Northampton’s Active Quarter has seen a fantastic start to Spring this year! During the colder months, it can feel that little bit more difficult to enjoy being outdoors. There was still plenty of activity last winter though, including the official opening of a new active travel route through Delapre Park.

But now, thankfully, the weather is warming up. That makes it the perfect time to get away from the pressures of modern life and spend time in nature. Whether that’s walking, running, riding, or just…relaxing. And the Active Quarter partner organisations have wasted no time making that happen for people all across Northamptonshire!

April

During what locals were calling ‘Active April’, Northamptonshire Sport held a celebratory Community Walk at Delapré Abbey, marking one year since the Healthy Active Ageing Working Group was formed.

Action for Happiness, who have newly joined the Active Quarter partnership, also hosted their fifth ‘Community of Practice’ event. With inspiring talks and discussions, the network explored themes of getting active and staying healthy. Action for Happiness is a volunteer-led community, working to promote a happier, healthier Northamptonshire.

The Active Quarter also saw some other fantastic outdoor activities, including a ParkPlay taster event at Delapré Abbey and Trilogy Active’s regular Wellbeing Walks.

Celebratory Walk for Active April

May

May was National Walking Month, so it was a perfect opportunity to join in with the many other brilliant walking groups in the area (including those run by Space2Talk and Saints Coffee).

But that’s not to say that being outdoors just means getting active. It’s a great way to reduce stress, feel our best, and spend time with people we love.

Action for Happiness focussed their monthly theme on exploring what gives us purpose and meaning in life. They shared a calendar of small acts we can all do to find meaning, including doing something to care for the natural world.

Meanwhile, Green Spaces Semilong hosted seed and craft workshops as they develop their new community garden; and judging for the ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’ gardening scheme officially began.

Trilogy Active Wellbeing Walks

June

So, what about the rest of the summer? Despite the pace and pressures we can sometimes face, we encourage you to visit some of the brilliant outdoor spaces right on our doorstep (if only for a few minutes).

To quote the Action for Happiness theme for June, “notice beauty, celebrate small wins, and share uplifting moments with others.” You can find somewhere new to explore using our interactive map. And if you’re looking for larger ways to give back to nature, you could join one of the volunteer programmes on offer in the area:

• Northampton Bike Park Volunteers
• Northants Litter Wombles
• Semilong Community Garden Initiative
• Wildlife Trust work parties.

However you spend the warmer months, take care of yourselves and others. And we wish you many relaxing moments out and about in Northampton.

Northants Litter Wombles