A popular Worcester green space which is used by thousands of people every month is to have an improved footpath.
The award-winning Worcester Woods Country Park attracts around 700,000 visitors per year.
Work is set to begin this summer to refurbish 600 metres of pathway. It will be widened to three metres wide and reinforced to ensure it remains accessible and usable for years to come.
The project will support the weekly parkrun to return to their original route, as well as improving the surface for school children commuting to Nunnery Wood High School and many other people.
The woodland path is a well-worn, gravel-surfaced path, which has not been re-surfaced for over 20 years. The existing path will be used as a base for the centre of the improved footpath.
Worcester City Council owns the northern section of Worcester Woods Country Park where the footpath is being improved, and Worcestershire County Council manages the area on the City Council’s behalf.
Chair of Worcester City Council’s Environment Committee, Councillor Zoe Cookson said: “This existing path needs re-surfacing and improving so it can continue to be used by the whole community for years to come.
“The site is used by dog walkers, families and organised groups such as Parkrun, Scouts and dog training groups. The footpath is also a key route for school children walking or cycling, helping to promote sustainable travel by taking more cars off our roads.
“Worcester City Council and councillors have long supported the parkrun as a wonderful health and well-being initiative. Equally we are committed to protecting Newtown Green’s ancient heritage and biodiversity.
“Through collaborative working, we have found a solution that fulfils our commitment to making Worcester a healthy place to live and work, to improving active travel and to protecting our beautiful green spaces.”
County Councillor David Ross, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Health and Wellbeing, said: “The Worcester Parkrun has been helping local people get active for over 13 years now. One of the factors that has made it special is its route through the woods and I am delighted to see that runners will be able to return there soon.”
County Councillor Karen May, Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Communities, added: “This area and the well-used path within the award-winning Worcester Woods Country Park is much loved and appreciated by the local community. It’s great to see that it will have a new lease of life and provide additional benefits to a wide range of community users.”
The footpath improvement work is expected to cost £15,000 which will be funded as part of the Active Travel Project of the Worcester City Town Improvement Plan and from funding awarded by Worcestershire County Council’s Public Health Directorate.
The work will also mean that the pathway infrastructure can support Worcester Parkrun, which currently attracts between 400 and 500 runners every Saturday morning.
