Committee discussions and updates

Interested in knowing what is discussed at our committee meetings? We would like to share with you the key points from our last committee meeting held on 10 April 2026. Of course, we could not include everything but hope this gives you some insight into what goes on.

• We currently have 197 members, and 31 registered walk leaders.
• The Greensand Ridge Walk series has begun.
• Since February 2026, the highest attended walk was Adam’s Introductory Walk: RSPB The Lodge, Sandy, with 33 walkers attending.
• We discussed possible ideas for future walks including a walk in Codicote, a North London walk, and a walk in Bedford to coincide with the River Festival. We also would like to consider some more walks near Hertford and Bishop’s Stortford.
• We discussed ideas for coastal walks as well as some hill training walks in preparation for planned weekends away.
• A short walk is being planned for Mental Health Awareness Week in May, with the aim to incorporate another wellbeing activity if possible.
• We also will be hosting a stall for Hitchin Eco Day in May.
• The STOOP 27 mile walk is being considered for the summer (with dropout points).
• We have created a list of pre-planned routes for any prospective walk leaders to use for inspiration. A link to view this has been published in our April newsletter.
• Our treasurer Matthew Fox will be looking into creating a document to help volunteers understand our financial processes.
• There have many updates to the website, which our webmaster Vignesh Neelamegan will be posting about soon on social media. We also now have a YouTube channel for Stag Walkers.
• The February newsletter was sent to 128 subscribers, and 51 opened it.
• Congratulations to our Area Representative, Simon Hulse, who has also been appointed in an additional role as the Area Rights of Way Coordinator.
• The Area Walks Fest will be in Welham Green on Sat 3 rd October 2026.
• The Area journal, Stile, will be published in June. Any members who would like to contribute general walking related written content would be very welcome.
• We discussed future social ideas including pub quizzes, karaoke nights, and another Ceilidh. We also plan to host an outdoor cinema social at Hitchin Lavender over the summer.
• We had further discussions about planning an upcoming weekend away in July, and ideas for further weekends away later in the year.
• There were continued discussions on logistics of planning First Aid training for our members.