A Bridleway For Haigh Project update:

A Teams meeting between Haigh Parish Council and Wigan Council Officers took place virtually on 13th December, when the Bridleway For Haigh project was raised and well received.
A detailed report for consideration by the officers was submitted to Wigan Council after the meeting, and then distributed by the Director to the team currently responsible for the management of Haigh Country Park.
Unfortunately, the wheels of progress seem to turn very slowly in local government and we still await to hear the outcome of the meeting.

Haigh Parish Council will continue to keep the Haigh communities informed and as soon as a response is received we can move the project forward.

Thank you to all those who have given their approval and offers of support to this project.
The public reaction to this idea has been wonderful to see, and the passion and commitment shines through in all the horse riders' comments.
These will be very useful in gathering evidence to show to Wigan Council that there is an urgent need to address the issues sooner rather than later.
An email has been sent out to everyone who expressed an interest in getting involved, inviting them along to a Zoom meeting on Tuesday 29th November at 7pm.

The agenda is as follows:

To establish the aims of the working group by gathering evidence from horse riders to show if there is an urgent need for a joined up bridleway in Haigh.

Objectives:
Use an OS Map of the area on a shared screen to discuss the following questions: (The bridleways are the large green dashed lines, small ones are footpaths)
What is the current situation?
Has it changed from the past situation? If so, how has it changed?
Do you feel safe riding in Haigh? Are there any dangers? If so, how can these be addressed?
What would you like to see change, and where?
Can you identify a potential route for a joined up bridleway?

Next steps:
To take the findings of this meeting to Wigan Council with a view to setting up a joint working group with a balance of members.

If you would like to get involved, its not too late, just click you'd like to get involved and I will get back to you with details.

Great response from the Haigh Community towards establishing a joined up Bridleway in Haigh.
Lots of horse riders have put forward some very good suggestions, ideas, and reasons why there is an urgent need for this to be addressed.

Emails will be sent out shortly to all those who have volunteered to be part of a working group, with an invitation to take part in a virtual meeting via Zoom.