Each year the Ramblers’ Association (RA) promotes Use Your Paths Week from 20th -28th September to raise awareness of the importance of the footpath network in England and Wales
This year, the Ramblers are keen to promote a theme of ‘Working Together’ and are calling for greater co-operation between all national and local bodies who have an interest or responsibility for using, protecting or maintaining the national footpath network.
The Ramblers’ Association will use the Week to strengthen its ties with such organisations as parish, borough or county councils, highways authorities, the National Trust, Natural England, local landowners, Councillors and MPs as well as other walking groups. During the Week, Ramblers’ volunteers will organise events nationwide drawing together local organisations with an interest in public rights of way.
The Ramblers’Association is also keen to involve other community-based groups such as the Scouts and Guides, the Women’s Institute and the Lions, Rotary Club and Round Table organisations.
Speaking about the theme of Working Together, Adrian Morris, Head of Rights of Way said: ‘The Ramblers has always believed that open and useable path networks play a vital role in connecting communities – in many different ways. The physical links are obvious, but there are also the valuable social ties that paths create, as well as links to rural and urban environment they provide. Too many people see footpaths as a recreational resource for a minority. By working together with a diverse range of other local organisations we hope to prove that our path networks are much more than this.
The challenge is in making this case effectively to the tier of local government which holds the purse strings”.
Ramblers’ Association volunteers work year-round to keep footpaths open and accessible for everyone to enjoy. By joining forces with other stakeholders, it is hoped that more can be done to improve the state of the 140,000 mile footpath network across England and Wales, one of the most ancient footpath networks in the world.
Information about Use Your Paths Week visit http://www.useyourpaths.info
