News on Ardrossan Connections

Now that it is starting to feel more like spring, it feels a little easier to get out and about for walking, wheeling, cycling, or spending time in your local area. There are a couple of campaigns continuing over the next few weeks.

Active Commute Club

You may have already seen on local Facebook groups or heard about the Club through your place of work. If not – there is still time to get involved, as the Active Commute Club is running until the end of March!

The initiative is a great way for organisations to promote health and wellbeing to their staff, as well as reducing employee isolation and promoting behaviours that can have a positive effect on the wellbeing and environment.

If you are currently commuting to work, we encourage to travel more actively on foot or by bike, this can be even one day a week. If you are working from home you are invited to reimagine your commute to suit your current working day. ,This could be a walk or a bike ride in the local area before returning back to your home. This will enable you to use the time previously allocated to the commute to be more active, connect with the outdoors and re-establish the boundaries between work and personal lives.

The club is hosted on Twitter at @SustransScot and #ActiveCommuteClub with some content also on Facebook @SustransScotland

For more information on how to take part and promote in your workplace; including joining the Strava group and getting access to motivational playlists please take a look at the Active Commute Club blog , or get in touch: cat.wright@sustrans.org.uk

Paths for All Walking With Nature Campaign

The purpose of this campaign is to encourage everyone to connect with nature on a daily walk and try to do small things to improve their local walking environment.

Connecting with our environment, as well as improving it can improve our well-being and make us feel a sense of accomplishment and feel good. Not to mention, doing something kind can make others feel good too!

Continuing to the end of March, Paths for All will share tips to help you connect with nature, as well as having a weekly campaign to get involved with and have a chance to win some prizes.

To find out more please visit the campaign page.

An activity booklet has been developed by the team, with a mixture of activities to help young people of Ardrossan feed into the concept design and that will explore:

• Developing disused greenspace for a place to play, spend time in and enjoy

• The history and heritage of Ardrossan and how to celebrate it

• The benefits of choosing walking and cycling over car travel for everyday journeys, such as improved air quality and better personal health and well-being

The booklet will be available to schools, youth organisations, parents and carers within Ardrossan. Please get in touch with cat.wright@sustrans.org.uk if you would like a digital copy sent to you.

We’re moving into the Develop Stage of the Ardrossan Connections project, the team will be running Virtual Design Festival in April to share what the community have said so far and conduct activities to develop inspiring design ideas with the community.

Look out for more information on the website.