AN East Cornwall village celebrated the opening of a new set of footpaths, enabled by a grant of £10,000.

Volunteers and residents of St Dominick celebrated the official opening of the St Dominica Heritage Trails with a church service and a hearty ramble. The trails were officially opened in St Dominick Church car park with the unveiling of the specially-commissioned inter-pretation boards.

The brainchild of St Dominick residents Graham and Carolyn Wilkins, the project was brought to fruition after a year of hard graft by a team of volunteers, backed by a £10,000 grant from Tesco’s Bags of Help sponsorship scheme.

Graham Wilkins said: ‘We are grateful to everyone who has helped and to the Tesco Bags of Help Scheme for the funds to make this a reality.

‘The event far exceeded our hopes with over 60 people coming to the celebration in the church and then walking three and a half miles of the route to earn a cream tea. We have been able to share the skills of countless talented people in the parish and to create something that will encourage everyone to get out and enjoy our beautiful area in the Tamar Valley.

‘Our project has generated so much more than the materials and visible signs, with new friendships developed, resolutions made to get fitter and walk more and a sense of connection and pride in our history and of our local environment.’

Carolyn Wilkins confirmed that there were more events planned for the future. She said: ‘So much has been achieved as a result of the generous award from Tesco’s Bags of Help scheme. We will hold some more walking days to enjoy the whole route and we can show the beautiful path through the woods developed with the National Trust.

‘There will be a bird box making day to encourage birds in our parish. Keep an eye out for information of the events in the St Dominick Parish News and the Tamar Valley AONB newsletter as well as on Facebook. The walks went live on the day on St Dominick Parish website (www.stdominicpc.org. uk) and follow the links to download the map and leaflet.‘

Alan Woollcombe, from Tesco Callington, said: ‘This has been a wonderful project, fuelled by local initiative and hard work and we are honoured to have been able to help it come about.’

To learn more about Tesco’s Bags of Help grants, which are available for any non-profit making community project, visit www.groundwork.org.uk/Sites/tescocommunityscheme/pages/Category/the-tesco-bags-of-help-programme-tes2