Hi Gerry, sorry for the delay in replying to this forum question - only just spotted it. Any group can use the Local Group Website Template and there is no cost attached to that, only your own time setting it up.

It was originally introduced to encourage those groups who did not have their own website to develop a few pages to promote themselves when it was clear the web was becoming the ultimate marketing medium. It is therefore by the nature of its purpose quite a simple template and has at the moment quite limited formatting options - but we are looking to develop those. You can store on it anything you like within the chapters of past events, future news of forthcoming walks and then you can create separate pages if you want to promote challenge walks or weekends away or anything else you like really.

If you want more info do email me and I can send you the details of how to set one up. And for any other groups looking yes, any group can switch to the template style if it suits you although many of you have very wonderful sites of your own.
Nicky Wood
Local Groups Secretary
National Committee

Scanning through some local group web sites it seems that some local groups have their own domain names (presumably paying for these themselves) whereas others seem to use a folder under the national LDWA domain name (presumably using this free?). What is the LDWA's policy on this?

My group pays for both a domain name and server space itself, could we transfer to the other system thus saving ourselves quite a bit of money. If so how much storage would be available?

Given the number of LDWA local groups it would seem to present quite a cost saving to local groups if the LDWA did this for all groups at no or minimal cost to the LDWA itself.

Gerry Jackson
(South Wales group)