HEBDEN Bridge's pioneering work in becoming the first Walkers are Welcome town in Britain has been recognised this week, as the town walked off with one of the prizes in the prestigious Market Town Awards for Yorkshire, presented by the national organisation Action for Market Towns.
Delighted members of Hebden Bridge Walkers' Action, the community group which has overseen the successful launch of the Walkers are Welcome concept, heard the judges at an awards ceremony held in Howden, East Yorkshire, praise both the social and eco
nomic benefits of the initiative. The judges also pointed out that the Walkers are Welcome idea is spreading to other communities in the country, with a number of other towns having already followed Hebden Bridge's example.
Hebden Bridge won first prize in the Partnership and Strategic Development category of the awards, an official recognition of the fact that the Walkers are Welcome idea has been developed through the united efforts of a range of local community organisations and public bodies. To qualify to become a Walkers are Welcome town, communities have to demonstrate that there is support from both the general public and from local authorities, as well as committing to maintaining paths in good conditions and developing facilities for walkers.
The launch of Hebden Bridge as a Walkers are Welcome town in February this year was linked to the opening of three waymarked trails from the town centre, enabling visitors and locals to find their way easily to popular local destinations Hardcastle Crags, Heptonstall and Stoodley Pike. A similar initiative is now being prepared in the neighbouring town of Mytholmroyd, which will itself become a Walkers are Welcome town at an event in September.
In receiving the award, Andrew Bibby, chairman of Hebden Bridge Walkers' Action, thanked the judges for selecting the town. "We're enormously pleased that our work here in this part of Yorkshire has been recognised. We think the Walkers are Welcome idea is one which many other smaller towns and villages will be interested in, too, and we will be happy to share our experiences and offer any advice we can to them."
Mr Bibby said that the Walkers are Welcome status had already brought benefits both to the local economy and to community life.
Hebden Bridge Walkers' Action is currently running 'Stepping Out', a community photographic project which aims to encourage local people to photograph the distinctive flights of stone steps which are a prominent feature of the landscape in the upper Calder Valley. A national conference for existing and potential Walkers are Welcome towns is also being organised by the group, and will be held in Hebden Bridge on October 21.
More information about Walkers are Welcome towns can be found at www.walkersarewelcome.org.uk.
