I have enjoyed a busy second year as Chairman!
There has been much activity similar to my first year. It is sometimes easy to take for granted our core activities of regular group walks and doing what we can to maintain and enhance the excellent Public Rights of Way network that we have in Kent. I am pleased to say that I have managed to join many group walks, mainly with my home group of West Kent Walking Group, as well as joining and leading some walks for Ashford Group (of which I am acting Chairman) and also venturing into "foreign territory" with the Brighton and Hove Sunday Group, with whom I have walked for a number of years. I am also a Kent County Council Volunteer Countryside Access Warden, which enables me to undertake regular basic maintenance work and is an example of how we can work together with the Councils that are responsible for the PRoW network in our Area.
I am very keen to try to enhance the relationship with Ramblers Central Office, which I see as a key role for Areas. This is still "work in progress", but I believe that we have a very good Regional Engagement Officer who covers the South East and provides a good "link" with Central Office that I am keen to enhance further. Robert Peel and myself have also had contact with other key members of staff at Central Office. The response has been somewhat mixed -- I do believe that the communications have improved overall, but there have also been some "challenges".
I am also keen to try to establish contacts with other relevant organisations in Kent where we can work together. Activity here has been a bit limited, but I have made two appearances on BBC Radio Kent and I have recently made contact with the NFU Chair in Kent, as well as the Kent Association of Local Councils in order to try to make contact with all Parish Councils.
We are still without a Public Rights of Way Manager and also Sector Coordinators in East Kent. I am very grateful to Robert Peel and Tony Bristow for covering activities for these roles and also for organising the very informative twice yearly meetings in Lenham for all PRoW volunteers -- and to Hilary Adams for organising the excellent sandwiches at these (as well as being Area Treasurer!). Many thanks also to Graham Smith and Richard Wilkes for coordinating activity in West Kent and to Glynis Clifton for continuing her excellent work in managing the many proposed changes from planning applications etc.
I have also continued to try to progress the "Lost Ways" project, with further visits to the Kent archives in Maidstone, liaising with KCC on the initial research for identified potential new routes and reviewing the potential routes identified from the Central Office "Don't Lose Your Way" project. This has I believe provided a solid foundation for more detailed (and time consuming!) research of the most promising potential additional paths.
If re-elected, I look forward to working in the coming year to build further on what I believe are the good foundations we have in Kent!
Colin Sefton