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Sonya Brennan talking walking

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Andrew Stuck is intrigued by Nordic Walking, not least as it is rapidly growing in popularity. Some of the questions that come to mind include: what attracts people to go for a walk using poles, what advantage do the poles bring, what health benefits does it accrue, and doesn’t one feel a tad self-conscious?  Andrew joined a Nordic Walking training session in nearby Lewisham with other novices under the tuition of Sonya Brennan.  Andrew asked Sonya to tell her story of how she came to taking up Nordic Walking, and in the interview that you are about to hear, she answers my questions as well as candidly revealing her motivations. 19’54’’ 9.3MB

Recorded in April 2018 on a walk in Manor House Gardens, Manor Park and the surrounding streets in Lewisham.

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ARTIFACTS talking walking

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Leena Raudvee and Pam Patterson in conversation with Andrew Stuck

Andrew Stuck is sitting with Pam Patterson and Leena Raudvee in a woodland glade, on a rough track that curves towards a rural road, a couple of miles beyond La Romieu in south west France.  They have just performed a collaborative piece entitled “Listening: On the Architecture of Aging” as their contribution to the Made of Walking gathering of artists in August & September 2017.  The two of them have been working independently as solo artists and their collaboration as ARTIFACTS for more than 30 years.  Both have mobility issues, and Leena is also visually-impaired; they have differing experiences in using a cane to aid walking.  The discussion explores aspects of collaboration, creativity and reflection, as we explore how their collaborative practice has evolved.  The recording begins with Leena speaking. 24’14” 11.4MB

Download notes of items mentioned in the interview with ARTIFACTS

Listen to Pam Patterson‘s 20×20 Vision of walking in 2040

Listen to Leena Raudvee‘s 20×20 Vision of walking in 2040

Tom Hall talking walking

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It is hard to find anyone more enthusiastic in revealing the hidden histories of London while walking around its backstreets than Tom Hall. Once you learn he is Editorial Director, and as he says, London office general manager, of Lonely Planet Guides, you realise that maybe everyone there is similarly inclined.  Office moves to new locations are often disruptive, but Tom took it as an opportunity to share his enthusiasm for local history and organised lunch time staff walks through the local streets.  Andrew Stuck joins Tom one lunchtime, not on any particular route, as we wander around trying to find less noisy streets on which to record this interview.  Whether in Istanbul or in Rome, his two favourite destinations for urban walking, Tom likes taking a stroll to explore and uncover the less obvious lived histories of city streets. 23’44” 11.1MB

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William Bird talking walking

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Dr William Bird MBE, the creator of health walks, joins Andrew Stuck on a walk around St James’ Park London on a bright January day. In this interview William tells us about how he prescribing health walks to his patients in a diabetic clinic has evolved into a national campaign to get us all outdoors. IntelligentHealthlogoStill practising as a GP, Dr Bird has set up Intelligent Health, a consultancy advising on the delivery of physical activity to organisations including schools. 22’05″10.4MB

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What has happened to Dr William Bird since our interview

Dr William Bird MBE set up Intelligent Health in February 2010 with the vision of making a lasting difference to people’s health and wellbeing by supporting them to become more active.

With more than three decades of experience in practising medicine and first-hand knowledge of the need to develop preventative measures to stop people developing diabetes and COPD, William is one of the UK’s leading experts on physical activity and building active communities.

William has helped transform the health of millions of people across the UK through innovative initiatives he has developed such as Health Walks, Green Gyms and Beat the Street. He has worked for the World Health Organisation to develop a physical activity strategy for the Middle East which is now being implemented in many of the countries there and also worked on an innovative project for the Met Office, developing Health Forecasting and still works as a family GP.