THE widow of a Powick rambler who spent years fighting to get a riverside walk for the parish is now hoping it will become her husband's memorial.

Bill Ash, who founded Powick Parish Ramblers with his wife, Pat, had hoped to see his dream fulfilled before he died in December at the age of 76.

"We have been trying to get a riverside walk from Pixham Ferry to Beauchamp Court since 1989," said Mrs Ash.

"At one stage we hoped to get it in time for the millennium, but that didn't happen.

Then, in October 2001, we had a meeting at County Hall with people from the Ramblers' Association and the Open Spaces Society.

"Last year, we had 200 signatures on a petition from people in Callow End and we thought we might get it established before the end of last year. Now I desperately want to see it completed in Bill's memory.

"He will be walking it as a ghost now, but I want to see it in my lifetime," she said.

The couple had the support of Coun Tom Wells, who arranged the meeting at County Hall in the hope of getting some consensus from the landowners and various rambling groups.

But the stumbling block was the suggestion that two other footpaths across farmland belonging to Madresfield Estate should be closed in exchange for the riverside walk.

Mrs Ash says one is hardly ever used and there is an alternative to the other, running almost parallel with it, but the Ramblers' Association does not want to see either of them closed.

"The Ramblers should move with the times, because farmers don't want footpaths going through farmyards and across ploughed fields," she said.

This month, Powick Parish Council received a letter from Worcestershire County Council asking for confirmation if the council was prepared to contribute £2-3,000 towards the riverside walk, in memory of Bill Ash.

Chairman Andy Lamb said it was a complete surprise, as they had not discussed the matter for over three years, after deciding they could not afford to pursue it.

Worcestershire countryside services manager Ian Bamforth said he knew many people were keen to support the riverside walk.

"We would like to look again at the issues and try to help resolve them, but unfortunately there is a financial cost in making a diversion order," he said.