the thames path issue 1 march to may 2016egwt.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/tp... · issue 1...
TRANSCRIPT
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Streatley
Boardwalk
1
Mobility
Access
Project
2
Task Diary &
Booking
3
Volunteers at
Work
4
Volunteer-
Recognition
Event
5
Thames Path Monitors
6
The Thames Path M A R C H T O M A Y 2 0 1 6 I S S U E 1
Welcome to the Thames Path Newsle er
We thought you might be interested in a series of con-necting boardwalks we have designed and installed along the Thames Path at Streat-ley. The section is enclosed and low lying and so after a flooding event or just heavy rain for that matter, stagnant water sits in wal-lows for some time.
The board walks have been made in recycled plastics and are heavily pegged down to survive major flooding inci-dents. As they are recycled plastic they have a natural anti-slip surface and so after the floods, water will drain through the boardwalk and users will still be able to utilise our Na-tional Trail.
It is hoped that we’ll be able to install other such environmen-tally friendly solutions to sur-face issues on other appropri-ate areas along the Thames.
P A G E 2 The Mobility (Disability) Access Project
T H E T H A M E S P A T H
Thames Path
National Trails Office Signal Court
Old Station Way
Eynsham
Oxford OX29 4TL
Tel: 01865 810211
The project to describe the Thames Path access for people with disabili es has made great progress in the last 3 months. Volunteer monitors and river wardens have completed reports on 28 of the 47 sec ons of the Thames Path between the source near Cirencester and Teddington. The reports combine notes with photographs that illustrate the poten al ob-stacles and these are balanced by saying where access is straigh orward. All convey the a rac ons of using the Thames Path where possible. To-gether they form a very useful account of the condi on of the Thames Path outside London in the winter of 2015-16. It has been a good chance to work with others who monitor the same sec ons. We look forward to comple ng this project down to Teddington in the next few months. Many thanks are due to the volunteers for their excellent contribu ons.
Dick Mayon-White
A lovely spot at Goring: easy access, hard surface, seats, good views across to Streatley and a popular mooring.
A challenge at Shepperton, where the Thames Path crosses the river on a ferry that does not have wheelchair access. There is an alterna ve route, but it is helpful to be forewarned.
Useful facili es: toilets near the Path in Henley, with access by a ramp.
This awkward gate is near Shillingford where the Path runs beside the A4074, and crosses the road into a river-side field. The alterna ve is to con nue along the main road.
It has
been a
good
chance
to work
with
others
who
monitor
the
same
sec ons
P A G E 3 I S S U E 1
To book onto a task please Email: [email protected]
Call: 01865 810211
Cleaning the bridge at Bourne End
Task Diary
The task locations are shown as numbers on the map so that you can see which locations suit you. Please ensure that you book early as the practical tasks are becoming very popular. Occasionally we may have to change a task location or date as issues of a higher priority may occur or if the weather conditions are not suitable. If this hap-pens, we will try to keep you as up-to-date as we can.
Task Bookings
March
8th Old Windsor WC 1 10th Workshop 2 14th Ashton Keynes WC 3 15th Tring WC 4 21st Upper Upham WC 5 22nd Binsey S 6 29th Cholsey D 7
April
5th Chequers G 9 6th Whiteleaf G 9 7th Workshop 2 11th Tring G 4 12th TBC 13th Godstow G 6 19th Henley G 10 20th Nuffield G 11 21st TBC 25th Chimney M 12 26th Monkton M 5 27th Marlow BC 13
May
3rd Lechlade M 14 4th Oxford (FI) BC 6 5th Oxford (O) M 6 9th Gra on M 12 10th Ashbury M 15 11th Newbridge M 16 16th Sonning BC 17 17th Snap M 5 23rd Idstone M 15 24th Princes Risborough M 9 25th Workshop 2 26th Swinford M 2
KEY TBC=to be confirmed WC= winter clearance S = signage D= drainage BC = brush cu ng M= mowing G= gate
Check
the map
for a
task
location
near to
you.
6
2
3
4
7
8
5
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
P A G E 4
T H E T H A M E S P A T H
Signage at Chertsey, Surrey
Steve, Trevor and Tom the dog
A monitor’s report came in about signage issues along this stretch in Surrey. Volunteers had a task day and we then installed three replacement fingerposts which had been made by volunteers in our workshop.
Winter Clearance at Tilehurst, Reading
Volunteers at Work
P A G E 5 I S S U E 1
Volunteer Recognition Event
County Cllr . Chairman John Sanders, Deputy Leader Cllr. Rodney Rose with Ian and Mar n
Just before Christmas, Oxfordshire County Council’s Vol‐unteer Recogni on Celebra on highlighted the outstand‐ing work residents do in their communi es with cer fi‐cates, open apprecia on, and a few mince pies for good measure. We asked Na onal Trails volunteer representa‐ves Ian and Mar n, to tell us how they got on.
