Fit Together - changes to the programme

Active Norfolk's walking project Fit Together has achieved some fantastic outcomes since its launch in 2008, with over 9,500 individual people having accessed the walks across the county, and recruiting a fantastic volunteer base composed of trained, dedicated and hard-working volunteers.

In these times of financial pressure on the public purse it has been necessary for Active Norfolk to review the programmes it is currently delivering, to ensure that they are meeting the outcomes expected by our funders, and to ensure they are providing the best value for money.

Public Health, the sole funder of Fit Together, focus their resources on reducing health inequalities. Therefore, there is an expectation Fit Together will target the most vulnerable members of our local communities and encourage them to be more physically active, thus improving their physical and mental health.

With that in mind, we will be making some significant changes to the programme to ensure that it is meeting its funding obligations, as well as ensuring that the project is secure into the future. These changes will provide an exciting opportunity for volunteers to play a more active role in how the walks programmes are developed and delivered in their area, as well as rewarding opportunities for volunteers to support people living with conditions such as cancer and dementia.

The North Norfolk Fit Together group underwent these changes already and became a charity in January 2014.

A number of new walking charities will be established across Norfolk in the form of Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), based on the North Norfolk model, over the coming months. These charities will secure the future of the walks programme, with the ability to determine local priorities, as well as raising funds and accessing grants that Active Norfolk, as part of Norfolk County Council, cannot.

The first charity will be set up in Norwich, and information about the role of the charity and how to get involved can be found below.

In order to dedicate resource to establishing the charities, we will cease the delivery of the Central and Breckland Fit Together walks from the end of the current programme (end of April 2016).

This means that our two coordinators in the central area, Kaz Hopes and Peter Neave, will be leaving us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Kaz and Peter for their hard work and dedication to the scheme and wish them all the best for the future - we are sure we will still see them on the walks once they are re-established.

Check our Health Walks section as some areas are continuing former walks in the Central area under Walking for Health as volunteer led initiatives. Also check the Ramblers page to find the former Breckland walks under the Mid Norfolk Ramblers Group.