Felsham Parish Council
The village has a vacancy for a lengthsman.
Up to now we have been unsuccessful in recruiting a new village lengthsman, it is a great shame that the tasks that were carried out by our previous lengthsman are now somewhat neglected. The small jobs carried out by a lengthsman have a huge benefit to the village, an attention to detail whilst strimming, tidying and cleaning along our “length” of roadside will contribute enormously to the aesthetic beauty of our conservation area and the Parish Council are keen to find that special someone to take on the role.
The term Lengthsman, coined in the 1800s, originally referred to someone who kept a "length" of road, canal or railway neat and tidy. On roads, lengthsmen were responsible for a few miles between adjacent villages and sometimes their duties encompassed the village itself. Employed by local parish councils, their job was, inter alia, to keep grass and weeds down in the verge, keep drainage ditches clear, and sometimes repair fences. Litter, such as it was in those times, was collected and even wild flowers were tended to.
The position at Felsham is the re-incarnation of an old concept, it is voluntary, for as much time as you can spare, with the tasks reasonably flexible to include strimming around signposts and along the greensward and keeping signs clean.
If you are interested in applying to be our lengthsman or you would like further information about the position please contact the clerk or any of your councillors.