British towns urged to make walkers welcome
[16 February 2007]
Chairman of the Ramblers’ Association (RA) Kate Ashbrook will call for a West
Yorkshire town to be a nationwide model as it celebrates achieving a new
official ‘Walkers are Welcome’ status this Sunday (February 18th).
Kate Ashbrook will be a keynote speaker at Sunday’s ‘Walkers Day’ launch event
in Hebden Bridge, where she will stress the importance of walking for health,
recreation and rural economies.
Her talk will follow the official opening of the event at 10.30am by Pam
Warhurst, Board member of Natural England and Chair of Pennine Prospects.
To earn the ‘Walkers are Welcome’ status, towns have to meet six conditions,
including keeping footpaths in good repair, providing facilities for walkers and
encouraging and promoting the use of public transport. Hebden Bridge is the
first British town to achieve the new status, which is supported by local
councils.
RA chairman Kate Ashbrook said: “The Ramblers’ Association is delighted to see
Hebden Bridge designated as the first town which welcomes walkers. Walking is
great exercise and, with obesity on the rise, it is more important than ever for
people to make walking part of their daily lives. We hope this initiative will
be a model for other towns in Britain, encouraging as many people as possible to
go for a walk—and encouraging the local authorities to get their paths in good
order.”
The Walkers are Welcome status will be formally launched with a Walkers’ Day
festival at Riverside School, Hebden Bridge, on Sunday. The free event, from
10am, offers a range of workshops, stalls and guided walks and is open to all.
Three new waymarked trails around the town and surrounding countryside will also
be launched on Sunday. The trails have been developed by Hebden Bridge Walkers
Action, the group which spearheaded the campaign for ‘Walkers are Welcome’
status. In addition Northern Rail are to designate the first two trains into
Hebden Bridge on Sunday as ‘walkers’ specials’. The trains from Leeds and
Manchester will bring passengers into Hebden Bridge in time for the start of the
Walkers’ Day events.
For more information on the Walkers are Welcome initiative visit
www.walkersarewelcome.org.uk