Getting Past the Front Door: Inspiring Local Events to Help Us Move More

In our latest podcast Gareth Dix talks with Pete Ferlie from Age UK Devon about his personal journey through sport and physical activity. They discuss how Age UK Devon is helping our older population move more.

Pete touches on his formative years in sport and how he was inspired by experiences with the London Marathon. He organised 250 local races in 40 years of volunteering, which gave more than 60,000 people the opportunity to go running. For many years he was the Race Director for the Great West Run in Exeter.

Pete talks about the momentum that comes with helping people be active through local events. He goes on to highlight the value of support, communication and motivation when encouraging others to have a go.

Further in the conversation he gives some insight into the work of Age UK and elaborates on the term ‘younger-older’ as part of an active-ageing focus. He gives great examples of new Swim to the Sea and Walking Football projects where Pete himself is often the goal keeper!

He highlights how tough it has been for older adults through the COVID pandemic. He suggests that much of the work is building confidence for people to re-connect with the outdoors.

The podcast concludes with a top tip (and it’s a good one) for helping us to get past the front door and move our bodies a little more.