Cotswold volunteers contribute 51,000 hours

The Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty is maintained by Cotswold Voluntary Wardens

A group of volunteers has dedicated more than 51,000 hours to maintaining the landscape of the Cotswolds.

More than 350 voluntary wardens support the Cotswolds National Landscapes team, and have been doing so since the 1960s.

They work all year round across five districts in the area and are involved in a variety of work - from maintaining access to education.

The Cotswolds is the second largest protected landscape in England after the Lake District.

In the 2023-24 year, the wardens contributed 51,351 hours of work, led 319 guided walks for 3,634 people, patrolled 7,867 miles of path and planted 1433 trees, the Cotswolds National Landscapes said.

Wardens work on maintaining routes across the Cotswolds

They work on maintaining the many miles of routes across the Cotswolds, including working to look after Cotswold Way.

The wardens check routes, replace stiles, repair footbridges, clear scrub, install gates, fix steps and install hand rails, improve signage and waymarking, and pick up litter.

In addition, wardens plant trees, lay hedges, create habitats for nature, clear waterways, and repair dry-stone walls.

The Cotswolds covers 787 square miles (2,038 square km) stretching from Warwickshire and Worcestershire in the north, through Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire, down to Bath and Wiltshire in the south.