Wick Paths Group: Everybody does their bit
Recorded 4 years ago
About this recording
In this joint interview, Willie Watt and John Bogle talk about Wick Paths Group and some of the many projects that have been carried out.
Willie (born 1960) and John (born 1953) are chairman and secretary respectively. They and the other volunteers have received valuable support from public-spirited local contractors to improve almost five miles of walking routes around the town.
The biggest and most technically challenging job undertaken to date was the upgrading of the two Coghill bridges at Wick riverside in the summer of 2020. Without the intervention of the paths group, the bridges were in danger of being closed to the public because of safety concerns.
More recently, work has been carried out on the North Head footpaths and information signboards have been installed on both sides of the bay, while the path to Newton Hill was widened and made safer.
The group's efforts are ongoing and there are ambitious plans for the future, notably at the South Head.
Wick Paths Group is a subcommittee of the Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council. It began in 2017 following a public meeting in the town.
"There was a huge spirit to get things moving," Willie explains.
"We've got a great following. We've got a good team of volunteers because there's a feelgood factor."
John says: "Although we do take minutes and have formal meetings, it is very much a doing organisation - not a talking organisation.
"Everybody joins in. They come along, they do their bit, everybody gets on well, and at the end of it you can see a very positive result. You've achieved something."
The paths are extensively used and the volunteers get plenty of positive feedback from the community.
Willie emphasises the collaborative nature of the group's projects as the volunteers work closely with local companies. "We're very lucky with the amount of people that do help out," he says.
"We're blessed with the environment we're in, although we probably take it for all granted. As Wick Paths Group, we're trying to improve that all the time and maintain it to a standard that keeps visitors and locals happy."
An earlier Wick Paths Group, involving David Morrison, Graeme Smith, Ian Banks and others, carried out important work to improve walking routes in and around the town from the 1990s until 2012. This included projects on both sides of the river, the South Head path and the Telford Trail.
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