Walking has many health benefits. Firstly, walking can improve your lung and heart fitness as well as reduce risk of heart disease and stroke. Walking can also strengthen your bones, improve balance and increase muscle strength and endurance. Walking can also improve management of conditions such as hypertension, high cholesterol, joint and muscular pain or stiffness and diabetes.

CHIRP Community Health, with help from the Walking Group Volunteers, offers many different social walking groups for the Mount Alexander Shire Community.

CHIRP Community Health has many weekly walking groups that run in Castlemaine, Maldon, Newstead and Harcourt as well as monthly walking tours across the Shire. All groups are led by experienced volunteers and most walking groups run up to one hour. After some of the walking groups, they are followed by a cuppa and a chat.

Why become a Walking Group Volunteer?

In addition to getting the health benefits of regular walking, our volunteers also get to improve the health of our community. Being a Walking Group Volunteer offers the chance to make new friends, build confidence, challenge yourself and have fun.

What is involved in becoming a Walking Group Volunteer?

In preparation for the role, CHIRP Community Health provide CPR training annually for all Walking Group volunteers. Once trained, our Walking Group volunteers coordinate attendance lists and support the organisation of morning tea where applicable. This volunteer position is overseen by the Health Promotion Officer at CHIRP Community Health.

If you are interested in becoming a Walking Group Volunteer, please complete the volunteer interest form. Alternatively, you could call us on 5479 1000 and ask to speak to our Health Promotion Officer.

Please note that all of our volunteers must undergo comprehensive screening checks including a police check and a Victorian Working with Children Check prior to commencing volunteering with us.