Parkhead Walking netball group has more members than ever before and aims to get women active while building friendships and learning a new skill.
Walking netball is a slower and more inclusive variety of the sport that was created in 2017 in a collaboration between Age UK and England Netball.
There are over 200 programmes across the country and more than 37,000 women have got involved in the sport.
Christie White, a qualified netball coach and umpire who runs Parkhead’s sessions, said: “It’s just great to see people get back into some sort of sport. They all say each week: ‘we loved that, thank you.’
“Walking netball is for any age, whatever gender you are.”
The first sessions were only attended by four women, but now up to 16 play each week, as word has spread across social media and in local newspapers.
Mrs White added: “I want them to enter a league, that’s my aim – to get them playing against other people.”
According to Age UK, maintaining an active lifestyle is vital, especially in older age: “Regular activity can lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, some cancers, depression and dementia.
“Being active can lessen aches and pains, help you stay steady on your feet and boost your mood.”
1.4 million older people in the UK are often lonely.
Mary Jeffrey, retired, who has been attending the sessions for eight weeks, said: “It’s been brilliant, I’ve got a whole new set of a friends. I’m a competitive person so I really like the game element.
“This is the first team sport I’ve done since I left school at 18.”
Walking netball has slightly different rules to netball: players can’t run or jump, and are able to take three steps with the ball, rather than one.
Mrs Jeffrey added: “It’s been really great getting back, it’s good for your fitness, it’s good for your mental health. It’s very social, I look forward to it coming every Thursday.”
Despite having never met each other before, the women now regularly meet up outside of the netball sessions, and keep in contact through a WhatsApp group.
“Because we’re all of a certain age, we don’t have to worry about what anybody thinks about us… we are who we are and we’re just comfortable in our own skin.”
