About Us

The WALX Team are passionate about promoting the physical, mental and social benefits of being active outdoors and believe that walking really is the way forward (excuse the pun!) when it comes to enjoyable but effective exercise.

Having all been in the fitness industry longer than we care to admit, we have seen a few fads come and go and we know that nothing beats the combination of natural movement, fresh air and fun! That’s why we decided to use our expertise to create our ‘Health Club without walls’ where professional Coaches and Guides are always on hand (or foot) to make every step count and every session enjoyable.

Read our story and follow our steps…

Timeline

2021
Feb 13
WALX Director nominated for award

Despite being new to the Franchise world, we are delighted that the work we have done to support our new Franchisees during a very difficult first year has been recognised already . Gill our Director has been nominated for the EWiF New Woman Franchisor of the Year! Gill and the..Read More

2020
Aug 18
On line training launched

To help people make career changes due to the COVID Pandemic we created an online training formula that reduced the need to travel or stay overnight. Our unique Diploma can now be achieved by attending only one practical day instead of 3. The Diploma which is the lynch pin or..Read More

Jun 02
Virtual WALX went live

Our response to COVID 19 was to help our Instructors keep their regular walkers fit, active and engaged. Our team sprang into action to make videos and develop a whole new video and live streaming platform – welcome to Virtual WALX!

May 08
Power of Poles course launched

Spring 2020 will not only be remembered for the Covid 19 lockdown. It’s also when we launched our unique Power of Poles induction course. This innovative and ground breaking way to get people moving with poles means more people will enjoy outdoor exercise for years to come

2019
Nov 27

Once again our team attended the Therapy Expo at the NEC where Martin Christie did a presentation of Activator pole walking for rehabilitation in the arena. The session was really well attended and we were able to advise physios, occupational therapists and other specialists about the types of poles we..Read More

Oct 26
WALX Franchise launched

As NWUK groups began to transition to the new brand, the WALX HQ team attended the Franchise show at the NEC in order to begin the Franchise recruitment process. We have split the UK into territories and are looking for inspirational, motivated people to build a team that will deliver..Read More

Oct 10
WALX groups begin to appear

During the Autumn of 2019 some of our most experienced NWUK groups began the transition to the WALX brand so they could encourage more people to come along and join them. Sam Armstrong, pictured has been with NWUK for over 10 years and in that time has built up a..Read More

Sep 14

The 2019 Purbeck Nordic Walking Festival was held in our iconic location nestled under Corfe Castle in Dorset – the 4th event we had held in Purbeck, it was 3 days of walking , talking, eating and learning with a fair bit of dancing and singing thrown in too! With..Read More

Aug 01

Following a year of consultation and two years of planning we launched our NEW BRAND……………. WALX at Countryfile Live 2019 and Ellie was one of the first to discover it! WALX is our trademark protected name that not only helps us to appeal to a wider community (no poles required!)..Read More

Jan 16
BBC One show

2019 started with a media frenzy as NWUK teams appeared on the One show and Julia Bradbury’s favourite Walks in the January. More opportunities for the Purple people to mingle with the stars as they helped to promote the message that outdoor exercise was fun and effective!

2018
Sep 14

By 2018 we had outgrown the Festival field in Swanage and wanted our own exclusive location in a more central position with better transport links. Our stunning Festival HUB in Corfe Castle was a great hit…views of the Castle, walking distance to the Village and with great bus and even..Read More

Aug 03
Countryfile Live 2018

Back at a very hot Blenheim Palace – the team managed to keep the demos going as crowds ran for shade in 30 degree temperatures! Gill was on stage talking to local radio and Instructors form all over the UK took it in turns to spread the word about Nordic..Read More

Jun 09

Back in the Lakes again with our trusty trailer and Dome – fingers crossed for good weather and the chance to actually meet people this year! What a difference form the storms of 2017 – it was HOT HOT HOT and we had packed Taster sessions and huge interest on..Read More

2017
Sep 15

The word was out….. Nordic Walkers wanted to get together, learn more and enjoy amazing walks. Once again despite a massive storm removing our Marquees the night before, we managed to host a fantastic second festival event in Swanage. Over 500 people joined us for the iconic walks, challenges and..Read More

Aug 04

Back at Blenheim Palace for Countryfile Live and this time it was Ellie who got the Nordic Walking demo! Our team had a ball down by the Riverside as we encouraged folk to pick up some poles and experience the whole body workout! We even added a song and dance..Read More

Jun 03

The HQ Team were getting more requests to attend shows, exhibitions and festivals so enter the BIG PURPLE DOME! There would be no missing the NWUK Team from now on that’s for sure! The Dome was a massive hit at the Keswick Mountain Festival and it even survived the storms..Read More

Apr 01
Gill speaks at WI Fair

The WI held their UK Fair at Alexandra Palace in 2017 and Gill was invited as expert speaker to talk about walking, the benefits of using poles and how being outside can benefit your health. The ripple effect was that local Instructors were invited to speak to their local WI..Read More

2016
Sep 17
First UK Festival in Purbeck

Following the event in Seville, we thought it was time to get to know the Purple people across the UK so we got together with a local running Marathon event and created the Purbeck NW Marathon and a shorter but equally hard 16 mile challenge. To make sure all levels..Read More

Aug 12
Featured on BBC Breakfast

Mike Bushell from BBC Breakfast came to Purbeck to film the HQ Team with the local group. He had a go at learning the basics before joining the group for a scenic walk. Along the way he chatted to them about the benefits they had experienced and also remarked on..Read More

Aug 06

In August 2016 we joined the Countryfile Live Team at Blenheim Palace – Instructors from across the UK manned the stand and helped with Tasters and Demos. We managed to chat to Adam and other presenters from the show about Nordic Walking too

WORKING