Wildlife trust hits £30k goal to replace old bridge

The bridge, known as the Works Bridge, had to close due to safety issues

A wildlife trust forced to close a popular footbridge at a nature reserve has reached its £30,000 goal from a public appeal to replace it.

The Works Bridge at Attenborough Nature Reserve, near Beeston in Nottinghamshire, closed to the public in April 2023 after a safety inspection.

In September 2024, Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust announced it would commit to replacing the bridge altogether, with the entire project expected to cost £375,000.

Head of communications Erin McDaid says hitting the latest fundraising milestone has been a "really positive" development.

The trust said bridge construction firm Beaver Bridges would be making the new structure

"It just shows the strength of feeling and support for the reserve, and people understand our challenge of actually having a lot of infrastructure to maintain on the reserve," he said.

The trust said it had previously earmarked £85,000 of its existing funds towards the project and has had a further £90,000 in pledges, but the remaining target will be generated by further fundraising.

Mr McDaid said as well as its own funds and the public appeal, the money for the bridge had come from grant-making trusts, private donations and partner donations.

What happened to the original bridge?

The Works Bridge - which forms part of an existing bridleway - was initially closed before the trust purchased the reserve.

Mr McDaid said the trust had "put on pressure" for the bridge to be reopened before buying the site in 2020, but it was only reopened as a footpath, as it could not be repaired to a standard required for a bridleway.

Later in 2023, another safety inspection of the bridge identified it was no longer safe for anybody to use, and it was then fully closed.

Mr McDaid said: "It has been quite contentious. It's unfortunately been closed for quite some considerable time.

"It had also been closed previously for a period before we took ownership of the site, so it has been a real source of frustration for visitors residents and of course ourselves."

Now, preparation work has been complete with a design released for how the new bridge could look.

The bridges at the site were designed to accommodate the barge traffic that once travelled through the site when it was a gravel quarry.

The trust did not have a set date for the installation of the new bridge, but said its next steps would include submitting a planning application to the local authority.