Farnham's "True Local Hero" steps down

Retirement of Richard Horton as Chairman
At their recent AGM, the Tice's Meadow Bird Group accepted with regret the well-deserved retirement of their Chairman and founder Richard Horton, following many years of service to Tice's Meadow Nature Reserve, local wildlife, and the local community.
Richard has been involved with Tice's Meadow Nature Reserve since the early 1980s, when the site was still farmland, before quarrying by Hanson for sand and gravel, and then latterly restoration to an international award-winning nature reserve.
Richard first became involved with the site as a local resident who enjoyed walking his dog through the fields. Once quarrying had begun, as a keen bird watcher he started to recognise the potential of the site as a nature reserve. Richard then became heavily involved in lobbying for the quarry restoration plan to be amended to a more nature friendly wetland, with limited public access. Richard was granted a seat on the Quarry Liaison Committee, and latterly the Site Aftercare and Management Committee, representing the interests of local residents and regular users of the site. Richard also worked hard for the site to be designated a Site of Nature Conservation Interest, along with the neighbouring Tongham Ponds.
In 2013 Richard founded the Tice's Meadow Bird Group – formalising the team of volunteers who had grown organically around him. Over the next decade, the TMBG have developed into a highly effective organisation, winning multiple awards, and delivering numerous successful projects, at the nature reserve and within the wider community. Under his stewardship, Tice's Meadow has developed into a regionally important nature reserve, widely considered one of the friendliest places to watch birds in the south east, and an important hub for community volunteering and biodiversity monitoring.
Richard's dedication to public service was acknowledged by Farnham Town Council in 2018 with a Services to Farnham Award, describing him as a “true local hero”.
Following Richard's retirement, the TMBG committee elected Mark Elsoffer (the current Secretary) as their new Chairman. Mark stated “I have big shoes to fill! Richard has been my inspiration and it will be an honour to continue in his footsteps. Although the site is now safe thanks to the coalition of councils who saved it in 2021, there are numerous challenges ahead, not least the outrageous plan by McDonald's to build a 24/7 drive-thru in the middle of the SNCI.