Peak Park's Paul
Paul Hopkins left the Peak Park yesterday. After the best part of 15 years he's left his job as Rights of Way Officer and is now exploring new ways of making a living.
He has done a great job in the time he has been there working to improve and safeguard the paths in the Peak District and we shall miss him. The trouble is that most walkers don't realise the amount of work that goes on just to maintain paths let alone improve them. A flight of wooden steps can take three or four workers three or four days to build - like the ones in Litton Frith, Cressbrookdale [these probably took longer in fact]. A stile can take the best part of a day for a couple of people to replace.
Let's hope he is adequately replaced. With talk of cutbacks though I wonder.
4 comments:
I agree with your comments and hope he will be replaced. The footpaths in the Peak are a valuable resource but, because we do not put an econmic value on them, they do not receive the attention they deserve. It is a sad fact that in a capitalist society, we only tend to value things that can be priced.
The reason for deleting the second comment was because it was a duplicate - I wouldn't want anyone to think I delete comments willy-nilly.
Happy Christmas !
..... and by the way I agree with the comments of Anonymous - surely though there is something to be said for valuing the enormous facility of the Peak Park rights of way ?
In this age of keeping fit more ought to be put into keeping the paths clear and to encourage more people to walk them.
Post a Comment