Benefits of the Trent Vale Trail
The Trent Vale area is being developed constantly, providing more and more places of interest, activities and sports. The Green Tourism will be good for the local businesses and we all know the benefit of regular exercise.
"Exercise can be the best medicine"
Picking up the newspaper or watching the news we keep hearing statistics about the importance of exercise. Here are a few thoughts which you may be able to relate to:
According to one study of 334,000 people by researchers at the University of Cambridge, just 20 minutes exercise a day cuts your risk of premature death by almost a third. Yet Public Health England (PHE) has found that four in ten middle-aged adults – six million Britons – are failing to manage even one brisk 10-minute walk a month, increasing their risk of developing potentially fatal illnesses.
“Taking your brain for a walk is the secret to delaying dementia”.
Exercise, such as walking and cycling, can play a major role in your overall mood as it helps to boost endorphins, or “feel‐good” chemicals in the brain.
Is exercise a great way to lose weight?
The simple answer is “YES”. There is also more and more evidence that managing your weight will reduce your high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Cycling cuts risk of cancer and heart disease - University of Glasgow 20 April 2017
And if all of that is still not enough reason to go out for a walk, jog or bike ride, think about the social aspect of it. You will feel so much better after some exercise in this beautiful wetland area being created for you.
Economic benefits of Green Tourism
Creating a great British wetland area right on your doorstep, will provide new opportunities for local businesses in this rural economy. People will enjoy a drink or some lunch in one of the 4 local pubs/restaurants. Green Tourism will provide job security and job creation for the many small retailers and artists in the local area. The Royal Oak, now run as a community pub, has been fully modernised and it is great to support these kind of local businesses.
It is also recognised that the villages are very much cut off from the main service town of Collingham, where you find things like doctors, dentists, supermarkets, school etc. There is a very limited bus service connecting these places, in the afternoon only. The trail will enable direct access without the reliance on a car.
There are various empty retail units in Collingham despite the fact it is an expanding community. Will we see some of these occupied by new retailers, a hair salon or a local coffee shop as a result of the new Green Tourism.
Also, with the more active use of the area, it is expected that the amount of fly tipping will be reduced.
Below are some links to more information about the various initiatives for Green Tourism and Sustainable Transport...
Sustrans Strategy 2017 – 2022 - Sustrans (April 2017)
Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS) - Department for Transport (21 April 2017)
Torksey Bridge restoration - Railway Paths in partnership with Sustrans (2015)
Trent Vale Landscape Partnership (TVLP) report - Nottingham City Council (2 July 2013)
Cycling in Nottingham - Nottingham City Council (April 2015 to March 2017)