The vital project started on 19 April with the help from considerable grants from the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund and will enable crucial maintenance work on bridleway 504, which runs from Binsted and Kingsley to Frithend, in Hampshire.
The route has become extremely unsafe due to its inadequate drainage.
Overtime it has excessively deteriorated making it tremendously dangerous and unusable. There are areas where users sink over a foot in depth in clay.
A statement from the BHS said that in the summer the bridlepath is even more hazardous as the clay ground hardens into deep holes “which can break horses’ legs and injure other users.
“Overgrown vegetation forces users into barbed wire fencing which several people have become entangled in,” added the statement.
“As a result, riders, walkers and cyclists are forced to use the very hazardous B3004, which is heavily used by HGVs.”
Funding
A total of £77,438 was put forward for the project, £50,000 of which was granted by Tarmac through the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund.
The remaining funds were secured from the BHS Ride Out Fund, Binsted Parish Council, South Downs National Park, Hampshire County Council BHS local Hampshire Committee and the local Ramblers committee.
Tracy Casstles, director of fundraising at the BHS, said: “The partnerships formed here to restore this unsafe route highlight the importance of our access efforts and how the work benefits many people in the local community.
“We’re delighted that this work will allow groups such as equestrians, cyclists and walkers access to safe off-road access opportunities.”
Emma Smith, community engagement manager at Tarmac, added: “It’s great that we have been able to support the British Horse Society with this project. We hope that the work to restore the bridleway will mean the local community can enjoy it for many years to come.”
