Map Grab yesterday - some still left!

Our Map Grab happened yesterday, and we had great fun meeting the public and some of the project's followers. We has a small stall at Mountain Warehouse, who had kindly agreed to host us. Their shop in the High Street, nearly opposite the Town Hall, has a comprehensive range of hiking and walking gear. Thanks for visiting our Walk to Work Week stall, and chatting with us; we have some good ideas for how we can take our project forward in 2010.

"Colchester Walking Map" is already proving popular. There are two leaflets at present, covering North Colchester and East Colchester. Both sheets include North Station, and East also includes the town centre. The maps fold out to A3 size, and there's lots of information and links to further travel and health information.

The map is the result of teamwork. Design work was funded by North East Essex Primary Care Trust, recognising that encouraging people to become more active can help address the growing obesity problem, and the extra demands for health care that come with that. The designers were Steer Davies Gleave, working on information supplied by "Colchester Walk to Work", "Colchester2020 Travel Plan Club" and "Walk Colchester". The printing was funded by the Travel Plan Club, to help our community to reduce traffic congestion and our carbon footprints, and to contribute to the wellbeing agenda.

Contact us if you would like a copy of the maps, or pick them up at the Visitor Information Centre at the corner of High Street and Queen Street.

Walking map photoshoot

Thanks to our great modelling walkers! It has been a super week for walking, with the longer daylight and sunny weather. Here are some Health Walkers, and friends of Colchester Walk to Work, at Middle Mill, helping with some promo photos.

Some pics will be used on the soon to be launched Colchester Walking Map. The cartographers are finishing design and plotting, now having full information about routes, text and photos.

From now on we will be concentrating on promoting our walking week events, and we look forward to meeting many of you over the next few weeks.

A dozen W2W supporters model for Walking Map

Sunshine was booked and delivered for our photoshoot today. About a dozen "walk to work" supporters responded to an appeal for models to appear on our walking map and leaflet. Photographer Dave Higgleton took pictures at the Hospital, Station, University Quays and Dutch Quarter, illustrating some of the great routes to walk in Colchester. Thanks to our supporters for turning out today.

Last week, the first draft of the walking map and text was completed, and sent to the cartographers, and we look forward to the first proof coming back soon. Some of today's photos will be used on the map.

Our aim is that the map will be ready for launching at our "Map Grab" event at Mountain Warehouse on Monday 26 April. We hope you like it.

Map Grab, Monday 26 April, Mountain Warehouse

There is no sneak preview of the new map on here! Colchester Walking Maps will be launched on Monday 26 April at Mountain Warehouse, the outdoors shop selling funky clothing and equipment, opposite the Town Hall. Come and meet some of the Colchester Walk to Work team, and collect your first edition Colchester Walking Map. We will also have information about Colchester Walk to Work Week events.

We will be around from 8:00 am, so you can catch us on your way to work on Monday. We hope to meet you, hear your walking stories and persuade you to take part in our events - our Walking Party, our photography competition, our walk to work challenge, Health Walks, our picnic, Ghost Tour and the Hiking Hardy talk.

And please join our Facebook group "colchester walk to work".