The Calder Navigation Society assisted by members of the South Pennine Boat Club and other local voluntary groups has cleaned and repainted the bridge

One of the first things that visitors to Mirfield in West Yorkshire see when they approach from the motorway is the former toll bridge over the river Calder at Wood Lane, Battyeford.

For many years this has been a real eyesore with rusty and peeling railings that had not been repainted for over 30 years. A temporary road closure for resurfacing has enabled local volunteers to give the bridge a facelift. The Calder Navigation Society assisted by members of the South Pennine Boat Club and other local voluntary groups has cleaned and repainted the bridge railings with white paint supplied by the Canal and River Trust. Now restored to its former glory, the bridge projects an image of their town of which residents can be proud. This is an excellent example of what can be done when different groups of volunteers get together to solve a problem.

Peter Davies, of Calder Navigation Society, said that the road closure gave everyone the opportunity they had been waiting for to remedy a long-standing issue.

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