1 How the Group came into being
In late 2011, our team was recruited from Ramblers members who lived in Trafford then these were supplemented by Ramblers members from outside the borough who wanted to volunteer but did not have an active path maintenance team in their immediate area. At the end of year one, the number of Ramblers members who have registered to be part of our Ramblers Trafford Group team, has risen steadily to 19.
For the first eleven months we used only hand tools, purchased for us by Ramblers and on occasions, our contact in Trafford Council, Penny Maitra, Highways Safety Inspector, worked with us and she used a power strimmer. Then in October 2012, we became the proud guardians of a team power strimmer which was a “gift” from Trafford Council.
2 What have we achieved in year one
We have held 16 “work days” large and small between the first one on 2nd December 2011 to
22nd November 2012. We have worked on 12 public rights of way in this time, clearing obstructing nettles, brambles and self seeded saplings, clearing stiles as well as improving a path surface by distributing bark chippings. The paths we have worked on are in Altrincham, Bowdon, Dunham Massey, Sale, Stretford and Urmston i.e six of the 10 Council highways areas within Trafford. The remaining four areas, Carrington, Hale, Partington and Warburton, await us in year two.
Each of us brings our own skills, strengths and experience to our volunteering work and we have found that the needs of the work we do are many and varied. A strong cutting arm for using the bowsaw and loppers, and eye for symmetry when pruning branches from young trees, determination when faced with a “wall” of rampant brambles, ingenuity when seeking nooks and crannies for disposing of cut down material to make a natural habitat for wildlife, and a tidy disposition to make sure we do not leave any obstructions on the paths when we finish work. The latest “job” is that of being an attentive look out “buddy” when someone is using the power strimmer.
Amongst team members, four (soon to be five), are qualified first aiders and these, with the exception of one who was already qualified, had training paid for by Ramblers. Six of us volunteered to become trained strimmer operators and this training was provided free of charge by the Council as was the personal protective equipment we wear.
We have all encountered the dark arts of Risk Assessments, Health and Safety Guidance Notes, Letters of Authorisation and formal sign off of our work. These procedures are as much part of Ramblers’ duty of care towards its members as Trafford Council’s duty of care towards the users of the public rights of way. As Ramblers members, on an organised work day, we have the benefit of Ramblers personal and third party liability insurance and it was this that made it possible for the Council to accept us as volunteers to carry out work on public rights of way.
3 And next year?
More of the same as we develop as a team, complementing each other’s contributions. Establishing a pattern so we tackle paths that are vulnerable to vegetation growth problems early on in growing season.
It would nice to be able to “publicise” our path work by erecting signs to say in effect “This path is maintained by Ramblers”. Such signs exist, are approved by the Ramblers organisation, and Trafford Council has agreed that we can put the signs up once we demonstrate that we are undertaking ongoing maintenance of a path or paths. If we progress at the same rate as we have done so far, we might see some of those signs going up in 2013.
June Mabon, RTG Footpath Secretary, 3rd December 2012
In late 2011, our team was recruited from Ramblers members who lived in Trafford then these were supplemented by Ramblers members from outside the borough who wanted to volunteer but did not have an active path maintenance team in their immediate area. At the end of year one, the number of Ramblers members who have registered to be part of our Ramblers Trafford Group team, has risen steadily to 19.
For the first eleven months we used only hand tools, purchased for us by Ramblers and on occasions, our contact in Trafford Council, Penny Maitra, Highways Safety Inspector, worked with us and she used a power strimmer. Then in October 2012, we became the proud guardians of a team power strimmer which was a “gift” from Trafford Council.
2 What have we achieved in year one
We have held 16 “work days” large and small between the first one on 2nd December 2011 to
22nd November 2012. We have worked on 12 public rights of way in this time, clearing obstructing nettles, brambles and self seeded saplings, clearing stiles as well as improving a path surface by distributing bark chippings. The paths we have worked on are in Altrincham, Bowdon, Dunham Massey, Sale, Stretford and Urmston i.e six of the 10 Council highways areas within Trafford. The remaining four areas, Carrington, Hale, Partington and Warburton, await us in year two.
Each of us brings our own skills, strengths and experience to our volunteering work and we have found that the needs of the work we do are many and varied. A strong cutting arm for using the bowsaw and loppers, and eye for symmetry when pruning branches from young trees, determination when faced with a “wall” of rampant brambles, ingenuity when seeking nooks and crannies for disposing of cut down material to make a natural habitat for wildlife, and a tidy disposition to make sure we do not leave any obstructions on the paths when we finish work. The latest “job” is that of being an attentive look out “buddy” when someone is using the power strimmer.
Amongst team members, four (soon to be five), are qualified first aiders and these, with the exception of one who was already qualified, had training paid for by Ramblers. Six of us volunteered to become trained strimmer operators and this training was provided free of charge by the Council as was the personal protective equipment we wear.
We have all encountered the dark arts of Risk Assessments, Health and Safety Guidance Notes, Letters of Authorisation and formal sign off of our work. These procedures are as much part of Ramblers’ duty of care towards its members as Trafford Council’s duty of care towards the users of the public rights of way. As Ramblers members, on an organised work day, we have the benefit of Ramblers personal and third party liability insurance and it was this that made it possible for the Council to accept us as volunteers to carry out work on public rights of way.
3 And next year?
More of the same as we develop as a team, complementing each other’s contributions. Establishing a pattern so we tackle paths that are vulnerable to vegetation growth problems early on in growing season.
It would nice to be able to “publicise” our path work by erecting signs to say in effect “This path is maintained by Ramblers”. Such signs exist, are approved by the Ramblers organisation, and Trafford Council has agreed that we can put the signs up once we demonstrate that we are undertaking ongoing maintenance of a path or paths. If we progress at the same rate as we have done so far, we might see some of those signs going up in 2013.
June Mabon, RTG Footpath Secretary, 3rd December 2012
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