The first of two new orienteering courses was launched in Blandford on Saturday 11 June, when Mayor Colin Stevens and his wife Chris untied the ribbon around the marker post in the Marsh & Ham car park.
The courses are being jointly funded by Public Health Dorset and Blandford Town Council, and supported by the Blandford Group Practice, Wessex Orienteering, Wimborne Orienteers, Dorset Council Rangers and David Cowgill, a local resident.
The first course offers an accessible 2km route suitable for prams, wheelchairs and mobility scooters, as well as a longer 5km route, and everyone is urged to have a go.
According to the NHS, the health benefits of being active including reducing risk of major illnesses, boosting self-esteem, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing the risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Spending time outside and in nature is also great for mental wellbeing, and just 30 minutes of walking can improve cardiovascular fitness, help reduce excess body fat, strengthen bones, build muscle power and increase endurance.
Coaches from Wessex Orienteering and Wimborne Orienteers, who will be monitoring the use of the course, spent the Saturday helping people unused to orienteering get started.
The app Maprun6 is now available to download from wimborne-orienteers.org.uk and is used to collect points at various plaques laid along the route. Returnable maps are also available to borrow from the Whitecliff Surgery, Blandford Library, Tourist Information Centre and Black Cactus Café in Greyhound Yard.
A second Blandford course will be opened later this year based on the Milldown, and they are two of several already available and planned in North Dorset, at Sturminster Newton, Gillingham and Sherborne, and at other places throughout the county.

by Nicci Brown