Construction started this week on a replacement steel footbridge for a south west Donegal village.
The iconic structure over the Glen River in Carrick suffered significant damage as a result of the extreme rain that accompanied Storm Lorenzo in 2019.
The old Carrick footbridge after it was hit by Storm Lorenzo in 2019.
The local community group, Coiste Forbartha na Carraige, is behind efforts to replace the old bridge with a new state-of-the-art one.
“With the rejuvenation of the Riverwalk which has served the community so well during recent lockdowns, we are excited at getting this stage of our plans near to completion,” a spokesperson for the group said.
Site preparations started this week. Pic: Coiste Forbartha na Carraige
While grant aid has been obtained, the group has to raise its portion of the cost – over €21,000.
“We are incredibly grateful for all the support we have received so far in all our fundraising efforts. As part of the project, we still have a substantial amount of that €21,000 to raise as part of our local contribution towards the costs.”
As a result, they ran a Summer Draw, with almost €2,000 in cash prizes, to help them towards this goal.