Supporting adventures in nature for visually impaired

We’re proud to support everyday athletes of all abilities to get out and get moving. That’s why we’re backing the work of the Achilles Melbourne to support visually impaired and disabled runners and walkers to enjoy hikes in rural and regional areas.

People with a disability are approximately 50% less likely to be physically active resulting in many people missing out on the health, wellbeing, and social benefits of exercise.

With that in mind, the Bupa Foundation Community Grants awarded Achilles Melbourne $10,000 to support trail adventures for members and their guides in regional areas that would otherwise be too difficult to reach.

The Bupa Foundation Community Grants are awarded to groups nominated by Bupa people and Achilles was put forward by Natalie Blair, who works in our Melbourne office. She shares her experiences as a guide and why groups like Achilles are so important.

I first started with as Achilles guide in 2016, when the Melbourne chapter of Achilles International was launched with a small membership base. The focus back then was supporting our members to get out and get active by walking or running in organised events like Run Melbourne and the Melbourne Marathon. Over the years, we've developed our club and now also have a regional hiking program.

The Bupa Foundation Community Grant we received this year helped us do just that. The most recent event was the Achilles regional hike at the Werribee Gorge, which isn’t usually easily accessible to people with a vision impairment via public transport. The trail was technical and involved another level of verbal cues for our experienced guides, but it was a fabulous day out and our members loved it.

I started running in early 2016 when I was going through a difficult time in my marriage. Running helped me cope with anxiety and I started entering local running events in Sydney. It was the Mother's Day Classic when I found myself running behind a vision impaired runner and their guide and they basically became my pacers. I was fascinated listening to the guide calling out verbal cues like when to turn on the course and how to avoid obstacles. When I moved to Melbourne soon after, I was looking to join a running club. I thought oh I might look up to see if there's a Melbourne chapter of that club that I'd seen in Sydney, and I found it – Achilles Melbourne!

When I started running, I loved the feeling I got and really felt the positive impact on my mental health during a time of big change in my life. I thought if I can help someone else get out and get active, I’m in. 

As someone with sight, I know I’ve always taken running and being out in nature as a given. But for someone who isn't out in nature a lot because they can't access remote locations, they are so much more aware of their other senses like how it smells and sounds. They’ll ask me to describe what I can see in the horizon, or what is the type of tree they can smell as we hike along the trail.

Supporting people with vision impairment and support their physical and mental health was one of the main reasons for this program. Events are great too, because we train together, prepare for the challenge, and have something to work towards. The hiking events are different again because nature adds that extra element of enjoyment.

The Foundation awards grants of up to $10,000 to community organisations that are nominated by Bupa people.

Roger Sharp, Chief Sustainability & Corporate Affairs Officer, Bupa Asia Pacific said local grass-roots organisations play a unique and important role in supporting people and their communities.

“We want our people to be active in the community and advocate for groups and causes they connect with, and I’m so pleased to award these funds to such a diverse group of recipients that are making a real impact in their local areas,”

“We’re proud to back Achilles Melbourne so they can run their regional excursions over 12 months, that aim to build the confidence of blind and disabled athletes, train locals to guide and support blind and disabled athletes, and grow social connections,” Roger said.