RURAL Ribble Valley Council has put its best foot forward by appointing a 'Stepping Out' walking project co-ordinator.

Learning disabilities nurse and business studies graduate Kath Mitchell, 36, from Clitheroe, is the first walking project co-ordinator in Ribble Valley and one of the first in Lancashire.

Kath, a former pupil of Pleckgate High School and St Mary's Sixth Form College, Blackburn, trained as a nurse at Brockhall, in Langho and is a former day care officer with Lancashire County Council's Social Services.

She worked as a staff nurse at Calderstones Hospital, Whalley, while taking a Diploma in Behavioural Approaches at Manchester University, then worked as a behavioural therapist, also at Calderstones.

She then took a post-graduate Diploma in Behavioural Forensics at Liverpool University, followed by a degree in Business Studies at Blackburn College, while managing a learning disabilities service in Bury.

Kath, a keen walker and gardener, hopes to promote walking for health and social inclusion among hard-to-reach groups, such as young mums and the disabled.

She is currently working with Ribble Valley community groups to develop a series of user-friendly walking maps and routes in the area.