NEWS RELEASE
Dennis Canavan: “Walking is the key to an effective 2014 Legacy”
Roseanna Cunningham: “A catalyst as we count down to 2012 and 2014”
Ramblers Scotland has unveiled ‘Walk Homecoming 2009’, the first step in a six year programme to get Scotland fit and active in time for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014. The project was launched this morning by Dennis Canavan, President of Ramblers Scotland, at Perth Concert Hall.
Dennis Canavan said: “Walking is the key to a successful legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games. It is something almost everyone can do. It’s free, enjoyable and an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. There is a consensus that the Games should have a legacy of getting people more active and improving their health. If that is to happen we need to promote walking wherever we can. We have left the starting line today with a map, produced in cooperation with Perth and Kinross Council, which shows 15,30 and 60 minute walks around our “walking hub”, Perth Concert Hall. Over the next few years we want to see hundreds of walking hubs established right across Scotland, providing simple, cost effective walking opportunities which anyone can follow in every community.”
Minister for Environment, Roseanna Cunningham MSP sent supportive comments to the event:
“I congratulate the Ramblers on the launch of their “Walk Homecoming 2009.” As an enthusiastic walker, I know that walking is an easy activity, accessible to almost everyone, with great health benefits in the form of physical exercise. What better idea than to promote bronze, silver and gold routes, on this occasion all departing from the Perth Concert Hall, to encourage people to take part, in this special celebratory homecoming year.”
“This event will act as a catalyst, to be replicated elsewhere, as we countdown to the London Olympics in 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. With almost 100 walking hubs already established throughout Scotland, I would encourage more communities to get involved and help promote and sustain what is one of the best forms of exercise. Together we can provide an incentive for residents and visitors to Scotland alike, to get out and about, and for them to obtain the associated health benefits which will achieve a physical activity legacy.”
Dennis concluded: “We are using the Scottish Government’s Homecoming Scotland initiative in 2009, the lead up to the London Olympics in 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014 to promote walking activity and make Scotland healthier, safer and stronger. This is the first step in our ‘Walk the Path to 2014’ plan to promote walking and physical activity ahead of and beyond 2014.”
ENDS
Notes:
(1) Dennis Canavan was first elected to the House of Commons in 1974 and was a member of the Scottish Parliament from 1999 until he stood down in May 2007. He has a long-standing interest in sport and the outdoors – enjoying cycling, hill walking and horse riding. Dennis was Convener of the Cross Party Sports Group in the Scottish Parliament and Chair of the Scottish Sports Group in the Westminster Parliament.
(2) ‘Walk the Path to 2014’ aims to substantially increase the numbers of people walking in Scotland and use the stimulus of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow to help increase physical activity levels across the Scottish population as a whole.
The plan proposes extensive promotion of walking, involving support and expansion of existing work to promote walking, as well as work on new programmes. It also examines the need to develop much better path networks in and around Scottish communities, both for walking and other non motorised activities such as cycling. The proposals target the inactive majority of the Scottish population, including communities suffering from serious social and physical deprivation, as well as young people.
‘Walk the Path to 2014’ can be accessed at www.ramblers.org.uk/scotland .
(3) Ramblers Scotland would like to see ‘medal’ walking routes, to suit all levels of fitness, identified as bronze, silver and gold routes, in all parts of Scotland. On average, the walking times for these routes should be 15 minutes for bronze, 30 for silver and 1 hour for gold routes. Routes should start from walking ‘hubs’ such as post offices and community centres, schools and hospitals, hotels and hostels, cafes and shops, farms and distilleries, bus and railway stations. Every city, town and village can establish any number of walking hubs, all with bronze, silver and gold routes for exploring the local heritage, and almost 100 hubs have already been identified across Scotland. In conjunction with Local Authorities, maps and route descriptions of bronze, silver and gold walks will be produced for each walking hub. These will include information about other walking and physical activity opportunities available close to individual walking hubs.
(4) Ramblers Scotland is the representative body for walkers in Scotland, with over 7,800 members and 58 local groups throughout the country. Our aims are to promote walking for health and pleasure, to develop path networks, to secure access for walkers and to protect the outdoor environment. We are part of the GB wide organisation, the Ramblers, and earlier this week we launched a new logo as part of a rebranding exercise to help widen our appeal to anyone who wants to walk, from a short stroll in a city park to a long trek up a remote mountain.
