A GROUP of avid walkers have begun their quest to encourage residents to get fighting fit.
New group Golcar and Slaithwaite Walkers Are Welcome is now officially in business, after they proposed the idea to the community in 2012.
Now, following two years of planning and a £30,000 boost from the Colne Valley Area Committee and months of path improvements, they have become part of the nationally run scheme, which aims to re-introduce everyone to the ‘immense’ amount of walking opportunities in the area.
They recently introduced two large rights of way maps at Slaithwaite Rail Station, which include details of all public rights of way nearby.
Chair of the group, Neil Hanson, is one of those who has gone the distance to help bring their hopes for the group to fruition.
He said: “It’s great that we’re now in a position to share what we’ve been doing and let people know why the area is perfect for walking.
“Our new boards will help people who want to find a good walking route and we are just about to release the first in our series of reproduced walk leaflets, which will give information on certain trails they can follow, the first of which is an exploration around old Slaithwaite. We’ll be putting them in the Colne Valley Museum and want to put them in pubs and cafes around the area.”
The funding has also helped the group undertake much-needed maintenance work on pathways since Kirklees Council began to cut their right of way budget following wider government shortfalls, which in 2013 saw a monetary reduction of 29% and 33% staff drop in staff.
Neil, said: “We’ve been clearing paths of leaves, responding to concerns about ill-marked signs and routes.
“We had been noticing that the rights of way weren’t getting the same level of maintenance they used to get and that we’d like to see so we contacted the council to let them know what we wanted to do, because they had decided not to continue to provide the same level of service.
“We work with them and they ensure us whilst we carry out work but we also act as a pressure group to encourage them to do more.
“We want to raise awareness of the benefits of walking-it’s great for your health and it’s a free activity and we think that the group can help them to do just that.”
