Caring for our parishes

The LEADER programme, awarded between £2,000 and £5,000 to parish councils in the area in December 2009. Some of the 21 parishes to benefit include: Eppleby, Askrigg, Low Abbotside, Bentham, Burton cum Walden and Bainbridge.

Under the LEADER scheme, the Parish Caretaker is seen as a mix of traditional ‘Parish Lengthsman’ with a very strong environmental and heritage focus. The concept of a “Lengthsman” that worked outside the railways and river ways, dates from the early 1880’s when it became common for day-to-day maintenance of main parish roads to be given to a number of men, each appointed to maintain their length of road.

The caretakers duties will be decided by members of their own community, and will include things like managing verges, repairing benches, clearing snow and road sweeping. LEADER has also approved funding for the Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust that has enabled a part-time co-ordinator to be employed by the Trust.  The role of the co-ordinator is to support individual Parishes in the delivery of their programme through the provision of information, support and training. 

 There will be another opportunity for parishes to start their own Parish Caretaker scheme later this year. All parishes will be notified through the LEADER newsletter.