Except for 2 years National Service, I’ve lived in Calder Vale all my life and I'm the oldest resident of the village. Located in a steep sided valley, it owes its existence to the fast flowing River Calder. It was here that the Jackson brothers built the Lappet mill in 1835. The mill was powered by water which was diverted upstream from the Calder into the Mill Lodge and 3 smaller storage ponds.

Though waterpower has long gone, the Mill lodges, and the Lodge bank remain and form a priceless and beautiful example of Victorian engineering in a rural setting.

The footpath along the Lodge bank is effectively built on top of what was constructed as a reservoir dam wall. For much of the Lodge, the
path is no more than 10 feet wide, with a sheer drop into the river, some 50 feet below.

In a number of areas along the Lodge bank, the river has relentlessly eroded the Lodge bank, and in one particular area, the collapse of the vegetation and structure of the dam wall is very severe and undermines the footpath (see my post and pictures below).

Calder Vale, including the Lodge bank & the Churchwood is part of a designated conservation area and is situated in the western extremity of the Forest of Bowland AONB. It is a cul-de-sac, with 1 way in, but 5 ways out, 4 of them are footpaths. The Lodge bank is the iconic footpath. Wyre Borough Council organises guided walks along it, the village community raises charitable money through yearly “Bluebell Teas” where walkers from afar visit the village, to see the bluebells in May and walk along the Lodge bank.

Like many residents, walking along the Lodge bank is an essential part of my daily routine and helps keep me fit and active in my 10^th decade.

What concerns me the most is that those private bodies with a responsibility to maintain the Lodge bank, and those public bodies with a priority interest in maintaining the footpath and the condition of the river, have been inactive and have failed to maintain the structural integrity of the Lodge bank. Some of them have reportedly ignored or rebuffed concerns and complaints from local residents.

It is my very firm belief that there is an urgent need to obtain expert civil engineering opinion by way of a report on the present condition and status of the Lodge bank, the extent of disrepair, and as a consequence, those temporary works that are required as a matter of urgency to help stabilise the Lodge bank. Whilst I 'm not an expert, I am concerned that if nothing is done, the risk of catastrophic failure of the dam wall cannot be completely excluded.

The village recreation ground charity is charged with maintaining the former cricket field for the recreational use of the village community to assist the well-being of village residents. After 2 years of lockdown, the charity now wants to implement detailed plans , which set out what is needed to create a vibrant recreational area for all the village. There is no other public area available for recreational use within the village.

As someone who played cricket on the recreation ground for many years, and captained the village team, this is something which is very close to my heart.

I’m very grateful to the charity for agreeing that any funds raised by me will be split 50:50 towards obtaining the expert engineering report for the Lodge bank, and implementing Phase 1 of the recreation ground improvement scheme. Any surplus monies will be distributed amongst village charitable bodies.

I very much hope that all of you share my concern and interest in these issues. So far as the Lodge bank is concerned, obtaining an initial expert report is absolutely vital to promoting and securing early and meaningful dialogue and involvement from all those private and public bodies who have a responsibility and/or stake in preserving the Lodge bank for the use of all the public.

I intend to complete a 910 mile virtual walk, taking in the 3 Peaks challenge, [ Snowdon, Ben Nevis & Scafell ] and visiting other areas in the UK which are very close to my heart. I started on my birthday on 11 June 2021, and my aim and hope is to complete the challenge before the end of the year.

I will keep you all updated with my progress and I’m very grateful for any help and support that you can give to my fundraising challenge.