Goostrey Footpaths Group - Goostrey Footpaths Group

How it started – what it’s done…..
1979	Dr Brian Rogers produced “Goostrey Walks & Strolls” - hand-written and photocopied.
1989	“Goostrey Walks & Strolls” 5th Edition [typed!] went on sale.
1992	Goostrey Parish Council and the Residents Association joined forces to make key local footpaths safer and easier to use.
1993	Goostrey Parish Council organised Footpath Walks, and invited the County Council Footpath Ranger to give a talk in the village.
1994	At the initiative of the Residents Association, a “Footpath Group” was formed.
1995	Goostrey Footpaths Group – an informal team with a dozen members of varying skills - started to meet, and a comprehensive survey of local paths was made.
1996	Goostrey Parish Council joined the County Council Paths Partnership scheme, to secure funding for the Footpaths Group’s plans. Part of this funding was used to buy oak signposts, engraved with destination and distance, which were installed by Group members at the start of all the Parish footpaths. The first edition of “More Goostrey Walks & Strolls” was published, in black-and-white, with maps and photos detailing 7 walks additional to Dr Rogers’ book.
1997	An A3, full colour, map of footpaths in the area was produced for sale, based on nine aerial photographs supplied by Cheshire County Council. Maintenance and improvement of the local paths continued.
1998	A “give away” guide to village road names – and the start of all local footpaths! – was produced and 6,000 copies printed. The Group decided that as a Millennium Project it would revitalise a key local path, to make is suitable for use even by the less agile.
1999	Funding for the Millennium Path was secured from Cheshire County Council, Shell, and Manchester Airport; and after extensive consultation with the landowners concerned and with disability groups, practical work commenced. 450 hours of volunteer work went into the project, which included the construction of 48 feet of board-walk across a notorious mud-bath. On 18th September, amid much publicity, the Millennium Path was opened.
2000	“More Goostrey Walks & Strolls – Millennium Edition” was published in full colour with new walks, new maps, and 66 colour photos. As all 950 copies of the 1st Edition had sold in 3 years, the print run this time was 2,000 copies…
2001	Foot and Mouth disease prevented work on the paths and stopped book sales.
2002	Replacement of stiles around the village with kissing gates to make access safer recommenced, and sales of the new “More Goostrey Walks & Strolls” passed the 600 mark.
2003	The County’s Concession Path through Gailey Wood came into regular use. Installation of kissing gates was completed. A Footpaths Photo Competition was inaugurated.
2004	The popular path through The Bongs was improved: A Counter on this path shows the week-to-week variation in use, with a peak at bluebell time.
2005	Goostrey Footpath Group put on a special display of historic local maps for the Centenary Celebration of Goostrey’s Rose Day. Sales of “More Goostrey Walks and Strolls passed the 1,000 mark.