Aberfeldy is working to get its residents fitter by improving riverside paths round the town to encourage more walking and running.
The community group #FeldyRoo - which delivered thousands of hot meals across Highland Perthshire during the lockdowns - received money from SSE to extend its benefits to the wider local community.
In partnership with the Upper Tay Paths Group and the Aberfeldy Healthiest Town initiative, #FeldyRoo are planning to design a path network linking the town with the plastic fibre pedestrian bridge (known fondly as the ‘Bouncy Bridge’) and Wade’s Bridge, providing stunning view points along the river bank.
Also planned is the formation of a new Parkrun running track.
Football coach, player and founder of #FeldyRoo Gavin Price explained: “We hope to do this in three phases.
“Phase 1 focuses on the river bank and entrance.
“The meadow has been unused for around 10 years since Aberfeldy Golf Club closed this part of the course.
“This part of Aberfeldy has stunning views of Wade’s Bridge and the River Tay and we want to make this safe and accessible for everyone.
“We propose a safe entrance with a new push button pedestrian crossing at the traffic lights that will be accessible for prams, wheelchairs and for those that are maybe a bit unstable on their feet.
“We would then like to improve and widen the existing path all the way from Wade’s Bridge to the Bouncy Bridge, around 550m down the river bank.
“We have further plans to place some bench and social seating at the prime locations along the track.”
The second phase is to bring in community Parkruns.
These events are hosted on Saturday mornings in locations throughout the UK, offering a positive, welcoming and inclusive experience whether you walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate.
The Aberfeldy project has mapped out a trail just over a mile in length on the outskirts of the meadow with a starting point just off Popular Avenue near Wade’s Bridge.
Doing three laps at whatever pace they liked would see someone complete the 5km challenge.
The final phase would be to link walks from Aberfeldy to the other side of the river, improving the current routes and create suitable, well-signed paths.
Gavin continued: “We have already had a fantastic boost to start our efforts. #FeldyRoo was very successful in raising funds during the pandemic, our main funders SSE have generously allowed us to use a substantial amount of our left over funds to help kick start this project.
“Our funding team are already very active in sourcing other potential funding avenues and as such we hope to start work on phase one this spring.
“Aberfeldy has so much to offer, we are so lucky to live in such a stunning part of the country.
“Our aim is to make this accessible for everyone and with the obvious benefit of improving the physical and mental wellbeing of us all.”
