GM Walking Festival back in 2024 to celebrate walking and wheeling

A  celebration of walking and wheeling is set to sweep across Greater Manchester as GM Walking releases the first details of the GM Walking Festival 2024.

To coincide with May’s National Walking Month, which includes Walk to School Week and Mental Health Awareness Week, the GM Walking Festival is a programme of free, organised group walks celebrating the joy and benefits of walking and wheeling as part of everyday life.

Walking has many benefits including meeting new people, getting outdoors, discovering new places, and moving a little more, which is proven to improve long-term health conditions and reduce social isolation.

To launch the 2024 event, GM Walking are calling on all walking groups, community organisations, and individuals to get involved and submit organised group walks as part of this year’s Festival.

Anyone can submit a walk online by Friday 22 March which is a fantastic way to bring people together, help them meet new friends and discover local routes, as well as  building physical activity into existing community events or activities.

Small grants of up to £100 are available via The GM Walking Festival Fund until Friday 16 February to support walk hosts deliver a walk as part of the 2024 festival.

GM Walking Festival organiser at GM Moving, Imogen Halls, said: 

“After the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, it was fantastic to see so many local groups, organisations and individuals seeing last year’s Festival as a catalyst for encouraging more regular walking or wheeling in different settings.

“This year, we’re once again inviting everyone to be part of the festival so we can expand walking’s reach to even more people across Greater Manchester who see this activity as the norm.”

Louise Robbins, Strategic Lead for Walking and Active Environments at GM Moving, added:

“Half of the journeys we take every year are 2km or less and walking and wheeling is a really accessible form of exercise that can easily be built into everyday life for most people.

“We’re excited to be working with partners in every borough of Greater Manchester to support them help more people walk and wheel more regularly and enjoy many health benefits that brings.”

The deadline for walks to be submitted is Friday 22 March.

People who want to take part in the GM Walking Festival 2024 will be able to view the programme of walks on the GM Walking website from April.