WALX in the Marches is based at the heart of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which provides our stunning gym without walls here and beyond in the English Marches. We have regular walks and sessions in both our base area and at Attingham Park (National Trust). Led by Beverley Turner, WALX in the Marches began life in 2016 as Shropshire Hills Nordic Walking, bringing regular Nordic Walking training and group walks to this renowned walking area.
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This month we reached a real milestone – six years of bringing Nordic Walking to South Shropshire and beyond, first as Shropshire Hills Nordic Walking, and then, with a wider brief, as WALX in the Marches. It has been my privilege to teach over 200 people to Nordic Walk in that time. So how
Role: WALX Master
Beverley has been Nordic Walking since 2015. From her first experience of it, she was keen to share her discovery with the world … or her part of it at least! As a result, she trained to become a Nordic Walking Instructor and set up Shropshire Hills Nordic Walking, teaching her first clients in April 2016. Beverley comes from a background in music, administration, and education. Although not from a professional background in fitness, she feels that her experience as a classical musician and private music teacher informs her teaching of Nordic Walking. Good posture is as important for effective Nordic Walking as for playing an instrument or singing. In addition, both disciplines offer a strong sense of connection to others and to the natural world around us, whilst providing a range of wellbeing benefits. Beverley enjoys getting to know her walkers, and sharing her love for flora and fauna, history, and local knowledge on her walks. She likes mixing with people of all ages and backgrounds and loves learning from others too! Outside of walking, Beverley has a very busy family life (and has been delighted to have found Nordic Walking as a very efficient and enjoyable form of exercise for the time poor). She has a strong interest in music and the arts, reading, nature and the environment, good food, and health and wellbeing.
Role: WALX Guide
I gained my passport to Nordic Walking in 2017 and only became a Leader / Guide in February 2020, literally weeks before going in to the Covid 19 lockdown. My working life was in business administration and then running my own small business for 16 years. When I retired, I was determined that I wanted to remain fit and healthy, but the idea of visiting a gym never really appealed. Discovering Beverley’s Nordic Walking Group within an easy commute, was the answer to my love of walking and discovering new areas. I absolutely adore the countryside and being able to feel enveloped in the beauty of nature that surrounds me. Exercising two Labradors, as well as yoga and tennis are other outdoor activities I enjoy. If I can share my beautiful surroundings and convince others of the benefits of walking and with the added bonus of poles, I might just help with the realisation of how you can improve your health and wellbeing.
Role: WALX Guide
Once, long ago I worked in Learning and Development in the civil service before taking the step into self employment working in organisation development. In 1992 the first of our three children was born, four years later we moved to Shropshire and over the following years my professional work was increasingly overshadowed with home educating our children, establishing a local group and working to create a network of fellow home educators around Shropshire and beyond.I am now a ‘retired’ home educator and have shifted my energy to exploring the world of herbs initially for animals through zoopharmacognosy then for people. I studied at the wonderful Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and followed it with a foundation course in herbal medicine. My primary interest here is the way herbs can support us in maintaining health. I dabble with herb growing along side a rewilding project and plan to expand both range and quantity; partly in pursuit of this goal I spend chunks of time working in a beautiful biodynamic/organic herb nursery in the Scottish Highlands. It’s a special place to be.Just as learning and health has been central to my life so has walking – from early days as a way of balancing the intensity of exams or later, professional work, to daily dog walking and hiking for pure pleasure, to managing the emotional challenges of motherhood and life generally; I’ve come to realise that simply being in and with the natural world has been invaluable to physical and mental wellbeing throughout. Combine this with a desire to maintain fitness without working out in a gym and Nordic walking came into my life. Whether it’s a short, relatively flat walk or a longer walk in the hills it offers the chance for a full body workout in almost all weathers in the fresh Shropshire air.
Role: WALX Leader
Helen began Nordic Walking in 2021 after moving to Shropshire from Liverpool. She trained as WALX Guide in 2022 & frequently leads walks at Attingham Park. She’s a retired Pilates Teacher & ex-HR Manager. Helen loves the outdoors, whether it be walking, the occasional run or gardening. She’s also still in love with Pilates despite having taught it for 15 years! She enjoys travels with her husband in their motorhome, & has taken up yoga and joined a choir since moving to near Shrewsbury.
Since taking up Nordic Walking just over 2 years ago I have thoroughly enjoyed the group walks and Total Body WALX that I have been doing regularly since. I have always been a keen walker and considered myself relatively fit for my age but using the poles provides an all-round workout and improves upper body strength. The fact that this is done in the open air, surrounded by lovely scenery with a friendly and interesting group of people really does create a feeling of wellbeing and has certainly lifted my spirits in the difficult times of Covid19. I would certainly recommend this activity to people of all ages.
Nordic Walking? Why would that be different from going for a walk with sticks? As I get older I know it gets just that bit tougher to keep active and fit and keep one step ahead of the aging process. Well, an individual Taster session with Beverley was like a breath of fresh air for me. I found her to be warm, easy and friendly and she was so welcoming and encouraging. I was given every reason to believe that this was a manageable challenge to take on; thus I went on to enjoy and complete a 4 week ‘Learn To’ course. She fully convinced me of the benefits of Nordic Walking that this was going to be something worth learning (& couldn’t be more different from just walking with sticks!) Being outside under the skies, whether clear or cloudy is a thousand times more enticing to me than any gym. It will be a pleasure to keep me moving and active whilst knowing I’m exercising a whole body.Beverley is a real ‘people person’. She is a great motivator and teacher and her love of the great outdoors and Nordic Walking in particular is tangible and infectious!Having moved from The Taster Session, on to the 4 week ‘Learning To’ course I now thoroughly look forward to my weekly guided walk where Beverley continues to offer technical advice and expertise (when she notices us slacking!) and keeps us on our toes in order that we can develop and improve our technique which we can then take anywhere with us and learning the technique is invaluable. It’s not just walking with sticks.If you are considering Nordic Walking, then don’t hesitate, go for a Taster or a ‘Learn To’ course and I can almost guarantee that learning with Beverley will be a Joy.Thanks Beverley, it really has been inspirational learning with you.
