During the summer months 2014 the Vale Path Volunteer team worked on clearing a footpath in Faringdon (FP 210/17). This is a metalled path about 250 metres in length, and about 8 feet wide, between low-height stone-built walls, that runs from the end of Volunteer Way to Southampton Street. It is an important pedestrian route as it links the town centre to a large health centre. One of the VPV members, Marcus Lapthorn, who lives in Faringdon, suggested that this might be a footpath that the VPV could tackle as it had become very overgrown with brambles and briars to the extent that it was barely wide enough for one person to walk through without getting scratched to bits by the briar tendrils. Overgrown side before workOvergrown side before work The responsibility for maintaining this path lies with the Highways Department of the County Council, instead of the Countryside Access Team. Therefore we asked the Department if it would be prepared to provide skips for the occasions when the VPV team were at work cutting down the vegetation; they were not. Side overgrownSide overgrown Consequently, as part of the work our team took about 25 large sack loads of arisings to the nearest recycling depot, several miles away. The team undertook three work sessions on May 2nd, June 6th and August 22nd, cutting and clearing away the overgrown brambles. During the second work session, Quidne IT Ltd, kindly invited our team into their nearby office for a mid-morning break of hot drinks and muffins etc. Our team was also complimented by the many pedestrians who were using the route while we were working.

I am most grateful for the team members who worked on this project. They included: Rona Bingham, Dave Cavanagh, Robert Evans, John Gordon, Stuart Hughes, Marcus Lapthorne, Pat Lonergan, John Orchard, Cherry Scott, Tony Vincent, and Kath Wallis.