P3 is about exploring, enjoying and understanding your local countryside, and is a chance to meet people, learn new skills and have some fun doing it! Get involved with projects on footpaths, bridleways, byways, hedges, trees, ponds, bridges, stiles, gates and a host of other matters in your village, town and parish.

If you are interested in your local countryside then P3 is for you.

P3 is now run and funded by a partnership of local authorities, and has grown steadily since 1993 - there are now 85 groups representing 70% of the parishes in the County.

The aims of P3 are:

• To enhance the countryside for wider community use and enjoyment
• To improve and promote the public rights of way network

What you can do?

By joining Bedfordshire P3 you can do as much or as little as you want in order to improve the countryside in your parish. You can:

Work on practical projects to improve the local environment and Rights Of Way network
Learn new skills at training and social events
Produce leaflets about your parish and local heritage.

There is some paperwork to be done once a year so we can keep a record of what work has been done.

What we will do?

SUPPORT you in a range of activities including setting up and running a group by providing funding and training, as well as organising social events.

FUNDING can cover the following activities:

• Improvement works to the surrounding countryside, footpaths and bridleways
• Publicity and information
• Events and activities to encourage use of the countryside
• Purchase of equipment for use by volunteers
• Reasonable volunteers' out of pocket expenses
• Insurance of volunteers
• Healthy walking - encouraging people to walk to improve their health as well as enjoying the countryside.

TRAINING courses are organised for you to attend in a wide variety of topics. Just a selection of these are:

• Safe Working Practices and First Aid
• Hedgerow History and Management
• Strimmer UseBat and Badger surveying
• Leaflets from Design To Print
• Birds and Birdsong
• Wildflower surveying

SOCIAL EVENTS, usually including a guided walk and barbeque, are run during May, June and July - A chance to meet other people and for us to celebrate and say thank you for all the work you have put in during the year. In addition to support, funding, training and social events there are regular P3 Newsletters and Annual Reviews published so that you can see what is being done in the rest of the County.

Are you intested?

To find out more just contact Ed Burnett, the P3 officer for Bedfordshire County Council on 01234 228426 or ed.burnett@dedscc.gov.uk

Achievements

Since P3 started local groups have worked in the Bedfordshire countryside and installed over 150 bridges, put up 350 stiles and 900 waymark posts and erected 160 kissing gates. Over 175 km of Rights of Way are now being promoted through leaflets, dozens of guided walks are run every year and several thousand places have been filled on dozens of training courses.

...it is truly a scheme for you and your community.