At last a new boardwalk over the mud
In this past wet winter the ground in many places was churned up by the huge extra footfall and where possible we persuaded the Park workers to put down wood chips re-cycled from the cut fallen trees but we did not have enough.
One obvious and serious problem was the swamp and quagmire created by the stream encroaching on the old and damaged boardwalk making it impassable unless wearing fisherman’s waders. Most of the old boardwalk was built some years ago by volunteers from the Friends of Grovelands but it was always incomplete. We had applied for a Heritage Lottery Grant to create a Wildlife Pond and to repair the boardwalk but with Covid this was no longer possible. As a short-term fix we sourced wooden pallets to bolster the boardwalk and hopefully keep everyone dry-shod, but it was pretty much a losing battle.
Finally after a considerable number of reports, photographs, requests, meetings and a stream of cajoling e-mails, we are delighted to report that LBE Watercourses team were able to find funding to replace entirely the old wooden ‘boardwalk’ running alongside the stream and this work has now be completed with the new path raised on steel supports above the water level. The LBE contractors have done an excellent job and this new structure should last for years. At a time when money is tight I am sure you will all agree that this is a vast improvement as now people with buggies or wheel chairs can now access the woods.