2021: Plans for the year ahead
2020 was a difficult year for the charity with the restrictions during the Covid pandemic. We were unable to run our normal range of activities and fundraise. Despite this, we had a busy year planning for the future and adapting our activities.We recruited 3 new trustees to consolidate and extend our range of skills.The 10 trustees continued to meet monthly via Zoom and set up 13 sub-groups to develop the range of our activities from Fund Raising to Volunteering. Zoom also allowed our AGM, normally held on site outdoors, to function effectively.We revised and updated our Strategic Plan which you can download here. We shared it with a wide range of interested stakeholders including The Watercress Line and South Downs National Park.These are our Plans for 2021: (1-5 are located on the map of the marathon-length trail below)
- Install the 10 benches, generously donated by Alresford Rotary Club, around the trail (sites including the old railway lines tbc by HCC).
- Install a ‘mag post’, funded by Winchester City Council, for children to examine leaves and insects at Martyr Worthy.
- Finish the design and commission the building of a wheelchair ramp at Couch Green, Martyr Worthy to make the flat mile section Access For All.
- Open up track bed of the Watercress Line in Top Field/Hookpit, Kings Worthy, and make a new link from the Kim Bishop’s Walk to the DN&SR track bed cutting at Woodhams Farm Lane.
- Design and commission the boarding up of the Wonston Rd Bridge arch at Sutton Scotney, cleared of landfill in 2019. This will be decorated with a railway themed mural.
- Develop a Business Plan to allow us to fund our future projects.
- Run a series of guided walks around the trail, which have proved popular in the past.
- Write smartphone guides for the trail, and a pocket size guidebook, sponsored by Hellards.
- Continue to enhance the biodiversity of the old railway track beds through volunteer conservation sessions and continue to raise awareness of the trail via social media and the website.
- Continue the monitoring of the old railway tracks for planning proposals, fallen trees, improving and replacing old waymarkers and signs of rare flora and fauna.
