The Avalon & Poldens LCN project – ‘Step, Ride, Thrive’ is all about enhancing active travel opportunities and rural connections to the Avalon Marshes, a group of nature reserves on the Somerset Levels. The project will make it easier, and healthier, to explore the Avalon Marshes.
Before the project began, the reserves had no direct public transport links, and with 31% of LCN residents not having access to their own transport, this meant lots of residents were missing out on the opportunities the Avalon Marshes have to offer.
Step, Ride, Thrive addresses this through key strands:
Explore the Step, Ride, Thrive Website for more information:
This project, in collaboration with On Your Bike, offered free bike safety checks, bike repairs and bike marks for local residents. Workshops focused around bike maintenance skills, encouraging active travel and promoting cycling in the community.
Project aims and objectives:
Around the millennium a 13km traffic-free, cycling and walking path, called Colliers Way, part of the National Cycle Network 24, opened from Radstock to Buckland Bridge, Great Elm. However, this route is still 4km short of Frome town, and the busy, narrow and winding roads are unsuitable for active travel users. This route also goes south of Frome, using mostly quiet roads, and passes through the Longleat Estate.
Frome’s Missing Links (FML) started in 2010 to campaign for better and safer walking and cycling routes in Frome and better connections to neighbouring towns and villages. FML aims to connect the centre of Frome with the Colliers Way traffic-free path that leads to Radstock. FML has achieved opening of several areas in the remaining 4km with the 1.3km section from Buckland Bridge to Elliots Lane along the old GWR railway track completed in March 2025.
This is a collaborative project between Buckland Dinham Parish Council, Mells Parish Council, Great Elm Parish Meeting, and the Vale of Frome Local Community Network. This project will focus on a small section of the link between Selwood Manor and Spring Gardens and the grant will go towards the design work.
This project aims to deliver bike maintenance workshops to local school children in collaboration with On Your Bike. These sessions aim to encourage young people to use bikes as a means of active travel, emphasising fitness, safety and environmental impact. Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge Town Council are also working in partnership with local police to promote re-engagement of young people through practical skills and awareness.
Key project aims:
The ‘Drayton Link’ is an active travel project aiming to join the village of Drayton with the Curry Rivel to Langport Activa Travel route.
Active travel in this context includes cycle routes to reduce the use of cars a well as leisure users and the needs of walkers, push or wheelchair accessibility and mobility scooters.
Key project aims:
This is a scoping project to investigate what community transport the residents of Ilminster and the surrounding parishes would support or like to see.
What this project hopes to achieve:
The need for an Active Travel Route from Kingston St Mary to Taunton was first identified in the KSM Community plan which led to the formation of KAPACC – Kingston Area Pedestrian & Cycling Campaign in 2017 to campaign for safer, better and more walking and cycling in the Kingston Are.
The road from Kingston St Mary is narrow with heavy vehicle traffic. An active travel route seperate to the road would allow active travel not only between Taunton and KSM but also give access to the Quantock Hills.
This grant will fund the engineering and planning survey to help understand the construction element of the project and what the cost will be.
This project aims to inform and involve the local community of the benefits of active travel for their personal health and wellbeing as well as raising awareness of the improved impact of their actions on the wider environment.
This one-day event formed part of Wells Eco Week, in which a variety of speakers, workshops and displays explored and promoted environmental initiatives.
St Cuthburt Out Parish Council led the Active Travel Day Project which took place on the final Sunday of Wells Eco Week.
Four main themes of the Active Travel Day:
Cycling:
Walking:
Busses:
Accessibility: