The Watercress Festival Alresford May 2019
Our trustees met a large number of interested people at another busy Watercress Festival in Alresford on Sunday 19 May 2019.Many of whom were unaware of The Watercress Way.They are now! We also met enthusiastic walkers and cyclists who had used The Watercress Way and were very appreciative of the work of the Trustees.The display inside our new gazebo attracted plenty of attention and we gave out hundreds of leaflets and maps.There were many animated conversations with our team of trustees about the work the charity is doing in promoting the use and awareness of the old railway lines.There was a wide range of interest ranging from those planning to walk the whole 26 miles to those interested in the relatively short and flat sections of the old line at Martyr Worthy (park at Couch Green, SO21 1EA) or at Worthy Down Halt (Parking in Worthy Down Lane, SO21 2RR or for a longer walk at the end of Woodhams Farm Lane, SO23 7LB).For those seeking shorter walks see https://www.thewatercressway.org.uk/walks/ for a selection of circular walks with different starting points.All have parking and nearby pubs for refreshment.This year we entered some appetising Watercress bagels made by Becky’s Bagels which were served with Horseradish and Watercress spread and Stilton.We hosted local author George Edward Mann who was selling copies of his book The River Itchen at Martyr Worthy which record his 10 year study of the local flora and fauna complete with over 1500 illustrations.It retails for £35 and is available from georgemann@gmp.co.ukWe will be at Kings Worthy Fete on Bank Holiday Monday 27 May and at Alresford Show on 1 September.If you want to be kept in touch with our activities please sign up to be a Friend of the Line to receive our quarterly newsletters or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.We are funded totally by donations and grants so if you would like to support us then please do so via the website. Every little bit helps.You can also support us when you shop online using the Give as You Live site.You can raise FREE donations for us with every purchase when you shop.It takes less than 2 minutes to sign up - https://www.giveasyoulive.com/join/the-watercress-way?utm_source=GAYLCharitySocial&utm_medium=PostIf you run a local business and would be willing to sponsor us for £50 or £100 a year and be advertised on the website and in our leaflets please contact us at info@thewatercressway.org.uk.