Riverside Walk Volunteers

The Riverside Walk Volunteers was set up with BTCV in 2002 and is a dedicated team of volunteers who organise regular work parties. The group is focusing on delivering elements of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, such as tree planting and hedge
laying. The group also takes its own initiative and has organised other activities such as bench making and river clearance. A grant of £10,000 was secured in 2004 from the Home Office and in 2005 the volunteers appeared on ITV’s People’s Millions.

In 2002 the site was entered into DEFRA’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme which established a management plan for the next 10 years and generated £17,000 income to AVDC for the project.

The walk is now the best example in the Vale of how a site can be changed to benefit biodiversity with a Black Poplar woodland, wildflower meadows full of Snakes Head Fritillary in the spring and wetland areas now providing habitat for Reed Bunting, Grasshopper Warbler and Snipe.