Kate Ashbrook previously visited Church Stretton to declare the town welcome to walkers

A conference next month will celebrate the growing Walkers Are Welcome movement.

The scheme has seen a trebling of towns awarded the status in the past year, and 32 places can now display the logo that denotes a walker-friendly centre. The meeting, at Church Stretton, Shropshire, will see delegates from all over Britain converge for a series of workshops.

Walkers Are Welcome was started three years ago, and the first town to achieve the award, which demands six walker-friendly criteria are met, was Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire.

The latest to be granted the accolade is Kingsbridge in South Devon.

Businesses in Walkers Are Welcome towns make their status known

The conference will be held on Sunday, 18 October. In addition to the workshops, there will be talks by those involved in the movement. Kate Ashbrook, former Ramblers’ chair and now patron of Walkers Are Welcome, said: “Walkers Are Welcome has never been more relevant. In times of recession, the extra income which walkers bring is a boost to communities.  It pays them to give a warm welcome.  No wonder the idea is proving so popular, and it has far exceeded the founders’ expectations.’

“This scheme enables towns to weave walking into their daily lives.”

Towns and villages that wish to be granted the status must demonstrate community support for the idea, work to improve walkers’ facilities and promotion where possible of walking using public transport.

Proponents of the Walkers are Welcome scheme say the concept links directly to concerns from rural and market town regeneration concerns, to the Government’s walking for health agenda, and the promotion of green tourism.

WAW chair Malcolm Wilkinson said: “It also reminds walkers that Britain has beautiful countryside – you don’t need to make for the tourism honeypots to find some great walking country.”

Details of the conference can be found on the Walkers Are Welcome website.