TO DO LIST
With funding dwindling fast, the decision has had to be made to use the remainder of our current funds to remove all the soil and grass that has grown over our car park, shore up some trees that were unsafe and unearth the 20 year old materials for our sand riding arena, get some volunteer riders on board, so that we could, at least start getting our four therapy horses fit for their new lifestyle and raise some funds that way.
ACCESS TRACK REPARATIONS DESPERATELY URGENT! DORSET COUNCIL REFUSING PERMISSION TO BE REPAIRED
Accessing the track using a power add-on to a manual wheelchair, forced to use the central muddy area to avoid the deep potholes and pain to spinal problems has resulted in a brake failure and near-death experience when going to brake at a main road!
So, even more urgent is the repairing of the access track to old Verwood Farm site, land earmarked for the upper school, which currently, our landlord, Dorset Council, have refused us permission to repair, even though they have been informed that the horrendous state of the potholes is causing pain and possible further physical damage/tripping hazard to those who are part of the animal care team who have to use the track with spinal problems, bone cancer, fibromyalgia, mobility problems either walking or using wheelchairs and totally negates the ability to invite people from Salisbury spinal unit who could not endure, with newly healing broken bones in their back, the bouncing about resulting from travelling over the deep potholes.
Historically, the access track was maintained by us but now say: ‘As this is a Council owned property, we do not permit third parties to carry out works on our assets’.
Ridiculous when you consider our official lease stipulates that we maintain the land, fences and hedges to the property that the Council owns! Why now withdraw the historic maintenance of the access track to the land we rent off them?
The Council have been promising that they would look into the repairing of the track for two years now, since doubling the rent, which we presumed was to finance repairs that had, historically, been part of our lease responsiblities but that was removed from our new three-year lease.
The repairing of the track has been a constant necessity since 1992 when we took over occupation of the land with the unwritten understanding that we would be there until the school was built hence not a total waste of money to invest in making the site wheelchair accessible.
In our lease was the instructions for us to keep the access track to the school playing field maintained, with permission from the Council.
With the Council now changing their mind (along with Council reshuffle) and stating that no party is allowed to maintain the track, it has degenerated into the worst state it has ever been since 1992 as the Council aren’t maintaining but not allow any of the access track users to maintain it.
At the end of each winter, the access track, being unsealed, breaks down into potholes and if now, no user of the access track is allowed to implement repairs, in some case, emergency repairs and the Council having no funds or availability to carry out the works, the only solution would be seal the surface so no potholes will appear – have the track laid to tarmac.
I have been told that there are no funds for the Council to even keep the access track maintained as it is and definitely not to a standard suitable for visitors in need of therapy when you consider that the Council cannot even keep up with the potholes in the main roads!
So we are going to get quotes to have the access track laid to tarmac and then write to the Council with permission to implement the permanent solution to the constant breakdown in the access track – a sealed surface.
The Council will be approached for permission to carry on these works, at no cost to themselves.
The ridiculous stance of the Council has been forwarded to Verwood Town Councillor, Simon Gibson, who hopefully can make the Council see sensen and either allow the track to be maintained by those holding a valid lease with them or to have a sealed surface.
With permission to proceed, we will then launch a crowdfund for this resurfacing of the access track in tarmac and hopefully find a Company that would like to give us a special price in return for some very favourable advertising.
Watch this space.