Popular Northamptonshire walking group receives £1,000 thanks to public vote

A popular Northamptonshire walking group has received a £1,000 donation by housebuilder Taylor Wimpey following a public vote.

Northamptonshire Walks received the most votes in Taylor Wimpey’s coronavirus community initiative which asked people to nominate a group, organisation or community initiative in Northampton which has helped them through the last twelve months and would benefit from a £1,000 donation.

Northamptonshire Walks creator, Dave Askew, started the group a number of years ago but saw visitors to his website increase during lockdown as many other activities were restricted.

Dave said: “I was overwhelmed and humbled to find out that the people of Northamptonshire took the time to nominate Northamptonshire Walks for this wonderful donation from Taylor Wimpey.

"Many people have reached out to me during the various lockdowns to explain how much walking has helped their physical and mental health during these tough times and that they’ve looked to Northamptonshire Walks for support within our little community.

“The whole purpose of Northamptonshire Walks is to celebrate the great county of Northamptonshire. Too often the county is overlooked but if you step outside and explore a little, you’ll find amazing walks, beautiful nature and a great way to spend time during the recent troubles.

"Once the world returns to normality, I hope to do some guide-led walks and for that I will need insurance, so I intend to use the money from the donation to cover that and to also buy some equipment I’ll need for upcoming roadshows I hope to run in the villages in and around Northamptonshire.”

'It's unbelievable', says Northampton dad after thousands follow his Facebook page dedicated to walkingRob Curry, from Taylor Wimpey, said: “Congratulations to Dave at Northamptonshire Walks for winning the £1,000 donation and for playing such an important role during lockdown.

"The community came together to recognise his efforts during difficult times and I hope the money will help Northamptonshire Walks to go from strength to strength.”

To find out about some of the causes that Taylor Wimpey has previously supported, visit www.taylorwimey.co.uk/media-centre/news.