Important Information for Walk Leaders
Group Walk Notifications: For specific areas like Surrey/Hampshire, contact the DIO to inform them of proposed routes (e.g.,
1. All leaders MUST be registered on the Ramblers Assemble system for volunteers. If you are not registered, email by clicking on this link, stating your name, membership number, group name and number (Farnham & District, SR03), and your role (walk leader). Ramblers HQ will then put you on the system. If you are not registered, you are not insured when leading the walk!
2. A risk assessment should be completed for each walk. Use the template link from the website for the form.
3. Please report quickly to the Footpath Secretary any problems such as missing or defective fingerposts, problem stiles, lack of waymarks, and vegetation growth. Please use the on line report form on the Farnham Ramblers website, or phone the Footpath Secretary to send you a paper form to complete and return to report the problem.
4. Always appoint a back marker to ensure nobody strays.
5. Ask everyone to make sure that the person behind is in sight when turning on to a new path, and say that, if anyone loses touch with the rest of the party they should return to the last turning point. It is a general rule that the leader should be at the front of the party, however this does not prevent the leader from dropping back from time to time to speak to party members or to encourage slower ones.
6. It may sometimes be necessary for the leader to ask faster walkers to slow down. Point out that in the end, the party cannot progress any faster than the pace of its slowest member. On reaching the finish, check that everyone has been accounted for. (Extract from the RA Navigation and Leadership Manual)
COVID Rules:
7. Take a register of walkers attending the walk. This will be used by Test & Trace if necessary. Use the template link from the website for the form.
8. Encourage everyone to walk in a safe way – in particular social distancing should be observed until such time that government restrictions are lifted.
9. If you want to restrict the number of walkers on your walk, then you need to run a booking system to ensure walkers can book a place. Please include this information in your walk details.
Car Parks:
Please check your chosen car parks ahead of your walk as we have received reports of significant damage at several car parks requiring closures and repairs. Please report any car park changes as soon as possible to the committee so that walkers can be notified via email and the website. Updates will be displayed in the Newsflash section of the website Home Page.