Mental Health Awareness week this year is focusing on the benefits regular activity can have on mental health, so we’ve been looking at ways to be active locally. You can read more about the impact activity can have at The Mental Health Foundation.
Walks around Knowle
Knowle is situated in the heart of the countryside with close access to parks, nature reserves, public footpaths and the Grand Union Canal. You can choose the length of walk, from a lap of Knowle Park to a half hour circular route taking in the Grand Union Canal to longer walks taking a few hours.
Short walk down the Grand Union Canal
This short one and a half mile walk from Knowle Parish Church to the Grand Union Canal is mainly flat, with no stiles or gates. The towpath can be muddy, particularly after a spell of wet weather.
- Starting at Knowle Church, walk away from the High Street through the churchyard, turning right at the footpath to take you to the Children’s field.
- Turn left onto Kixley Lane and across the canal bridge.
- Join the towpath from the canal bridge, turning left, walking along the towpath with the canal on your right.
- Walk under the next canal bridge and take the rising path on the left just after the bridge to join Kenilworth Road.
- Taking care to cross the Kenilworth Road, cross over to the opposite side of the road to the pavement and follow the road back to Knowle Church.
If you’d like to know more about the heritage of buildings along this walk, then use Knowle Society’s walk to discover the snippets of local history. If you’d like a shorter walk, Knowle Society have produced a 3/4 mile walk along the High Street sharing the history of some of the listed buildings dotted along the Warwick Road.
Access to Sport
There are two tennis courts available to hire for free in Knowle Park, as well as exercise equipment along the footpath around the park. For more information and to book a tennis court, visit Solihull Council’s booking site. You can find out about more pitches and courts available to hire in Solihull’s parks at Solihull Council.
Sports Clubs
If you’d like to take part in sport with others, Knowle has a range of sports clubs including Silhillians Sports Club offering a range of team sports for children and adults of all abilities. Sports for individuals and teams available at the club include in rugby, hockey, football, rifle, squash and cricket. The Robins play in the Warwickshire Cricket league at Knowle Cricket Club. There’s also clubs for tennis, football and running.
Movement through Dance
For younger people, there are dance classes in Knowle including a range of classes at Warwickshire Dance Academy.
Get Active in Solihull
To find out more about local clubs in Solihull visit Solihull On the Move. This website provides information on the borough’s places where you can be active such as leisure centres, the ice rink, parks and open spaces. There is also a section listing clubs and groups, a section on how to move more at home and information for club volunteers.
You could also take part in Street Tag, a new interactive app that encourages communities and schools to become more active by walking, cycling, scooting and rolling.
Where to seek support
The 2024 mental health awareness campaign focuses on every mind matters. You can find out more or seek support at:
- The Mental Health Foundation – https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/public-engagement/mental-health-awareness-week
- Every Mind Matters NHS campaign – https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters
- Mental Health Charity Mind – https://www.mind.org.uk/
- The Samaritans – https://www.samaritans.org/
