A NEW trail showcasing the history of Wanborough is taking its visitors on a journey to the past.

Villager Anita Basevi has been working for two years on bringing the Wanborough Storyboard and Trail to life.

The trail itself was designed as one walk including 10 information posts located at different points along the path.

The decision was taken to divide it into two short trails of two-and-a-half miles to make it more manageable for those struggling to walk five miles.

Anita organised a launch ceremony on Saturday at St Andrew’s Church.

She said: “To me, it was always about giving people more information about what we have here.

“Some residents have been here for most of their lives, but the majority have moved in over the last 20 to 30 years, and they don’t know about the past and the history.

“A lot of them sort of dip in and out of the various community events, so they know that we have a show every year but they don’t know why or how long it’s been going on.”

There are two starting points – one located at Hooper’s Field and another at St Andrew’s Church.

Anita added: “The project was not hard, it has taken a lot of hours, but I volunteered to do this.

“It’s been great to meet so many people in the parish. I have only been living here for 20 years, so it’s been lovely to make new friends.

“It was kind of a challenge to discover the right places to go for the infrastructure, once I identified the right suppliers, they guided us through all the other bits.”

The artwork on the main storyboards was produced by two artists, Stephen Thoma and Mike Langman.

Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire Sarah Rose Troughton, who attended the event, said: “We lived here with our family for nearly 40 years, and I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

“I think it is absolutely fantastic. We happened to be Ridgeway walkers and I’m here as Lord of Lieutenant of the county of Wiltshire and I’m very proud to do that, I think this one of the sorts of things for the community that Her Majesty would be proud of.

“Her love for the countryside is well known, so for me, I am really proud to represent her. it’s so interesting and fantastic.”

Parents and children attended the ceremony to support Anita’s project.

Susan Evans has lived in the village for five years.

She said: “I think it is a great idea because I live in the village. We've got children here and the children designed part of the trail.

“There is a quite strong sense of community here, but I think it will bring it together even more and encourage people to visit the village and learn about the village too.

“I think it’s a beautiful village, people here are great and there is a great sense of community, and there’s a lot of things too, there are always things happening.”

Erin Popowicz, 8, and her fellow Wanborough Primary School pupils helped design the brass rubbings on the information posts.

She said: “ I love doing it and I love my village. It was quite fun to do. It’s a cool project.”

She came along with her grandfather John.

He added: “It looks like a marvellous project and it’s good they got the kids involved.”

June, 61, along with her family, raised money to purchase a memorial plaque and place it on the trail in memory of her dad Bill, 84, and Bebe Reeves, 78.

She said: “It is a really good idea, I’ve lived in the village all my life, my parents died recently, in 2017 and in 2018, and the project started up just after my father died.

“So, we actually through the family raised money, because we thought it would be a lovely thing to do in memory of them. They lived in the village as well.

“I love the community spirit. I think it brings the community together because so many villages with new houses are separating, and I think doing something like this, it brings the old and the new part of the villages together.

“As we got one of the memory, we would do that.

“My brother, my two sisters, and all the children we all put in donations.”

The project received funding including £5,000 from Hills Group, a grant of £4,000 from Wanborough Community Trust, nearly £5,000 from the parish council and other sponsorship.