Pioneering Paths with Thornham Walks

February’s member of the month is Friends of Thornham Walks, for their pioneering paths project, a ¾ mile surfaced footpath, which enables enhanced access to visitors of all backgrounds and abilities, using flexipave.

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Friends of Thornham Walks aim to improve Thornam Walks for the benefit of the community, raising funds to improve Thornham Walks and educate visitors. Founded in 2013, the group now have 300 members.

In the past five years, the group have completed a vast range of projects to improve engagement with Thornham Walks. This includes an eco-building volunteer and visitor centre, an enchanted wood with wood carvings from designs by Gislingham Primary School, and most recently, their special pioneering paths project.

The pioneering path covers a 2,107 square metre area, and has been created using flexipave. This material is composed of 50% recycled tyres and 50% aggregate and bound together with an environmentally friendly binder. The preexisting broken and cracked tarmac surface was upcycled into the groundworks for the new footpath. The new path covering is dementia friendly, slip resistant, porous, and easy on the joints. It even benefits nature, as when trees grow and spread their roots, the flexible surface will move and adapt with them.

On being awarded Member of the Month, Josephine Maughan, Secretary of Friends of Thornham Walks said:

“We are so please to be recognised for the hard work and dedication we put in month on month, for the past decade. For 2025, we are currently having a little breather. We are looking forward to returning later in the year with part two of our pioneering paths project, to extend our surfaced footpath into the Queens Copse Plantation. Keep a look out for more information soon!”.

To find out more about Friends of Thornham Walks, visit their website or view their Facebook.