Rotting bridge replaced in time for Horsham Riverside Walk

Horsham Green Gym volunteers replaced the wooden planks forming the deck of a four-metre bridge that crosses the Hornbrook stream close to Hammerpond Road.

With materials supplied by Horsham District Council, the task was completed in the space of a morning.

Work team leader David Searle said: “It was noted last year that all the original decking planks were rotting and as so many walkers will be crossing it in July, it was agreed that we should carry out the work as soon as we could.”

The bridge is part of the riverside walk, a 13-mile route around the outskirts of Horsham.

The route is open all year long but once a year an annual walk is held with a mass start and planned refreshment breaks.

This year, the walk will take place on Saturday, July 11.

It is expected that numbers will exceed the 320 walkers that joined last year.

The riverside walk is accessible, with easy access to bus stops and the town from much of the route, so that those with less time or energy can get home and perhaps finish another day.

The walk is pictured in a free leaflet available from local libraries, Horsham Museum and Horsham District Council offices on Chart Way.

It is also shown on the website at www.horsham.community.