The RTG Path workers have won the President’s Volunteer Award for “Protecting where we walk”!
The RTG Path workers (inspectors and path maintainers) have won the Ramblers President’s Volunteer Award* for “Protecting where we walk”. For more details about the Footpath Team's work see http://www.ramblers-trafford.co.uk/diary.html
On Mon 14th April, Penny Maitra from Trafford Council came along at the start of one of our path maintenance sessions, to congratulate us all on winning the Ramblers Award for “Protecting Where we Walk”. RTG Chair Dr Angela Hilton very kindly, and at short notice, came too. Attached is a picture of Angela, Penny M and the rest of us that day, with Angela in the centre holding the clear star shaped trophy.
The Footpath Team has been established for some years, reporting to the Greater Manchester and High Peak Area, and is one of the twin pillars of the group, Footpaths and Walking. Footpath Inspectors make an annual survey of Rights of Way in the borough and assess the paths for easy of use against local government standards. The FP Team report their findings to Trafford Council and works with the Council Officers to make best use of the Council's allocated resources to keep paths in Trafford in good condition for the benefit of all users be they pram pushing mums, children walking to school, commuters on the way to work, cyclists and horseriders (on appropriate routes) or anyone who enjoys walking locally for health. As well as the work in keeping existing path is good order, the FP Team assist Trafford residents when they want to claim new Rights of Way or simply need advice on what to do about a problem they encounter with a path.
Footpath Secretary June Mabon email: rtgmembership@yahoo.co.uk
Footpath Secretary June Mabon email: rtgmembership@yahoo.co.uk
Summary of Year Two (2013) of the Ramblers Trafford Group Path Maintenance Team
1 Background for new readers
The Path Maintenance Team was established in late 2011 and comprises Ramblers members who are volunteers and who willing to give their time and effort to help to keep the public paths in Trafford fit for purpose all year round. The Team works on footpath, bridleways and other paths that are under the jurisdiction of Trafford Council and all work is agreed in advance with the Council’s Highways Department.
2 What has the Team been doing in 2013
The Team holds a “work day” twice a month, most months In 2013 the Team put in 116 “volunteer days” on 27 “work days” with volunteer numbers varying from a maximum 7 to a minimum of 2 on any one “work day”. Most work was suited to a large number of volunteers, but some jobs such as attaching yellow waymarks, were best done by 2 volunteers.
21 paths received the attentions of the Team (some paths were subject to return visits due to rapid summer vegetation growth).Work covering a wide variety of path maintenance from the aforementioned attaching yellow waymark discs, through clearing seasonal vegetation growth to improve the line of sight for pedestrians crossing the road on a sharp bend, to pruning the lower branches of trees to allow sunlight into a muddy path and there was major levelling and widening work on a path that had been reduced to a narrow track (on this last job, the Team worked with the local Rangers).
The Team has been able to publicise its work by fixing a Ramblers “Improved for You by Ramblers Volunteers” sign to an Urmston path. The local press, our Ramblers Trafford Group website and the national Ramblers website recorded this momentous event. There are plans for more such signs throughout the borough in the coming months.
3 Team has gained in expertise and experience
The kit of hand tools that the Team uses has grown and everyone is proficient in using loppers and pruning saws as well as the shears and (team members’ own supply) secateurs. A new, light weight wheelbarrow, spades and a second petrol driven strimmer were added to the tool kit in 2013. The strimmer was prompted when the Team found out at first hand how a totally overgrown path, which had been half cleared on one “work day” had managed to revert to its totally overgrown state a few weeks later. If the Team can keep a path open and useable, people will walk it and so help to keep down vegetation. Last year, six of the Team members volunteered to be trained as strimmer operators, so the Team should be able to put two strimmers to good use.
4 And looking to 2014?
More of the same.
