UFRC Open Weekend 2017

Having spoken to many clubs over the years, the UFRC Committee recognise that many are keen to increase club membership, but are unsure of how to do it. Therefore, UFRC is planning to support clubs by organising an ‘Open Weekend’ with the intention of attracting new members and raising overall awareness of walking Clubs.

Wishing to showcase the wealth of walking available in Northern Ireland the UFRC would like to encourage Clubs to join in and host a ‘Welcome Walk’. These walks will be designed to help people discover fantastic new walk trails and experience the social benefits of walking with a club.

The campaign objectives are to:

• Raise awareness of walking recreation opportunities in Northern Ireland
• Increase sustainable participation in walking.
• Raise the profile of the walking clubs in Northern Ireland.
• Raise the profile of our mountains & forests, access & opportunities for participation.

During the weekend, we hope clubs throughout Northern Ireland will host a suitable walk for beginners and welcome members of the public to come along and take part in a short walk. All clubs will need to do is plan and organise the walk as part of their normal walk programme.

The campaign would start during the weekend of Saturday 30th September & Sunday 1st October 2017. The UFRC will support by putting all the information on the website including WalkNI.com & promoting all the walks and marketing each club involved.

This is a great opportunity for the community of walking to showcase what wonderful walking places and clubs there are in Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the forthcoming event UFRC Chairman Graham Seymour explained, “The UFRC Open Weekend is a fantastic opportunity for clubs to show just how great walking within a group setting is, raise awareness of the Club and ultimately encourage more people to get out walking and experience not only the breathtaking scenery but also feel the health benefits of walking.“

For more information on how to set up an event and full explanation of the process please download the document below.

How to organise a Welcome Event- Information Pack For Clubs

Submitting Event Details to UFRC- Template