Colne joins ranks of Walkers Welcome towns

Colne has been successful in achieving the status of accredited membership of the National Network of Walkers are Welcome Towns.

And the Colne Walkers Are Welcome Steering Group, with Pendle Council, is proud Colne is the first town in Lancashire to gain this distinction.

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David Penney, co-ordinator of the Colne Walkers Are Welcome Steering Group, said: “The Walkers are Welcome National Committee voted unanimously in favour of Colne becoming a Walkers are Welcome Town. We met all six criteria required for full membership of the national network.

“In particular, we demonstrated a high level of support for our application to become a Walkers Are Welcome town in petitions with nearly 1,000 signatures.

“We also put forward letters of support from a wide range of agencies including Colne Town Council, Colne Connected and the three parish councils of Foulridge, Laneshaw Bridge and Trawden, as the town designation covers the old district council area.”

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The national Walkers Are Welcome campaign supports the improvement of paths, better facilities for walkers and public transport to reach the countryside.

Coun. Jonathan Eyre, Pendle Council’s Executive Member for Tourism, said: “This is fantastic news for Colne and the whole of Pendle.

“The Walkers Are Welcome accreditation will help us promote Colne and the surrounding area as a great place to come for a walking holiday.

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“The success is down to a group of local people who have been committed to getting Walkers Are Welcome accreditation for Colne. My congratulations go to them along with my thanks for their efforts.”

Coun. Dorothy Lord, chairman of Colne Town Council, said: “We want visitors and residents to enjoy the many walks Colne and indeed Pendle as a whole have to offer.

“The Walkers Are Welcome accreditation has many benefits for Colne and the surrounding villages, bringing more visitors to spend money in the town and giving local businesses a boost.”

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The Colne Walkers Are Welcome Steering Group will now promote this status by:

Placing information of the Walkers Are Welcome and local walks on tourism websites.

Displaying Walkers Are Welcome window stickers in Colne and the villages of Foulridge, Laneshaw Bridge and Trawden.

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Organising the launch of the Walkers Are Welcome Town during Pendle Walking Festival with an exhibition at the Crown Hotel and then leading a specially commissioned circular walk, “Nature’s Way”, which links the three nature reserves in Colne.

For more information about Colne’s Walkers Are Welcome accreditation, contact David Penney on 870076, 07948 203836 or [email protected].