Help make better ways for🚶🏃🏾‍♀️👩🏻‍🦽🚴‍🏇🏾 !

Do you ever wish there was an easier way to go? Us too.

We can all think of people who would love to walk, run, wheel, ride, trek or cycle somewhere, if only there was a better way.

That’s why we're creating Make Ways, a massive citizen project to map where new and better paths, routes and ways are needed.

The map will be powered by a new web platform - and we need your help to build it.

The website will enable people to:

• make suggestions for new and better paths
• find paths that meet their needs 
• map obstacles on paths
• discuss and vote on suggestions 
• ...and much much more

This is important work.

Unfortunately there are millions of people who can’t enjoy the full benefits of active travel or leisure, despite wanting to. Their options are too frequently blocked because paths are inaccessible, unsafe, undesirable or simply not there. 

And even when paths are usable, they often lack sufficient information to give people confidence to use them. 

We're going to do something about that and we'd love your help.

• Bonnie can only walk to school if she risks going down a dangerous lane
• Ade can get 90% of the way to Aldi but is blocked by some private land
• Mo would walk his big dog further, if only there wasn't a stile in the way
• Aisha wants to share a good way for wheelers to get to the station
• Tim and his friends are afraid of the unlit dark path
• Ola would walk her twins' pushchair to the nature reserve every day, but the gate is too tight and muddy – so she drives instead
• Claire is a land manager. She wants to show a way to go that is sensitive to local people, food and wildlife

We know that if good paths exist where people want them, more and more people will use them! And they’ll be happier, healthier and better connected as a result. Creating good ways to go really does make the world a better place - so join us and help to make ways with us.

Meet Slow Ways – the ambitious, successful team behind Make Ways

In 2020 we launched Slow Ways, a grassroots initiative to create a national walking network that connects all of Britain’s towns, cities and national parks.

Slow Ways enables people to share walking and wheeling routes that make use of existing paths and rights of access. So far people have contributed 9,000 routes that stretch 130,000km. Volunteers have walked, reviewed and surveyed thousands of kilometres of routes, sharing over 1.5 million words in their route reviews.

As seen in the Guardian, The Scotsman, The Times, the BBC, and many more. 

We now want to harness even more citizen-power for Make Ways. 

We believe people from every village, town and city will want to make use of the Make Ways web platform to: 

• Show where they would like new or better paths
• Share their stories of using paths as a means to encourage others to enjoy the journey too, or bring awareness to any barriers they encounter 
• Be inspired to unite and work together 

And much more… Imagine what you could use Make Ways for (and let us know)! 

What the Make Ways website will do

We want to generate a giant co-created map alongside a national discussion that will lead to the creation and improvement of paths across the country. We want to make ways that are easier, safer, fairer and nicer.

We will develop the website so it's easy to do a number of things.

Wish for a new path – Perhaps the only way to go is on a dangerous road. People will be able to use the website to wish for a new path by plotting its route on the Make Ways map

Suggest an improvement to an existing path – Maybe there’s already a path, but it’s unusable for someone because there's a fence they can't get over. People will be able to map the presence of an obstacle and wish for its removal

Pinpoint helpers and hinderers – Steps, stiles, ladders, benches, toilets, road crossings and bridges are just a few things that can either help or hinder a journey. People will be able to plot on the map where these already exist, or pin wishes for them to be added, removed or improved

Vote, discuss and get organised – People will be able to discuss and vote on suggestions. They will also be able to use the platform to get organised and take action to make or improve ways

Inform decision makers – Provide mapping and data that shows where people are asking for new and better routes, or where obstacles need addressing

Stretch ambitions include:

Sharing good ways to go – Showing paths and routes that are accessible for people with different needs

Sensitive ways – Facilitating land-managers to show ways to go that are sensitive to cultural, ecological or agricultural surroundings

More modes of travel – We are going to include walking, wheeling, horse riding, trekking and cycling. In the future we could add paddling, swimming and other ways of getting about.

Here's how you can help

1. Back this crowdfunding campaign – every contribution helps

2. Feed back on how Make Ways is developed – we'll contact you after you've supported this campaign

3. Add to the Make Ways map when it's launched!

Back us, get rewarded and we'll get match funding!

You can support us for as little as £1. We would be very grateful if you pledged £50 or more.

Thanks to Crowdfunder Extra Funding from Aviva's Community Fund, your donation could be match funded. Pledge £50 and we could actually receive £100 thanks to this great initiative. 

By backing the campaign you can claim a number of rewards! 

Rewards to thank you

The greatest reward is knowing that you've helped to bring Make Ways to life!

We've some other rewards you can choose from too, including:

• Being a Make Ways Founder and having your name on the website
• Limited edition gold and black maps of Britain and Scotland
• Exclusive fluorescent orange map of Scotland or Britain
• Slow Ways Baggers' Book
• Showing your support as a group or organisation
• Walk and talk

Be a Make Ways Founder!

