The Friends of Bennerley Viaduct were formed in 2019 as a community charity to help save and make accessible the Bennerley Viaduct and its surrounding environment. The Bennerley Viaduct is a Grade II* listed former Railway Viaduct sandwiched between the Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire near the towns of Kimberley and Ilkeston. Our goal is to preserve the Viaduct and its immediate surrounding area for future generations. We are looking to secure funding to create a new crossing over the River Erewash and to pay for materials that will help to secure the river bank that the bridge will cross.
Why are we crowdfunding?
As part of increasing access to our viaduct and its surrounding environment, we want to build a new footbridge over the River Erewash. We also want to secure the riverbank to prevent its erosion. As always to make areas accessible with a solution that will last can come at a great cost. We are very grateful for the support we have already received from funders but we need to raise the rest of the total amount needed to bring this bridge into reality So we thank you for any support you can give.
How we’ll spend the money raised
We are planning to use local volunteers and students from the University of Kent to help build our bridge led by one of our Trustees, Mr. Ron Yee, who is a leading bridge designer. All the monies raised will go towards to providing the materials for the bridge and river erosion works, which will involve supportive sustainable material used to protect the bank from erosion.
Community impact
Although we have our viaduct, the new bridge provides an important access route for our communities to access our structure and its surrounding environment, so people can enjoy this hidden gem from top to bottom and will help safeguard access for many years to come providing a legacy for future generations.
There are four simple ways to help us reach our target and make this project a reality.
1. Make a pledge. Don’t delay if you’re going to support us because momentum is key to our success!
2. Spread the word. Share our project on your social media pages and tell the world to get behind us! The more people we reach, the more support we will get.
3. Offer rewards. Get involved if you are a local business by donating things we can use to build our bridge and improve our river bank. We will acknowledge you fully.
4. Fundraise for us. If you want to run your own fundraiser to support our project –use the 'contact project' button at the top of our page to let us know. Setting up your own page only takes a few minutes, and you won’t need any bank details. Just an idea!
Image Credit: Copyright HA-EY Ltd and Tandem Studios Ltd