Trailway group celebrate path progress

By [dhoffman]

CAMPAIGNERS hoping to develop a 10-mile walking and cycling path between Maiden Newton and Bridport have been celebrating their progress.

The trailway steering group began raising money for the project 18 months ago and have now applied for planning permission for the first two-mile stretch between Toller Porcorum and Powerstock Common.

More than 200 people gathered at Toller Porcorum Village Hall on Saturday afternoon for a 'Party on the Path', to recognise how far the project has come.

The event raised £4,700 and involved a raffle, with the top prize of a hand-built Enigma Ethos bike won by Liz Walsh of Frampton, smoothies made using a pedal-powered mechanism, a children's bike flag-making session and a chance to walk the first section of route, which already exists in a primitive form.

Steering group member Peter Henshaw said: "The path will be of great benefit for leisure activities, but also for tourism.

"A lot of people visit the Jurassic Coast but they don't always come inland.

"This will give them an excellent reason to, and also benefit local businesses.

"The path will also provide a safe route to Maiden Newton Primary School. There is not much public transport between Bridport and Maiden Newton, so the path will be convenient for people who don't have a car and want to walk or cycle instead. It's a really exciting project and we've had an overwhelming response from the public. The challenge is to get it done as soon as we can."

The group enlisted the help of sustainable transport charity Sustrans, which has been offering expert advice and guidance.

The initial section of the path will be cleared this month with other work taking part later in the year.

Around £350,000 will be needed to complete the whole stretch. Public donations have already reached £100,000.

Donations are invited via the group's fundraising page, which can be found at www.justgiving.com/maidennewtonbridport.