The parish council has warmly welcomed a volunteer who will help the parish by walking all routes and rights of way each year and reporting back any blockages, breakages or missing finger posts. Richard sits quietly in our parish council meetings, listening for light jobs that need to be done (levelling a stile for example) and then promptly goes out and does them.
More formally, a volunteer footpath warden (VFW) (often called a Parish Paths Warden) is a community volunteer who monitors and maintains local walking trails and Public Rights of Way. Acting as the "eyes and ears" of local councils, they ensure footpaths remain safe, accessible, and well-signposted for the public. Our VFW is not formally appointed by the County Council like some VFW are and this affects the jobs that he is able to do in some respects.
If you spot an issue with a Right of Way, you first action should be to report it to the County Council (if it is non urgent): https://www.worcestershire.gov.uk/council-services/travel-and-highways/report-road-or-path-issue
Only once it is reported to the County Council, should your next action be to let the parish council know. We might be able to help before the County Council gets round to the matter. Residents should not instruct our VFW themselves, but contact the Parish Clerk first who will pass the message on.
Richard needs your help please. Contact the parish council if you would like to get involved and volunteer for a 'Rights of Way' day.
As yet we havent decided on a proper name for this event. The tag lines might be.....
- Working Together to Keep Our Paths Open"
- "Many Hands, Better Paths"
- "Caring for the Paths We Share"
- "Keeping Severn Stoke and Croome d'Abitot Connected"
- "Local People, Local Paths, Lasting Benefits" or even
-
Step Up for Your Footpaths!!!"
Please ask the parish clerk to be added to the volunteer list and to receive parish council agendas and notices. Keep an eye on this page as we update it with further info.