HAMPSHIRE RAMBLERS FPAWE BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINE NUMBER 9 RECORDING VOLUNTEER HOURS BACKGROUND 1. Best Practice Guidelines 1.1 The Hampshire Ramblers FPAWE Committee has produced a series of Best Practice Guidelines that it encourages Groups to adopt. However, Groups are free to adapt the Guidelines in order to meet local circumstances and restrictions. If any Group has suggestions to improve the Guidelines they should send them to the FPAWE Secretariat. 2. Recording Volunteer Hours 2.1 Hampshire Ramblers members carry out many hours of voluntary work, all of it with the aim of protecting and enhancing opportunities for walking in the countryside of Hampshire. The Hampshire Area Footpaths, Access and Walking Environment Committee encourages its members to record the hours of voluntary work carried out by group members with three aims: 2.1.1 To record work carried out on behalf of the Highway Authorities in Hampshire. These are Hampshire County Council, Southampton City Council and Portsmouth City Council. Hampshire County Council encourages and supports the work of the Ramblers in path inspections and works to maintain and improve public rights of way. 2.1.2 To record other work carried out as part of the Ramblers' charitable objectives related to Rights of Way and the Countryside (see Appendix 2). This involves, among other things: researching unclaimed rights of way; responding to path change orders; checking and responding to planning applications that affect public paths and the walking environment; work associated with the FPAWE committee, briefing Ramblers groups and committees and responding to major initiatives such as the England Coast path. 2.1.3 Representing the Ramblers on other bodies, eg Local Access Forums. At present, volunteer hours concerning non-rights of way objectives, e.g. group walks, and group and area committees, are not being recorded. 2.2 The hours should reflect the total person-hours involved in the task. However, if path inspections are carried out during a walk involving more than one person on the same path, it is suggested that no more than two people’s time should be recorded. Generally, hours should cover all activities involved, e.g. preparation time, travel time, direct activity time, refreshment breaks, reporting time etc. Work on policy matters should be recorded under the appropriate activity heading relating to that policy. Time should be recorded to the nearest hour.
The categories to be recorded are: Vegetation clearance Path Furniture and Surface Work Waymarking Path Inspections BVPI and Furniture Surveys Lost Ways and Claims Planning Applications, Path Orders and Legal Work Representing the Ramblers on other bodies FPAWE and General RoW Group Work England Coast Path
This concerns clearing paths to make them convenient for users. In all but a few cases this is work being carried out for the Highway Authority as it relates to their statutory duties.
This concerns practical work in installing and maintenance of path furniture which includes, among other things: Gates, Stiles, Bridges, Barriers, Signposts, Waymarker Posts. It also includes work in improving the surface of paths and their drainage. In all but a few cases this is work being carried out for the Highway Authority as it relates to their statutory duties.
This involves the fixing of new and replacement waymark discs on paths. The installation of waymarker posts should be recorded under Path Furniture. This is normally work being carried out for the Highway Authority. Exceptions would be when waymarking long distance routes that are being promoted by the Ramblers and other organisations.
This involves deliberate checking of paths to identify problems, but not the county-wide biannual BVPI surveys. This work is mostly carried out as a service to the Highway Authority.
The BVPI survey is a county-wide biannual survey of selected whole parish path networks. BVPI is Best Value Performance Indicator 178. It was originally a government requirement on Highway Authorities but is being continued in a modified form by Hampshire County Council Countryside Service, with Hampshire Area Ramblers providing the surveyors. Furniture Surveys are also done for Hampshire County Council.
This is all work involved in claiming new rights of way with the aim of convincing the Highway Authority to make a Definitive Map Modification Order (DMMO), including research, site surveys, requesting and gathering evidence from witnesses, preparing documentation, submitting claims, and preparing for and attending public inquiries.
This involves all work: checking and responding to Planning Applications that affect paths and the walking environment; processing Path Orders; and other legal activity.
Ramblers’ volunteers regularly represent the interests of walkers on other bodies. This includes bodies such as Local Access Forums.
This covers work associated with the FPAWE meetings, including attendance, preparing and reading reports and other papers, Secretariat work, and work carried out as a result of the instructions of FPAWE or undertakings given at the meeting that do not fall under any other heading. It also covers preparation of FPAWE reports to Area Council and FPAWE reports for the Area Annual report and time spent reporting back or briefing Group and Area meetings and other general RoW orientated Group work.
Natural England (NE) is currently (2018) carrying out preparation work for the England Coast Path through Hampshire. This involves meetings with NE representatives, reading NE documentation, site visits, Ramblers meetings to discuss the path, communication between groups and with Area, and drafting and agreeing the Ramblers’ representations concerning the NE proposals to the Secretary of State.
A form (See Appendix 1) will be circulated by email together with the agenda for the quarterly FPAWE meetings. The hours are being collected for each quarter as a whole, eg January to March, and monthly breakdowns are not required. Responses should be to the FPAWE secretary, fairly soon after the end of each quarter. The most convenient form in which to receive the data is in electronic form as an attachment to an email. Direct means of entering the data onto a jointly accessible spreadsheet are being investigated.
The total volunteer hours reported to date for the area should be reported at each FPAWE meeting. A spreadsheet should be included with the papers circulated before each meeting.
Form for submitting group volunteer hours to be updated and submitted as soon as possible at the end of each quarter to Stuart Shurlock by email to stushurlock@hotmail.com Please give the document a title following the following example to assist in file storage e.g EastleighVolunteerHours2017-8
Ramblers Hampshire Area
Vegetation Clearance Path Furniture & Surface Work Waymarking Path Inspections BVPI and furniture surveys
Lost Ways and Claims Planning Applications, Path Orders and Legal Work Representing Ramblers on other bodies FPAWE and General RoW Orientated Group Work England Coast Path
WAY AND THE COUNTRYSIDE The objectives of the Ramblers are to promote, encourage or assist in: The provision and protection of foot paths and other ways over which the public have a right of way or access on foot, including the prevention of obstruction of public rights of way. The protection and enhancement for the benefit of the public of the beauty of the countryside and other areas by such lawful means as the trustees think fit, including by encouraging the provision, preservation and extension of public access to land on foot.