From Newry and Mourne to New York and Tokyo and beyond!

We’ve all had so much practice walking over the pandemic that the clients of AMH New Horizons Newry and Mourne decided to take that to the next level – by traversing the globe!

Clients were inspired by National Walking Month in May to take a virtual World Walk from picturesque Co Down, translating their steps, taken close to home, to the distance of far flung places like New York City and Tokyo on the other side of the world.

The service and its supporters set their sights on walking – and cycling – the equivalent of the circumference of the world – a whopping 24,901 miles – but everyone had so much fun they went all the way to 26,000!

Participants took to paths locally, throughout picturesque brambles and bushes, tow paths and the tarmac to clock up 2000 steps for every mile around the globe.

The organisers even enlisted the help of swimmers – including tiny bathers and paddlers – who helped clock up the distance in the waters off the Co Down coast, during the month-long event which was geared towards raising funds for AMH New Horizons Newry and Mourne service.

The annual focus on walking goes hand-in-hand with another yearly event, Mental Health Awareness Week, which this year shone its spotlight on connecting with nature.