The group, known locally as ‘The Weobley Footpath Team’ (WFT), comprises retired and current professionals, including several qualified and experienced engineers.

Members of the WFT have worked in partnership with the council’s Public Rights of Way and Highways Department in their own time to design, source and install a 10m bridge, saving thousands of pounds in potential labour costs.

This was previously a well-used circular walk and local residents say they are extremely happy to once again be in a position to use the bridge. They expressed their thanks to Herefordshire Council for funding the repair works through the Public Rights of Way Grant Scheme and to the group of volunteers who were involved in this project.

All materials for the bridge were sourced from local suppliers and manufacturers, based within 10 miles of Weobley. The bridge is fully compliant with all regulations and has now been signed off as safe to use by the council’s Clerk of Works.

An official opening ceremony was held on Friday 21 November and was attended by Councillors Dan Hurcomb and Nick Mason, Crispin Abel (Public Rights of Way Inspector) and Leigh Whitehouse (Group Manager – Streetscene, Public Rights of Way and Traffic Management).

Councillor Dan Hurcomb, Cabinet Member for Local Engagement and Community Resilience at Herefordshire Council, said:

This is an excellent example of what can be achieved by using local community resources. The design and installation experience gained by the Weobley team can now be shared with any other parishes looking for a cost-effective solution for the installation of any footpath bridge of up to 10 metres in length. It’s been a great success, and I pay tribute to all those involved in bringing this to a successful conclusion. I would also like to thank the landowners for their support of the project and for allowing access and assistance with the required machinery.

Councillor Nick Mason, Ward Councillor for Weobley Ward, Herefordshire Council, commented:

I’m delighted to see this come to fruition. After being closed for over four years, it’s been a long hard flog to get here, but the outcome – a locally designed and locally manufactured bridge, installed by a fabulous dedicated team of volunteers - shows how we can do things better and get much better value for council taxpayers. Scaling this out across the county must be the next objective.

A spokesperson from Wills Engineering in Leominster added:

We were very happy to support this local initiative involving the Weobley Footpath team.

Any parishes wishing to find out more about this project are invited to contact Steve Dartnell, Weobley Footpath Officer via Weobley Parish Council. Steve commented:

We have worked as a team on this project and it has been so enjoyable. More people would now like to join our volunteer group and we are looking at future projects. It’s been great!