Welsh towns urged to make walkers welcome
October 2007
Chairman of the Ramblers’ Association (RA) Kate Ashbrook will
celebrate a North Wales town as a ‘model for Wales’ as it
launches its new official ‘Walkers are Welcome’ status this
Saturday (October 6th).
Kate Ashbrook will be a keynote speaker at Saturday’s ‘Walkers’
Day’ launch event in Prestatyn, 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
10.15am by Roger Thomas, Chief Executive of the Countryside
Council for Wales (CCW).
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. Prestatyn is the first Welsh town
to achieve the new status, which is supported by local councils,
and follows Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire and Moffat in Dumfries.
RA chairman Kate Ashbrook said: “The Ramblers’ Association is
delighted to see Prestatyn officially designated as the first
Welsh 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 and communities
in Wales, encouraging as many people as possible to go for a
walk—and encouraging the local authorities to get their paths in
good order.”
“With nearly half the paths in Wales difficult to walk, the
Walkers are Welcome initiative will provide a new incentive to
get Wales’s path network in tip-top condition.”
The Walkers are Welcome status will be formally launched with a
Walkers’ Day festival in Prestatyn on Saturday. The free event,
from 10.15 am, offers a range of workshops, stalls and guided
walks and is open to all.
For more information on the Walkers are Welcome initiative visit
www.walkersarewelcome.org.uk