A Holmer Green pensioner who uses a school path to visit his wife in a care home now has to walk twice as far after a decision was made to lock the path's gates.

Pete Healy, 71, used to use the path that runs from Watchet Lane, besides Holmer Green Infant School, to Parish Piece, besides Holmer Green Senior School, to visit his wife of 48 years, Di.

Di suffers severe Alzheimer's disease and lives in the village care home, Cherry Garth.

But an apparent decision by the senior school to lock the gates to their path, except between 8am and 9am and 2.45pm and 3.45pm on weekdays, means Pete now has to walk twice as far to visit her.

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Pete told the Bucks Free Press: "I used to be able to go through my back gate on to the path and walk to Parish Piece. Then I could practically see the care home which was about 1/3rd of a mile away.

"I’ve walked the route pretty consistently since I started dating Di in 1972. Back then. on days off, I’d meet her at the village infant school where she taught and walk with her to see teacher friends in the village before we each went home.

"Di has taught generations of children both here in Holmer Green and in Little Missenden and was an able and popular teacher. But she’s slowly succumbed to Alzheimer’s and now can’t communicate, walk or feed herself."

He added: "For nearly 20 years, there wasn’t even a boundary between the path and the school, but times change, and a fence was installed in 1989.

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"Latterly, it’s been gated but during Covid-19 the gates have been left open making it really easy for me to walk to see Di, which I do three or four times a week.

"Even when the gates were being used (before Covid) they were always open during the day which is when I need to use them for my visits to my wife.”

Pete, who is active in the community with organisations like the village hall and Holmer Green Players and volunteers at Amersham Museum, says the academy has argued that the path is on land rented to it by Buckinghamshire Council and needs to be locked during the day for security and safeguarding reasons.

But he countered that the path has been walked by generations of schoolchildren, dog walkers and visitors to the village's sports association for at least 70 years and has always been a right of way.

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Pete added: "I don’t see why the path can’t just be locked at night – this would allow villagers to use it most of the time.

"Maybe there’s some other reason that the gates need to be locked during much of the day – but I’ve no idea what that could be.

"The gates used to be open during daylight hours so why does this need to change?

"I suffer from - have always suffered from - a congenital ligament problem in my leg which, over the years, has led to inflammation in my knee and ankle when I walk too far.

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"I use a stick most of the time, and that helps. But the mile-long-route that I’ll now have to take is farther than I can walk comfortably without suffering quite severe pain especially in my ankle.

"It can be lonely when you’ve spent 45 years living with someone and my voluntary work means I don’t have too much time to dwell on Di’s Alzheimer’s. But I’m going to add campaigning for the path to be reopened to my other village interests."

Holmer Green Senior School was approached by the Bucks Free Press for their comment on the situation last week, but has not yet responded.