The opening of the new Winter Bridge took place at 11.30 am on Monday, 27th August 2018.
A tour through the site to the bridge via the spinal path, pond and boardwalk was followed by
an introduction by Catherine Cobley, Chairman, FCCWAA and response and cutting of the ribbon by Helen Myers.
After photographs, the tour continued by crossing the new bridge to the woodland area and then on to the Annual Barbecue at the Fox Inn.
The New Winter Bridge was named after the original Winter Bridge, which it replaces, and ensures a safe footing
for visitors crossing the Hodge Brook from the meadow to the woodland area of the wildlife site.
The New Winter Bridge was opened by Helen Myers, daughter of the late Roy Johnson, one of the founding members of the nature reserve, and who was affectionately
known to many local people as Mr Fox Corner. Before cutting the ribbon, Helen remembered her father, who sadly passed away in 2017. Roy had designed, funded
and supervised the building of the original Winter Bridge in 1996, in memory of his late sister, Doris Winter.
The opening of the New Winter Bridge gave a taste of 'deja vu' to the proceedings for the Wildlife Area Association’s Chairman Catherine Cobley, who opened the
original Winter Bridge during her Mayoral year in April 1996.
The New Winter Bridge was re-designed and built by local resident, committee member and Civil Engineer, Roy de Coverly, along with a team of volunteers, who are also
part of the Fox Corner Community Wildlife Area Association’s (FCCWAA) Management team: - John Shawyer, Nigel Emmerson and Barbara Carr, with the help of Steve Hull.
The bridge spans the Hodge Brook and links two halves of the Fox Corner Wildlife site and has been designed to look like the original bridge, but has been constructed
of steel and wood to give it extra strength and a longer life expectancy.
The FCCWAA’s fundraiser, Peter Morley, raised the funds needed in just over a year, due to the generous support of The Orchid Trust, facilitated by Community Foundation
for Surrey, The Lempriere Trust, Woking Borough Council, Surrey County Council, Woking Association of Voluntary Service (WAVS) and some local residents.
Helen Myers said: "I was very pleased to be asked to open the new Winter Bridge at the Fox Corner Wildlife Area as the site meant so much to my father Roy Johnson.
Roy was a founding member of the Wildlife Committee alongside Catherine Cobley, Dick Crompton and other local Fox Corner residents back in the 1980’s”.
Chairman of the Fox Corner Community Wildlife Area Association, Catherine Cobley said: “I have chaired this wonderful trust for 27 years and I think I can say with some
authority that this is one of our very proudest moments. How many small charities that you know can not only raise the funds to build a bridge but also have the
expertise, energy and resourcefulness to construct it themselves?
And today of all days, we remember the enormous contribution of our dearly loved and very much missed Roy Johnson, my last remaining founder member and tireless worker
and creator of the Wildlife Area. Before his untimely death at the end of last year, Roy was, of course, heavily involved in the plans for the new Winter Bridge.
It was a project very close to his heart as he had designed and funded the original Winter Bridge in memory of his sister, Doris Winter."
The Wildlife Area is an ideal place for families to visit and have picnics. Running a wildlife area inevitably involves a delicate balance of priorities - protecting and encouraging wildlife and also providing an area which gives pleasure to visitors and residents alike. Most of these are reflected in our Fox Corner Country Code.
Dogs are a particular issue. If uncontrolled, they can alarm wildlife, disturb nests and leave unwelcome excrement anywhere on the site. Groups of children are encouraged to visit to enjoy pond-dipping and mini-beast hunts. For their sake, it is vital that they do not come into contact with the results of dog-fouling. At one stage, we felt that it would be a good idea to ban dogs altogether but after representations from local people, agreed that they could be allowed but strictly only on leads.
We respectfully, but firmly, ask you to abide by this particular rule.
