Outdoor Recreational Opportunities in Worcester

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Introduction
During 2001-2002, the largest expenditure in the UK was on leisure goods and services at £72 per week, with expenditure on housing and food/non-alcoholic drinks following closely behind at £67 and £62 per week, respectively (Summerfield and Babb, 2003). Between 1976 and 2002, leisure expenditures doubled (Summerfield and Babb, 2003). Bromley (1994) found that the popularity of leisure in one particular genre, outdoor recreation, has grown all over England. Discernably, seeing as one can participate in a range of outdoor activities in Worcester from canoeing with The River Wye Canoe Hire Company to rock climbing at the Frank Chapman Centre, it seems Worcester is as popular a place as any for its outdoor adventure opportunities.
The purpose of this report is to demonstrate how a farmer’s proposed development of a cable-tow water skiing site and an off-road driving course keeps with the pattern of growth and diversity of adventurous activities in the Worcester countryside. This report will also identify statutory and voluntary bodies likely to be affected by the proposed development, discuss the bodies’ likely responses, and suggest ways to address their concerns.

Reasons for Development
Bourn (2001) suggests that obesity is an ever-rising concern in England given that nearly two thirds of English men and over half of English women are obese (Bourn, 2001). In many countries increased obesity rates have been linked to urbanization, as it leads to increased inactivity (Siervo et al., 2005). In regards to the UK, more than 80% of British people live and work in an urban environment (Statistical Digest of Rural England, 2012). Thus, urbanization is quite possibly a factor in the English obesity rates. Bell et al. (2007) p...

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