Free Roadside Bike Repair Service now open to all local key workers

A free roadside bike repair service for NHS Forth Valley staff has been extended to cover all local key workers following a successful six-week pilot.

Charity Forth Environment Link launched The Bike Medic initiative at the end of September to support and encourage key workers to keep on cycling to work during the coronavirus pandemic; especially during the cold and wet winter months.

All local key workers in Forth Valley can now access The Bike Medic service for free by calling 03333 208635 between 7am and 7pm Monday to Friday. General enquiries about the service can also be emailed to bikemedic@forthenvironmentlink.org.

FREE cycle training

Free cycle training for NHS FV staff, family members, GPs, GP Practice Staff, family members. Patients & their carers. Family members aged 16+. There are three distinct modules, depending on your experience:

• Absolute beginners – This session is for people who have always wanted to cycle, but never had the chance. Our instructors will help you develop balance on two wheels before introducing pedalling
• Introduction to on-road – This session is for anyone who enjoys cycling on paths but is nervous about going on road. Our instructors will introduce you to on-road cycling in a range of quiet locations and simple road layouts
• Everyday commuter – This session is for people preparing to commute by bike. Our instructors will cover more complex junctions, route planning, and provide tips on roadside repairs.

For more info see the flyer and the quick guide for essential cycling skills.

Advice, tips and links to local info

Feel happy, boost your immune system and have more energy! Sit less, move more.

So long as you adhere to hygiene and social distancing measures you can golf, hike, canoe, swim outdoors and go angling. Ideally you should stay local and not travel further than 5 miles from your home.

Please see the table below for timescales that will encourage more physical activity to take place if we keep socially distancing and washing our hands.

Golf

There are a variety of golf courses across Forth Valley, click here for guidance about returning safely to golf.

Active Stirling

The five stage Active Stirling Routemap shows what is planned to open and when, in line with the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 Routemap.

See the Active Stirling’s Facebook page for more information, including activities posted daily by the instructors that you can join in with.

For daily workouts there is also FREE access to Life Fitness’s Digital Coach – which gives a new workout film of the day and a range of exercises to do at home.

Falkirk Community Trust – Falkirk Fitness

On the Falkirk Fitness Facebook page there are suggestions about how to be active at home and strength and balance exercises for older adults.

Active Forth referral team have been working hard and have created home programmes & videos for the various classes they teach across all their clubs. This includes:

• Otago Class
• AF Circuits
• Strength & Balance classes

For more info go to the Falkirk Community Trust website.

Clackmannanshire Council – Active Clacks

• Active Clacks YouTube channel – you’ll find video clips you can join in with here.
• Active Clacks Twitter – you’ll find daily challenges and drills aimed at children and families to join in with.

Get Active Sauchie

Get Active Sauchie Facebook – You can join in with any of the following classes – HIIT, yoga, over 50s, circuit training and advanced exercise are all available from this link as well as daily exercises.

Some staff live closer to, or in, Glasgow, similar to our local Partners they have exercises available for people to do at home (or in the garden).

Glasgow Club – There are a lot of great options available from this link; families, challenges; easy / accessible; yoga; outdoors; mental wellbeing.

Glasgow Club Facebook – A variety of classes can be accessed from their Facebook page.

Yoga

Some staff at FVR and Woodlands Resource Centre have, until the lockdown, been taking part in a weekly yoga class. Sarah from SMYL has regular yoga posts on her Facebook page.

Kettlercise

Some staff at CCHC have, until the lockdown, been taking part in a weekly Kettlercise class. Norma from Clacks Kettlercise has regular Kettlercise posts on her Facebook page.

Scottish Ballet movement and breath sessions

Each 10-minute movement and breath session is designed to address physical and mental health and is accompanied by specially created music.

• Health at Hand – for NHS & care workers
• Scottish Ballet: Health at Hand playlist

Stirling University Sport

Some staff may already have corporate membership to the sport facilities at Stirling University. This link is open to all and will take you to their online fitness class timetable. You’ll see there are a lot of great options available to you to try throughout Monday to Saturday from this link.

There are also daily activity sessions you can follow each day from their Facebook page.

Watch this space – something special is coming!

Join the Movement

Sport England – A selection of online exercise platforms with on demand fitness content who either provide free access or offer extended trials. So, whether it’s first thing in the morning, a break from the makeshift home-office at lunch, or a way to kick off your Friday night – this content is here for you, when you need it.

One YOU – Short 10 minute video clips for you to follow: cardio workout, strengthening workout and cooldown stretches.

Workout Wednesday

Bring out your inner Olympian by training with a GB Olympic Team member.

Please click on this link where you’ll see a variety of workout and fitness videos that you can do.

Jog Scotland

From this Jog Scotland link you can download one of these guides to get you walking more or learn to jog.

From the above link, scroll down the page and you’ll see You tube clips you can watch to see how to warm up and cool down (very important steps in your activity, it can be tempting to skip them but worthwhile doing to help prevent any injuries).

