workshop volunteers needed

[big soft moose]

Hi Guys (and girls )

As i may have mentioned before my day job is as the volunteer scheme coordinator for the ridgeway and thames path national trails.

We are currently looking for some "workshop" volunteers - basically people who have one or more days per month to spare and are interested in volunteering at our workshop near west ilsley (berkshire), making signs, gates, information boards etc for use on the trails (work will largely be in oak or softwoods, though ridgeway signs are made out of recycled plastic)

We will provide induction, training, and supervision but ideally we are looking for people who already have experience of powered woodworking (router, morticer, pillar drill , mitre saw etc).

we pay reasonable travel expenses (up to a 25 mile radius of the workshop) and provide hot drinks etc.

Any one who is interested please pm me or call me on 01865 810211 (and ask for pete as i keep my moosiness for out of office hours ) to discuss things further.

edit : this link (if ive done it right ) should give a map showing the approximate location of our workshop - i'm sure people will understand why i dont want to put the exact location on the internet. Map

 

[Gary]

Shame I'm so far away. Best of luck to you anyway.

 

[eggflan]

Is this the same Ridgeway that has had a TRO placed on it to prevent use by motor vehicles :?:

I belive its getting a little overgrown in some places , some of the chaps from the local TRF used to do quite a bit of clearing and maintainence on the ridgeway are they still helping out Pete.

Keeping these historical rights of way open is of parramount importance to all user groups and is a great cause , if i was closer i would gladly lend a hand but its a bit to far for me .

Keep up the good work

Mic..

 

[big soft moose]

yes - but i'm not going to get into a debate about the rights and wrongs of the tro/restricted byway argument here.

That falls outside my purview anyway - as the volunteer scheme coordinator my job revolves arround encouraging people to help us maintain/improve the trails and coordinating/supervising the groups that do

I wouldnt have said that it was overgrown per se - but we certainly do have a lot of winter veg/summer mowing to do each year in addition to installing gates, signs, furniture etc.

We have loads of different volunteer opportunities beyond just workshop volunteering - but i didnt mention them here as they are outside the remit of this board.

For background for those that dont know - the 89 mile long ridgeway goes from avebury in wiltshire via oxfordshire, berkshire, buckinghamshire, and hertfordshire to ivinghoe beacon in bucks , while the 152 miles of thames path goes from thames head near kemble in gloucestershire via wiltshire, oxfordshire, bucks, berks, surrey, and london to the barrier (though our project only maintains it up to kingston bridge)

as you may imagine managing that little lot involves a lot of work hence the need for volunteers to help us out

more info on the trails can be found on www.nationaltrail.co.uk/ridgeway and www.nationaltrail.co.uk/thamespath

 

[Gill]

When I was based at RAF High Wycombe, we had a team who hiked the full length of the Ridgeway and found it very enjoyable. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get away from work to join in .

It's a pity I don't live any nearer or I'd have loved to have helped out.

Gill

 

[eggflan]

Moose , I was not intending on getting into an argument about the reasons behind the closure of the ridgeway to motor vehicles or a discusion about DEFRA and the NERC debate, this is not the place to do that , i moan about that elsewhere :wink:

I have the upmost respect for people like you and your team and any other volenteers who do this kind of work , these ROWs should be preserved, they are our herritage after all .

Regards
Mic..

 

[Digit]

A particular friend of mine has a few words on the subject, non-pritable I might add.
Four years into his occupancy some rambler with nothing better to do found that a path had passed through his garden years before, even his solictor hadn't found it during the normal search. Nobody living in the area remembers it being used, but of course some jobsworth insisted that it must be opened, made safe, maintained and also liability insurance was suggested. So, at his own expense, a stile and steps into a steep bank had to be installed.
Nobody has used it in that time 'cost it ends at the edge of a sand pit and must be all of 150 yds long!

Roy.

 

[joiner_sim]

I'm about 100 miles away so just a bit too far really, otherwise i'd give a helping hand...

 

[CWatters]

A lot of people here will live too far away but will have there own workshops (not me unfortunately). If you have a lot of work perhaps you could set up a database of drawings so people could offer to make items in their own workshops? Would save on travelling expenses etc.

 

[adzeman]

Good Idea Colin!

 

[big soft moose]

A lot of people here will live too far away but will have there own workshops (not me unfortunately). If you have a lot of work perhaps you could set up a database of drawings so people could offer to make items in their own workshops? Would save on travelling expenses etc.

Hi Colin

Thats an idea - tho we would then get into transport issues / courier costs to pick the finished items up. There would also be insurance/indemnity issues to sort out but it is worth looking into for some items.

Therefore If anyone who lives in our area of operations (roughly defined as a rectangle with cirencester, chipenham, leighton buzzard and maidenhead at the corners) would like to do some work for us in their own workshop then please get in touch and we'll see what we can sort out

Btw - those that have pm'd me i'm currently at my fiancees house on her extremly limited broadband , so i'll respond to you all when i get back to the office on friday. Ta muchly