The Team has now built up a fairly lengthy list of paths that need regular attention and these will be the target for 2014. In addition, local residents let Trafford Council know about problems they have in using paths and, where appropriate, the Council asks the Ramblers Team if it can sort the problem. The main feed of information about out of order paths that need maintenance attention though, comes from the Path Maintenance Team’s fellow Ramblers Footpath Inspection Team. This is a group of Ramblers which, every year, walks all the paths in Trafford for which the Council has a statutory duty to maintain and produces a report on the condition of each path. Between the two groups, Path Inspection and Path Maintenance, the Ramblers Trafford Group is having a significant, beneficial effect on our local footpath and bridleway networks.
Thanks to everyone who has helped and encouraged these teams.
Report produced by June Mabon, Ramblers Trafford Group’s Footpath Secretary
27/12/13
The Path Maintenance Team was established in late 2011 and comprises Ramblers members who are volunteers and who willing to give their time and effort to help to keep the public paths in Trafford fit for purpose all year round. The Team works on footpath, bridleways and other paths that are under the jurisdiction of Trafford Council and all work is agreed in advance with the Council’s Highways Department.
2 What has the Team been doing in 2013
The Team holds a “work day” twice a month, most months In 2013 the Team put in 116 “volunteer days” on 27 “work days” with volunteer numbers varying from a maximum 7 to a minimum of 2 on any one “work day”. Most work was suited to a large number of volunteers, but some jobs such as attaching yellow waymarks, were best done by 2 volunteers.
21 paths received the attentions of the Team (some paths were subject to return visits due to rapid summer vegetation growth).Work covering a wide variety of path maintenance from the aforementioned attaching yellow waymark discs, through clearing seasonal vegetation growth to improve the line of sight for pedestrians crossing the road on a sharp bend, to pruning the lower branches of trees to allow sunlight into a muddy path and there was major levelling and widening work on a path that had been reduced to a narrow track (on this last job, the Team worked with the local Rangers).
The Team has been able to publicise its work by fixing a Ramblers “Improved for You by Ramblers Volunteers” sign to an Urmston path. The local press, our Ramblers Trafford Group website and the national Ramblers website recorded this momentous event. There are plans for more such signs throughout the borough in the coming months.
3 Team has gained in expertise and experience
The kit of hand tools that the Team uses has grown and everyone is proficient in using loppers and pruning saws as well as the shears and (team members’ own supply) secateurs. A new, light weight wheelbarrow, spades and a second petrol driven strimmer were added to the tool kit in 2013. The strimmer was prompted when the Team found out at first hand how a totally overgrown path, which had been half cleared on one “work day” had managed to revert to its totally overgrown state a few weeks later. If the Team can keep a path open and useable, people will walk it and so help to keep down vegetation. Last year, six of the Team members volunteered to be trained as strimmer operators, so the Team should be able to put two strimmers to good use.
4 And looking to 2014?
More of the same.
The Team has now built up a fairly lengthy list of paths that need regular attention and these will be the target for 2014. In addition, local residents let Trafford Council know about problems they have in using paths and, where appropriate, the Council asks the Ramblers Team if it can sort the problem. The main feed of information about out of order paths that need maintenance attention though, comes from the Path Maintenance Team’s fellow Ramblers Footpath Inspection Team. This is a group of Ramblers which, every year, walks all the paths in Trafford for which the Council has a statutory duty to maintain and produces a report on the condition of each path. Between the two groups, Path Inspection and Path Maintenance, the Ramblers Trafford Group is having a significant, beneficial effect on our local footpath and bridleway networks.
Thanks to everyone who has helped and encouraged these teams.
Report produced by June Mabon, Ramblers Trafford Group’s Footpath Secretary
27/12/13
CALLING WALKS DESIGNERS IN TRAFFORD
Can you design a short to medium length walk to suit the average walker?
There are many public rights of way in Trafford that become overgrown in summer because they are not walked enough to keep the natural vegetation under control. These paths, and others, are our target to have them incorporated into short or medium length walk routes. These routes will be promoted on local websites to encourage local residents to walk the paths all year round and especially in summer.
The RTG Footpath Team would like to hear from anyone who might be able to help. May be you have designed some walk routes already and would be happy to adapt one or two to include some of these target paths that need regular walking to keep them open and fit for use.
For more information contact the Ramblers Trafford Group Footpath Secretary at rtgmembership@yahoo.co.uk
- Do you know what makes a walking route interesting?
