Excerpts from York Group Annual Report 2004 – 2005
Walks Programme
This year we ran two successful coach rambles, from Kirkby Lonsdale to
Arnside in May, and in Calderdale in September. Our annual evening walks
programme ran as usual. Although numbers were fairly small, they are
appreciated by people unable to walk at other times.
Steve Hoather, together with volunteers from other groups, was able to
coordinate a full programme of Wednesday walks. Alan Clark did his usual
efficient job in coordinating the Wednesday Ambles programme. In addition we
offered walks for both National RA initiatives, i.e. Use Your Paths week and
Welcome to Walking week. Our thanks to all the walk leaders for their
efforts and enthusiasm.
Footpaths and Access
The footpath sub-committee continued to survey paths in our area and
consider over 30 planning matters affecting paths, e.g. at Foss Islands
Road, Hungate, Osbaldwick and Castlegate/Piccadilly within the City of York,
as well as over 60 diversions, closures and path problems in the City and
countryside from Carlton Towers to Coxwold, quite a few in the Howardian
Hills.
Our monthly working party continued their efforts to repair bridges and
stiles. Our thanks to Alan Clark, Ken Walker, Nigel Emery and Brian ? (under
the supervision of the NYCC’s David Ottaway) for their efforts. They were
also featured on Radio York during 'Use Your Paths' week.
We have commented on various draft Village Design statements, including
Murton, Dunnington, Holtby, Askham Bryan and Askham Richard . Committee
members have attended YNEP and LAF meetings, although neither has been well
supported or particularly productive.
This year saw the implementation of the CROW act. We thank Martin
Biggs, Tom Halstead, Sonia Donaghy, Brian and Cathie Odell in particular,
for their hard work on this matter, and look forward to enjoying more of our
open countryside!
Committee / Volunteers
We are sorry to lose the services of two committee members : David
Rubinstein, who has worked very hard on Environmental matters in our area
(and after many years and holding many important positions within the RA
before that), and Jim Smith who was a member of York LAF, and on the CROW
team.
However, we were able to welcome Monica Nelson and Tom Halstead to our
Committee meetings. More volunteers would be welcomed as we still have
Committee positions to fill (publicity, countryside and, shortly, chairman)
and our hard working footpath sub-committee could do with more helpers too.
Radio York has invited us to do a short interview approx. every 6 weeks, a
job which suits early risers, but we hope to benefit from the publicity.