Walking scheme proves real tonic - The Edinburgh Reporter

Valerie Lawrie, sector manager at the Edinburgh DTTO office and David Graham, senior project officer at Ramblers Scotland, celebrating the success of joint working, supporting drug rehabilitation through walking.

A trial scheme has been hailed as a success after introducing staff and service users at a Lothian drug treatment testing centre to the benefits of walking.

Ramblers Scotland has been working with the City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian’s Drug Treatment Testing Order office (DTTO) to offer walking routes to people undergoing drug treatment as well as to busy NHS staff via its Medal Routes app.

It features 15, 30 and 60-minute circular walks at 80 locations throughout Edinburgh and the Lothians.

Organisers awarded certificates and book tokens to the most active staff and service users at a prize-giving.

Ramblers Scotland director Jess Dolan said: “This pilot is a first for the Medal Routes project and we now hope that we can work with other partners and hard-to-reach audiences across Scotland, as the feedback has been really positive.”

For information visit www.ramblers.org.uk/nhsmedalroutes.