A NEW jubilee footpath is helping pedestrians, including schoolchildren, to avoid walking along part of a rat run.
The £11,000 path has been officially opened in Barrow where it provides a welcome link for pedestrians walking from the village towards Stamford Bridge.
The safe 260m route, known as the Barrow Parish Jubilee Footpath, runs from the end of railings on Barrow Lane up to Milton Brook.
Most of the narrow road, which links the A51 and A56, has no footway and a 60mph speed limit.
Barrow schoolgirl Leah Roberts carried out the cutting of the tape to open the path watched by her sister Chloe and mum Sarah.
The family will all benefit from being able to use the footpath as part of their route to school each day.
Also present were Barrow Parish Council chairman Cllr Zandra Lomas and councillors Peter Dobbs and Robert Tomlinson who worked hard to co-ordinate the project.
This included liaising with landowners, Cheshire West and Chester Council’s contractors and those who provided financial backing.
Gowy ward councillor Eleanor Johnson, who assisted in securing grant funding, was also at the ceremony.
The borough council partly funded the route through its rural support programme.
The parish council points out bus services to the village were cut drastically a few years ago and Barrow residents wanting to use public transport to Chester have to walk to the A51 to pick up a bus.
At some stage in the future it is hoped a further footpath can be created along the next stretch of the lane between Milton Brook and Stamford Bridge.
