THE Ramblers is calling on people in the Crediton area, to nominate their area for Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood Award.

The walking charity is searching for the places that put pedestrians first and lead the way in enabling residents to walk every day for transport or leisure.

Now in its second year, Britain’s Best Walking Neighbourhood Award celebrates local authorities, developers, individuals and communities that have made positive changes to help make neighbourhoods more walkable – from making routes and public spaces greener, to building mixed-use developments that encourage active travel, to improving the way local streets connect people to the places they want to go.

Vanessa Griffiths, Ramblers chief executive, said: “We have a vision of a country designed for walking, in the open countryside, and close to where we all live and work.

“With this award, we want to highlight the places and people already doing a great job to make walking easier in their local neighbourhoods.

"We also want to encourage others to think about the small changes they could make to improve the walkability of their neighbourhoods and health and wellbeing of their residents, while creating more vibrant communities.”

The Ramblers believes that one of the most important features of a walking neighbourhood is its "greenness" or how well it connects people to the natural environment.

Local green spaces and routes make areas more attractive to walk and provide opportunities for physical activity as well as to relax, recharge and connect.

Vanessa added: “The majority of us live in built up areas, and evidence shows that communities highly value green spaces and routes in their neighbourhood and hugely benefit from having regular contact with the natural environment.

"We are keen to hear about neighbourhoods in the South West region that have improved or created new green routes, spaces or features, because we know that these make neighbourhoods more appealing for walking, whether it’s for leisure or as a means of getting from A to B.”

To nominate your neighbourhood, visit: www.ramblers.org.uk/nominate and explain the changes that have made it into a great place for walking.

The deadline for nominations is March 3.