HEADLINES
Walk England coordinating delivery of 2,012 Active Travel Routes: Feb 2009
As part of the Government's new national Physical Activitiy Strategy, 'Be Active, Be Healthy', Walk England will be coordinating the delivery of 2,012 Active Travel Routes across England.
An innovative initiative, inspired by the Games, the idea has been designed to let more people be more active specifically in their local area and to be able to record just how much more active they are online. Walk England plan to work with colleagues in Natural England, local authorities, County Sport Partnerships, health walk leaders and other walking ambassadors to develop labelled routes that can provide walkable connections for local people to use as part of their everyday journeys. Participants will be able to upload their own routes, share their favourites with friends and annotate them with their own images and comments.
The new feature will be added to this existing Walk England website as the first of a series of public facing tools that are planned to engage the huge numbers of people who are currently frustrated at the lack of coordinated information explaining where they can walk, how long it’s going to take them and what sort of welcome they are going to get when they try it.
Jim Walker, CEO of Walk England, said ‘I’m delighted that the Health Minister has taken the initiative to coordinate government and ensure people’s health is a priority in policy decisions’. Nearly a third of us are now not active enough to benefit our health and we know that the most likely and quickest way of improving the situation for the most number of people is to encourage more people to walk and cycle as part of their daily lives’.
For further information on walking and physical activity please contact Veronica Reynolds at Walk England on 077748 965 090 or email her here. You can read the Walk England Press release here.
New Stakeholder Working Group: July 2008
Natural England has announced the membership of a new Stakeholder Working Group on Unrecorded Rights of Way. The new working group will look at issues around recording old routes for walkers, horse-riders and other countryside users. These routes exist legally, but have not been captured on the official maps. The members of the new Group will: consider the issues and difficulties associated with the recording of pre-1949 public rights of way that are not currently shown on the definitive map and statement maintained by highway authorities; work together with the aim of reaching agreement on a balanced package of strategic reforms in law and procedure that in the Group's view would bring real benefit to the various interests potentially affected by the claimed existence of such rights...More info
In November 2007 highway authorities across England were due to have published a Rights of Way Improvement Plan, following guidance from The Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). Approximately two thirds have completed their plans which have been reviewed by independent consultants The Access Company. The Plans represent a significant shift in the way Rights of Way networks will be managed in the future in England, taking account of new Open Access legislation, the government’s plan to open access to the coastline of England and ensuring that investment in the rest of the network is targeted to where we are going to enjoy it most.
Walk England hopes to publish the summary report on the review of ROWIP’s here shortly. In the mean time if you think you have a particularly good rights of way network, a favourite trail or a policy that you are proud enough to want to share with others please do let us know.
More active older people?
According to Sport England the number of adults across England who regularly participate in sport and active recreation has increased recently with those aged 55 and over showing the biggest growth. Sport England’s mammoth Active People Survey shows that the number of adults participating in 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport or active recreation three times a week, has increased by 359,423 since 2005.
If you see a story that you think people interested in walking for recreation should know about please let us know.