Rowell Bridge

Friends of the Loxley Valley members hold second footpath trimming session

Friends of the Loxley Valley members hold second footpath trimming session

Friends of the Valley members have this week held a second footpath trimming session to help keep the main valley bottom footpath clear of overgrowing vegetation.

We pruned and trimmed the ‘tapping rail’ between Olive Mill and Rowell Bridge and lightly pruned a bit of tree growth that was dropping below head height.

We also cleared a few bits of dog muck that were on the path near Rowell Bridge, (come on folks, there’s a pooh bin there!).

It was the second time we’ve worked on this stretch of path, following our first session last month, (see earlier news post here).

We finished work on the path a bit earlier than we expected, so we then nipped across the river to clear some badly overgrown duckboards on the parallel footpath.

FoLV would like to thank all the members who’ve volunteered to take part in the work sessions. Our voluntary work helps the council’s hard-pressed public rights of way team to concentrate on urgent repairs from a very limited budget.

Work sessions are open to all Friends of the Loxley Valley members. Membership is open to all. See the ‘Get Involved’ page on this website for more information.

Photograph of overgrown duckboards on the south side of the river.

This duckboard bridge is on the footpath on the south side of the river. It was disappearing under shrubbery and grass, so we tidied it up.

Friends of the Loxley Valley members working to clear the overgrown duckboards

Friends of the Loxley Valley members working to clear the overgrown duckboards

Photograph of the duckboards after we cleared the vegetation

Job done! We’ve cleared the duckboards of overgrowth. Walkers can see the way ahead and get across without stumbling or tripping.

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Friends of the Loxley Valley taskforce trims valley bottom footpath

Friends of the Loxley Valley taskforce trims valley bottom footpath

A Friends of the Loxley Valley taskforce has cleared and tidied a section of the valley bottom footpath to keep it clear of obstruction and accessible to all.

A team of nine FoLV members spent two hours cutting back overgrowth and clearing the tapping rail for people with visual impairments.

We did the work on the “easy access” stretch of footpath between Rowell Bridge and Olive Mill.

We also cleared a branch that had fallen across the path, and tidied up dog pooh that had been left on the path.

We’ve agreed the community stewardship work with the public rights of way unit at Sheffield City Council.

We’ve said we’ll try to keep the path free of overgrowth and other obstructions. And we’ll keep the tapping rail alongside the path clear. This is so that people can feel their way along the path using walking aids.

We hope this will help the council’s footpaths team to concentrate on urgent repairs with a limited budget. They’ve recently repaired broken and missing sections of the tapping rail.

Thanks to Bradfield Parish Council

This was our first practical work session. It follows a generous £200 grant from Bradfield Parish Council that helped us pay for work signs, hi-vis jackets, and public liability insurance. Thank you!

Friends of the Loxley Valley members spent two hours doing the work on Saturday, May 28th. Our next session is from 6pm to 8pm on on Tuesday, June 14th. All members are welcome.

Friends of the Loxley Valley members with footpath maintenance tools

Friends of the Loxley Valley members working on the valley bottom footpath.

Easy Access Trail with tapping rail

The section of footpath from Rowell Bridge to Olive Mill is part of an Easy Access Trail.

The then Sheffield City Council leader David Blunkett (now Lord Blunkett) opened it in 1985.

It features a wide firm surface suitable for wheelchairs. And it has a tapping rail that people with visual impairments can use to help find their way along the path. The path features in this short video from Sheffield’s Outdoor City team…

Photograph of Easy Going Trail sign

The footpath between Rowell Bridge and Olive Mill is part of an Easy Going Trail.

Photograph of sign commemorating the opening of the footpath

This section of footpath was opened by Sheffield City Council leader David Blunkett in 1985.

Friends of the Loxley Valley footpath volunteers after tidying the footpath.

Friends of the Loxley Valley taskforce volunteers after trimming and tidying the footpath. From left: Diana and Alex Conheeny, Tina Gilligan-Kubo, Joanne Lee, Richard Williams, Richard Clark. (missing are Sophie who was still busy trimming, Pete who was doing a bit of tool maintenance, and David who was behind the camera)

 

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