We are a group of volunteers. Most of us live in the Upper Calder Valley and we come from a wide range of backgrounds, so we bring together a lot of local experience and many skills. What makes us a great team is that we all want to do our best to ensure that Rights of Way remain open and a pleasure to use.

All volunteers who work with the organisation in any capacity are Members of CROWS.

us 2016 — Here’s a few of us outside White Ribbon in 2016

Our objectives.

to maintain and repair the Rights of Way and permissive path network in the Upper Calder and Ryburn Valleys for the benefit of both the local community and visitors – including walkers, horse riders, runners, mountain bikers and other users;
to report to the Local Authority on the condition of the Rights of Way network;
to undertake other projects provided they are for the benefit of the community.

Values and culture

We want CROWs to be an organisation where everyone feels welcome and we each play a part in that. We want people to feel free to share ideas about how we work and organise ourselves, to ask for help and to raise concerns.
We aim to make volunteering for CROWS, and using the footpaths we work on as accessible as possible. Much of the visible work CROWS does is physical and strenuous, but there are other tasks that may suit volunteers who are unable to do this type of work. These include, for example, footpath surveys, maintenance of tools, admin and support tasks, publicity and so on. We do what we can to improve access to footpaths, but because of the nature of the footpath network, access for people with impaired mobility can be difficult or impossible.

CROWS is a registered Charity no 1201645. The link below will take you to the Charity Commission’s website where you can find information about our constitution, governance, policies and finances

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/charity-commission

Some of the team in 2020

us at Cragg Brook — A bunch of us (slightly mud spattered) after a day dealing with the path down Cragg Brook – 2014

Friends, Supporters and Collaborators

We couldn’t survive without other organisations in the area. They provide information about jobs which need doing, funding, publicity, and support on social media.

We work alongside:

Calderdale Council Highways Department, liaising about routes we are working on and seeking advice about how to deal with difficult problems.
Calderdale Countryside Service who make finger posts for us.
Walkers Action, Ramblers and other walking groups who tell us what needs doing.
Local community organisations such as Cragg Vale Community Association, Sowerby residents and Luddenden Civic society who also tell us what needs doing and have given financial support.

We have worked on specific projects for the following groups and organisations:

We have worked on specific projects from the following groups and organisations:

needs checking/updating

Mytholmroyd Walkers Action – e.g. working on their children’s walk.
Hebden Bridge Walkers Action – e.g. repairing their self-guided walks.
Pennine Horizons – e.g. improving the routes of e-Trails.
Cragg Vale Community Association – e.g. working on a new path above Cragg Brook.
Calderdale Long Distance Walkers Association – repairing parts of the Hebden Route.
National Trust – working on paths in the Hardcastle Crags area and access paths.
Blackshaw, Wadsworth and Heptonstall Parish Councils.
Todwalkers – e.g. repairing the pop-out walks and bus walks.
University of Huddersfield – repairing and upgrading three “Discovering Ted Hughes’s Yorkshire” trails.

We are also grateful for support from: needs checking/updating

Friends in Cornholme who give us the proceeds of an annual wreath making event.
Calderdale Community Foundation for a grant for buying tools.
Hebden Bridge Town Council for offering the possibility of financial help if we get stuck.
Windsor Road Residents for agreeing to open their permissive path.
Thomson Reuters for funding work in Cragg Vale.
CALVAG for always delivering on time (and to some obscure places).
Ian Whitehead of Calder Computers who has improved our IT systems dramatically.
Friends of Calderdale Countryside for a grant for buying tools.
Individual people who have given us tools or made individual donations.
Landowners who by and large are supportive of what we do, and can sometimes help us transport materials to difficult sites.
Parish and town councils in Blackshaw, Wadsworth, Heptonstall and Hepton Bridge
Ward Forum funding.

And lots more people, we thank you all.

A testimonial from Natalie, a National Trust Ranger

……..With your invaluable help, we have been able to improve the crags and surrounding areas for visitors in balance with our nature conservation ambitions……….

My best memories are when you taught me way back in January 2017 how to build steps to the crags, the ‘BIG SCRAPE’, balsam bashing and working on the new crags footpath.

Keep up the brilliant work CROWS and all the best in the future! You truly are community access heroes!