Footpath group threatened by funding crisis

Feb 16 2008 by Peter Collins, South Wales Echo

AN ELEVENTH-HOUR bid is being made to save a project involving hundreds of volunteers which works to open up pathways around South Wales.

The Valeways project, which began in 1996, is run by an independent charity and is made up of hundreds of volunteers who have opened up pathways and carried out a range of schemes to protect and improve the countryside.

But a funding crisis means that the operation could fold within weeks.

Plaid Cymru AM Chris Franks, who is also a Vale of Glamorgan councillor, met Gareth Simpson, chief officer of Valeways, to discuss the crisis.

Following the meeting, he said: “I am concerned that Valeways walking project is facing an uncertain future.

“A great deal of their work aids the Vale council in improving public footpaths.

“There is a great deal of concern that Valeways could fold, leading to the redundancy of four workers.

“If this is the case, then their excellent work with a wide range of groups could cease to continue. The staff-led group of volunteers do a magnificent job.

“The Vale council’s strategic footpath plan cannot be achieved without Valeways. There is a growing demand for the footpath network to be properly cared for. People want to enjoy the countryside.”

Councillor Neil Moore, deputy leader of the Vale council and cabinet member for finance, said they were studying Valeways’ accounts.

“We are looking at what we can do and the possibility of entering a service level agreement with them,” he said.

One of the biggest schemes undertaken by Valeways has been the Millennium Heritage Trail, a 70-mile walking circuit around the Vale of Glamorgan, linking the best of the area’s scenic and historic locations.

It begins just outside the Vale at the Museum of Welsh Life, St Fagans, and finishes at the village of Peterston-super-Ely.

peter.collins@mediawales.co.uk

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