Gomersal, Yorkshire - Nov 2026

One of the joys of living in Gomersal is having Oakwell Hall and Country Park on our doorstep. Oakwell Hall is a beautiful Grade 1 listed Elizabethan manor house furnished as a 17th century home, with over 110 acres of country park surrounding the hall. Charlotte Brontë visited the hall in the 1830s and the hall lives forever as ‘Fieldhead’ in her novel Shirley.

There is a special feeling to be able to link two local historic landmarks, our Moravian Church and Oakwell Hall, so it was a pleasure this summer for our Walking for Health group to choose to meet and walk at Oakwell Hall.

Gomersal Walking for Health group meets once a month under the leadership of Victoria Wright, and we are very grateful for her input and planning.

Walking is a simple way to boost your mood, reduce anxieties and improve well-being. When you walk with a group it gives opportunities for connection and friendship.

This visit for our group ensured that we enjoyed the benefits of nature, exercise, companionship, and history. Truly a win-win activity that helped our social, mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

If anyone is interested in starting a walking for health group more information can be found online at ramblers.org.uk or check with your local authority.

‘Walk and be Happy, Walk and be Healthy’ as Charles Dickens wrote (Household Words, 1858).

Sr Karen Norris