One step at a time: Meet Heather Conlon

Heather, a retired support worker for people with brain injuries, lives in Yeadon, Leeds.  She is one of the regulars at a health and wellbeing walking group run by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV).  Kirkstall-based TCV Hollybush is part of our growing network of community hubs, which are welcoming one-stop-shops that cater for people’s walking and cycling needs.  Come rain or shine, TCV Hollybush’s Monday morning walking group can be found exploring the city’s green spaces.  We joined Heather and the rest of the gang on one of their favourite walks at Roundhay Park.  

Happy Mondays

“We’re not a walking group that yomps across moors,” said Aine Welsh, Senior Project Officer for Health and Wellbeing at TCV Hollybush. 

“It’s not just about exercise.  It’s about those wider health and wellbeing benefits: friendship, exploring new places, spending time with people and, of course, sharing a cup of tea together. 

“We have clothing and equipment people can borrow, including walking boots and poles, waterproofs, day rucksacks and water bottles. 

“Lots of different people attend - we decide on a route depending on who comes and everyone can go at their own pace.  

“Some people are interested in the wildlife, so we’re always stopping to look at things.  At Roundhay, we’ve seen lots of swans on nests, a damselfly and squirrels in the trees.

“Everybody supports each other, everybody cares about each other.  It’s a place where people can come and belong, and share what they’ve done since we last met.  And some people meet up outside of the group too.”

Heather’s story

“It was 2021, during the second year of the pandemic, when I caught Covid at work,” said Heather.

“I was living in Crossgates at the time and I was a support worker for people with brain injuries. 

“After nine days at home, I thought I was coming out the other side, but then I started experiencing breathing difficulties, which just got worse and worse until I was struggling to breathe. 

“I went to A&E at St James’s and X-rays showed I had pneumonia on my left lung. 

“After seven days I returned home, but I was incredibly weak and in the months that followed, I was still having difficulty breathing and suffering with extreme fatigue.

“I had two more years until retirement, but I was never fit enough to return to work.

“Looking back, it’s hard to remember all the details.  It felt like I had been in bed for two years.  Of course, I hadn’t, you get up to do some things, but even turning over was an effort. 

“My body had been through so much trauma.  I still felt so weak and after such a long period of ill health I experienced muscle wastage too.”

The long road to recovery

“After moving from Crossgates to Yeadon, I knew I had to get going again, to rehabilitate myself.

“I came across Hollybush.  I’d seen it before and wondered what happened there.

“I discovered there was a walking group and it got me thinking about whether I could get-up, get dressed, and make it to the bus stop.

“I started getting to know Hollybush to begin with – there are so many good things happening there, from willow weaving to plant sales, and it’s a very supportive, gentle place. 

“If I didn’t feel up to walking, I could sit down and have a cup of tea there, and that was enough. 

“When I first joined the walks, it was such an accomplishment.  I was slow, but I was moving forwards.

“Everyone was so understanding and nobody gets left behind.  It really helps you get back out there when you’re with a group that understand your health issues and are encouraging you every step of the way.

“Other people might have different challenges, but we’re all doing something for our own wellbeing. 

“And it’s more than just physical recovery, it’s about rebuilding confidence too.  I went from being very busy, working full-time and doing 10-hour night shifts, to two years of being completely flattened, and then wondering ‘What do I do with myself now, what can I do now’.   

“I still need to pace myself, but I’m picking up the threads of where I’m at in my life and discovering what’s out there.

“And I couldn’t have done that without Hollybush – even the transport from the hub to the walks has been so important to me.  I just wouldn’t have had the energy to get myself all the way there and back.

“Everywhere needs a Hollybush.”