Council puts best foot forward with new corporate campaign
Winchester City Council is pleased to announce the launch of Feet First, its corporate campaign for 2016/17.
The campaign recognises the many benefits of walking, including health, economic, air quality and a reduction in congestion.
Over the next year, the Council will promote walking as the norm for short journeys, or as part of a longer journey, and create the context for change over a number of years so that people have direct, easy, safe, pleasant routes encouraging them to want to walk to school, shops, leisure, work and public transport, as well as for leisure purposes.
Events and activities to appeal to everyone will take place all over the Winchester District for the next 12 months.
As part of the launch, Feet First will support Living Street’s Put Your Feet to Work (PYFW) week-long walking challenge, which begins on Monday 7 March.
PYFW Week is organised by Living Streets, a charity which aims to get people in Britain walking again and to reverse the trend which has seen walking decline across the country over the last couple of generations.
Simon Finch, Assistant Director for Environment at Winchester City Council, said:
This is an exciting project as walking in all its forms, whether it is for leisure purposes or as means for travelling from A to B, has so many benefits in terms of people’s health and wellbeing as well as the environment.
We want Feet First to be inclusive and to engage as many people as possible right across the District and, to achieve this aim, we will be working with partners such as Living Streets and Hampshire County Council. Whilst the project is for 12 months we hope it will be a catalyst for change in years to come.
Cllr Frank Pearson, Portfolio Holder for Environment, Health and Wellbeing, added:
Feet First is a great campaign and I hope as many people can get involved encouraging children to take an interest in their surrounding community and environment. The perfect way to get to know your neighbourhood better is to walk around it.