Leisure & Sport Activities

Leisure & Sport Directories

• Lewis & Harris Sports Directory
• Uist Sport & Activity Directory
• Barra Sport & Activity Directory
• Walk on Hebrides Walking Project

Walk on Hebrides Walking Project

Walking is a simple way to increase your physical activity. It’s an all round great activity for all ages and fitness levels, which can improve your health, help you lose weight, make you feel good and it’s free – you just need some comfy shoes!

The Walk on Hebrides project aims to provide opportunities for people across the Outer Hebrides to be physically active through walking.  The project hosts step count challenges, provides Health Walks and training; giving people the skills and confidence to be able to lead Health Walks in their local communities.

We aim to increase the availability of Health Walks across the Outer Hebrides; allowing people to increase their physical activity within their local area.  A Health Walk is a short, social, local, low level led walk that can be adapted to suit the needs of the walkers. Health Walks are free and can be anything from 10-60 minutes.

Cancer Friendly Health Walks

A cancer friendly Health Walk is a Macmillan Cancer Support approved cancer friendly walk, meaning our Walk Leaders are trained to support those attending who are affected by cancer; people living with cancer, their friends, family and carers.  We are currently expanding the availability of cancer friendly Health Walks across the islands. 

Cancer Friendly Macmillan Walks are part of a wider project called ‘Move More Western Isles’.  Move More Western Isles is a Macmillan Cancer Support approved project that aims to provide opportunities for people affected by cancer and people living with long term conditions to increase their physical activity through support and activities such as gentle movement classes, cancer friendly Macmillan Walks, circuit classes and community gardening projects.  For information on the Move More Western Isles project, please contact:

• Lewis & Harris – Kirsty Wade, Move More Activity Officer, tel. 01851 822 800 or email: kirsty.wade@cne-siar.gov.uk
• Uist – Kevin Morrison, Move More Activity Officer, tel. 01870 603 599 or email: kevin.morrison@cne-siar.gov.uk
• Barra – Lisanne Macinnes, Move More Activity Officer, tel. 01871 810 129 or email: lisanne.macinnes@cne-siar.gov.uk  

Strength and Balance Exercises

The project provides training to Walk Leaders, allowing them to undertake simple strength and balance exercises with walkers, which can help to promote independence and reduce the risk of falls. 

Move More

The Move More Western Isles project offers support to help you to become more active and improve your health and wellbeing. It does this by offering you a range of FREE physical activity opportunities.

Move More Western Isles is aimed at people aged over 16 years who are living with one or more long-term conditions (including cancer), and who would like to benefit from support to improve their health by increasing their physical activity. Find out more about Move More by clicking here.

Further information

If you are interested in leading Health Walks in your local community please contact:

Lewis and Harris – Jeanne Mackay, NHSWI Health Improvement Practitioner, tel. (01851) 762015 or email: jeanne.mackay@nhs.scot

Uist & Barra – Marion Matheson, NHSWI Health Improvement Practitioner, tel. (01870) 602 588 or email: marion.matheson1@nhs.scot