North Bucks rRIPPLE (ramblers Repairing & Improving Public Paths for Leisure & Exercise) Activity Report 14 November 2016 – 31 December2016

Before & after photos of all work are available on request. Man hours include some travel time. DaG = Donate a Gate. CAMS is a reference used by BCC/Ringway Jacobs for work requests.

All work is requested and authorised by Alastair McVail, Ringway Jacobs, North Bucks RoW Officer, or Jon Clark, BCC Access Officer.

15/11/16 Letter in The Times:

16/11/16 WIG/2/2 at SP852178 (North) CAMS 83764. Removed old metal kissing gate and replaced this with a Marlow gate using two 1.8 x 100 x 100 posts and filled a gap with four short lengths of rail. Fixed way markers. 2 x 6 = 12 man hours. J & K.

16/11/16 Rowsham WIG/2/2 at SP852178 (South) CAMS 83667. Removed remains of old stile and installed a Marlow gate complete with two 1.8 x 100 x 100 posts. Reinstated sheep proof wire fencing and barbed wire and fixed way markers. 2 x 6 = 12 man hours. B & John Nicholson. (John4P). 30 miles. Also cleared overgrowth around nearby stile and bridge.

20/11/16 project. Emailed parish council chairman and clerk to expedite payment of £800 to the donate a gate scheme. (Eventually paid 20/12/16).

22/11/16 GRA/8/3 at SP770252 CAMS 81084. Wet and rainy day. Dismantled stile and installed Marlow gate complete with two posts. Rammed in with stones. Way markers fitted. Made good sheep proof fencing inc. straining post. ABJ 3 x 5 = 15 man hours. (A3P). 36 miles.

22/11/16 Granborough GRA/1/1 at SP761256 CAMS 81088 recce wrt keeping electric fence tensioned when replacing stile with gate. BJ 1 x 0.5 = 1 man hour.

22/11/16 Received final versions of NB rRIPPLE Logos.

22/11/16 Area meeting . Showed off the new logos; explained that our efforts are becoming more widely recognised within the county; explained that the DaG scheme is going well and that we’re optimistic about future donations; explained that we are concentrating on sorting a complete parish out where we can such as Wing and Wingrave for instance. The use of locals within villages whether Ramblers members or note is definitely the way to precede as far as getting landowner permissions – see PPW below.

23/11/16 Parish Path Wardens (PPW). Received an email from Jim Parke, Oxfordshire Area Ramblers PPW Network Coordinator, regarding how he operates the Oxfordshire PPW scheme. Potentially this could be useful for villages in North Bucks to formalise local contacts to take more responsibility for monitoring, reporting and the upkeep of their particular sections of the network. This needs further investigation and consideration – possibly by Ramblers.

24/11/16 Wingrave. Jerry Michell followed up on his 26/10/16 recce of Wingrave with a series of emails providing photos of six stiles needing to be converted to gates as agreed in May 2015 by BCC. He is liaising with Jan Warmsley, Ramblers member and Becky Biley, PC clerk.

26/11/16 . Mandy Cliffe, Parish Clerk Great Horwood enquired regarding the cost of a DaG as the PC is asking for a grant of £250 towards another gate. Replied saying the cost is £250 whether it is for a PG or a KG.

30/11/16 Granborough GRA/1/1 at SP761256 CAMS 81088. Cold & frosty but sunny. Dismantled dilapidated stile and installed Marlow gate complete with two 1.8 m x 100 x 100 mm posts. Also used 1.5 m x 80 x 40 mm rail as spacer to allow reinstallation of existing tensioners. Detached existing four strand electric fence at 25, 42, 60 and 90 cm above ground level and reinstalled this. Provided continuity using soft double insulated special cable passed through length of blue plastic water pipe. Supplied four additional spring tensioners to short length of fence on south side of gate and reused four springs for section on north side. BDJK 4 x 6 = 24 man hours. 36 miles. (B4P).

30/11/16 DaG news. Peter Jordain sent information from the minutes of the PC Meeting:

1/12/16 South East Walker December 2016 Issue

12/12/16. . Tracy Gray of Hillview Paddock called to request an additional plaque for Gary Gray on her DaG kissing gate. She said she’d be happy to pay for it.

13/12/16 Wing/Burcott/Ivy Lane. WIN/12/2 at SP879234 CAMS 83828. Dismantled awkward and potentially dangerous stile and installed a Marlow gate. Drilled and attached face of one side of gate to side of existing large timber post. Installed one new 1.8 x 100 x 100 post rammed in with stones. Made good fence rails and sheep netting. ABDJ (J3.5P) 4 x 5 = 20 man hours. 46 miles via and Wingrave recce. This was a DaG thanks to Ed Fielder of Wing, encouraged by Malcolm Oliver, who came and visited – see photo.

13/12/16 Wing WIN/16/2 – Wing Millenium Circular Walk - Western part improvements. Recce of CAMS 84067/8 at SP878224 – Two gates one each side of a small bridge. Also recce of, reported- by-Malcolm-Oliver, rotten post at church-yard kissing gate. Decided this could be done free-gratis when doing the bridge gates. 4 x 0.5= 2.0 man hours.

13/12/16 Wingrave. Called on several locals to obtain land ownership details. Highly productive. Jerry to follow up. 4 x 0.5 = 2.0 man hours.

13/12/16 Tel call from Bill & Greg of BCC to arrange delivery of 5 KGs and 8PGs (Pedestrian Gates – 1.2 m Marlows) on 16/12/16 to CRFC together with 21 timber posts – 2.1 x 100 x 100.

