Success Story for EBA - Bridleway 66 Lippetts Hill
Time and Perseverance by EBA pays off!
Bridleway 66, Waltham Abbey (from Lippets Hill end alongside West Essex Golf Club)
Anyone who rides in Epping Forest will know that the poor state of Bridleway 66 at Lippets Hill is something we have been endeavouring to get Essex County Council to resolve for many years. Epping Forest Riders Association had also campaigned and lobbied for action for many years to get this Bridleway fit for purpose. After many hours of work on the part of our Bridleways Development Officers we are delighted to report that at last repair work has now been undertaken.
The work done concentrated on the beginning of this route from Lippets Hill End and looks really good. It is now wider and level under foot instead of a boggy, slippery and uneven mess. Julia Wilson our Chairman has received a letter of thanks from the Chairman of Epping Forest Riders Association (EFRA), Ron King. EFRA had campaigned for many years to get this route improved before asking for assistance from EBA. We have also provided the BHS Access Office with some further background details as they may be using it as part of their promotional media, so keep a look out in forthcoming BHS Newsletters. Chris Rust will bring some before and after pictures to the AGM.
This was an example of great team working by EBA with the BHS and also with Essex County Council. Chris Rust, our present BDO applied to the BHS for Ride Out funding. This was successful and the BHS contributed funding of £2,000 towards the project. Essex Bridleways put in a further £2,000 match funding, and Essex County Council Highways agreed to fund the rest.
Ron King, Chairman of EFA “To have this Bridleway accessible again is going to please so many riders especially those stabled in the Sewardstone area. It will save them from perilous road work to reach Epping Forest plus it’s a very beautiful route to take.”
We are so pleased that joint working with the BHS, ECC and with EFRA’s support we have finally had a positive outcome to what seemed to be an intractable problem!
This will always be a special one for Chris Rust, our BDO as it was the first project that she undertook in my new role as Projects and Funding Officer for Essex Bridleways Association so well done Chris and thank you for all your hard work to bring this one to a positive conclusion.