About Friends of Ridgeway

The Friends of the Ridgeway Charity

 The Friends of The Ridgeway is a registered charity (No 1107926). Its objects are “the preservation, for the benefit of the public and in the interests of social welfare, of all the natural aspects and features of the ancient Ridgeway track-ways along the chalk downs of Southern England, including The Ridgeway National Trail and any extension thereof, and of their associated features, monuments and access paths; and the provision of recreational and educational facilities and events relating thereto.”

Mission Statement

The Friends of the Ridgeway (FoR) is an independent charity run by volunteers to preserve the spirit of the Ridgeway and its surroundings for maximum enjoyment by the public and protection of the adjacent natural and historic environment. Our focus is on the Ridgeway National Trail and the chalk ridges that link it to the Dorset and Norfolk coasts; together these form the Great Chalk Way.

Objectives

 • We aim for the Ridgeway to be a peaceful, beautiful, safe amenity for the public along its whole length.
• Our ambition is for the whole of the Ridgeway to be free of non-essential motorised traffic
• We promote an appreciation of the Ridgeway – for outdoor pursuits and the creative arts – and its natural and historic environment
• FoR is concerned that developments in the vicinity of the Trail should be compatible with these features and their maximum appreciation by the public.
• We promote the Great Chalk Way, a 360-mile series of trails along chalk ridges from the Dorset to Norfolk coasts, of which the Ridgeway National Trail is one.

Constituent trails of the Great Chalk Way from the Dorset to Norfolk coasts: Wessex Ridgeway (66 miles), Sarsen Way via Salisbury (35 miles), Cranbourne Droves Way (51 miles), the Ridgeway National Trail (87 miles), Icknield Way (110 miles), and Peddars Way National Trail (49 miles).

Achieving our objectives

 1. We aim for the Ridgeway to be a peaceful, beautiful, safe amenity for the public along its whole length.

• We have a seat on the board of the Ridgeway Partnership, influencing policy and actions.
• We communicate with our members, other related bodies and the general public.
• We elicit feedback, in various ways including our website, social media, newsletter and press releases, and interact with other like-minded bodies.
• We collect donations from event organisers and other donors to improve and maintain the Ridgeway.

2. Our ambition is for the whole of the Ridgeway to be free of non-essential motorised traffic.

• We lobby highway authorities to extend current seasonal prohibitions of motor vehicles.
• We encourage our members and the general public to report traffic issues on the Ridgeway to us, after which we inform the police, highway authorities and Ridgeway Partnership.

3. We promote an appreciation of the Ridgeway and its natural and historic environment.

• We achieve this in various ways including the annual Swire Ridgeway Arts Prize, our website, social media, newsletter and press releases.

4. FoR is also concerned that developments in the vicinity of the Trail should be compatible with these features and their maximum appreciation by the public.

• We consider planning applications in the vicinity of the Ridgeway when these are brought to our attention, and submit comments to the respective district council, as appropriate.
• We selectively support other organisations and pressure groups that campaign against inappropriate developments in the vicinity of the Ridgeway.

5. We promote the Great Chalk Way, a 360-mile series of trails along chalk ridges from the Dorset to Norfolk coasts, of which the Ridgeway National Trail is one.

• We are a member of the Great Chalk Way (GCW) group, which comprises representatives of the constituent trails, which works to promote the GCW as a whole.
• We are particularly active in respect of the Ridgeway, Cranbourne Droves Way and the Sarsen Way, including route descriptions and waymarking.
• We communicate with our members and the general public through our website, social media and newsletter.