The annual tidy up day has been fixed for Saturday 4th May 9am until 12pm on Abbey Terrace.  The Town Council hope as many people as possible will turn up on the day to help. Please wear sturdy footwear and suitable clothing and bring a spade, broom, hoe and help spruce up the town before lots of visitors arrive.  Come along for as long as you can spare.

If you fancy a trip to Hereford, get off to a great start by making a date to join Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. 

This year, for the first time, Cancer Research UK is inviting everyone in the area – women, men and children – to join the Race for Life. There are events for people of all ages and abilities taking place at Halo Leisure centre, 2^nd June.    

Kimberley Degville, Cancer Research UK’s Hereford Event Manager, said: “Our Race for Life events are fun, colourful, emotional and uplifting. They help people with cancer by raising money for research, including clinical trials which give patients in Hereford access to the latest treatments.

“You don’t have to be sporty to take part.  You don’t need to train or compete against anyone else.  All you need to do is go to the Race for Life website, pick an event, sign up and then have fun raising money in whatever way you like.”

She added: “Our Race for Life events have been women-only since they started, over 25 years ago.  But we now feel the time is right to open them up so that everyone – women, men and children – has the chance to participate together. 

Thanks to everyone who raises money, Cancer Research UK can fund research to fight 200 types of cancer. The good news is more people are surviving the disease than ever before. Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.

To enter Race for Life today visit raceforlife.org or call 0300 123 0770.

On June 15 from 7:00 am – 7:30 pm why not try and take on a challenging 20-mile walk from Broadway Tower to Cleeve Common for St Richard’s Hospice Build 2020 Appeal. Enjoy beautiful scenery and historic architecture.  We are asking you to pledge to raise £100 in sponsorship towards the Build 2020 appeal.

Please download the FAQ’s here.   Please download the Sponsor form here or if you would to request one to be posted to you please contact Isobel Murphy

Winchcombe is described as the walker’s capital of the Cotswolds in the 2019 Britain’s Outdoor Capitals guide. ‘The perfect English walking town surrounded by stunning countryside’.   Winchcombe is a ‘Walkers are Welcome’ town, part of a network of over 100 towns in Britain. We actively promote walking in the area and are constantly looking to improve the walking  experience.  Many of the town’s businesses support  ‘Winchcombe Walkers are Welcome’  efforts in promoting the area and reading endorsements from national media proves that together we are succeeding.

If you are visiting Winchcombe and want to explore, try our downloadable self-guided walks ranging from 2 miles to 13.5 miles.  If you prefer a guided walk, visit cotswoldsaonb.org.uk for walks led by the Cotswold Voluntary Wardens.

If you are walking between Winchcombe and Hailes you will encounter some unofficial signs put up at the end of Puck Pit Lane. For those unacquainted with the route the sign may deter you from proceeding.  Please ignore the signs and continue following the Cotswold Way way markers.  Public Rights of Way are investigating.

Welcomed improvements have been carried out on the Windrush Way adjacent to No Man’s Patch by Gloucestershire County Council to improve the drainage. An old stile and narrow footbridge has been replaced with a stoned surface and a gate.  This will be of real benefit to walkers when the rains come.

When you stroll along the well maintained paths in the Cotswolds you may wonder who has fixed the stile, replaced a stile with a gate or repaired the adjacent drystone wall. The volunteers who carry out path maintenance and improvement, educational visits and guided walks has been recognised by being awarded the Queens Award for Voluntary Service.  The volunteers help conserve the landscape, improve biodiversity and enable access to the countryside. 

Lord Gardiner of Kimble, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity writes ‘The Cotswolds are such an iconic part of our nation’s landscape, with beautiful villages, towns and countryside. Your voluntary work make such a fulsome contribution to why these places are so special and important. I know your hard work is much appreciated by residents and visitors alike’.

This time of year there are plenty of people walking the numerous footpaths. Farmers mention there is an increase in the number of gates being left open and incidents with dogs and livestock. To avoid this, especially near cattle we suggest you refer to the Countryside Code.

In 2017 WWAW contacted Taylor Wimpey to improve the muddy unofficial path behind Wyndham Way between Riverside and the Dell. Tewkesbury Borough Council (TBC) took control of the project as the path will connect with The Dell, the transfer of land ownership to TBC is still under discussion since April 2015.  WWAW is pleased to say the current work, funded by Taylor Wimpey is nearing completion with some minor raising of the path level adjacent to The Dell. The new, official path will finally link with the existing path at The Dell once TBC take ownership of The Dell. Currently the link is not accessible to pushchairs.