Lights, camera, action for 'Let's Walk Pendle'

Pendle Leisure Trust's Let's Walk are doing their best to take their walks to a wider audience.

In Summer 2010 the Pendle walk scheme got together with local director Keith Widdup of the Burnley Amateur Film Makers Society. Together they produced a 12-minute promtional film highlighting the walking and cycling schemes on offer.

Well received

In all, the film took around 9 months to produce and only cost £200. It has been very well received by all who took part and by the regional Walking for Health team.

The DVD is absolutely brilliant! It features the walking programme run by the Trust, their cycling programme, their work with their Asian community and the natural progression work whereby fitter people go on longer walks around Pendle’s countryside.

It features interviews with the scheme co-ordinator, with the walk and cycling leaders, with the walkers and cyclists themselves and a local GP too. It summarises perfectly everything that is going on in Pendle and there is so much going on.

Dave Perry, Regional adviser, Walking for Health - North West

Star of the film and scheme co-ordinator Wayne Bowman explains that they now use the film to promote their health walks locally in presentations, at GP surgeries and community events. Walkers have their own copy of the DVD and it can also be viewed on the Walking for Health YouTube site.

Creating your own promotional film

Here's Wayne's advice for other schemes who want to produce their own film:

• Meet the director well in advance and explain what the scheme is about. It would be great if the director could come along to a range of your health walks beforehand to get an idea of what you want to promote.
• Let walkers know in advance that they will be filmed, and that the walk will take slightly longer on that day. Wayne used A5 leaflets to make everyone aware.
• Hold a meeting with your volunteers and invite the director to come along to take answer questions about how  the filming will work.
• Pendle's film uses interviews with walkers answering questions about the walks. Wayne's experience was that certain people naturally put themselves forward for this without much persuasion. You'll have an idea who the budding stars of your walks are!

If you are interested in filming walks and would like some more advice, please contact us.

Walking for Health YouTube channel