July is our Anniversary month to celebrate Local Legends, and who better to represent this category than our AMAZING Thames Path Volunteers! We recently asked some of our wonderful volunteers a few questions about life as a Thames Path volunteer, to give you all some insight. I think you’ll agree, their answers certainly make it sound like a very rewarding and enjoyable pastime.
What first inspired you to start volunteering on the Thames Path?
Ian Lee: Initially it seemed a good way to have a regular long walk for me and the dog. It then became a regular fixture to provide a life-focus on my calendar and an excuse to get out of the house and talk to people other than myself over my many years of retirement.
What part of your volunteer work are you most proud of?
John Newman: I volunteer both as a person who walks sections of the path to report major issues, as well as someone who joins working parties to address those issues. Monitoring is delightful in its own right and sets in motion work which is needed to maintain the Path. But for me the aspect generating most pride is undertaking the maintenance work – clearing vegetation and installing fingerposts – and then seeing the tangible difference that has made.
What do you enjoy most about being a volunteer?
Martin Beecher: It's working with like minded, fantastic people. The friendship and camaraderie, and I'm not just talking about the other volunteers but the people we work with employed by the council too. There is always something new to learn. We all bring our own experiences and help each other on whatever task is to hand.
What are the biggest changes you have seen along the Thames Path over the years?
Roger Pope: Styles being replaced with kissing gates is the greatest change I have noticed. Great for accessibility.
Martin Beecher: There has been quite a bit of bank erosion over the years, and the Thames seems to flood much more frequently than it did. But I think that people tend to appreciate it more now and don’t take it so much for granted.
John Newman: Despite real (and understandable) restrictions on the funding available for major works unable to be undertaken entirely by volunteers, there has been real improvement on some sections, allowing easier / better access.
What do you hope the Thames Path will be like in another 30 years?
Roger Pope: I hope the Thames Path in 30 years will be as it is now. A place where peace and solitude can be found without the paraphernalia of modern life.
John Newman: My ideal would be to see it broadly as it is now – varied, in some places muddy at times, some places with roots underfoot, but also stretches which truly are accessible to all.
