Following the recent government announcement, and interpretation by the LWDA NEC, it now appears that we will be able to resume some form of social walks programme with effect from Monday 12^th April. Group size will initially be limited to 6: however the committee have decided that, providing there is a split into two separate groups, each with their own designated leader (to be agreed in advance), a total of 12 should be the limit for each event (larger numbers than this can give rise to conflict with local residents, as was discovered at a couple of events in December).

From Monday17^th May groups of up to 30 will be permitted to meet outdoors, meaning that social walks will be permitted up to this limit (Wiltshire group walks have rarely, or never, exceeded this in practice)

All government COVID rules should be followed at events, and the dates above are the earliest that the changes will take place, and may be subject to revision.

Anybody wishing to attend an event should contact the leader in advance and book a place.

Given that there is likely to be a high demand to participate in walks after the restriction on our activities over the last 12 months, and the limitation on numbers in the first phase of relaxation, potential leaders should not feel constrained by the traditional Sunday/Thursday pattern for events. Please feel free to schedule on any day that suits you! A large number of planned walks were cancelled over the last year, so we would encourage the leaders to reschedule these over the coming few months. New walks would obviously also be welcome.

Stephen Carver

Wiltshire Walks Secretary