Across the UK many face the same challenges: rising demand for healthcare services, health inequalities and social isolation. In Nottingham, we're delivering personalised active travel support that helps individuals build confidence, improve wellbeing and reconnect with their communities.
Our experienced project officers work closely with residents who are experiencing barriers to active travel; supporting them to take a walk, board a bus or meet a friend they haven't seen for a while. Credit: Centre for Ageing Better
Across the UK many face the same challenges: rising demand for healthcare services, health inequalities and social isolation.
But how can local authorities deliver better outcomes with limited resources?
Barriers to walking, wheeling and cycling can extend beyond mobility and access.
Confidence, social isolation and mental wellbeing can all be factors that affect how actively we travel.
Active travel social prescribing offers a preventative approach, helping people to build walking, wheeling and cycling into their everyday life.
Through our partnership with Nottingham City Council and support from Active Travel England, we have been able to deliver personalised active travel support that helps individuals build confidence, improve wellbeing and reconnect with their communities.
The Travel Well Nottingham programme demonstrates how targeted one-to-one support, as part of our Active journeys offer, can create lasting change.
Every journey starts somewhere. Sometimes, it starts with a short walk, a supportive conversation or the confidence to board a bus again. Credit: Centre for Ageing Better
Rebuilding confidence through personalised support
A Nottingham resident was referred to the Travel Well service by their GP after experiencing a panic attack while using public transport.
They had stopped travelling independently for more than a year, becoming increasingly isolated and reliant on taxis to attend their physiotherapy appointments.
Our project officer, Lyndsey, helped the participant to gradually rebuild their confidence through a series of supported walking sessions.
Starting with short walks to nearby green spaces, they progressively increased their activity levels before moving on to supported bus journeys.
"I've had my first trip on a bus in a year", the participant says. "The sessions are very good. The project officer was nice to talk to and we had lots of lovely chats on our walks."
The participant has not only been able to increase their physical activity, but they also emotionally felt more confident, less isolated and more connected to their community.
Active journeys
Our Active Journeys offer helps more people make everyday trips by walking, wheeling, cycling and scootering.
Through a tailored package of behaviour change and engagement programmes, we work with partners to make active travel a realistic, attractive choice for more people.
From social isolation to community participation
"The team have helped me overcome my anxiety about going out and reconnecting with the dog walking community I had prior to my illness. I now feel confident to join activities I never thought possible three years ago", says another local resident.
The impact of our personalised support was transformative.
Before our help they had struggled with severe anxiety, social isolation and a loss of confidence, preventing them from leaving home independently.
During personalised sessions, the participant was able to reconnect with familiar places and our project officer supported them to attend a local social and exercising group.
The result was not just increased physical activity, but greater independence, improved mental wellbeing and stronger connections to the local community.
By combining personalised support and our active travel offer, we help reduce social isolation, build long-term independence and encourage sustainable active travel habits. Credit: Centre for Ageing Better
Nottingham City Council
Working with Walk Wheel Cycle Trust has been brilliant! Their commitment to enabling and encouraging more people to walk, wheel and cycle really aligns with what we are trying to achieve as a council by giving residents more choice in how they travel and option to travel actively.
They have been communicative and responsive throughout, while diligently meeting all of the council’s monitoring requirements. The Active Travel Social Prescribing pilot has faced its share of challenges, but the team has always been willing to listen, suggest and adapt.
The huge number of case studies they have been have allowed us to see the real impact this work has had on people’s lives. Thank you!
Could active travel social prescribing support your community?
Every journey starts somewhere. Sometimes, it starts with a short walk, a supportive conversation or the confidence to board a bus again.
Our work in Nottingham highlights what is possible when local authorities, funders and delivery partners work together around shared outcomes. The social prescribing pilot in Nottingham has now come to an end, the national programme will be evaluated by the University of Sheffield to analyse the impact and outcomes of the pilot projects.
We work with NHS organisations, Integrated Care Systems, local authorities and community partners to design and deliver active travel programmes that improve health outcomes and address local priorities.
Contact us to find out more how active journeys can support your priorities.
Could it be useful for you? Learn more about Social Prescribing from the Social Prescribing Academy.
