One of the longest-serving Isle of Wight Council's officers, Bob Edney, has died after 39 years of service. A private funeral ceremony was held yesterday (Wednesday) for the countryside officer. Coming from an Island family Bob, from Wootton, started work for the Isle of Wight County Council in 1980. He worked in the countryside service for over 39 years until his death in March this year. He had a longstanding involvement with and commitment to the Wight Nature Fund, a local charity that manages several small reserves around the Island. He had many job titles over the years but all of them involved caring for the council’s range of country parks, nature reserves and green spaces. An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson said: "Bob will be greatly missed as a friendly, reliable and helpful face of the Isle of Wight Council by many landowners, parish councils, schools and charities. "Although he worked across the whole Island, Bob was most strongly associated with Fort Victoria Country Park where he began working in 1982 as Fort Victoria Ranger. "He continued to manage the country park throughout most of his career, seeing it through many challenges and developments. "He was particularly proud of the big improvements to the park and its facilities that were carried out in 2013-14 as part of the lottery-funded West Wight Landscape Partnership. "Many thousands of schoolchildren and students over the years enjoyed learning about the countryside and coast from Bob at Fort Victoria, and the park continues to be a popular attraction today." Mr Edney's knowledge and understanding of the Isle of Wight's countryside also inspired other rangers who have gone on to work for the National Trust and the Wildlife Trust as well as training hundreds of volunteers. Cabinet Member for Environment and Heritage, Cllr John Hobart, said: “Within the council, Bob was a well-liked and much-respected officer. “He was an intensely private man, but the one aspect of his life he was always willing to share was his knowledge and understanding of the countryside. “When somebody has done an important job so well, for so long, it is sometimes hard to understand what we have until we lose it. “We, his friends and colleagues, along with so many others on the Island, will miss Bob: his diligence, his skill and knowledge, his quiet patience, and above all his rich and genuine love for the countryside of the Isle of Wight."
Investigation Underway Following House Fire In Brighstone
Reaction To Donna Jones Police And Crime Commissioner Re-Election
New Dementia Hub To Open In Cowes Next Week
Armed Forces Covenant Members Supporting Armed Forces Day
Miriam Margolyes, Aggers And Tuffers And Plastic Mermaids To Headline Wight Proms 2024
Isle Of Wight Shoppers Helping To Tackle Rising Levels Of Hygiene Poverty
Two Isle Of Wight Businesses Win At Annual Muddy Stiletto Awards
Sandown Carnival Launches 2024 Season
Dover Park Primary School Celebrates Continued Success With Glowing Ofsted Report
Rescue Services Join RNLI’s 200th Celebration Event At Cowes
Isle Of Wight Council To Move To Committee System In 2025
Highway Improvement At Church Litten Next Week
Isle Of Wight Beaches Praised In Clean Water League Table
Man Arrested After Being Caught During Act Of Self-Gratification In Newport
May Day Bank Holiday Recycling And Waste Collection Information
Isle Of Wight Ambulance Service Star Louise Awarded King’s Ambulance Medal
Stranded RIB Towed To Safety By Cowes Lifeboat
Major Highway Works Taking Place Across Isle Of Wight This Month
Wildheart Animal Sanctuary Rescue To Bring First Bears To Isle Of Wight For 30 Years
