Visitors tour Forth Road Bridge on Doors Open Day

The Forth Road Bridge Doors Open Day 2023 took place on Saturday 23 September, attracting over 400 visitors and raising over £2,400 for Scotland’s national dementia charity Alzheimer Scotland.

The open day was organised by Transport Scotland’s operating company BEAR Scotland – the second year in a row that they have staged the popular event.

Guided tours of the bridge hosted by experienced members of staff departed every 15 minutes throughout the day, stopping at points of interest along the bridge deck and visiting one of the main cable anchorages, normally hidden from public view. BEAR Scotland had received an overwhelming response to the offer of tours, with all places fully booked within two hours of them being advertised.

The Forth Bridges Contact and Education Centre was open to the public, featuring competitions, special exhibits and educational activities for children, as well as sales of Forth Bridges branded merchandise.

Visitors also had the chance to climb inside one of BEAR Scotland’s 32-tonne gritters and see the advanced technology that controls the release of salt and grit onto the road.

Anna Cauldwell from Edinburgh was the lucky winner of a charity prize draw for a once-in-a-lifetime trip for two to the top of one of the Queensferry Crossing’s main towers.

All money raised at the event went to BEAR Scotland’s national charity partner of the year, Alzheimer Scotland. In total, £2,459 was raised.

Judith Hughes, Stakeholder Engagement Lead at Alzheimer Scotland, said: “Thank you to everyone at BEAR for choosing Alzheimer Scotland to be their national charity of the year, to all the team who put so much effort into a fantastic Doors Open Day with an incredible back drop and to all the extremely generous donors.

“We depend on fundraised money to support people living with dementia and their carers; from our centres in towns across Scotland to our 24-hour, freephone helpline; from our campaigns to improve health and social care for dementia to our research into prevention and a finding a cure. None of this would be possible without the money raised by our amazing supporters.

“Thank you for helping us to make sure nobody faces dementia alone.”

BEAR Scotland’s South East Operating Company Representative, Andy Thompson, said: “After the success of last year’s Doors Open Day, BEAR Scotland was delighted to welcome the public back to the Forth Road Bridge.

“We increased the number of tours on offer this year, however they were still all snapped up within a couple of hours. It’s very rewarding for us to share our passion for maintaining this iconic structure and to see how interested members of the public are in the work we do.

“Our thanks go to all who attended and helped to raise money for such a deserving cause in Alzheimer Scotland.”