Bluebird Care staff take on the challenge of walking 4 million steps for charity

Since the start of this month, 18 members of staff at Bluebird Care’s Franchise Support Centre have decided to walk ‘4 million steps for a healthy heart’ to raise money for the British Heart Foundation.

As part of National Walking Month in May, the Bluebird Care members have been committed to the challenge of walking ‘4 million steps for a healthy heart’ by stipulating 2000 steps are equivalent to 2000 miles. The participants have been monitoring their progress through a step count feature on their phone app.

At this stage, the team are now two-thirds of the way through their journey, surpassing the ‘two and a half million’ step mark, which would equate to the distance of the UK to Catania in Sicily.

Katy Falconer, head of people, said: “The ‘4 Million Steps to a Healthy Heart challenge’ has been fantastic for me so far. I ended up becoming quite sedentary during lockdown, so I've certainly found this a great reminder of self-care.”

The team are also hoping to raise awareness of the various benefits of walking through the initiative, such as improving cardiac health and strengthening musculoskeletal development.

“It is important to keep ourselves active, not just for heart health, but for mental wellbeing too,” says Ms Falconer. “I am lucky enough to live in an area with lots of natural beauty, so it has been wonderful getting to explore some of the local spots.

“I'm proud to be part of an effort that is supporting the British Heart Foundation, a charity that touches so many lives in the UK and has been of vital importance to many of our Bluebird Care customers.”

Throughout their journey, updates have been provided on a frequent basis through Bluebird Care’s social media channels, letting followers of the team’s challenge know how far they have advanced, as well as the countries they are virtually passing through over the course of their journey.

Kelsey Littlefield, accounts assistant for Bluebird Care said: “I am enjoying the motivation that the challenge has given me to take longer walks, despite the weather. It has given me a fantastic opportunity to take my puppy to new locations and explore the beautiful scenery in my local area.

“As a result of the pandemic and the tough times that ensued, it has been hard to have a reason to get up and move out of the house. This challenge has been a real game-changer for my mental health, and the fact it is raising money for such a great cause has made it even more fulfilling.”

Once the challenge has been completed, they are hoping to reach a distance totalling that to the pyramids of Cairo in Egypt.

The team’s JustGiving page for donations in support of their ongoing challenge can be found here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/brendan-simpson1

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