Kate Ashbrook: towns 'on to a winner'
A leading campaigner will today tell a gathering that welcoming walkers is good for town’s economy.
With the recession continuing to bite, people are opting to stay in Britain and more are taking up walking for its health benefits. Kate Ashbrook, former chair of the Ramblers, was due to speak at the third annual conference of the Walkers Are Welcome Towns Network.
The conference takes place today at Church Stretton, Shropshire.
Ms Ashbrook, who is also general secretary of the Open Spaces Society and patron of Walkers Are Welcome, said: “Walkers Are Welcome towns are on to a winner.”
“Walkers Are Welcome towns are in a strong position to attract visitors because the community ensures that their local paths are put, and kept, in good order, with waymarked routes and walks leaflets.
Businesses benefit from a town's Walkers Are Welcome status
“Local authority budgets are being stretched and reduced all the time, so enthusiastic volunteers from the Walkers Are Welcome towns are a great bonus to hard-pressed rights-of-way staff, helping to get paths cleared of vegetation and blockages, and encouraging people to use them.
“And walkers are a boost to the town’s economy – which shows the value of investing in the local paths and countryside.
“Here in Shropshire, for instance, the council’s rights-of-way maintenance budget has not been increased for many years – which is in fact a reduction. The council is understaffed for the challenging job it must do on 5,500km [3,418 miles] of public paths, and can only resolve about half the problems that are reported to it each year.
“So the two Walkers Are Welcome towns of Church Stretton and Bishop’s Castle are a bonus. Now we need more Walkers Are Welcome towns in the less-visited North of the county, to help get the paths improved there.”
Ms Ashbrook urged communities across Britain to extend the scheme. She said: “In the recession, walking in Great Britain remains popular, because it is healthy and enjoyable and relatively cheap, and people are choosing to take their holidays at home.
“So what better time than now to become a Walkers Are Welcome town – and to win all round?”
There are currently 32 towns with Walkers Are Welcome status. To gain the designation, the town has to fulfill six criteria, including support of authorities, popular support from residents, marketing of the status, encouragement of public transport, maintenance of facilities and the putting in place of ways of maintaining the status.
