It is not just businesses that have suffered during Covid-19. It’s thought the South West Coast Path, which is one of the largest free visitor attractions in the region, has lost up to £200,000 due to the pandemic. But the charity which supports the natural gem says things are looking bright with some creative new fundraising campaigns. There are also plenty of people around who Are eager to spend time and energy maintaining the path for future generations. One of them is ex-Naval officer and Kingswear resident Bob Mark, he spoke to our reporter Steph Woolvin…
Although more people flocked to the South West Coast Path during lockdown in search of socially distanced walking space, they weren’t leaving pound coins along the way and over the past few months funding for the natural highway has declined. Bob Mark is Vice Chair of the South West Coast Path Association: “Our income dropped dramatically as there were no fundraising events like sponsored walks, and grants and subscriptions from the 400 business members were severely reduced.”
Bob joined the association when he moved to Kingswear seven years ago. He says things did look pretty grim during the height of the pandemic, but their 6,500 individual members have remained loyal and many have got behind the new set of campaigns aimed at clawing back some much needed cash. “I’m particularly excited about the ‘Every Mile Matters’ initiative which aims to raise awareness about climate change and help deal with the problems it’s creating. Over the past five years we’ve had to raise an extra £2 million to keep the 630 miles of coast path in good condition, and it is still vulnerable.” One place that has already benefited is Mansands where a new causeway has been created, with our partner the National Trust, so visitors can access the trail in all conditions. This new campaign also aims to demonstrate the positive impact the path has on people’s wellbeing by encouraging older people and those with mental health issues to get out into the fresh air. The association is also looking to replace 25% of signs and hundreds of steps. “The coastal steps only last about 20 years due to constant wear and tear and extreme conditions, that means every year we need to replace about a thousand of them at a cost of £25 per step,” Bob says gravely.
Bob has always had a passion for the environment. He was a hydrographic surveyor for the Navy starting his career at Dartmouth’s Royal Naval College 45 years ago. “A hydrographic surveyor maps the seabed and collects navigation information to create admiralty charts. I travelled around the world working on projects in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, the Mediterranean, North and Irish Seas.” He left after 32 years, with the rank of Rear Admiral. Bob says a career highlight was to lead the team responsible for creating the investment case for the new survey fleet (HMS Echo, HMS Enterprise and HMS Scott). “It was a great honour to work on the ships and I was lucky enough to become the first Commanding Officer of HMS Scott, to guide her through trials into service. She was built in Appledore and Portsmouth and is a monster at nearly 16 thousand tonnes. In addition to state-of-the-art equipment, HMS Scott pioneered a revolutionary crew-rotation system enabling a record 300 days at sea on task per year - double anything previously achieved.” However, it came at a slight cost as all this work was accomplished by years of sea-time and then commuting from the West Country to London. Bob’s wife, Wendy, has added up all the hours her husband was away, including the earlier months at sea, and says he owes her eight years - which can be paid back in holidays!
The couple have two children who are also into environmental jobs - one is a researcher in geology at Dublin University working on new mineral opportunities for the Irish government, the other has a PHD in conservation ecology. “They blame us for dragging them out to coast paths and around national parks when they were young, spending hours upon hours picking up stones and climbing trees!” Bob got involved with the coast path in a roundabout way when he joined the South West Board of the National Trust in 2010. “About a third of the coast path is on the National Trust’s land and I began to learn more about it. Like many others, I wrongly thought that local authorities used council tax money to look after the coast path, but although there are some national grants (and highways and local authorities play a vital part) charities raise at least half the funds needed. Our volunteers also painstakingly conduct the annual path condition survey, checking every step, sign, stile and gate across the whole 630 miles. I wanted to help preserve such an important environmental asset which benefits walkers, wildlife and our economy with thousands of people flocking to the area each year staying in B&Bs and supporting local businesses.”
Bob has a couple of aims for the future, number one is to try and encourage more people onto the path: “We are always trying to get new audiences and are hoping more people will have found us during lockdown. It is a peaceful calming space for anyone, young and old, and can be accessed throughout the whole year. It is the perfect place for people who need a chance to reflect or just for a great family amble. Put on your walking boots, pack a rucksack and go for a long hike!”
The second aim is to expand the path to make it a broader corridor benefiting nature. “There is a great government report from 2010 which looked at the catastrophic decline in British wildlife from habitat loss, pollution and more intensive farming. It came up with ideas to help charities and local groups make more space for nature. For us it means trying to open up wider sections of the coastline - lobbying the government for help in setting appropriate planning regulation and environment subsidies.” Bob’s third and final aim is for him to walk the whole of the South West Coast Path with Wendy sometime in the next couple of years. “We won’t try and do it all in one go, some people do (taking a few months out and staying in B&Bs and campsites along the way) but we will do it in more leisurely sections!”
First published in By The Dart magazine in August 2020
