Widening participation in walking
Activation of active travel project specification
Project Brief - Context
Lancashire County Council has been awarded funding to improve walking and cycling facilities and to boost active travel uptake.
The Activation programme is taking place across multiple local authorities in Lancashire. It aims to put in place soft measures to support and encourage residents to change their behaviour and use existing active travel infrastructure.
The Activation programme will support Preston in achieving its priorities by helping residents, particularly underrepresented groups, to access active travel.
The programme also advances the Council's Community Wealth Building agenda by enabling collaborative work with local partners to empower residents to use local assets for social and environmental benefit.
Preston has a range of existing active travel resources and infrastructure such as Avenham Park, Moor Park and The Guild Wheel.
Further active travel developments and public realm improvements are also ongoing, funded by national schemes such as the Levelling Up Fund and the Towns Fund.
The Activation programme will encourage behaviour change and modal shift of residents so that the usage of these facilities is increased, and more short journeys are completed on foot or by bike rather than by car.
The programme comprises of three projects:
- Supporting cycle commuting project
- Accessible cycling events project
- Widening participation in walking project
Together, these projects will build the confidence and skills of residents in the city to support them in taking part in active travel. They will particularly target underrepresented and vulnerable groups such as ethnic minority communities, those living in socio-economically deprived communities, and those with a disability or long-term health condition.
Programme Outline
The 'Widening participation in walking' project aims to increase the uptake of walking for underrepresented groups in the city such as ethnic minority groups or those with a physical and/or mental health condition.
The project will train a network of walk leaders who will then lead walks on a voluntary basis for residents, who can take part free of charge. These walks will explore different areas of the city, this will help residents to discover local amenities and build their confidence to go out on walks in these areas on their own or with friends/family in the future.
The group-based nature of the project will encourage social connection and reduce isolation, this may bring mental health benefits to those involved.
Additionally, walkers may experience improved physical health owing to increased physical activity levels.
The walks should be open to all residents, as a result equipment such as mobility aids should be provided to ensure accessibility.
The main project activities are as follows:
- Developing a network of walk leaders - A minimum of 8 walk leaders will be trained, some of these leaders will also undertake first aid training.
- Volunteer led local walks - Trained volunteers will then lead walks on a voluntary basis to explore some of the city's assets like the parks. These walks must be inclusive, therefore some of this funding will be used for mobility aids, wheelchair hire, water bottles, and travel costs to the location.
The project will deliver sustainable benefits to residents as the network of walk leaders who are willing to lead walks on a voluntary basis will allow walks to continue in the future.
The appointed organisation must have the relevant policies and procedures in place to run these events such as DBS checks, safeguarding procedures, data protection policies, and relevant insurance.
Financial Profile
A total of £10,000 of grant funding is available for this project.
Outputs
Output | Target | |
|---|---|---|
Developing a network of walk leaders. | Minimum of 8 new walk leaders will be trained. | |
| Inclusive led walks to support local residents to explore the city. | A minimum of 15 walks must be held. | |
Project Timeline
| Deadline for receipt of applications | 18 November 2024 |
| Notification of application outcomes | Week commencing 2 December 2024 |
| Issuing of grant agreements | Week commencing 16 December 2024 |
| Project delivery commences | 5 February 2025 |
| Project delivery ends | 6 February 2026 |
| Final project report | By 28 February 2026 |
Project Milestones
| Milestone | date |
|---|---|
| Clear project plan developed and approved by Preston City Council | 3 March 2025 |
| Project marketing materials have been distributed in the community. | 4 April 2025 |
| A minimum of 8 walk leaders have been trained. | 30 May 2025 |
| A minimum of 5 walks have taken place. | 11 July 2025 |
| A minimum of 10 walks have taken place | 29 August 2025 |
| A minimum of 15 walks have taken place. | 31 October 2025 |
| All planned project activities have been delivered. | 6 February 2026 |
| A short project evaluation including data on attendance, impact and lessons learned is submitted to Preston City Council. | 28 February 2026 |
How to apply
To apply for the Activation of Active Travel Commissioning Fund - Widening participation in walking, please complete our online form.
Apply for the Activation of Active Travel Commissioning Fund - Widening participation in walking
If you wish to apply for more than one of the grants, a separate application form will need to be completed for each project.
Please note that there is no 'save' function on the online application form, so this needs to be completed and submitted in one go.
We recommend that applicants download the PDF version of the application form. (PDF) [187KB] and formulate their responses before completing the online form.
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