A community project to clear the view at the Sham Castle has been finalised for Thursday 13th March. Cllrs Nicholas Coombes and Armand Edwards have received great support since announcing the project last month.

 Sham Castle is a folly built in 1762 by Ralph Allen, Bath stone magnate, to improve the view of the hill. Over the last years however, scrub and young trees have grown up between the castle and city. This spoils the view out from the National Trust skyline walk by the castle and also obscures the floodlit folly from the city.

As no council funding was available, Nicholas Coombes has negotiated a community project grant funded by the Cotswolds Conservation Board Sustainable Development Fund. Professionals will use their machinery to cut and clear the larger trees and vegetation, preparing the site for the volunteers. Bath University students and members of the local community are invited to help tidy the site and create new wildlife habitats in the clearing with the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers. The National Trust will also be supervising the works.

 Already many Bathwick locals have volunteered their time but everyone is welcome. The day will run from 10am until 4pm with volunteers invited to stay for the whole day, but able to drop in and leave when they chose. Tea, coffee and biscuits will be provided with a sandwich lunch paid for by a generous member of the public. All equipment will also be provided by BTCV. The castle is on the skyline walk and best accessible by foot; it is near the Bath Golf Course club house on Golf Course Road up North Road but please do not bring a car.

Armand and Nicholas look forward to seeing as many people as possible on the day. Please visit for as long as you can, whether the whole day or just an hour. If you don’t feel up to heavy work we’ll be pleased to see you regardless.

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Although Cllr Coombes has organised this project, many thanks are due to BathNES landscapes department, the Cotswold Conservation Board SDF, BTC, the National Trust, the One World Society and the University of Bath Students’ Union.

Our Big Energy Challenge was launched in 2006 under Lib Dem leadership to reduce the carbon footprint of BathNES. The council and their partner groups, including the hospital and universities will also save public money by cutting energy use.

Already big savings have been made, with current plans due to cut energy usage by 7.5% through relatively simple steps. Everyone can do their bit at home or at work by switching off unnecessary appliances and only using the energy they need. Already the larger institutions have saved thousands of pounds and individuals can save too.

Already Nicholas uses energy efficient light bulbs and turns off unused electrical applicances, but the progress report gave some very useful hints at persuading other people and organisations to follow suit. Please visit www.ourenergychallenge.org for practical advice on saving energy, saving money, reducing pollution and reducing global warming.

Liberal Democrat councillors Armand Edwards and Nicholas Coombes are leading a volunteer community project to clear the scrub at Sham Castle. Trees and vegetation have grown up obscuring the historic view between the city and the folly.

No money was available from BathNES council for this work so Nicholas and Armand have coordinated a funding application to the Cotswold AoNB Sustainable Development Fund with promises of help from Bath University’s One World environmental society. The Bathwick Hill, Copseland and Beech Avenue Residents’ Associations have all offered their support as have the City of Bath Mayor’s Guides.

An action day is planned for volunteers to cut back the scrub and clear up after the young trees have been felled in March. If you are interested in helping please post back the form overleaf, call 01225 426577 or email nicholas_coombes@bathnes.gov.uk to be kept updated; your support will be welcomed.

“The Liberal Democrats believe in empowering people and communities to help themselves,” says Cllr Edwards, “this is a brilliant example of our policies in practice and we hope you can support us.”

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Since writing this article I have discovered that the council worker who helped us organise this project has been made redundant by the Conservative spending cuts. I have sent a card and pot plant, but it doesn’t quite make it right.

BathNES Council’s footpath committee voted unanimously on Monday to recommend that a footpath in Bathwick be recorded and that the fence erected in the middle of it be removed. This recommendation is passed to the Secretary of State to confirm the decision. The wide footpath from the old quarry in Bathwick to Combe Down has existed, undisputed for a century. However, a neighbouring landowner had enclosed part of its width with a six foot timber board fence, forcing the path into a narrow muddy track. Known as AQ78, the path has been the centre of a local row since January 2000.

Bathwick Cllr Nicholas Coombes proposed the motion at the Regulatory & Access committee on Tuesday. It was seconded by the Chair that the council recommends that the full width of the footpath be recorded. Pending the Secretary of State’s ruling, the council’s footpath team intends to order the fence be taken down. This will not only restore the historic width of the path, enjoyed by local walkers until recently, but will also allow its intended conversion into a cycle path, funded by Bath University.

“This is great news,” says Nicholas Coombes, “It’s taken a lot of time and effort by the council and local campaigners to get this far. I’m glad to have helped and moved us to the final stage. Soon this locally important footpath will be available to walkers, wheelchair users prams and cyclists to enjoy.”

The alley linking St Christopher’s Close with the Warminster Road has been resurfaced and trimmed following action by local councillor Nicholas Coombes. He noticed the state of the path soon after his election last year and started the long process of persuading the council to adopt the path and  maintain it. A local resident tells Cllr Coombes that her husband had asked the previous councillors to fix the path 17 years ago without success and that generous locals had been looking after the path since. It has now been added to the council maintenance schedule.