Legacy Projects

Legacy Bequests

Leaving a legacy is something that is often not discussed openly when someone is faced with losing a loved one.  The Friends Board fully understands this and we would like to express our gratitude to those families who have already come forward to donate funds on behalf of their family member.

For those members who are considering leaving a legacy to the Friends of the TPT please be assured that you will be treated with the utmost sensitivity and confidence.  Your generosity will enable focused projects to take place and help continue our vision to protect the Trail for future generations to enjoy.

It would be wonderful if we could create a tradition of legacy giving to run alongside our fundraising programme.  Your family would also have the opportunity of being closely involved in the project to ensure that your bequest is attributed as you would wish, whether this be on a particular section of the route, helping the TPT national office, improving accessibility, marketing and promotion – or some other particular aspect that you have an interest in.

If you wish to discuss this matter in more detail and confidentially, please contact the Friends via friends@transpenninetrail.org.uk or contact the TPT national office and they will ensure one of the Friends Trustees will get back in touch.

Here is an update on the current projects that have been taken forward thanks to legacy donations:

Longdendale Access Project (LAP)	https://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/friends/longdendale-access-project/ What a project that has grown from strength to strength and surpassed all our expectations and truly shows what partnership working can achieve! In 2016 a family wanted their parents’ legacy invested in a project on the Longdendale section of the TPT as this was a section of the Trail that their parents loved. In honour of them both, the family wanted to make this part of the route more accessible for everyone to enjoy – and that’s where it all began. From this initial concept began a series of meetings with initially just the family, Friends and the TPT office, leading to an audit of the Longdendale section from Torside car park to Woodhead by the fantastic team at Accessible Derbyshire. The audit was a phenomenal piece of work really showing all that could be done – and of course the level of funding that was needed but none of us were perturbed, it just really made everyone more determined. The next phase was a series of meetings bringing in our partners from Peak Park and United Utilities who really engaged with the accessibility theme and knew that this would be a great asset to their ‘Miles Without Stiles’ programme. With the Legacy funding in place the Peak Park were also able to make further bids to the National Grid’s Landscape Enhancement Initiative with some of the funds allocated to the LAP. United Utilities has also donated some benches and their time to help install some of the equipment and Life4Life to clear back their section and install further memorial benches. The programme of works are as follows:- • Tactile Information Board • Soundboxes – with a voice over from Brian Blessed • Ramp to a dipping pond to enable accessibility • 2 sets of wooden posts with engravings • Better access to Torside car park bus stop • Torside car park works; pot hole repairs, cutting back vegetation, re-marking disabled bays and adding additional bays • Overflow car park scraped back to enable further bus parking if needed • New wooden posts signage • Miles Without Stiles accreditation • Accessible Benches with full accessibility to their locations • New accessible path from Railway Cottages to Torside • New accessible path from Railway Cottages to Woodhead Reservoir • New accessible path from Woodhead to Station platform • Cutting back vegetation along the Trail • Repairing surfacing along the Trail • Changing Places facility – the only manual Changing Places in the UK • Baby Changing facilities in both ladies and gents toilets • Chicane on the TPT at Torside has been re-aligned to improve the safety for disabled users. Some of these works have already taken place with others under discussion. There may also be an opportunity to look at how access can be improved either side of the REAPS crossing – something that we never thought was possible when we first met. This really is a fantastic project to work on and it has been wonderful to see what can be achieved when we all work together.
Legacy – Paul Higgins (former Treasurer)	As many of you will know, sadly Paul passed away last year. As part of his legacy Paul’s wife kindly donated funding to contribute to the installation of a bench. As well as being a Trustee of the Friends Paul also worked with the RSPB for a number of years. With such a strong connection between our organisations through Paul, the TPT is working with RSPB to look at installing an accessible bench in the courtyard of the RSPB Old Moor to enable it to be used by both TPT users and visitors to RSPB Old Moor.