CONONLEY Parish Council is one of several groups and organisations to have signed up to help look after the footpaths and bridleways in its area.

The county’s countryside access service relies on a team of around 100 volunteers to help maintain a network of more than 6,000km, or more than 3,700 miles, of public rights of way outside the two national parks.

The volunteers help out by inspecting issues reported by the public - such as blocked paths - and they help in a practical way with waymarking, surveys, and clearing overgrown vegetation from around stiles, gates, signposts and bridges.

And, in addition to the volunteers, there are 18 groups, including Cononley Parish Council, the Ramblers Association and the Probation Service, which have signed up to the countryside access service’s new path keeper scheme.

Set up by Arrietty Heath, volunteer co-ordinator for North Yorkshire County Council’s countryside access service, the hope is to cultivate more collaborative working relationships with the various user groups that access rights of way.

She said: “The path keeper scheme has been a real success as it allows local groups to carry out small scale maintenance on the paths they have agreed to look after, rather than reporting issues to us. There is also the potential for groups to undertake larger projects such as resurfacing routes or repairing bridges.

“The idea has been very well received by groups across the county who are keen to contribute to the upkeep of the paths they know and love. We are incredibly grateful to everybody involved and hope to expand the scheme even further.”

Cononley Parish Council, one of the first to sign up to the scheme, has around 20 residents and a number of councillors on board.

Councillor Dan Timbers said the idea came about when a resident surveyed paths in the village and handed their findings to councillors.

He said: “I thought it was a great idea to follow-up and I didn’t want his work to go to waste so I presented it to North Yorkshire County Council. They told us about the path keeper scheme and we were delighted to be involved.

“Sometimes we are approached with issues to respond to and other times we come across them ourselves. Residents are definitely best placed to help as we know the local area and are passionate about keeping these well-used paths tidy and accessible.”

County councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive Member for Access, said: “Our dedicated volunteers play a huge part in maintaining our beautiful outdoor spaces. We receive over 2,000 reports every year regarding issues on the network, and volunteers have become an integral part in investigating and responding to these.

“The path keeper scheme is another great way to harness local enthusiasm and work in collaboration with the groups. Their work helps to keep our rights of way network accessible for residents and tourists alike to enjoy for years to come.”

For more about volunteering, visit www.northyorks.gov.uk/countryside-volunteers and for public rights of way : www.northyorks.gov.uk/public-rights-way