A BID to raise the £65,000 needed to reinstate a footbridge in the East Lyn Valley near Lynmouth will come to fruition this spring.

The success of the appeal, led by Lyn Community Development Trust in partnership with the Exmoor National Park Authority’s CareMoor scheme, means that construction of the new bridge using Exmoor-grown oak can now get underway.

The two-year campaign has raised enough money for both the construction and installation of the bridge, and additional works to the footpath make it as accessible as possible.

There has been a crossing over the lower reaches of the East Lyn River for more than a century, originally providing access to Woodside House, which was destroyed in the 1952 flood.

Head Ranger Dan Barnett, who will oversee installation of the new bridge, said: “We are using sustainably harvested oak from the National Park Authority’s own woodlands for its timber components, and it has been carefully designed to complement the local woodland setting.

“Getting it on site will be a challenge.”

The appeal for funding attracted celebrity backing from Julia Bradbury, and later Caroline Quentin. Local groups also got behind the cause, including Lynton CofE Primary School children who created a string of painted walking boots, and the National Trust on whose land the bridge resides.

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