Clarence Mill footbridge - It's open! |
Opening |
Clarence Mill footbridge was opened by Cllr Mrs Margaret
Simon, Mayor of Cheshire East, on a grey and damp Saturday
morning, the 29th August 2009. Most of those who have been
involved with the bridge from inception, negotiation, through
design, construction and fund raising were joined by
a large crowd of Bollington residents to celebrate the new
bridge.
Warm words of congratulation and thanks were expressed by
Mrs Simon, Cllr Mrs Shirly Sockett, Mayor of Bollington,
Mrs Sandra Edwards, Chairman of Bollington Civic
Society, and Rupert Beckwith-Moore,
Managing Director Clarence Mill Ltd. Generous applause
was given in recognition of the contributions to this project
made by Graham Barrow,
Bollington Civic Society, Noel James, CEC
Bridge Engineer,
Richard Doran, CEC Countryside Officer
and Project Manager,
Roy Winnard and Dave Pennington, Roy Winnard
Building Services who erected the bridge, and
Rupert Beckwith-Moore.
After enjoying a crossing of the bridge, and the excellent
new views it offers of the canal and Clarence Mill, the invited
quests retired to the Waterside
Café to
refreshments of morning coffee and a very fine collation of
cakes and pastries.
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At last, after seven years of frustration, the footbridge
across the canal at Clarence Mill, Bollington, is finally in
place. Work started on Tuesday 19th May 2009 and took fifteen
weeks. The project was carried out under the management
of Richard Doran (left), Cheshire East Council (CEC) Countryside
Officer, without whose persistence and tenacity this bridge
would never have been built.
The bridge project
has been strongly supported from
the outset by Bollington Civic Society and
the immense effort undertaken by Graham Barrow (right) in obtaining
the necessary grants and keeping the relevant authorities on
side must certainly be recognised.
The long and arduous story of this project may one day be
told, but for now let us just celebrate the opening of this
most valuable new facility on the Bollington landscape - we
can finally cross the canal without getting our
feet wet!
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Saturday 29th August 2009, the
opening |
Cllr
Mrs Margaret Simon, Mayor Cheshire East
Council, cuts the ribbon!
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A
big crowd of residents came to support the project. Many of
these live up Clarence Road and in Clarence Mill and this
bridge will at last give them quick and easy access to the
recreational facilites of the canal towpath and the Recreation
Ground without having to start and finish each outing along
Clarence Road and Palmerston Street.
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Cllr Mrs Shirley Sockett, Mayor of Bollington, (left)
and Mrs Sandra Edwards, Chairman Bollington Civic Society, give
their addresses.
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The
crowd enjoy their first crossing of the bridge while the guests
stood for the moment to be recorded.
Top row, left to right - Sir Nicholas Winterton DL MP, Mr
Rupert Beckwith-Moore, Clarence
Mill Ltd.
Front
row - Mrs Sandra Edwards, Chairman Bollington
Civic Society, Cllr Mrs Margaret Simon, Cllr Mrs
Shirley Sockett, Mayor of Bollington, Mr Martin
Sockett, Mayor's
Consort.
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Dave
Pennington (left) and Roy Winnard who have so skilfully erected
the bridge over the past fifteen weeks. They have been an
absolute joy to have around and have made so many friends.
Thanks guys! |
The sun broke through just as the public tried out the new bridge
for the first time.
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Graham Barrow and Richard Doran discuss the great success of
the day.
The worst of the rain kept off, it wasn't too cold, all the guests arrived on
time, there was considerable public support and the refreshments
were delicious!
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Earlier
weeks' pictures are here. |
Remote monitoring!
I know that this page is being monitored by at least
a couple of folk from distant places, like Detroit and Canada.
Please email me if you are watching this construction from
afar and tell me why it is so interesting to you! I'll list
all respondents here ...
I guess we count as among those
monitoring the building of the bridge from abroad. We
are living in Victoria, British Columbia but we only left
Bollington at the beginning of March. We still have our
house on Wellington Road so we feel very attached to what
is happening there.
The bridge looks good and will be
an excellent improvement to the access to the mill.
I don't think it affects any of the walks we did that went
past the Clarence but excellent for visitors starting
walks from the Discovery Centre. It will be great for
the coffee shop and other businesses. The only downside
is that the great view of the mill from the towpath near
the aqueduct will be changed. In a few decades no one
will know.
We will be watching to see it develop
and how it looks when finished.
Steve, Hilary and Ben
Brown
Hi, with my roots in Macclesfield and Bollington I have
been following
with fascination on the excellent Happy Valley web site
the progress of your new
bridge over the Macclesfield canal.
Cousin Graham keeps me up to speed and the
next time I come over the
pond I will check to see the finished article.
Hilary Wootton, Guelph, Ontario - Canada
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