Activate Clitheroe launches with sunny walk and talk

Activate Clitheroe members fording a stream near Highmoor Park

placeholder image — Activate Clitheroe members fording a stream near Highmoor Park

Clitheroe’s new active travel network launched with a beautiful autumn walk and talk in which 17 founding members enjoyed a ramble around town.

Starting at Clitheroe rail station, the route explored Primrose Community Nature Reserve before heading across open country and returning to town via Highmoor.

Activate Clitheroe is a grassroots community movement campaigning for better walking cycling and wheeling infrastructure in Clitheroe.

Clitheroe is a wonderful place to live and work, but its medieval roads network is becoming clogged with traffic. The town centre is a much busier and noisier place than it was even 20 years ago and many of the feeder roads are becoming very congested.

We want to work with the county council, borough council, community groups, schools and businesses to encourage people to leave their cars on their driveways for some of their shorter journeys and explore alternative modes of active travel.

We want this to be a collaborative process, led by the community and designed to meet its needs. This process will not be underpinned by an anti-car agenda – we are simply asking people to consider using their cars less for shorter journeys.

Our priorities include:

· Making it easier and safer for schoolchildren to walk or cycle to school

Activate Clitheroe members visited Primrose Community Nature Reserve on their walk and talk

· Encouraging shoppers to walk or cycle into the town centre and market and do more local, smaller shops

· Encouraging local employers to offer employees incentives for walking or cycling to their workplaces

· Exploring options for partial pedestrianisation of the town centre

· Creating more car parking spaces on the edge of the town centre

Founder members of Activate Clitheroe meet at Clitheroe Rail Station for their first walk and talk

· Hosting a regular ‘cycle Sunday’ when local families and visitors are encouraged to walk or cycle into town.

· Organising more entertainment and events in the town centre to attract locals and visitors alike – these events will prioritise local traders and hospitality venues as opposed to bringing in traders from outside the area

The group is planning a series of walks, talks and rides over the winter months before a formal launch in spring 2025. The next event will be a community bike ride next month.

Anyone who is interested in getting involved with Activate Clitheroe should contact Mark Sutcliffe on [email protected].