Team volunteering at Waddesdon Greenway, Aylesbury Vale

Officially opened on 13th September 2018, Waddesdon Greenway links Waddesdon Manor with Aylesbury Vale Parkway station.

This provides a safe route for walkers and cyclists getting to work, school and in and out of town away from the busy A41.

Funded by the Department for Transport, the pathway is part of a scheme to connect rural communities to their nearest rail station and is the outcome of a £1 million partnership between Buckinghamshire County Council, Greenways and Cycle Routes Ltd, the Cycle Rail Working Group, the Rail Delivery Group and several local landowners, including the Waddesdon Estate and Rothschild Foundation.

The challenge

During its construction in the hot summer of 2018, it became clear how little shade and shelter was provided along the two and half mile long pathway. Providing some cover was considered a priority and the team behind Greenway looked to recruit a cohort of volunteers to undertake the planting over a weekend in December.

The solution

The charity approached Community Impact Bucks through our group volunteering matching service and was put in contact with the RAF Recruit Instructor at RAF Halton who was looking for a local team volunteering project. Following this introduction, over 100 cadets from RAF Halton arrived at Waddesdon Greenway to take part in the planting weekend in December 2018.

Waddesdon Greenway also secured volunteer groups from Chiltern Railways and McCormick who had been involved with the project in its earlier stages.

Between all the volunteers, over 6000 hedgerow plants and 53 new trees were planted in just over three days.

Quote from organisation “We are so grateful to Community Impact Bucks for putting us in touch with RAF Halton.  We had a lot to do in just a few days and really couldn’t have completed the task without the help of the cadets.”

If you have a project for a group of volunteers, contact us here or, if you have a team who would like to volunteer, send your details to us here.

For more information on Waddesdon Greenway, go to https://www.facebook.com/WaddesdonGreenway/

Updated on November 4, 2019

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Image courtesy of St Francis's Children Society