Voting with our feet - we joined the Walking Party

Another brilliant day, as the sun shone on our Walking Party. About fifteen people met at the War Memorial, and we made our way along the town streets, through the green link over The Moors, along the riverside path and over the railway footbridge to the Uni. Most of the party were associated with the University.

But some were simply along for the pleasure of the walk, uninfluenced by the prospect of a super cooked breakfast on the Uni campus. It was great to meet some of the project supporters; there are some talented people working on the Walk Colchester project - more about that next week.......

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.

If breastfeeding offends you, put a blanket over YOUR head!

The Facebook group "If breastfeeding offends you, put a blanket over YOUR head" has 212,206 members tonight. Our Facebook group "Colchester Walk to Work" has considerably less.

I am certain that many of the breastfeeding FB group members are not breastfeeders themselves, they simply believe in the principle. Some people have contacted "Colchester Walk to work" to say that they haven't joined our Facebook Group as they don't walk to work. Hey there, you can support us, even if you can't walk to work; maybe you just like the idea?

"Colchester walk to work" is keen on any kind of walking, to anywhere, for any purpose, at any time. We are not here just for hard-core walking purists who conveniently live half a mile from their workplace. We're here for anyone who can incorporate some or more walking in their life, or who supports the vision of more people getting around on foot.

The breastfeeders' campaign is not just a club for those doing it; it's to spread the word about something they are passionate about, and to overcome obstacles that sometimes make it difficult.

So let's do our bit to help people in Colchester who want to make our town more pedestrian friendly. Join up and recruit for our Facebook Group. Thanks for spreading our word.

Who's backing Colchester Walk to Work? Colchester2020 Travel Plan Club

So who's behind this "Colchester Walk to Work" Campaign? Your blogmaster works part-time for Colchester2020 Travel Plan Club, part of the Colchester2020 Local Strategic Partnership.

What's Colchester2020? Colchester2020 is working with many partners to ensure our borough is a great place to live, work, study and visit. Colchester2020 wants Colchester to excel as a regional centre where there are opportunities for everyone to lead healthy lives and to achieve their full potential. To succeed we need to focus on making sure we have a strong local economy and that we continue to find ways to reduce our carbon footprint. For more information please look at http://www.colchester2020.com/ We have priorities for Business education and employment, Healthy lifestyles and affordable housing, Heritage culture and leisure, Safer neighbourhoods, and Transport. The key priorities for transport are reducing congestion, changing travel behaviour and improving the transport infrastructure. The website gives more detail in the Action Plan.

What is the Colchester2020 Travel Plan Club? The Travel Plan Club tackles congestion and reduces carbon emissions by helping Colchester businesses and organisations to reduce the amount their staff rely on the single occupant private car. It does this by offering Travel Plan Club members help and support to introduce a workplace travel plan for their organisation. There's more information about the Club if you follow "transport" links through the Colchester2020 website.

What's a Travel Plan? A Travel Plan offers staff information, incentives and support to encourage them to use sustainable travel options These can range from incentives to travel by bus or train to providing information on timetables, cycle and walking routes, offering cycle training and promoting other options such as car sharing, car clubs, and flexible working.

Who belongs? Membership of the Travel Plan Club is open to any organisation whether large, or small, private, public, academic, charitable or from the voluntary sector, who is interested in reducing its carbon footprint and supporting its staff in using sustainable transport. As well as receiving advice and support, they also benefit from collective negotiation and lobbying power with the transport providers and local/national authorities, and access to discounts, established incentive schemes and marketing material. Currently, Travel Plan Club members collectively employ and represent more than 11,000 staff in Colchester, and another 19,000 students.

What's all this got to do with walking to work? Put simply, walking covers many of the themes that our community has said is important. Wellbeing, traffic congestion, the environment, accessibility, neighbourhoods, leisure........ In the past, the Travel Plan Club have focussed on public transport, car sharing and cycling. Walking has lots to offer many of us, so for 2010, Colchester2020 is supporting the Colchester Walk to Work project. Come and join us.