- Are you interested in walk routes in Trafford?
- Do you live in or near Trafford?
There are many public rights of way in Trafford that become overgrown in summer because they are not walked enough to keep the natural vegetation under control. These paths, and others, are our target to have them incorporated into short or medium length walk routes. These routes will be promoted on local websites to encourage local residents to walk the paths all year round and especially in summer.
The RTG Footpath Team would like to hear from anyone who might be able to help. May be you have designed some walk routes already and would be happy to adapt one or two to include some of these target paths that need regular walking to keep them open and fit for use.
For more information contact the Ramblers Trafford Group Footpath Secretary at rtgmembership@yahoo.co.uk
April 2012 - from Ramblers Volunteers Newsletter
The Ramblers Trafford Group show how led walks and footpath work complement each other in making sure the local community can go out walking, whether they are going on a led walk or enjoying the local rights of way.
The Footpath Team has been established for some years and is one of the twin pillars of the group, Footpaths and Walking. Footpath Inspectors make an annual survey of Rights of Way in the borough and assess the paths for ease of use against local government standards. The Footpath Team report their findings to Trafford Council and works with the Council Officers to make best use of the Council's allocated resources to keep rights of way in Trafford in good condition.
The Footpath Team has been established for some years and is one of the twin pillars of the group, Footpaths and Walking. Footpath Inspectors make an annual survey of Rights of Way in the borough and assess the paths for ease of use against local government standards. The Footpath Team report their findings to Trafford Council and works with the Council Officers to make best use of the Council's allocated resources to keep rights of way in Trafford in good condition.
This is for the benefit of all users be they pram pushing parents, children walking to school, commuters on the way to work or anyone who enjoys walking locally for health. As well as the work in keeping existing path is good order, the Footpath Team assist Trafford residents when they want to claim new Rights of Way or simply need advice on what to do about a problem they encounter with a path. The latest edition to the footpath work done by Ramblers Trafford Group is the creation of a path maintenance team. This work complements the other areas of footpath work undertaken by the group and is steadily growing with 11 volunteers currently helping with their maintenance.
February 2012 - The team tackle the bramble growth on footpath Urmston 31.
We had the benefit of a power strimmer operated by the Council officer. It certainly does clear vegetation fast although the vegetation fights back by being “strimmer wire hungry” and the strimmer needs frequent recharging of the plastic cutting wire. We also cut down some self seeded sapling growth which was either getting in the way of path users or where too many saplings were too close together to allow for healthy growth.
The pictures below illustrate the morning’s “showcase” bit of clearance – a large patch of rampant brambles had taken over the path verge, obscuring the wooden fencing and threatening to spread over the centre of the path just as soon as the growing season gets underway. Within an hour of starting we had this patch cleared back to the line of the fencing. And we collected two bags of litter, mostly
exposed when we cut back vegetation.
U31 footpath is quite long and there is scope for a second clearance visit. So there will be more work day dates coming soon.
The pictures below illustrate the morning’s “showcase” bit of clearance – a large patch of rampant brambles had taken over the path verge, obscuring the wooden fencing and threatening to spread over the centre of the path just as soon as the growing season gets underway. Within an hour of starting we had this patch cleared back to the line of the fencing. And we collected two bags of litter, mostly
exposed when we cut back vegetation.
U31 footpath is quite long and there is scope for a second clearance visit. So there will be more work day dates coming soon.
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December 2011
On Friday 2nd December 2011 the Footpath team tackled their first vegetation clearance! The weather was ideal for the event and ten team members made a big difference to the path beside Baguley Brook, Sale. Even the local Community Police lady stopped by to say hello and comment favourable of Ramblers putting something tangible into the community. This was the first exercise we have done so there were quite a few lessons learned and we are very hopeful that there will be future exercises along the same lines. The Council seems to be prepared to help us identify other paths where we can get the landowners permission to cut back excessive vegetation, Encouragingly, the Council representative who worked with us last Friday morning has left the Council supplied yellow hi-vis vests we wore with us “for use on future occasions”.
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