One step at a time
COVID lockdowns presented a range of challenges and took its toll on communities. Amidst all the restrictions, walking remained one activity accessible to most people.
Our Professor Deirdre Heddon, alongside researchers from University College Cork, University of Liverpool and the University of East London, explored how people adapted their lives to include more walking. And to explore whether the activity itself has been altered throughout the course of the period.
Despite the challenges COVID presented, creativity managed to flourish in ways which developed and expanded experiences of walking. Communities came together to transform abandoned spaces and add decorative touches to once-neglected paths.
Results from the project will help to promote the recognition of walking as a cultural activity which helps to build resilience in uncertain times.
As well as collecting experience of walking and creativity during COVID, the researchers worked with artists to create a free walking toolkit, to sustain or inspire more walking by more people.