3rd Annual General Meeting
The 3rd Annual General Meeting was held at 7:00pm on Thursday 20 June 2019 at Wonston Bridge, Sutton ScotneyThe trustees were delighted to welcome interested members of the public to our Annual General Meeting.We currently have 9 trustees and are pleased to have recently recruited Kay Mead to be our new Treasurer.Kay lives in Kings Worthy and brings the skills we require to move forward and undertake more ambitious projects.
Jackie Porter presented our Annual Report available to download here
She highlighted the continued widespread use of the paths that form the Watercress Way and our plans for the coming year.
- Increased use of the Watercress Way. In particular, the annual Dawn to Dusk Day in April 2018 and the series of well attended guided walks led by trustees
- The work on conservation by our brushcutter trained trustees to improve access and bio-diversity. Tree root clearance in Martyr Worthy has made that section more accessible and been well received by walkers
- The bridge at Sutton Scotney, which we were gathered under, is now cleared for the 25m owned by HCC. This was done by employing contractors through a grant from Wonston Parish Council. The trustees are in discussion with the landowner of the next section and hope to agree a permissive path to link to Beggars Grove
- We have erected 3 interpretation boards and 4 benches on the route
- We advertised The Watercress Way through local fetes and shows and via our website and Facebook page
- We have raised funds for our projects through grants, sponsorship by local businesses, donations and by a very successful quiz night at a local pub
Plans for 2019-20:
- Enhance the environs of the Wonston Rd bridge through planting wild flowers
- Build an access ramp for wheel chair users at Couch Green by liaising with Itchen Valley Parish Council and obtaining the necessary planning permissions and grants
- Open a designated path through the new Top Field development in Kings Worthy respecting the ecology of the area
- Improve the waymarking of the route through putting in posts where required
- Install 10 benches and 10 listening posts using funds donated by the Rotary Club in Alresford
- Continue to increase the awareness and use of the route through guided walks and local events
To keep up to date with our activities please follow news on our website https://www.thewatercressway.org.uk and Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/watercressway/To receive our newsletters sign up as a Friend of the Line via the website.The Watercress Way relies totally on donations and grants. You can support us when you do online shopping via our Give As You Live link. Please sign up today on the website.