Vale Path Volunteers
VPV 2022
2022 ended on a very sad note for the Vale Path Volunteers Maintenance Team (VPV), as we lost Jim Parke, the founder and long-standing coordinator of the VPV. Jim’s dedicated and tireless work for all walking matters, not least the VPV, was an inspiration and an example to us all. He will be sadly missed.
During the year 2022, the VPV cleared just over 5.6 km kilometres of footpaths and other public rights of way spending around 348-person work hours doing it. The team has the use of two brush cutters and a long pole petrol-engine hedge-cutter as well as a full range of hand tools.
This year we welcomed five new volunteers: Colin Skipper, Tim Howard, Donald Johnston, Timothy Bartel and Mark Sheldon, which brings our membership to a total of 20, normal turnout being between 5 and 10 at any one session.
The team works with the Oxfordshire Country Council South-West Countryside Access Team, which liaises with landowners before the team undertake path clearance on their land. They can also suggest paths for the team to work on. We have also received suggestions for paths to be cleared from walks leaders. This is a very important source of information.
An interesting session this year saw the installation of 9 waymark posts on Warren Farm in Holton Parish. This session followed up a request from Arthur McEwan-James of the South-West Countryside Access Team to undertake the work. The VPV combined with colleagues from the Thame and Wheatley and Oxford City path maintenance volunteers.
Below is a link to a video, produced by our own Andy Boyd, of a work session at Henwood nr Abingdon on 3 August 2022
https://vimeo.com/736855685/d8b6a299cb?share=copy
I would like to thank all members of the VPV team for their support in attending the work sessions. We have been very fortunate in the weather conditions this year were on our side during the work sessions.
VPV 2021
During the year 2021 the Vale Path Volunteers path maintenance team (VPV) has had one of its busiest years yet. Once restrictions were lifted in the Spring it has undertaken 16 path clearance projects throughout the Vale. It has cleared just over 8 kilometres of hedgerow or woodland and spent around 500 person work hours doing it. The team has the use of two brushcutters and a long pole petrol-engined hedge-cutter as well as a full range of hand tools.
The team continues to receive very good support from Arthur McEwan-James, Field Officer South-West of the Countryside Access Team. Arthur liaises with landowners before the team undertake path clearance on their land. He has also suggested paths for the team to work on and has himself spent the occasional work session with us. We have also received suggestions for paths to be cleared from walks leaders. This is a very important source of information.
During the year the VPV team celebrated its hundredth work session with a ceremonial cutting of a birthday cake. Fittingly it cleared a path on the outskirts of Abingdon which was one of its first projects undertaken in 2012.
Another interesting session was the provision of waymark posts to show the correct route of a PROW across the golf course at Shrivenham. This session followed up a request from Jane Archer, PPW for Shrivenham, who was concerned that the existing route used by walkers across the golf course was off-line and crossed a number of fairways. For this session we had the services of Arthur McEwan-James to ensure that the new route was absolutely on track.