Bedford Borough Rights of Way Volunteering

Being a Rights of Way volunteer is about exploring, enjoying and understanding your local countryside, and is a chance to meet people, learn new skills and have some fun doing it! Get involved with projects on footpaths, bridleways, byways, hedges, trees, ponds, bridges, stiles, gates and a host of other matters in your village, town, parish or the Borough.

If you are interested in your local countryside then being a Rights of Way Volunteer may be for you.

The Volunteer scheme is run by the Borough who with financial constraints are becoming much more reliant on volunteers to help them keep the 980 kilometres of Public Rights of Way in the Borough accessible.  The aims of the Borough Rights of Way are:

1. To enhance the countryside for wider community use and enjoyment

2. To improve and promote the public rights of way network.

What you can do

By joining the Volunteering scheme you can do as much or as little as you want in order to improve the countryside in your parish and / or in other parts of the Borough.

You can:

·     Participate in the Borough wide path surveys which check the condition of path furniture,

     eg stiles, way mark posts and kissing gates, and also the surface of the path and any

     adjacent vegetation.


·     Work on practical projects to improve the local environment and Rights Of Way network


·     Learn new skills at training and social events


·     Produce leaflets about your parish and local heritage

What will the Borough do

SUPPORT you in a range of activities and organise the path surveys and working parties. They will also help and advise in the setting up of groups of volunteers  in villages or parishes.

FUNDING can cover the following activities:

          Improvement works to the surrounding countryside, footpaths and bridleways



          Publicity and information



          Events and activities to encourage use of the countryside



          Purchase of equipment for use by volunteers



          Reasonable volunteers' out of pocket expenses



          Insurance of volunteers 


TRAINING courses are organised for you to attend in a wide variety of topics. Previous courses have been:

          Safe Working Practices and First Aid



          Hedgerow History and Management



          Strimmer use



          Bat and Badger Surveying



          Leaflets from Design to Print



          Birds and Birdsong



          Wildflower Surveying



ARE YOU INTERESTED?

To find out more just contact Phill Fox of the Rights of Way and Outdoor Access Dept on 01234 276070, e-mail: phillip.fox@bedford.gov.uk.