By Lola Bailey
A young dog walker is hoping others realise how a simple stroll outdoors can really help clear their minds and offer healthy exercise.
Imogen Brown, 25, loves to walk her dogs Ginger and Ted in Aylestone Meadows in Leicester several times a week to clear her mind from a long week at work and also get a workout.
She said: “When I’m overwhelmed or just want peace I will go to the Meadows.
“I walk around for ten minutes or three hours depending on my mood.
“Walking my dogs here has also created connections to people so we are like a community.”
She described the Meadows as a peaceful area to walk but also to take great photos of the wildlife, while the massive fields, and rivers make the city council-run nature reserve an excellent place to tire pets.
The Aylestone Meadows is an 8.8-hectare nature reserve with endless possibilities on how to travel through the area – walking, running, cycling or horse-riding – and maybe if a child is lucky on their parent’s back.
Imogen said: “It’s also a great workout if you’re not a big workout person.
“I’m not someone who would go to the gym in fear of judgement but walking around here makes you hit that ten thousand step goal.”
The nature reserve is open 24 hours a day. There are memorials, Brian’s Bench, a cafe called St Andrew’s Cafe, and many more in the Meadows.
More details are on the Leicester City Council website.
