Hundreds join Barnardo's on top of the Forth Bridge
It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has brought joy to those seeking adventure and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Scotland’s leading children’s charity. And now, a precious few were once again able to stand atop the iconic Forth Bridge to help raise money for Barnardo’s Scotland.
The charity’s ‘Your View’ event allows members of the public one of the most sought after and unique experiences in Scotland – namely the chance to ascend 361 feet up the historic rail bridge and enjoy an uninterrupted 360-degree panoramic view of the Edinburgh and Fife coastline. Your View is in its seventh year – run in conjunction with Network Rail and Balfour Beatty – and another lucky 900 people travelled from all across the UK and beyond to take part.
In addition to the popular Your View event, the reprised Ultimate Experience, which was limited to a lucky few ticket holders, provided an extended tour which afforded visitors the chance to stand at track level of the legendary bridge for some amazing photo opportunities. Thereafter, visitors descended another level for a bridge walk under the railway track on the pathway out on to the Forth.
Around 7,000 visitors in total have experienced the event and there have a dozen or so marriage proposals on the vertiginous viewing platform since 2017. Best of all, though, the event has now raised almost £450,000 to fund the work of Barnardo’s Scotland.
Featuring over the weekend were the famous ‘Briggers’. The Briggers are a Forth Bridge research and presentation group of volunteers based in South Queensferry. Named after the bridge workers, the group was formed to identify the names of the 73 men and boys who died constructing the Forth Bridge, which is a World Heritage site, and, during the event, they provided details on the history of the bridge and the people involved in its construction.
Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “Your View proved once again to be a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience for those lucky enough to secure a ticket. We want to thank all of those who joined us over the weekend – including the wonderful Mrs Williams – as this is a crucial fundraiser for Barnardo’s Scotland as we continue to support children, young people and their families throughout the country. Your View would not be possible without the generosity of Network Rail and Balfour Beatty, and I wish to thank both organisations and our wonderful volunteers for making this special weekend happen.”
Barnardo’s Scotland intends to use some of the funds raised to support a pioneering “extended family” model approach to foster care. Barnardo’s Scotland utilises the ‘Mockingbird model’ for fostering, which is inspired by the support and relationships of an extended family.
Over the course of the financial year 2023-24, more than 16,000 people volunteered for Barnardo’s across the UK – a total of 1.7 million hours of their time. To donate, volunteer or fundraise, please visit: www.barnardos.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money.