Bridge Over Tamar Waters

[whole diary]

[Lee]

From Saltash Rail Users Group :

Tuesday April 24th will see the arrival at Saltash of a very special gift to the people of the  Town, from the patients and occupational staff at the famous Broadmoor Hospital at Crowthorne in Berkshire.

Patients and Staff in the Metal Workshops designed and made a scale model of the Royal Albert Bridge for the 2006 Koestler Awards at Crystal Palace ^ and won ! The model is primarily steel, built to an accurate scale which equates to ^ gauge, but even so is over two metres long.

The connection with Saltash is coincidental ^ the sister of Mayoress Clare Ellison works at Broadmoor, and suggested that it should be presented to the Town. Accordingly Clare and Mayor Joe Ellison travelled to Broadmoor on April 17th to officially receive the Bridge model from Chair of the West London Health Authority.

Joe and Clare presented Broadmoor with a limited print of the Royal Albert Bridge by Saltash artist Steve Fuller and also had a guided tour of the closely-guarded facility meeting many of the patients and staff.

The Bridge model will make it^s journey down to Cornwall next Tuesday 24th April. It will be brought by van to Plymouth Station, and will make the final leg of the journey over the real Royal Albert Bridge on the 12.44 train from Plymouth, arriving to a reception on Saltash Station at 12.52.

Mayor Joe Ellison says ^ we are honoured to accept this fine award-winning memento from Broadmoor penal hospital ^ it^s an exceptional piece of work. It will find a permanent home in Saltash, either in the Guildhall, or possibly in the Library, where it can be enjoyed by the people of the Town.

It is yet another facet of our growing Brunel heritage ^

FIRST CLASS PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES on Saltash Station (Westbound) at 12.52 on Tuesday April 24th ^ if it^s on time !