Llandysul & Pont Tyweli Ymlaen is pleased to announce the successful achievement of "Walkers are Welcome" status for the locality.

The award has been achieved through the commitment of the Llandysul and Pont Tyweli Walkers are Welcome Steering Group - which comprises representatives from the community, businesses and local groups - working together over the past year with Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire County Councils and Llandysul Community Council.

It is anticipated that through continued support and commitment the opportunities this award will bring will help local business through increased visitor activity. The award also brings benefits to residents of the area by increasing awareness of local walks, encouraging healthy lifestyles and access to the countryside.

Llandysul and Pont Tyweli join the 8 other Walkers Are Welcome towns in Wales and become the 30th community to gain the award in the UK network and the first in Ceredigion.

A launch event will take place in Llandysul on Friday 21st August 2009 to coincide with the Llandysul River and Walking Festival. The event will commence at 6:00 at the main Car Park with short walk, returning to the Porth Hotel for presentations. Longer walks are talking place on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd August – see HYPERLINK "http://www.llandysul-ponttyweli.co.uk/" http://www.llandysul-ponttyweli.co.uk/ for further details Chairperson of the group, Suzanna Van Eeghen said: "We are very pleased to have achieved this award and to become part of the UK Walkers Are Welcome network. Walking is a healthy activity that most of us can undertake on a regular basis. When local walks are maintained and promoted they provide a valuable resource for locals and visitors alike.

Llandysul and Pont Tyweli might seem like an odd choice as a destination for walkers but we have some remarkable scenery along the Teifi Valley and our walks offer the opportunity to enjoy them all year round.

I would like to thank members of the steering group for their time and effort put in to achieving this award and I would also like to thank the Local Authorities for their support."

The application process has been assisted by the "Tourism Clusters – Discover Ceredigion" project administrated by Ceredigion County Council. This project has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which, in turn, is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Editors Note: More information on the Walkers Are Welcome initiative can be found at: HYPERLINK "http://www.walkersarewelcome.org.uk/index.html" http://www.walkersarewelcome.org.uk/index.html Walkers are Welcome towns and villages are places that have something special to offer walkers. Obtaining Walkers are Welcome status, as a growing number of communities across Britain are doing, brings a number of benefits. It helps strengthen a town’s reputation as a place for visitors to come to enjoy the outdoors, bringing useful benefits to the local economy. It helps to ensure that footpaths and facilities for walkers are maintained in good condition, benefiting local people as well as visitors. It can contribute to local tourism plans and regeneration strategies.

The idea became a reality when the Pennine town of Hebden Bridge became the first Walkers are Welcome town in Spring 2007, closely followed by Moffat in Scotland’s Dumfries and Galloway region and by the north Wales community of Prestatyn & Meliden. More than twenty other communities now either have Walkers are Welcome status or are actively working to meet the criteria. These towns together have constituted themselves as the Walkers are Welcome Towns Network. It is this body (through its committee and its annual conference), which develops and controls the Walkers are Welcome scheme and oversees use of the logo. In other words, the communities themselves who are participating collectively manage the Walkers are Welcome idea and brand – real grassroots democracy in action.

Llandysul a Phont Tyweli Ymlaen Cyf. is a "not for profit" organisation managed by volunteers.

The aims and objectives of the company are: To help build a strong and viable future for the communities of Llandysul and Pont- Tyweli through integrated action to sustain, enhance and promote the area`s environment, local economy, distinctive culture and quality of community life.

The office is located at the Old Post Office, New Road, Llandysul.