We walked the 'Birmingham Greenway in 3 consecutive sections: August 7th, 14th, 21th to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Group.
Members of the public were invited to join us in this chance to walk from the northernmost part of the Birmingham Metropolitan Area to the southernmost.
On August 7th Birmingham's Lord Mayor came to congratulate the Group and saw us off on the first lap of the walk.
With him are Fred Willetts, the author of the Birmingham Greenway book, as well as one of the Group's members with the baton the Group carried from North to South. Notice the Greenway book held by Fred!
The first lap: (8.5 miles) Blake Street Station to Aston Station
The route went via: Sutton Park, Bracebridge Pool, Scouts Memorial Stone, Banners Gate, Witton lakes, Hare & Hounds (Marsh Hill), Brookvale Park, under Spaghetti Junction, Aston Station.
The second lap took place on August 14th (6.5 miles) Aston Station to Cannon Hill park
The route went via: Aston Station, Aston Church, Aston Hall, Duddeston Canal, Grand Union Canal, Brewer & Baker (Camp Hill), Highgate, Calthorpe Park, Cannon Hill Park.
The third lap, 21st of August: Cannon Hill Park to Cofton Park
The route took in: Cannon Hill Park, River Rea, Dad's Lane Rec, Hazelwell Rec. , Bournville Village carillon, Woodlands Park, Gallows Brook, Northfield, Daffodil Park, erstwhile Longbridge, Cofton Park, with the Finish atGrovelly Lane. The walk took off in a sunny Cannnon Hill Park, though gradually the sky darkened, resulting in a heavy shower, when the Group left Bournville. Luckily the weather turned kind after an hour or so and the walk ended in sunshine. A celebratory drink was enjoyed at the Poachers Pocket!
Here is Dixie the proud recipient of one of the certifates, presented by Fred Willits. Notice our Chair, holding the baton aloft, on the left and Pat Holmes on the right with the Greenway book. Twenty-five certificates are being issued to those walkers who completed all three stages of the Greenway.
We first walked this north-south route (devised by our then Footpath Secretary, now our Vice President, Fred Willits) in 1990 to celebrate the City of Birmingham's Group 10th Anniversary. As it was 20 years ago and led, of course by the author himself, we walked the whole 23 miles in one go!
The event was brilliantly coordinated by Pat Holmes.
By Pat Holmes
When we were considering how we could commemorate our 30th year as a group and looks came in my direction, I said "No. I'm trying to give up organising."
The I thought of the Greenway and how it is a Birmingham walk following city footpaths, that only locals know, which joins up the green spaces, parks, rivers, canals and lakes. Most of it on our patch.
Our own (then) Footpath Secretary Fred Willits devised the route and led the first crossing in 1995, when we could walk twenty-three miles and still live to tell the tale (some still can). I have organised it twice since then in its entirety and in parts, so why not once more, on a grand scale to mark our Anniversary?
With Birmingham's Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress to wave us off on the first section on August 7th, the rain to accompany us on the second section and joined by some of our South Birmingham colleagues on the third Section, the route from Blake Street, Sutton Coldfield, to Cofton Park, Rednal was completed.
Altogether eighty-one people took part with nineteen dedicated souls receiving completion certificates on the spot. Since then six more members have filled in the gaps. The certificates were awarded or represented at our AGM in November. Many thanks to the leaders and to Ceri for her publicity and to Libby for organising the Mayor and Mayoress (a tale in its own right) although what happened to the forty-four councillors and eleven MP's who were also invited is a mystery.