What They Said about their steps challenge
Since 2015, Dumfries and Galloway Council and NHS Dumfries and Galloway have worked with the Big Team Challenge to deliver an annual workplace walking challenge. The challenges originally targeted NHS and Council staff but were extended to include third and private sector workplaces due to their popularity. Evaluation results have shown the challenges have improved the physical and mental wellbeing of participants while weekly walking journeys have also increased.
The Big Team Challenge Team have continually provided a high quality, professional and reliable service which has made for efficient local planning and delivery. The Big Team Challenge have created a platform which is quick and easy to use for organisers and participants, requiring no technical expertise locally. For example, dashboards allow organisers to see Big Team Challenge engagement in real time while participants can check their team’s progress via a virtual map based on their steps taken. Participants can sync their personal phone or wearable tech to the app/website so their step contribution can be automatically pulled for ease.
The software has built in functionality that encourages ongoing engagement in the challenge for teams and participants. For example, each route travels through several destination points which are often famous cities or landmarks. Teams are notified when they arrive at a landmark with photos and information provided for interest. A progress bar shows percentage of the route completed while leader boards are also available for those participants more competitively minded.
The Big Team Challenge team respond quickly and efficiently to any questions providing excellent support before, during and after the challenge. After each challenge Big Team Challenge staff seek feedback on all aspects of the site with the purpose of improving future experiences for users.
Dumfries and Galloway look forward to working with the Big Team Challenge on the next walking challenge in Autumn 2020.
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Chris Topping, Directorate of Public Health, NHS Dumfries and Galloway
Peter McCormick, Sustainable Travel, Dumfries and Galloway Council