22/05/2026
Statement from our Director, Aimee Winkfield, about the Cottesmore footbridge closure:
"The closure of the Cottesmore footbridge has greatly impacted us at Rose Hill Junior Youth Club.
Every week, we take multiple groups of children and adults across the bridge to our allotment space, located in the Thomson Terrace Allotments.
Over the last five years, we have developed our allotment into a safe and nurturing space where the children and adults can relax and reap the benefits of being in nature and growing food.
The footbridge suddenly closed without prior warning on Friday, 15th May, and the alternate routes suggested by Oxfordshire County Council to access Littlemore from Rose Hill are neither safe nor practical for the groups we support.
Since we take groups of children under 11 years old to our allotment, walking the alternate route alongside the busy bypass, crossing two sets of traffic lights, and walking through a supermarket car park is too risky.
The longer route through the underpass into Littlemore would take too long, leaving us insufficient time to visit our site.
The latest update as of Thursday, 21st May, is that the footbridge will not reopen until November 2027.
Our only viable option is to find transportation to take our groups safely to the allotment, which will have a significant financial impact on us as a small charity.
We understand that structural issues have been identified and that safety is the priority, but the impact of this sudden closure on both the Rose Hill and Littlemore communities seems poorly understood.
We urge Oxfordshire County Council to reach out to both communities in Rose Hill and Littlemore to establish an open dialogue about the footbridge and any potential support available to residents and community groups, whilst we wait for it to be repaired or replaced."
Listen to our BBC Radio Oxford interview here (22nd May 2025 - around 7:10am):
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live/bbc_radio_oxford
