Dear All,

I have just received this news (below) about an update on the maximum number of participants on group walks WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

If you are leading a walk for more than 6 people in the next month I will be in touch to discuss how we handle this.

If you are participating in a walk that was advertised as being for more that 6, please wait to hear from your walk leader, or contact them in a few days if you have not heard from them.

This is unfortunate, but we will try to manage the situation so that none of you that have booked a walk are disappointed.

Anne Brown

Dorset LDWA Walks Secretary

dorset.ldwa.walks@gmail.com

Email sent to all Local Group Chairs, Secretaries and Walks Secretaries on behalf of David Morgan, Chair, LDWA

On 30.11.20 the LDWA National Executive Committee (NEC) met to discuss the return of LDWA social walks and challenge walks based on the advice and guidance that was available to read on the UK gov.uk website (England). A statement was released during the evening of 30.11.20.

On 02.12.20, the NEC learned that the gov.uk website had been further updated on 01.12 and again on 02.12. As a result of reading the information added since 30.11.20, the NEC met at very short notice on 02.12.20 and again on 03.12.20 in order to read, digest and interpret the latest addition to the UK gov.uk website. The NEC is deeply unhappy at the distinct lack of clarity contained within the gov.uk website. The NEC has made the following decision that is to be adhered to with immediate effect.

1. No Local Group walks in Tier 3 areas.
2. Local Group walks can take place in Tiers 1 and 2 but there will be a maximum of 6 walkers.
3. No Challenge Events can take place in Tier 3 areas.
4. Challenge Events can take place in Tier 1 and 2 areas but Walk Organisers must liaise with the National Executive Committee prior to advertising the event.
5. Anytime Challenge Events can take place in Tiers 1, 2 and 3.

If an Anytime Challenge Event is hosted in a Tier 3 area, only members who live in that specific Tier 3 area can participate.

Members who live in Tier 3 areas cannot enter Anytime Challenge Events hosted in Tiers 1 and 2.

If you are interested in understanding the reasons as to why it has been necessary to impose the restrictions, please read on…………..

The website page that was added on 01.12.20 and amended again on 02.12.20 and 03.12.20 that has altered the position of the NEC can be read at:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-grassroots-sports-guidance-for-the-public-and-sport-providers

The UK (English) Government states “Where people can participate in sport and activities with others, it must be done as safely as possible. That is why the national governing bodies of each sport must produce an action plan to set out how people can participate in their chosen sport safely”.

“ ‘Organised sport’ refers to sport which is formally organised by a national governing body, club, public body, qualified instructor, company or charity, and which follows the sport’s national governing body’s guidance. Organised sport benefits from a departure from some restrictions (such as outdoor organised sport being exempt from legal gathering limits) not just because of the benefits of sport and physical activity for mental and physical wellbeing, but because the organising body has considered the risks and set out ways to mitigate them so people can participate safely”.

We then learn that organised outdoor sport is exempt from legal gathering limits across all levels, but modifications to high-risk activities should be made in tier 3 areas. The NEC is confident that walking in the outdoors is not a high risk activity.

“This means that organised outdoor team sport and outdoor exercise classes, as well as outdoor licensed physical activity, can happen with any number of participants, as long as undertaken in line with published COVID-secure guidance. This includes personal training and sport coaching”.

“All national governing bodies must undertake a risk assessment for their sport at grassroots level and publish guidance on how to participate safely. The considerations and key principles that NGBs must take into account are set out below”.

So, at this point it would appear that LDWA activities could have continued, but the paragraphs that have undermined the ability of the LDWA to organise sporting events and which focus on our sport state:

“Organised sport participation events such as races and organised walks can take place outdoors but must complete a COVID-secure risk assessment, adhere to legal gathering limits and follow the COVID-secure guidance set out below”.

The document goes on to say:

“In tier 1 and tier 2 areas: organised sport participation events can take place outdoors, but participants must not gather in groups of more than 6 people (unless from the same household or support bubble). Events should follow social distancing guidelines”.

and

“In tier 3 areas: organised sport participation events can take place outdoors, but only if participants do not mix with people from outside their household or support bubble (except in some public outdoor places, including outdoor sports grounds and facilities, where people can meet in groups of up to 6)”.

We wanted to explore the above statements in more detail and did so by liaising with colleagues from other outdoors walking organisations. In doing so, Sport England has been consulted and the advice is that a social walk in Tiers 1 and 2 might go ahead with more than 6 attendees, but ONLY if the attendees walk in multiples of six and do not mix between the specific groups of 6.

E.G. A walk leader decides to lead a group of 10 in a Tier 1 or 2 area. The walk leader will walk in a socially distanced style with 5 other people and the other 5 attendees would have to walk in their own socially distanced bubble and remain separate from the walk leader’s group but visible so that they can see which way to go on the walk.

We have learned that the ‘public outdoor spaces’ are listed as: parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, forests, public gardens (whether or not you pay to enter them), allotments, the grounds of a heritage site, outdoor sports courts and facilities and playgrounds.

Consequently it might be possible to have a social walk with attendees not from the same household or bubble in a Tier 3 area but ONLY if the entire walk remained in the listed public spaces. If it didn’t remain in the listed public outdoor space type, then the attendees would open themselves open to committing an offence by breaching the Tier 3 rules.

The NEC has very reluctantly concluded that the LDWA no longer has any exemption from having higher number participation without excessive and very intrusive rules that frankly would be near impossible to adhere to.

We are deeply sorry that the NEC has made the decision it has and wish to reassure the membership that the current situation will remain under review every week by the COVID Committee at its weekly Monday evening meetings.

David Morgan

LDWA Chair