Oliver wanted to see how far he could walk!

“Everyone that took part really enjoyed it, it wasn’t just about the amount they walked, but about taking part in an activity they wouldn’t normally do.” said Karen Allen, Outreach team.

Staff and support workers at the Aldingbourne Trust thought it would be great to take part in the Beat the Streets challenge during the Summer holidays, by setting up a challenge between projects to encourage more physical activity within the people they support.  Over 41 people took part across the Trust, collecting 16,370 points, and walking over 500 miles as a team.

“When the Beat the Streets was mentioned, we all thought this would be great fun thing to get as many people as possible joining in.  One of our tenants in particular made a huge effort, Oliver Shippam who has autism and is supported by our outreach team, walked an amazing 85.5 miles and was hugely motivated by the scheme.  Oliver is very competitive and wanted to see how far he could walk”, said Karen.

Oliver wanted to beat the others in the team, so he followed the complete map of Bognor Regis and Littlehampton several times and really enjoyed finding all the boxes.  He also said, “It was something nice I could join in with my family and support staff, and my Mum and Dad did 35.5 miles”.

This week Oliver Shippam and Michael Paddington were presented with their certificates from Katherine from the Beat the Streets initiative, they were both extremely proud of their achievements, and they are both looking forward to taking part in the event again next year.

The Beat the Streets initiative was delivered by Intelligent Health and funded by Adur and Worthing Councils, Arun District Council, The Conservation Volunteers and West Sussex County Council Public Health.  It was to encourage people to get out and about in the local community.  Anyone living, working or going to a school in Worthing, Littlehampton, Bognor Regis, Shoreham and other towns across the West Sussex Coast were eligible to take part.  Schools and community groups competed against each other to see if they could travel the furthest.

To find out more about Aldingbourne Trust and their award winning charity that supports adults with learning disabilities and/or autism to live independent lives, please visit their website www.aldingbournetrust.org.