A VOLUNTEER group looking after the Tame Valley in Denton is celebrating a much-needed boost.
The Friends of the Tame Valley has secured £2,000 in funding towards footpath improvement works planned at Jet Amber Fields.
The community group entered the Tameside Community and Innovation Fund with a proposal to repair sections of the footpath network in Jet Amber Fields, some of which have badly deteriorated since they were installed 40 years ago.
Successful in the first round of applications, an FoTV delegation then had to attend a participatory bidding event in Denton last Thursday evening, where grants were awarded through a voting process following presentations.
Those in attendance from FoTV included committee members Bryony Evens, Chris Clarke, Rob Hardman, Anna Whitfield and Audenshaw Cllr Charlotte Martin. FoTV were joined by various other community groups and volunteers from across Denton, Audenshaw and Droylsden.
Committee Member Bryony Evens said:
“We were excited to attend the community funding event to hear about many other local projects and to make connections with other groups.
We were delighted our project was supported to receive £2000, which will enable us to buy tools and equipment to continue our work on improving the paths in Jet Amber Fields.
“We hope to open up the riverside walk properly and make it accessible again after many years of it being out of action.”
Andrew Gwynne MP, who helped form the group in 2021, added:
“I’m enormously proud of Friends of the Tame Valley volunteers for securing this vital funding which will go towards footpath improvement works planned at Jet Amber Fields.
Our green spaces should be for everyone, but large parts of the footpath network have degraded, meaning chunks of Jet Amber aren’t accessible. It’s right that FoTV are looking to put this right.
I’d also like to thank all the other community groups and volunteers from other groups who took part in this bidding event. Denton really is filled to the brim with brilliant community groups.”