Kick-off- meeting of SIGWAY | European Greenways Association

Launch of the European project SIGWAY, Sport in Greenways.

The kick-off- meeting of the SIGWAY, Sport in Greenways project was held in Madrid on 6-7 June.
The project is carried out in the framework of the Eramus + Sport call.
The meetings were combined with a visit by bike to the Tajuña greenway.

The aim of the project is to promote sport and healthy leisure activities outdoors by stimulating sports activities offer in greenways and potential greenways while raising awareness on environmental issues and circular economy. Moreover, SIGWAY aims to enhancing sports field employability and local economies.

It has been two intense days of meetings for the coordination and planning of the project, and direct exchange and knowledge sharing between the partners. EGWA is a member of the consortium which is composed of 7 partners from the following countries: Spain, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Slovakia, Italy, Greece, and Portugal.

In addition to the meetings, the partners participated in a visit to the Tajuña Greenway in the Ambite section, promoted by the EGWA, so that the partners could familiarise themselves with the concept of greenways and learn about the opportunities offered by these non-motorised and accessible infrastructures for outdoor sports.

Marta Navarro, Coordinator of the Vega del Tajuña Nature Centre of the City Council of Ambite, who kindly lent the bikes to the SIGWay team for the visit; José Escudero, responsible for the Madrid Región Activa Programme, of the Subdirección General de Programas Deportivos, of the Madrid Region (CAM); and Soraya Belinchón, Tourism Technician of ARACOVE, local action group of the southeast of the Madrid Region, also participated in the visit to the Tajuña greenway. The new Ambite Nature Centre is located right next to the old railway station, which has been converted into a bar & restaurant, and which also has the attraction of the municipal swimming pool; other sport facilities are located next to the old station.

We sincerely thank them for their collaboration and accompaniment at the visit; all of them have shown their interest in collaborating in the actions to be carried out in the SIGWAY project.

The SIGWAY Project is coordinated by DECOIN, Formación para el Desarrollo e Inserción, ES (Lead Partner).

>> EGWA will lead the WP 2, that includes the research and mapping, and co-lead the strategy and Guidelines as expert on Greenways and implement all activities of the project. Will increased noticeably the impact and sustainability of the project throughout its network.

SIGWAY is a very exciting and attractive project and will be very useful to encourage the practice of sporting activities on greenways, and to promote the extension of the greenways network in Europe and their use through outdoor sport activities.

SIGWAY partners:

FORMACION PARA EL DESARROLLO E INSERCION, ES (Lead Partner)
ASSOCIATION EUROPEENNE DES VOIES VERTES AISBL BE (European Greenways Association)
ZENTRUM FUR INNOVATIVE BILDUNG AT
OTI SLOVAKIA SK
ASSOCIAZIONE SPORTIVA DILETTANTISTICA TREKKIFY IT
ATHENS NETWORK OF COLLABORATING EXPERTS ASTIKI ETAIRIA EL
ASSOCIACAO DESPORTIVA CULTURAL E SOCIAL DE CARVALHAIS PT

Total budget 400.000 €-

30 months. From May 2022- October 2024.

Participants in the Kick-off: Ohiane Uranga and Irene Hernández (DEFOIN); Mercedes Muñoz and Max Rapa (EGWA); Pelin Öztürk (IEC); Lucia Svata and Patricia Necadova (OTI); Luca Pagliaricci (TREKKIFY); Nefeli Papagiannakou (ANCE); Paulo Jorge Araújo and Pedro Correia (ADS)