Settle College students clean up riverside (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Settle College students clean up riverside

11:50am Sunday 14th August 2011 in Giggleswick news

Maintenance work along the Settle and Giggleswick riverside has received a boost thanks to 80 technology students from Settle College.

For many years, access along the riverside was only possible along a narrow, uneven footpath making it very difficult to use for all but the most able.

In 2004 the Settle Area Regeneration Team (StART) came up with the idea to improve the riverside. The project was championed by partners including Craven District Council, North Yorkshire County Council and Yorkshire Forward.

In 2007, Clapham-based charity Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (YDMT) joined StART to help find the funds which would enable the project to become reality.

A year later grants were secured which meant the project could start. Funding for the project has come from Yorkshire Forward’s Renaissance Market Town Programme, Natural England – through the Defra Agg-regates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSF), Craven District Council, La-farge Aggregates Landfill Commu-nities Fund and North Yorkshire County Council.

During 2007 the riverside underwent a major improvement programme which transformed the footpath into an all-weather route that provided safe access to the swimming pool, for children walking to school and gave less-mobile people an opportunity to enjoy an easy and pleasant walk.

Now year nine and ten technology students at Settle College have carried out maintenance work to keep the route in top condition. They removed, dismantled, sanded and varnished the three interpretation boards and removed graffiti from the bench.

YDMT deputy director Dave Tayler said: “The help students have given is tremendous and they’ve done a fantastic job in ensuring the bench and panels are preserved for many years to come.

“We’ve had two hard winters since the project was completed which has not been kind on the wooden structures but the students have ensured the walk will continue to provide recreational and informative opportunities for residents and visitors.”

Gareth Scott, head of technology at Settle College, said: “This has been a fantastic project to be involved with. The students have really engaged with this and it’s been a great learning experience for them.”