BROADWAY is one of numerous villages throughout the Cotswolds which has benefited from the hard work of a dedicated group of volunteers.

The Cotswold Voluntary Wardens said this week their group of 270 wardens throughout the area gave a record 34,000 hours of unpaid work last year.

Their efforts were worth £340,000 of paid labour - the equivalent of 18 full-time staff.

Broadway's landscape has been cared for and improved by 25 volunteers who worked tirelessly around the North Cotswolds to improve the environment.

David Jelfs, who has been a voluntary warden in the Broadway area for 30 years, has been involved in numerous projects and has special responsibility for footpaths.

He helps to run a work party which looks at rights of way around the county and was also instrumental in the creation of a new wood in Broadway.

"Some time ago the Broadway Trust left a sum of money for planting trees in the Broadway area but it was difficult to find someone who wanted a large number of trees planting on their land. There was already an existing ancient woodland and the landowner wanted a new wood built next to it so the wildlife could spread across," he said.

Mr Jelfs has already put in 1,000 hours of voluntary service this year - 70 hours alone on the new Broadway wood - and has taken part in projects including guided walks, dry stone walling, scrub clearance and hedge laying.

"It's a good job I retired last year," he said. "I've been in the Broadway area all my life and it is like putting something back into the community, an immediate benefit you can see as soon as you've done it."

Head warden Dave Scott added: "In fact we've been around for 35 years and people who see us around the Cotswolds often ask what we're doing, so we decided this year to blow our own trumpet.

"The voluntary wardens plant trees, lay hedges and rebuild the distinctive dry-stone walls that frame the landscape. We clear streams and ponds and old sheepwashes. In 2002 we checked 4,471 miles of footpaths and put in hundreds of gates, bridges, steps and stiles to keep the Cotswolds open for access."

He added: "In pounds and pence the total value to the Cotswolds of our voluntary labour is more than twice the cash contributions made by council tax payers through their local authorities."