13/12/16 Wing WIN/16/2. Received CAMS 84065/6/7/8 to complete western circular ring improvements. 1 KG, 3 PGs, all DaGs sponsored by Ed Fielder (His second one), one by Wing PC, one by Malcolm Oliver and one free issue from Malcolm Oliver who has a spare left over from The Spinny.

13/12/16 Westcott WES/20/1. Received CAMS 83441 at SP722170. This is the second DaG from Aylesbury Ramblers 50th Anniversary on the OAR. May be a KG but will push farmer towards a PG.

13/12/16 Westcott WES/8/1. Received CAMS 84050/1/2/3 north of Lower Farm at SP724181 for four KGs but again will push farmer towards PGs if possible.

19/12/16 Oving. Recce of Oving. Met with Mrs Sue Hawkins, landowner of field where OVI/22/1 comes out onto Church Lane via a dilapidated stile. She expressed interest in a timber DaG. Also met with Tom Hodges of Buttermilkhall Farm at the farm where there are four problem stiles on OVI/6. These have been seriously dilapidated and dangerous for several years. 32 miles 1 x 6.0 = 6.0 man hours. Emailed Sue Severn, clerk to Oving PC to say NB rRIPPLE could help them.

20/12/16 Oving. Sue Severn, Oving PC emailed to ask me to call her. She said the PC had already met with Alastair McVail to discuss a report by the village footpaths group of work needed. She said she was unaware of NB rRIPPLE’s existence.

20/12/16 Called Alastair and suggested closer liaison in 2017. Discussed state of paths in Wing, FP 28 in Oakley and mentioned Oving. Subsequently sent him photos of OVI/6 problems.

20/12/16 Wingrave. Area treasurer received £800 for DaGs from PC for 2 gates installed and 6 yet to be installed.

21/12/16 Alastair visited Oving and checked OVI/6 at Buttermilkhall Farm. He emailed to say he’d met with the farmer and that he would pursue improvement with the possibility of some gates for NB rRIPPLE to install.

22/12/16 Oving. Alastair queried land ownership for field through which OVI/22/1 runs. Emailed Mrs Hawkins to ask for clarification. She phoned but didn’t leave a message.

23/12/16 Wing. Area treasurer received £250 from Malcolm Oliver for a DaG on western side of village. Also received copy of Wing PC’s completed DaG application form.

23/12/16 Great Horwood. Sent DaG application form to Mandy Cliffe, clerk to PC.

23/12/16 NB rRIPPLE plaques. Collected 10 NB rRIPPLE plaques from Impact Signs in Aylesbury as agreed by Area committee meeting in August 2016. 13 miles.

28/12/16 Wingrave. Jerry in touch with Jon Clark, BCC re issuing of CAMS and landowners details.

30/12/16 Wingrave. Received CAMS 82407 at SP869187 Three step stile onto Lower End c/o Mrs Spurrier; 84105 at SP867189 West off Church Street c/o/ Mrs Miller; 84106 at SP866189 Further West off Church Street across field c/o/ Mrs Miller

31/12/16 Oving. Received detailed footpath status report and accompanying maps and photos from Rachel Barnett. Numerous problems depicted.

NB rRIPPLE work load - Current situation: DaG opportunities and recent work orders (CAMS) from BCC: Brill – Several others potentially. “Localism” Ickford – “Localism” being provided by Peter being provided by Elaine Horsey. Jordain – Ickford PC footpaths person. SP663239 Stile/fence to Gate SP643232 2 x Stiles to Gates Done; others potentially. early 2017avaiable as DaGs Dinton – “Localism” being provided by Helen Stile to wooden KG at SP904198. Wild but several other people “interested”. “Localism” being provided by Peter Brazier, Chair Granborough SP759254 Stile to PG done; of PC. one at SP761256 available. Oving – Potential for several DaGs. Great Horwood SP868230 Stile to PG done Westcott - One Aylesbury Ramblers 50th as a DaG. Another “in the pipeline”. anniversary DaG early 2017. – “Localism” provided by Bruce Westcott – Four agreed KGs all available as Hyde and Jonathan Owen and PCC. DaGs. – Two gates provided by BCC to Wing – agreed 4 DaGs early in 2017. Hogshaw Hill Farm to be installed by farmer. Wingrave – Two KG DaGs completed; 6 more DaGs early 2017 paid for by Wingrave PC.

NB rRIPPLE on site man hours – includes a proportion of travel time: 224 for period 30 Jan 2015 – 6 Aug 2015 66.5 for period 13 Aug 2015 – 17 Nov 2015 72 for period 18 Nov 2015 – 16 Jan 2016 74 for period 17 Jan 2016 – 15 Mar 2016 120.25 for period 16 Mar 2016 – 11 Jun 2016 133 for period 12 Jun 2016 – 14 Aug 2016 142 for period 15 Aug 2016 – 21 Sept 2016 104 for period 21 Sept 2016 – 13 Nov 2016 94 for period 14 Nov 2016 – 31 Dec 2016

Signed: Bill Piers Co-ordinator NB rRIPPLE and Donate a Gate Scheme Organiser [email protected] Mobile 07799 110128

16/11/16 Rowsham at 22/11/16 Granbor’gh 16/11/16 Rowsham at 16/11/16 Rowsham at SP852178 (South) at SP770252 SP852178 (North) SP852178 (South)

30/11/16 Granbor’gh at SP761256 13/12/16 Burcott/Wing at SP879234