Supporters of a Chichester path have campaigned to recruit other members

The Friends of Centurion Way joined in full force on Saturday, February 9, to recruit further members to their campaign #LOVEyourpath.

Along with a pink theme and home-made heart biscuits, every volunteer shared why they love the path so much and their concerns that the path is ‘under threat’ of being diverted under plans for development at Whitehouse Farm.

The easy access trail runs from Chichester to West Dean Estate and is available for all cyclists and walkers to use every day.

Chichester’s green city councillor and friend of Centurion Way, Sarah Sharp, said: “It was great to see so many volunteers taking time out of their weekends to support Centurion Way.

“We still don’t know the outcome of the confidential negotiations between the various landowners and all we can do is to hope that when the different parties are meeting they keep in mind the large numbers of supporters that this path has.

“This route is key for many people’s health and well-being as well as being a valuable commuter route. We were out in force gathering support so that this doesn’t get forgotten by the decision-makers.”

Members feel it would be ‘tragic’ to lose the path and the wildlife that can be spotted on the routes, as many of members of the community use the path for their dog walks or family bike rides.

In addition to the campaign promoting, volunteers used the event as an opportunity to gather up as much litter as they can.

Sarah Sharp added: “We know how much damage can be done to the natural world around us by the plastic some people throw away so carelessly so it was great to be able to start to clean up our path yesterday.”

For more information on the Love your path campaign and information regarding Centurion Way visit www.centurionway.org.uk.