The Cambus O’May Suspension Bridge is a sorry sight at the moment. Barricaded off at both ends, bent and broken with no slats across the base and the paths of the Deeside Circular Walk becoming overgrown from lack of use – one of the last scars of Storm Frank casting a blight on our beautiful landscape and environment.
The bridge was built in 1905 and was a gift to the public from Alexander Gordon some ten years after his death, along with the Polhollick Bridge and several other buildings in Ballater. It is a Grade B Listed Structure, which had to be re-built in 1988 for safety purposes and was then re-opened by Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. At that time, it was built to exactly the same design as the original to preserve that real Victorian feel. It forms part of the Cairngorms National Park Core Path Network and has always been a popular spot for locals and visitors as it crosses the river at such an eye-catching spot.
With all that history, heritage and beauty, it is sad to see such an iconic feature in its current state so long after the flood. There are many of us who want to see the Bridge restored to its former glory, but there is a problem. The Council owns the Bridge and has allocated a significant amount of money to its refurbishment. However, it is not enough to commit to starting the work and there are no guarantees as to when the remaining money will be available. The total cost of the repair is in the region of £400,000.
Understanding that the Council has pressure on its finances and has already spent a lot of money on flood repairs, BRD has decided to work with the Council to try and raise the remaining funds with a shared ambition to start the repairs next summer. It is currently estimated that £150,000 will be required over and above the Council funding – a significant amount, but we believe it is achievable through funding and donations. We have already received a number of donations and applied for various funding opportunities, but we still need more money of we are to start the repairs in April 2020.
We are determined to make this happen, but help is always gratefully received – so, if you have any ideas for fund raising, getting funding or want to make a donation, please get in touch at , so we can move forward and get the Cambus O’May Bridge rebuilt.