There is also the Jog Scotland Facebook page which has posts taking you step by step through their walking and jogging guides. Currently, they are encouraging joggers of all abilities to be part of their Scavenger Hunts so why not join in the fun as part of your daily activity?

Jog Scotland FVR and Stirling Striders

NHS Forth Valley works in partnership with 2 local free, friendly and supportive Jog Scotland Groups to help staff, patients, carers go from 0 to 5Km in around 10-12 weeks. One group is based at Forth Valley Royal Hospital (they are called Jog Scotland FVRH) and the other is based at Stirling Health & Care Village (they are called Stirling Striders). At the moment, both groups are not meeting but we’ll keep you updated of their plans for the future.

NHS 0-5km plan to follow

You can follow this plan on your own in your own time – technically over 9 weeks but take longer if you need to, there’s no rush and the important factor of any activity is to find something that you enjoy doing.

Forth Bike – Free annual membership for all Key Workers

Forth Bike is the electric bike share scheme covering Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire. The bikes provide battery-powered assistance as you pedal, taking the burn out of those hills! The scheme also has stations at Stirling Health and Care Village and Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

This offer includes free annual membership providing a saving of £65. Included in this offer are unlimited 45 minute journeys for one year. This offer is only available to NHS FV staff and essential key workers.

To take advantage of the nextbike or Forth Bike offer email bikeshare@forthenvironmentlink.org.

Free personal e-bike loan Update

To date 60 NHS staff have taken up this offer which is fantastic. Feedback about the bikes has been really positive from our staff both for their physical health and also their mental health and wellbeing. The scheme has proved to be very popular and currently there is a waiting list. When the waiting list reduces and bikes become available, they will begin to promote the offer again. We will keep you updated.

If you would like any cycling or walking advice or help planning a route to cycle to work, please contact your NHS Active Travel Link worker Emma at Emmat@forthenvironmentlink.org who will be very pleased to help you.

NHS Forth Valley Cycle to Work Scheme

Following feedback from staff, NHS Forth Valley raised the limit on the amount you can spend on a bike and equipment via the Board’s Cycle to Work Scheme. Members of staff can now select bikes and equipment up to a value of £2,000. This increase has opened up the scope of e-bikes staff can access via the scheme.

Please note payments are taken from your salary over 12 months to cover the full purchase cost. Colleagues are advised to read the terms and conditions before signing up to the scheme. Click on this link to start your application.

The Big Bike Revival

Many key workers are using pedal power to commute, exercise and make essential trips. The Big Bike Revival project is offering free bike loans and/or repairs to help even more frontline staff experience the benefits of cycling. Locally the bikes may all be out on loan but you may want to use the link to arrange to have your bike checked over. Find a centre near you.

Walking

Six in ten of us in Scotland are walking more than we did before the coronavirus pandemic (YouGov survey). This is really positive news therefore, if you like, why not listen to the voice of Edith Bowman guide you through some meditations while you walk?

SportScotland Walk and Talk

Go for a walk boost your physical health and also your mental wellbeing – easy peasy!

How to get involved

• Choose a friend, family member, colleague or teammate and set a time for your walk and talk phone call
• Ask each other the questions below to start your conversation
• Each take a photo while on your walk, then send to the other person
• Share both of your photos on Twitter/Facebook/Instagram plus your highlight from the conversation
• Use #WeAreHere and tag @sportscotland @SAMHtweets

Conversation starters

These questions have been developed by our Young People’s Sport Panel, and we hope they will help you to start an open conversation. You can of course move on to any topic you like!

1. How are you doing at the moment?
2. What have you been up to this week?
3. How have you been keeping active?

For more info about Sport Scotland Walk and Talk go to their website.

Below are great links for local walks and also why not use one of the walks and do a Walk and Talk with a family members, a friend, a workmate?

• Walking opportunities around Falkirk
• Walking route around Gartmorn Dam, Clackmannanshire
• Walking routes from Falkirk Community Hospital
• Walking routes around Forth Valley Royal Hospital
• Walking route around Stirling Health & Care Village
• John Muir walking route from Falkirk to Linlithgow

Braveheart

Access the group’s walking tips, newsletter and healthy recipes

Step Count Challenge Update

Throughout May, some NHS Forth Valley staff took part in Path For All’s National Step Count Challenge. Well done to everyone who took part, hope you enjoyed it and keep walking, cycling and moving in the days and weeks ahead. The teams and their steps all add up to an impressive 9,604,800 steps (as at 1st June). That’s like climbing Mount Everest 165.5 times or Ben Nevis 1,090 times!

Well done also to the following teams – Step We Gaily on We Go; 10 Sore Knees; Path Lab Stars; Walkie-Talkies; Best Foot Forward and Walking away from the virus.

Your feedback and photos!

We’d love to see your photos or hear your feedback on what you are doing to sit less and move more at this time. Please email aileen.schofield@nhs.scot.

Choose to Lose – Get Active

Part of the Choose to Lose programme designed to help you lose weight, the get active section will help you find an activity that suits you and find out what’s going on in your area to help you get more active.

• Visit Choose to Lose – Get Active.