Newcastle is one of eight cities that can bid for a share of the £1m

The coalition Government has announced a £1m pot of cash to promote urban walking.

The funding, which is dwarfed by the recent £143m boost to encourage cycling, is linked to the eight Cycling Cities in the original scheme.

The trade body the Outdoor Industries Association said the cash was ‘a very small sum’ but welcomed the move as a step in the right direction.

The eight English cities will each be eligible for £250,000, split over two years.

The OIA said the Department of Health intends walking to be promoted alongside cycling. It said: “In the documentation that it sent to the Cycling Cities, the department strongly encouraged applicants to engage with campaigns or organisations linked to walking, specifically citing only five: Britain on Foot, Ramblers, Sustrans, Living Streets and Beat the Street.”

The news of investment follows an announcement by tourism minister Hugh Robertson that the Government will invest £3m to support adventure tourism in Britain.

Association chief executive Andrew Denton said: “The OIA is delighted that the Department of Health has started to allocate money to promote and support walking and it is really significant that revenue funding is being ringfenced for this initiative.

“In the greater scheme of things, £1m is a very small sum, but the simple fact that major cities are being asked by central government to apply for it to support walking related projects is of huge importance, as is the specific reference to Britain on Foot and the OIA in the instructions sent to the cities.

“However, while this development is extremely welcome, we have to ensure that this commitment is just the start.

“The investment was confirmed at the same time as £143m was allocated to support cycling. Securing funding of a similar scale for walking has to be our long-term objective.

“The lobbying that the OIA and its partners have been undertaking for some time now is starting to pay real dividends.

“Britain on Foot is clearly on the radar at the highest level of central government and that is starting to cascade to regional authorities, which can only help the campaign.

“Walking is now also formally linked to cycling as a health promotion focus for the Government and everyone operating in the outdoor sector should view that as a major opportunity.

“The OIA will be making contact with all eight cities to explore how we might work with them on initiatives. Beyond that, it is now up to all of us who work in the industry to use this development to push our case even higher up the national agenda, encouraging more of the public to get active outdoors and benefiting the whole sector in the process.”

The eight Cycling Cities have until Friday 20 September to submit their bids for funding for walking initiatives and successful applicants will be notified by the Department of Health a month later.

The eight official Cycling Cities are Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Birmingham, West of England Partnership, Newcastle, Cambridge, Norwich and Oxford.