A large section of the Hills has been opened up to disabled visitors on the Malvern Hills, all thanks to a legacy.
For the first time, the Disabled Ramblers were able to complete a loop of North Hill to see the views and visit parts of the Hills that were once inaccessible by mobility scooter.
Recent improvement works to the surfacing and camber of De Walden Drive which loops around North and Table Hill was completed with the support of a legacy.
This legacy was kindly gifted by a keen walker for path improvements on the Malvern Hills. His wish was to ensure that visitors were able to access the Hills and make the most of this landscape that he loved.
Before the improvement work, the Trampers, a type of mobility scooter the Disabled Ramblers use to explore the countryside, weren’t able to safely navigate the uneven surface and camber of the path.
Beck Baker, Community and Conservation Officer said ‘The difference that this legacy has made to people’s lives is huge. This gentleman’s support has allowed us to carry out improvements that have opened up a large area of the Hills for visitors and local people with disabilities.
‘We hope that this circular route around De Walden Drive will be used by many more people who may have previously been unable to take in the wide ranging views from here and explore this part of Malvern Hills.’
Donations and gifts left to the Malvern Hills Trust in Wills are a crucial source of income and help us to fund the undertaking of projects including maintaining paths and improving accessibility for local people and visitors. Other projects might include conserving habitats for butterflies and supporting a dormouse monitoring scheme.
Duncan Bridges CEO said ‘Despite the Malvern Hills being a much-loved landscape and visited by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, donations and legacies currently form a tiny proportion of our income.
We’d like to take this opportunity in Remember a Charity week to remind people how important charitable giving is and demonstrate some of the amazing things we can achieve with this support.’
As part of Remember a Charity Week, the Trust will be bringing to life stories and projects that have been supported by legacies and donations.
How you can support us
If you’d like to help us be supporting our projects, a tree planting scheme and an opportunity to support the provision of visitor information on the Hills are now available for donors to leave a long-lasting legacy.
The Malvern Hills Trust has previously had to close its memorial bench scheme due to oversubscription but has now provided these two alternative ways for people to remember their loved ones.
Gifts towards the general management of the Hills and Commons are also greatly received by the Trust as contributions can be used where they’re most needed.
For more information on how you could make a difference by supporting the Malvern Hills Trust, click here.
