Active travel at heart of volunteer group in North Lanarkshire

Glenboig Development Trust in North Lanarkshire has been recognised for their contribution to tackle environmental and economic challenges in the local area.

Glenboig Development Trust has been named the winner of the Active Travel Group of the Year at our 2022 Volunteer Awards.

The 45-strong group strive to tackle challenges related to the environment, economy and health and wellbeing within Glenboig by introducing walking and cycling initiatives to encourage locals to be active.

One of the group’s main projects is a walking bus which is designed to get pupils to primary school in a safe and environmentally-friendly way and has reduced an average of 91 car journeys and covered 5,082 miles during 6,468 walks.

This initiative is just one example of the incredible work the group are achieving.  Glenboig Development Trust also deliver Buggy Walks, individual walks, Health Walks and community bike days which offer locals the opportunity to learn to ride a bike, take part in led rides and access a range of free equipment.

Senior Care Manager Christine McNally said:

The group has been grateful to benefit from Paths for All’s Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP) Open Fund in recent years which has played an important part in creating multiple high impact walking and cycling initiatives bringing real value to the community.

This award is a fantastic recognition for our brilliant team of dedicated volunteers who work tirelessly to create a sustainable legacy of active travel initiatives that will bring many mental, physical, social and environmental benefits for years to come.

The initiatives hope to encourage a diverse range of individuals to change their behaviours to walk or cycle as part of their everyday short journeys.

The walking bus has been one of our most successful initiatives and has been instrumental in tackling the problems of car congestion outside schools – which we are extremely proud of.

Glenboig Development Trust was commended at our prestigious annual Volunteer Awards 2022 held at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday 28th September. They were recognised alongside 11 other groups and individuals throughout Scotland who have gone the extra mile to keep their communities active.

Glenboig Development Trust is supported through our Smarter Choices, Smarter Places programme, which awards funding to public, third and volunter groups across Scotland with projects designed to encourage local communities to walk, wheel, cycle or use public transport in place for everyday journeys.