[Margaret Pilkington]

Neil, thank you for your very comprehensive answer.
I did not consider your post to be a rant.....it comes from someone who is in the know and is passionate about these places.

I thought long and hard about many aspects of the issues to do with Parks....and green spaces.

We have a college of further education. Would it not be possible to get some of the students who are doing construction/building courses to help out with the rebuilding of paths. The work would of course be supervised in much the way that other practical courses are supervised - by someone qualified...and their work would be assessed as part of the course they are doing.
Their efforts could be recognised by having their names on a tile/stone somewhere along the path.(I was going to suggest a brass plate, but that would fall prey to metal thieves, no doubt)
Everyone likes to leave a lasting memory of themselves behind. This would be a lovely way to do that.
Getting young people involved is definitely a good thing....it gives them some feeling of having put something into their community. A sense of pride
You are more likely to respect something that you have put work or effort into...much less likely to damage it or want to see it damaged.
Just my thoughts....not sure how practical these suggestions are...but if you don't think of them then they cannot be used at all