The Dorking Cockerel

Today I visited a friend who lives on the outskirts of Dorking. On my route I cross a roundabout at the junction of the A24/A25. On that roundabout is this big silver cockerel. I've seen him many times so today I thought I'd blip him and find out why he's there.
He stands at 10 feet tall and was installed thirteen years ago.
The Cockerel, with its distinctive fifth toe, has origins back to Roman times. Chickens were introduced to Dorking and became a premier breed in the 17 century, leading to Dorking becoming renowned for poultry breeding. As the reputation for Dorking cockerels rose so did the bird's place in the minds of residents. In 1800, for example, Dorking Football Club named themselves after the prize bird, giving their team the nickname 'The Chicks'. The cockerel image now features on numerous road signs and many local clubs and societies have adopted the cockerel as their emblem.
Today he was sporting a knitted mask with the words BE KIND on it.