New footbridge for Allerford thanks to one man's love of Exmoor
| Published: 29th September 2008 11:24 |
A new footbridge, built by the Exmoor National Park Authority's field service team, has been installed at Allerford thanks to the generosity of the family of a man who enjoyed Exmoor both in his personal and professional life.
Despite not being a sunbather, Robert (Bob) Rigby died in August 2005 from aggressive malignant melanoma and his widow Majorie was keen that he should be remembered by funding something of lasting use to walkers on Exmoor.
As a result of a substantial donation from Mrs Rigby, a footpath has been replaced at Allerford and was recently officially opened when the family visited the area.
Speaking about her husband, Mrs Rigby said: "In his professional life Bob was Head of Outdoor Education at Haygrove School, Bridgwater and passionate about the outdoors. He brought his young family camping many times to this beautiful corner of the Exmoor National Park: to Porlock, Horner Water and Luccombe, and walked the villages and hills above Bossington, Allerford and Selworthy. Here also he first quartered his teams-in-training for the Ten Tors and Duke of Edinburgh Award camps.
"Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks were two of his favourite areas.
"Bob believed deeply in the aims of the Award as a whole, but especially in the value of the outdoor sections, which he felt offered young people a different experience and which he hoped would prove life changing for many. He wanted the experiences of walking, hiking, camping, and practical activities to change young people's lives for the better, to give them self-reliance and confidence.
"At the time of his retirement, under his guidance Haygrove School had more pupils involved in the Duke of Edinburgh Award than all the other schools in Somerset combined. During his 29 years of service at the school and over 20 years for The Award, nearly 1,000 young people passed gold, silver or bronze levels. He also organised several sponsored walks to raise funds for the Somerset Trust for Nature Conservation."
Tim Parish (pictured with Mrs Rigby), Ranger with Exmoor National Park Authority said: "It's very unusual for us to receive such a generous donation from the family of someone who loved Exmoor and we were delighted that we were able to use it on a project for the benefit of walkers as Mrs Rigby wished."
Picture & story from Exmoor National Park
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