the walking groups would be a measured way to increase walking participation and frequency for people throughout the council area. With a program to recruit walk organisers and find with interested new walkers, in August the council launched seven new Heart Foundation Walking groups. By activating a strategy of promotions, including varied marketing channels with roadside banners, digital screens in key council buildings, corflute in walk meeting spots, social media and information flyers, an outstanding result was seen. There are now eight groups meeting regularly across each weekday with the total number of participants currently at 112, and overwhelming increase from the one group with an average of ten participants that existed before the strategy started.
Walk organiser Laraine Frost said “while walking is obviously our main aim, the benefit of socialising is a huge plus, talking and walking just go together. I feel blessed with our group and have made so many wonderful friends. On the rare visit to my doctor he says “keep on walking”, so for a change I am doing what I’m told!”
The council will continue to promote the Heart Foundation Walking groups across the warmer months to our residents. They’re aiming to add two extra groups and reach a total of 150 participants by July 2020.
