By now, readers of the Focus may have heard that Abergavenny has recently been awarded the National Walkers are Welcome award, an initiative which first began in 2007 to encourage towns and villages to be ‘welcoming to walkers’. Abergavenny joins only ninety-nine other towns in the UK to gain this top walking accolade.
Members of the Abergavenny Walkers are Welcome Group celebrate on the Blorenge. From left to right: David Shears, Bernadette Erskine, Ruth Coulthard, Ros Grant and Andrew Erskine
How could one possibly describe in just one paragraph what makes Abergavenny so special for walkers? Not an easy task as there are so many positive things to say. Nevertheless, it’s exactly what Ruth Coulthard – chair of Abergavenny Walkers are Welcome Group – was tasked with when putting together the application. But it obviously did the trick, because the accolade was awarded to Abergavenny just last month, highlighting it as one of the recognised UK destinations able to truly offer something special to walkers. Ruth said, “This is one of the best destinations for walking both in terms of places to walk and also the welcome people receive. We are delighted to gain this well-deserved accolade for our town.” In fact, Nigel Bottling, Chair of the National Committee described Abergavenny’s applications as ‘first class’ and that “it demonstrated not only how much the town offers to welcoming walkers, but the enthusiasm of those involved in wanting to improve what’s on offer.”
A lot of work and behind the scenes planning went into the application process, with local residents from a range of organisations and interests coming together last year to form an active working group to make a bid to win this award for Abergavenny. They formed an action plan to promote the town as a top walking destination and to improve what is available for walkers, both for the benefit of residents and visitors alike.
Abergavenny Walkers are Welcome certificate
The group is also delighted that local television celebrity, Kate Humble, has agreed to be their patron. Kate said, “I’m delighted to be a patron for Abergavenny’s Walkers are Welcome. Abergaveny is the perfect base for walkers who appreciate glorious, diverse scenery and want somewhere to come back to that offers great local food and lovely places to stay. Walkers really are genuinely welcome.”
So now that Abergavenny has gained this prestigious award, what happens next? Well, the group hopes to develop a number of projects including creating an online resource for walking, developing packages with local businesses and creating a new range of simple walks from the town centre. It also plans to work with the council to improve the local rights of way network. As Ruth Coulthard points out ,“To keep this award, the town has to show that it is always looking to improve,” and that’s clearly what the group intends to do.
The group now plans to meet regularly to get started on its action plan and to organise a large launch event at Easter where it hopes 100 people with gather on Castle Meadows as part of the celebration. Anyone who would like to join the group will be very welcome. The next meeting is planned for 12th March, 6pm at the Angel Hotel. For more information please contact Ruth Coulthard on 07528 225 751 or email: abergavennywaw@gmail.com
