A PLAQUE was recently unveiled to celebrate the renovation of Tidenham Tunnel after the project to bring it back into use received national recognition. 

But while an event celebrated the work of charity Greenways and Cycleroutes and volunteer group Friends of Wye Valley Greenway, some locals staged a “low key” protest against the person invited to unveil the plaque, Forest MP and Secretary of State for Transport Mark Harper.

The protesters support a campaign from walking, wheeling and cycling charity Sustrans, who encouraged people to sign a letter appealing to Mr Harper after he announced in March the Government was cutting England’s active travel budget from £308 million to only £100 million for the next two years. 

A spokesperson for the protesters said Mr Harper was “hardly” the right person to be honouring the project, which offers cyclists, walkers and wheelchair users a chance to connect with nature and learn about local history. 

Dozens gathered at the entrance to the tunnel to greet Mr Harper as he came through to peacefully make their feelings known, and they also displayed a banner to remind him of the cuts.

Measuring just over 1km, the Tidenham Tunnel links the five-mile path between Sedbury and Tintern running along the former Wye Valley Railway. 

The project began in 2018 and saw a dedicated group of local volunteers and contractors put in hundreds of working hours to renovate the 1,108-yard tunnel and five-mile path.

The route officially opened in 2021. 

The plaque unveiled last month commemorates a National Railway Heritage Award, which are given to best practice projects that reuse and restore heritage railway structures. 

The event was attended by volunteers and representatives of the groups involved, along with Lee Waters MS, Welsh Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Head of National Highways’ Historical Railways Estate programme Hélène Rossiter, and Andy Savage MBE, Chairman and Trustee The National Heritage Awards, and Mr Harper.