‘Approaching Christmas Oxford was buzzing with shoppers and it set the upbeat and fes ve tone for the event. I was amazed how many different volunteers and groups there were but I found my way first for a coffee and then joined my colleague, Ian. There was much cha er which eventually quietened for the Welcome Address by Rose Rolle‐Rowan, Works Ini a ve Manager. Following that there were a few more short speeches from Cllr John Sanders (Chairman of Oxfordshire CC) and Cllr Rod‐ney Rose (Cabinet member for the Voluntary and Community Sector). Both thanked the volun‐teers for their dedica on, hard work and commitment to the various needs and related some interes ng facts about the volun‐teer groups. The amount of hours donated by the volunteer groups was really quite staggering. There were 16 different volunteer groups—from ‘Abingdon Health & Wellbeing centre’ through to
the ‘Youth Jus ce Service’ ‐ and with several members in each I was wondering how they were going to present all the cer fi‐cates in me for the Closing Re‐marks at 5:30. Sensibly, each group came up together and were handed their cer ficates at the same me. This not only meant the presenta ons and photo‐graphs were much quicker, it also meant we didn’t have to clap for each and every volunteer (which would have made the hand sorer than a scratch from a Blackthorn bush!).
A er the formali es, wine and more mince pies were on hand to lubricate further discussions amongst the various volunteers milling around.
All‐in‐all it was a very heart‐warming event and greatly ex‐panded my understanding of the other volunteer groups there are in Oxfordshire. Hopefully these will con nue.
Mar n B.
‘Just before Christmas I received
an invita on to the Volunteer
Recogni on Event held by the
county council in Oxford. I arrived
quite early to find a massive emp‐
ty hall full of hundreds of chairs
all labelled for each volunteer
group. I walked up and down the
rows taking a look at who was
expected, dozens of librarians and
care workers and I was par cular‐
ly intrigued by the many chairs
labelled ‘Master Composters’.
There were just two seats for the
Na onal Trails volunteers, myself
and Mar n.
People arrived, seats filled, and
wine and mince pies were served.
An interes ng display was shown
on screen of the various organisa‐
ons with photographs and de‐
scrip ons of what they do. Some‐
one had made a good effort to
put that together. Once under
way there were a few short
speeches from the dignitaries and
then the groups went up to
receive cer ficates. All was over
within an hour or so and the
whole thing turned out to be far
more pleasant than expected.
Lots of wine and mince pies were
le over so it seemed a shame to
see it all go to waste. I had my
bus pass a er all and an a er‐
noon to fill. I highly recommend
this event if they do it again next
Christmas.
Ian L.
For Volunteering information please contact the office: [email protected]
or 01865 810211
Through frost and mud. . .
Thames Path Na onal Trails Office Signal Court, Old Sta on Way, Eynsham, Oxford OX29 4TL
If you’re running short of envelopes, report forms or bin bags please email us ‐ and many thanks again for being our eyes & ears along the Trails. E: [email protected]
Running short?
In our last newsle er we reported that Dick Mayon-White, a coordinator for the River Thames Society wardens, is working as a volunteer one day a week with us to help co-ordinate the work of all those who report on the condi on of the Thames Path. This is s ll work in progress with some sec ons having several ac ve monitors and other sec ons which would benefit from more reports. We aim to have two ac ve moni-tors/wardens for each sec on, ideally who would com-municate together to ensure that a report is sent in eve-ry three months. We do ask all monitors to send in ‘nothing to report’ if all is well just so that we know that they have completed their sec on of the path.
Thames Path Monitors Update
Our Monitors’ reports are vital to the upkeep of the Trails ‐ they help to determine and priori se work to do and so create our task diary. We o en receive reports that provide not only issue informa on but also a snap‐shot into the monitor’s day….. ‘This morning I walked sec ons 29, 30 & 31 of The Thames Path, and the joys of ge ng up early on a very cold frosty morning meant that I was able to walk the muddy sec on 29 towards Marlow easily because the ground was frozen solid!! I was able to make it all the way to Marlow since the flood waters have receded alt‐hough I am sure you are aware the river is very high and s ll ebbing out a li le way onto the path at Marlow.’
Carole T.
This year the flooding has come along early and flood water is s ll standing. This has had a knock on effect of works being put on hold: for example a er gaining Environment Age consent the Benson to Wallingford surfacing works will now be put on hold un l the next financial year when hopefully the flood-ing has receded and surrounding land for access dries out.
Thames Path Benson to Wallingford
Standing Water
Thames Path at Marlow
P A G E 6 I S S U E 1