Memorandum of Understanding 

Between Slow Ways and Railwalks.co.uk

The Parties

This Memorandum of Understanding sets out the basis for cooperation between Slow Ways CIC and the steering group of Railwalks.co.uk.  At present, the steering group is an informal group of four individuals: Steve Melia, Andy Stevenson, Kieran Seale and Miriam Ricci.  This group may grow, and Railwalks.co.uk may be constituted as a formal organisation at a later date.  This should not affect the principles in this MoU.

Purpose

Railwalks.co.uk has been set up to create a national network of walks between and from railway stations.  This overlaps with the purpose of Slow Ways, to create a national network of walking routes that connect all of Britain’s towns, cities, villages and other points of interest. Including stations is already in Slow Ways plans, and so this feels like a natural and potentially symbiotic relationship. Some of Slow Ways’ settlements are centred on railway stations so the main aims of Railwalks.co.uk are to add to that network with the ambition of developing Railwalks specific offering on the Slow Ways platform to enable and encourage a wide and diverse range of the general public to make use of those walks.

Railwalks.co.uk will:

• Involve a wide range of groups, organisations and individuals in developing a plan for a national network of walks between and from railway stations, incorporating Slow Ways’ existing station-to-station walks and adding to them.

• Make clear in its publicity that it is working with Slow Ways.

• Keep Slow Ways informed of its work and invite representatives from Slow Ways to all its public meetings.

• Share user needs and desires that could influence the development of functionality and features that will support the Railwalks Community

• Make all the walks on that website publicly-available on a Creative Commons basis.

• Publicise that website and encourage as wide a range of people as possible to try those walks.

• Support Slow Ways’ existing work, particularly the station-to-station walks on Slow Ways’ network.

• Abide by the terms and conditions of the Slow Ways platform and services

Slow Ways will:

• enable people registered with Railwalks.co.uk to upload, review and survey walks that fit the existing Slow Ways platform and structure

• develop a sign-up page for Railwalks users at https://beta.slowways.org/railwalks/register. If they are already registered on the Slow Ways website they will be able to add Railwalks as an affiliation on their profile page at https://beta.slowways.org/user/yourprofile 

• develop the Slow Ways platform to enable additional nodes that include all stations

• listen to the Railwalks community with the ambition of developing new web functionality and features that facilitate and promote members’ efforts,

• explore options for developing a Railwalks homepage, channel, group and/or layer that enables the project to promote and organise network development activities, to be accessed from www.railwalks.co.uk

• Not require any payment from Railwalks.co.uk for that work. (Railwalks.co.uk may subsequently agree with Slow Ways to fundraise for future improvements).

• Maintain the Slow Ways platform and Railwalks related layers, subject to resource constraints.

• Keep Railwalks.co.uk informed of any developments likely to affect their work with Slow Ways.

• Help to publicise Railwalks.co.uk’s work.