A £2,000 donation from Grundon has helped boost countryside access across Oxfordshire’s Lower Windrush Valley.
The funding, provided to the Lower Windrush Valley Project (LWVP), focused on three circular walks and enabled three stiles to be replaced with kissing gates, bespoke stickers to be added to waymarkers and easy-to-follow maps to be created.
The routes were chosen for their ease of access, together with proximity to local businesses and nature reserves, as well as links with longer distance footpaths like the Windrush Path and Thames Path National Trail.
The work was completed in the summer, just in time for visitors to get out and explore the countryside, as Lucy Kennery, Lower Windrush Valley Project Manager, explains.
“A key focus for us is improving access to nature and we are pleased to hear that the paths are being used and enjoyed by many.” she said. “We wanted to make the paths as accessible as possible, so two of them are stile-free and the bespoke signs make it easy for people who want to go out walking but are not comfortable reading a map.
“We were very grateful to Grundon for providing the bulk of the funding for the project, which couldn’t have been achieved without their support.”
Anthony Foxlee-Brown, Grundon’s Head of Marketing and Communications, added: “In what has been a difficult year for so many people, we’ve been very happy to provide funding for this project and to help encourage walking in the beautiful English countryside.
“The project team has done a fantastic job and we hope that despite the restrictions and challenges ahead, everyone will be able to look forward to exploring once again in the future.”
Walkers can choose from three circular walks of variable lengths and, says Lucy, it has also been a great opportunity to promote local businesses that people will pass on their walk, including the community-run pub in Northmoor.
The funding was provided after the LWVP applied for a grant from environmental charity the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (TOE). It works with Oxfordshire-based Grundon to manage donations from the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) which helps local community and environmental projects.