We'll add your name to the Make Ways website as a Founder of the project, but only if you ask us to! You'll know you've helped to launch a great initiative that will hopefully influence the future of walking, running, wheeling, riding, trekking and cycling in Britain. We will get in contact to confirm your details before the website goes live.

Limited edition gold risograph map of Britain or Scotland

Urban Good CIC have collaborated with us to create these beautiful limited edition maps of Britain and Scotland. The maps are A3 and risograph printed, giving them a distinctive and textured feel. Only 100 of the two different maps will ever be produced. They will all be signed on the back by Charlie Peel (designer and cartographer) and Dan Raven-Ellison (Slow Ways founder).

Select this reward by December 3rd and we'll post the map before December 15th (in time for Christmas). Otherwise delivery will be in February.

Exclusive fluorescent orange risograph map of Britain or Scotland

Urban Good CIC have also developed stunning fluorescent orange and blue maps of Britain and Scotland for us. Just like the gold maps, these maps are risograph printed on A3 paper.

These map will be exclusively printed for people who back this crowdfunding campaign and select this reward. 

Select this reward by December 3rd and we'll post the map before December 15th (in time for Christmas). Otherwise delivery will be in February.

Slow Ways Baggers' Book

Be one of the first to get our new soft back Slow Ways Baggers' Book! Designed by Urban Good CIC, the book is perfect for colouring where you've been and which Slow Ways you've walked. The book uses the same mapping as our giant sheet maps of Great Britain but in this new handy format.

Delivery by Spring 2024.

Group or organisation support

Show your support as a group or organisation and we'll add your logo* to the Make Ways website as a supporter. Doing so will both help with Make Ways and provide a little long-term marketing for you. We'll send you a fluorescent orange risograph map to thank you too.

*We reserve the right to return funds to organisations that have values or objectives that conflict with our own. Please contact us if you want to show your support but are unsure if this might be the case.

Walk and talk

Choose this reward and we'll send Dan Raven-Ellison to give your group or organisation an inspiring talk and/or walk. Dan is a social innovator, geographer, explorer and founder of both National Park Cities and Slow Ways. You will need to cover any additional travel expenses.  

We're off to a great start!

We are delighted to share that we've already got lots of support – people really want Make Ways to exist! But we can't create Make Ways without support from hundreds of crowdfunders. We need you!

Slow Ways has core funding from the National Lottery Community Fund which gives us a great foundation for this work, but not enough to develop the website or bring it to life. 

We are grateful to Paths for All who have provided half of the funding we need. We are crowdfunding to raise the rest of the money we need to make the project a success and meet the match-funding requirements of their support.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Make Ways needed?

Despite the multiple health, wellbeing, climate, nature and financial benefits, too many things get in the way of people wanting to get about under their own steam. 

Paths are often blocked, dangerous, uncomfortable, unsigned, too wiggly, too long or simply do not exist. In many cases paths are accessible and enjoyable, but there’s no information to let the right people know.

We know this because we're the people who are creating the Slow Ways walking and wheeling network. Hundreds of people have told us they need new and better paths. This work is both needed and necessary.

Don't other websites already do this?

While there are lots of walking, running, riding, trekking and cycling websites, they are all focussed on sharing where people have actually gone. In contrast, Make Ways will focus on the ways people would like to go, but can’t. 

What are the timings for the project? When will the website be launched?

We plan to launch Make Ways before the end of 2023 with a pilot in Scotland. We’ll then open Make Ways up to the rest of the UK during Spring 2024.

We will be testing Make Ways over the winter. If you support the crowdfunding campaign we will make sure you are looped into that process, wherever you are based.

Can I contribute to the development of Make Ways?

Everyone who pledges to this crowdfunder will be asked for their opinions and feedback on the development of Make Ways. You can start by responding to this short survey on things, paths and places that are issues for you.

What about other types of active travel?

We have this in mind and might add them in the future. 

How will my donation be spent?

Slow Ways is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company. We will ring-fence and put all of your donation into developing and promoting Make Ways.

You will be helping to cover the cost of planning, designing, creating and championing Make Ways. Your pledge will help to build the website and fund a part-time project coordinator to look after it. 

Like with Slow Ways, we promise that it will always be possible to contribute to and benefit from Make Ways at no cost. Your donation will help make Make Ways free for people across the UK.

Will there be an app?

We are starting with a mobile-friendly website. We will be looking at ways to integrate with apps, including the Slow Ways app.

Will there be a charge for using the Make Ways platform?

Make Ways maps and data will always be accessible at no charge. 

What will happen to the map data that is collected?

We will make map data available through an open licence so that individuals, groups, organisations and government can use and innovate with it.

I've got a question, who can I contact?

Email us at [email protected] and we'll get back to you!