A GROUP of residents living on the banks of the River Test in Romsey is aiming to raise £45,000 to maintain a footpath.
The Romsey Riverwalk Restoration Community Interest Company was set up by people living at The Causeway just outside Romsey.
It was established in 2017 to keep the riverbank and footpath in good condition, as well as making sure the trees are looked after.
All 21 residents are members of the CIC, which owns The Causeway from Middlebridge to Sadlers Mill. Each member pays an annual subscription for the regular work, but recently the group decided that a different approach was needed.
Barbara Marshall said: “Our role is to make sure the riverbank is kept well and The Causeway which is a public footpath and part of the Test Way and the Romsey Heritage trail.
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“We pay money into the company each year to maintain The Causeway and we have been filling up the potholes. It has gradually been getting worse which is partly to do with climate change and the number of people who walk up and down. We spent one Sunday counting the people and we had 700. Lots of people use it as well as dogs and people using pushchairs and wheelchairs and it isn't really very safe. People can easily fall on a pothole, it's very uneven.”
She added: “So we felt we needed to do something more seriously about it. We have got some quotes to sympathetically resurface the road and it will cost about £45,000. We have to be careful with what we do because we're by the river. We still need to get permission from the Environment Agency, but they are aware of what we are doing.
“Where we stand at the moment is that we have about half the money, and if that's all we get we'll just do half the project.”
So far, the group has been awarded grants of £1,000 from Romsey Town Council and £10,000 from Test Valley Borough Council's levelling up fund.
Barbara added: “It is used by so many people in Romsey and people value it. It's important to maintain it, it's part of Romsey's heritage. People have been very supportive.”
On the group's website, it said: “The River Test is a chalk stream which has been designated by Natural England as a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest). On the Causeway you can see herons, kingfishers, swans, otters (rarely), moorhens, coots, ducks. Occasional visitors are cormorants and the common tern. Kestrels and red kites can be seen in the surrounding fields.
“Fish are abundant in the river and include trout, grayling, pike and the occasional salmon.”
For more details, visit: romseyriverwalkrestorationcic.co.uk.
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