Derbyshire County Council has approved £80,000 in funding for the Walk Derbyshire programme, which focuses on supporting new walking opportunities within the local community, with a focus on people who are inactive or living in areas with higher health inequalities.
Derby City Council and Active Partners Trust are kicking in an additional £80,000 to deliver the programme.
The funding will support development of healthier communities through working with partners to enable more people to walk more on an everyday basis and further expansion of the Walk Leader initiative, and other walking campaigns, including the launch of new routes.
The goal aim is to provide increased opportunities for Derbyshire residents to walk more, leading to a reduction of inactivity levels and improved health, wellbeing and social connection.
In the past year, Walk Derbyshire trained 131 people through its Walk Leader Accreditation Scheme, supported the development of nearly 100 individual walking groups. The programme also saw total attendance of around 25,000 walkers.
Walk Derbyshire is still looking for walk leaders to add to the delivery of the initiative.
The organisation has worked with communities over the past four years in eight different areas to identify the barriers that residents face in adding walking as a part of their daily lives. The council said by working strategically with local partners, this has resulted in significant improvements to walking opportunities, better access to trails, provision of extra benches and upgraded signage.
Cabinet member for Health and Communities, Dawn Abbott, said: “I’m thrilled to announce this extra funding to help boost the provision of the walking offer here within our county! Walking has lots of benefits for residents: better physical and mental health outcomes, the opportunity to meet other local people and the forging of stronger relationships within our communities.”
The money announced is allocated from the 2026 to 2027 Public Health Grant.
