I've rejigged this page so that the latest news is at the top!
12/12/09 The downstream ends of the arches are now finished, but the spaces between have still to be done. While Robin was doing the last bit of brick laying to key into the remains of arch 6, Stuart was busy knocking out the old botched repair: consisting of an old rotting telegraph pole, cut into four lengths, nailed together with a strip of wood and covered with a piece of corregated iron, some concrete, soil and then held together with plant roots. This week we have received a cheque for £100 from the Kelvedon and District Rotary Club in recognition of the talk Chris Papworth gave earlier in the year. This was a welcome input to the reducing finances.
18/11/09 We have today received a cheque from the East of England Co-operative Society's Community Dividend Fund for the princely sum of £1000! Society President Gillian Bober, accompanied by her husband, Director Graham Bober, presented me with the cheque. Jackie Bowis, Membership Manager for the East of England Co-operative Society said: “As a Co-operative Society that is owned by its local Members, we believe in giving back to the communities where we trade. The Community Dividend Fund is supported by Members who kindly divert their Dividend to the Society’s ‘660’ fund, which benefits hundreds of local charities, groups and organisations every year.” Then within a couple of hours, another cheque for the same amount come in from Foster Contracting! I am on cloud 9! We had a good omen at the bridge, because the first thing Chris did when we got there was to pick up a £1 coin! - No claims, please - it has gone straight into funds! The builders came in today and placed the formers into position for the downstream arches to be completed and removed the former from arch 7, which has now well and truly 'gone off'. Work will recommence next Monday. We have enough money now for about two and a half weeks work. Regards, Lesley
25/09/09 Lots of work has been done over the past few weeks. We have had a digger in to clear the surrounds of the bridge, enabling the next phase of work to commence. The builders are back and keen to get on with the restoration. Many thanks to those of you who have supported us with loans of pumps, sponsorship for bricks and bat bricks and a special thanks to Blackwater Aggregates for donations of materials. If you haven't already done so, please join the society and sponsor some bricks - and don't forget to look at the latest photos, some of which are courtesy of Essex Council Council Publicity Department. If you would like proper copies of the photos we have taken, or want to see more, then please contact me. Regards, Lesley
Feb 09 My, what a lot of rain we've had this month. When I took some photos of around Kelvedon during the height of the flood, the packhorse bridge was just managing to stay visible above the water line. Everyone was waiting with bated breath for the floods to recede and the formers, which had been used to make the first two arches, to be removed so that any damage could be assessed. When the waters receded all was well. The bridge had once again proved that it was worth saving. Regards, Lesley
25/11/08 All the bat bricks have now been sponsored - thank you! But still numerous other bricks are still required. Regards, Lesley
We have been partially successful with our Essex County Council Communities Initiative Fund Application! We’ve got £17K worth of funding! - that is more than half the amount we requested. They feel that it is such a worthy cause, that this money will give us seeding for further grants from elsewhere. The next step is to get a Heritage Lottery Fund Preliminary Application in – so if you haven’t yet sent a letter or email of support, please do so NOW! Anybody want to pay a Packhorse Bridge Society subscription? – it’s only £2.50 for annual adult membership, under 16s free if adult in same household also joins. See the membership form on this website.Have any of you been down to the bridge to see the work progressing – I’d like to hear from you if you have. Don’t worry about the colour of the bricks used on the repaired arch – they will be faced off with red bricks and soil and grass put over the top eventually. We will be purchasing some ‘bat bricks’ – specially made in Norfolk with six little cavities in each – if you’d like to sponsor one of those, they are about £12 each, including delivery. We need at least 12 - take a look at their web site - http://www.norfolk-bat-group.org.uk/norf.html That’s enough excitement for now – more later – regards, Lesley.
Thanks to a £4K grant from Essex Heritage Trust, work on the restoration of the first two arches commenced in October 2008. The first job was to stabilise the bridge and prevent further water damage. With the EHT grant in place, more grant funding was applied for and an Essex County Council Communities Initiative Fund Application was sent off and everybody crossed their fingers. Regards, Lesley
