This week we've been back in Kent and taking part in our first mob meetings starting 9:30 Monday morning with a Welliemob (dog mob) walk around Mote Park. On Wednesday Anne Marie our personal trainer joined us and has us jogging and running between trees. Given that they met last week some of the participants are already reporting the benefits:

"I feel better mentally" "It gets you out - you just get a bit depressed sometimes" "I've done more walking in the last week than the last three years, I usually only walk from Trisha to the kettle and from the car to the school gates"

One clear benefit of the group is that you feeling comfortable with people you know and aren't too worried about making a fool of yourself. The Welliemob members had found that joining an aerobics class where you don't know anyone - but they all know the steps, as a particularly harrowing experience.

We've been testing the idea of a catalogue of activities and rewards that emerged out of last weeks workshops - it certainly seem like it would work, most people are familiar with Avon, Kleeneasy, Betterware and their small format makes them very portable.

Tuesday midday oustide HSBC we started the first Timemob walk - a fascinating 1.5hour walk around Maidstone city centre led by Doug pointing out places of historical interest on the way. Amongst other things we learn about alms houses, where the mammoth was found in the high street and that 'Trebor' is 'Robert' spelt backwards.

From conversation with the group travel and entry to attractions came out as desirable awards a train ticket or mini bus hire - once the history of Maidstone is exhausted there's Chatham, Rochester, Eastbourne, Canterbury and hastings.

We've also done our first tests, with members of Backmob, of the Qualitative index, a tool to help mobbers be aware of their own physical and mental improvement as well as a way to report this improvement to the system. For a very early stage things went well but it's going to need some work.

Back in London we've been pushing ahead with prototyping the catalogue so that we are able to get responses to a first prototype the week after next. You can see work in progress on the Kent Lyons development extranet.

CATEGORY: HEALTH PROJECT