Colners, do you welcome walkers?

People living in and around Colne are invited to a public meeting to see if there is enough local support to put forward Colne as a Walkers are Welcome town.

The meeting, which has been called by Pendle Council's Colne and District Committee, will be held in the Council Chamber at Colne Town Hall on Friday 19th March from 5.30pm.

Local residents and businesses, plus any other interested groups, are welcome to attend.

Councillors from the Colne and District Committee will also be at the meeting, which will be chaired by Councillor Tony Greaves.

He said:

"Walkers Are Welcome towns and villages are places which have something special to offer walkers.

"We believe that Colne and the wonderful countryside around our town does indeed have something special, and are keen to encourage more visitors to the town.

"Colne and Laneshawbridge have 64km of public rights of way which we work very hard to keep well maintained.

"A bid for Walkers Are Welcome status must have the support of the local Council, but it must not be a 'top down' Council proposal.

"We are calling this meeting to see whether there is enough local support to form a steering group of local people to see whether we can get a scheme going based on Colne.

"We believe getting Walkers Are Welcome status would have many benefits for Colne and the surrounding villages, bringing more visitors in to spend money in the town and giving local businesses a boost."

There are a number of criteria which towns must meet to get Walkers Are Welcome Town status.

These include having the support of around 250 local people, and ensuring that the footpath network is in good condition.

For more information about the public meeting on Friday 19th March, contact Committee Administrator Lynne Rowland by emailing lynne.rowland@pendle.gov.uk or calling (01282) 661648.

To find out more about Walkers are Welcome, go to http://www.walkersarewelcome.org.uk/.