Award puts a spring in their step at Moors Valley (July 2014)
Moors Valley Country Park and Forest near Ringwood is celebrating its success as a centre for Nordic Walking, after it was instrumental in its partner, Nordic Walking UK (NWUK), receiving a prestigious UKActive Flame award.
Nordic Walking UK is the largest training provider and the only company to deliver a full Nordic and fitness walking qualification. Moors Valley delivers taster sessions, ‘Learn To’ courses, and a range of Wellness, Workout and Adventure walks, all accredited by NWUK. This guarantees the quality of the training and enables Moors Valley to offer participants additional health and leisure benefits.
As part of NWUK’s entry to the annual UK Active Flame Awards, judges visited Moors Valley to assess the quality of the courses on offer. As a result, NWUK was declared the winner in the Go Outdoors category in the UK Active Flame Awards 2014.
In the six months commencing in November 2013, Nordic Walking at Moors Valley and the local area attracted over 400 participants. Moors Valley instructors now lead around 350 Nordic Walking sessions annually at seven different locations throughout Christchurch and East Dorset.
Marc Thompson, Recreation Ranger at Moors Valley said, “I’m really happy that we have been able to help Nordic Walking UK to achieve this significant award. Our involvement with NWUK means that we can maintain the highest professional standards and ensure that our instructors benefit from the most up to date and effective training, which in turn means our clients are getting top quality sessions.
“I’m particularly pleased as the weather was atrocious on the day the judges visited. Despite the terrible conditions, we had a full turn out and they were able to experience a Wellness Walk and a Workout Walk and assess the quality of the fitness programme as well as the effectiveness of delivery by our instructors.
The judging process was very stringent with stiff competition from British Military fitness and other significant active lifestyle programmes around the UK.
Moors Valley organises walks throughout the year at a number of locations in East Dorset and Christchurch in addition to sessions at the Park. Newcomers to Nordic Walking can try out the UK’s fastest growing leisure activity at low-cost (£2 per person) taster sessions on Wednesday 10 September in Wimborne (10-11am) and Moors Valley on Saturday 13 September (10-11am, 12-1pm and 2-3pm).
For more information, go to www.moors-valley.co.uk/events/about/nordic-walking
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Editors’ Notes
UKActive is a not-for-profit body comprising members and partners across the UK active lifestyle sector. Over 3500 members represent local leisure centres, multinational brands, facility operators and activity providers working out of community centres around the UK. The Flame Awards celebrate excellence and innovation in health, fitness and active lifestyle services.
Photo shows a Nordic Walking session being held at Moors Valley. Image can be downloaded from the press images gallery.