HEBDEN Bridge is to be the first place in Britain to receive the accolade of a 'Walkers are Welcome' town.
The community group Hebden Bridge Walkers’ Action, which has been campaigning to get ‘Walkers are Welcome’ status for the town, announced this week that the criteria has now been met.
And a national launch event to be held in Hebden Bridge earl
y in the New Year is now being organised.
“We’re delighted at the way that our campaign has fired people’s enthusiasm. We’ve now received more than the minimum 250 signatures we needed to demonstrate local support for the idea, so it’s full speed ahead,” said Mr Andrew Bibby, chairman of Hebden Bridge Walkers’ Action. “I’d like to thank everyone who signed the petition sheets over the past two weeks, as well as the shops which made space for the petitions on their counters.”
A further endorsement has come from Hebden Royd Town Council, which at its meeting last week agreed to formally support the ‘Walkers are Welcome’ concept.
As a ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town, Hebden Bridge will be able to use its status both to market the area more effectively to visitors and to improve facilities for local people wanting to enjoy the countryside on their doorstep.
The Walkers’ Action group believes it will help strengthen the town’s reputation as a place to come for walking, bringing useful benefits to the local economy as well as helping to ensure that footpaths are maintained in good condition.
High on the list of priorities will be work to improve the signposting of the footpath route from Hebden Bridge to Hardcastle Crags, as well as to Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike.
“We want to remind people that you don’t need to take a car to get to Hardcastle Crags. At the moment, not enough people know how to find the very pleasant riverside stroll there,” said Mr Bibby.
Marketing material for visitors attracted by the ‘Walkers are Welcome’ status will also emphasise the opportunities of using public transport to reach the town.
The idea of a ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town has been pioneered in Hebden Bridge but the concept is now being taken up more widely, both in Calderdale and nationally.
“It will be good if other places follow our lead, but in the meantime we want to maximise the benefits we can get for Hebden Bridge,” said Mr Bibby.
The town’s ‘Walkers are Welcome’ status will be formally launched at a day’s Festival for Walkers, to be held in Hebden Bridge on Sunday February 18. Among the speakers will be Kate Ashbrook, chairperson of the Ramblers’ Association and a well-known national speaker on outdoor issues. The day will also include workshops, displays, stalls, and of course a choice of guided ambles and rambles around the town.
