Firhall Bridge - Update from Murd

Why I will not surrender and give up on the rights of people less fortunate then me

1) I believe every one has the same rights to enjoy what a circular walk has to offer in the way of wildlife and the wonders of nature.

2) Close by to this walk is a care home for a large number of the less fortunate. The more fortunate among the population can get up the steps, myself included at the moment, but who knows what the future holds for us all.
I have asked the carers would they like to be able to cross the bridge. They answer yes, for them it would be an alternative to taking the residents into town, something which is not always a pleasant experience for some wheelchair bound citizens for various reasons.

3) Mothers and grandparents who can't get prams/pushchairs up the steps and if they do as I have done when younger, have to descend in a backward motion so I am now denied the pleasure of taking my youngest grandchild on that walk. We also have a large group of other people who can not negotiate the steps owing to them being steep and narrow.

4) Remember this is a holiday town where people do come to enjoy the peace and tranquility and recuperate from all kinds of illness. And not looking for Brownie points here but the walk up from the jubilee bridge to Firhall is kept tidy of litter and dog dirt by myself and others who do take a pride in the walk. The pleasure of being able to walk, talk, push a pram without having to look where you put your feet is a pleasure, Over 400 people use this path per week at the moment.

5) As a young man I took an oath to defend my country and all in it. To day you have young servicemen and women doing the same and suffering some horrible injuries but if they were to cone to Nairn would be denied the walk around the river.

6) I appeal to all those of you who can, try the walk and judge for yourselves the need for a ramp, and remember there are people who need your help as well as mine to achieve this. Please add your voice to this, it's is a long hard road on your own, so now you know why I have quoted a wartime saying.

7) I would urge our four Highland Councilors to press for the Education Committee (yes strangely the Firhall Bridge is their responsibility) to fulfill their recent promise to install a ramp at the bridge as soon as possible and obtain a definite start date during this current term of office of the council which ends in May. Perhaps just a little cash could be put to the Education Committee from the discretionary fund. Maybe too the bridge could be included in the next list of projects to be completed by offenders under the Scottish Government scheme. I note today that the Inverness Courier informs its readers that Clach Football Club are to get a Scottish Government grant of £54,000 for a new concrete pathway and a raised area for disabled people. Well done Clach, now how about the authorities seeing to it that the Firhall Bridge gets sorted in the next list of such projects.

Firhall Bridge campaigners will not surrender.

M.R. DUNBAR

Firhall Bridge – joint support from Community Councils for better access

Murd gave the latest news about his campaign for improved access on the Firhall Bridge to the combined Community Council meeting at the Academy on Tuesday, including the latest information from Highland Council deeming that alternatives to crossing the Firhall Bridge exist. Murd received support at the meeting. John Mackie said:

“I think this is something we the three Community Councils should take on board. There are ways of helping to get this access sorted out and as a community I think we should be doing more about it. I’ve been down and seen the bridge and it’s a disgrace. Everybody is burying their heads because it’s going to cost money. There is money out there if we put our heads together and work at it. I think we could get funding to get this done.”
Murd then explained that he had an estimate of £31,000 from the chief engineer and not the 250K or 70K that had been quoted before from other sources. John Mackie then continued:

“I think you’ve done a fantastic job Murd and we’ve been sitting there encouraging you without actually doing anything and I think we need to take it on board.”

Firhall Bridge accessible options

Murd Dunbar continues his campaign for improved access to the Firhall Bridge. In a recent communication with the Highland Council Murd has been told:

"There are alternative accessible options to using the Firhall footbridge."

A slightly perplexed Murd has written to the Highland Council to ask them what the accessible options to using the Firhall Bridge actually are. This observer would agree with Murd when he suggests there are none.

River CC & Liz to take up Murd's rusty benches complaint

Gurn riverside reporter Murd warned the Highland Council about the serious rust problem on the new riverside seats sack in February last year, suggesting to the TECS department that holes be drilled into the seats to let the water out. Later that month we took more pictures of serious cracks that had appeared in the benchs.

One year on and the seats continue to decay. Murd showed River CC members and Liz pictures of the seats from this year last night at the Community Centre and the community watchdogs agreed to investigate the matter.

Contribution night 2 - Murd gurns about the rusty seats

Murd thinks the Council could have done more to prevent serious rusting to seats that were installed around the riverside as replacements - it might not be too long before the replacements need replacing according to Murd and he thinks more could have been done to avert this situation. Murd told the Gurn

"We have all heard the expression for the sake of a nail the shoe was lost for the sake of a shoe the horse was lost. Well does this not not apply here? But instead of nail a hole would of done the job and let out any water that was trapped. Now after two winters the legs on most of the new seats are split open and rusting, the life of the seats wont be long at this rate. We are constantly told money must be saved and to put forward any suggestions to save unnecessary expense what is the point if it falls on deaf ears!!!"

This observer feels Murd is correct, a couple of holes drilled to let the water out might have avoided the major cracks that have now appeared in a lot of these seats. The experts know best - especially when it's with our money?

Murd’s question at the Ward Forum

Murd made a very good point about saving money at the cuts meeting. It was a question that caught the mood of the meeting. The Chief Executive Mr Dodds said he thought it was a very good question too.

Murd told the meeting:

“I reported a tree at the river, it was in a dangerous condition. I had to be consulted to go and show them where the tree was. There were two reps from Highland Council that went there. I asked them the question, ‘Why are there to of you here?’

‘Different departments.’ One was forestry the was the tec services. Why was there two men that had to go and see this.’

Murd on Google street view

'Not in the slightest bit concerned by privacy issues,' Murd told the Gurn.

Making the Firhall Bridge more accessible

Murd Dunbar demonstrates the existing room for manoeuvre on the Firhall Bridge to illustrate how, if the disused pipes were removed and ramps built on either side, it would be possible to go over the bridge in a wheelchair. Mums with bairns in pushchairs can be regularly seen struggling to get up the existing bridge steps. Murd recently won the support of the River Community Council and the Gurn understands he recently presented his case to the West at their meeting this week. No doubt a report of that meeting will appear in the Nairnshire. The Gurn further understands that Councillor Graham Marsden is making further efforts to support this initiative. An idea that has now been costed at between £15,000 and £20,000. Graham Marsden succinctly makes the point that having spent money recently to make the paths more accessible it doesn't make sense not to upgrade the bridge. The money would not come from Highland Council funds but from other sources of funding.

Well done Murd! Well done Graham! Keep campaigning.

Murd's sign's up

Back to the top for the Monday morning edition and well worth top spot!

Murd has run out of patience waiting for the local authority to put up a name plate for John Street so he's spent a fiver and done it for himself! Nice one Murd.

A word from Murd about the Ballerina

Hi folks, have spoken to my brother who is in his eighties and lived in Nairn until the outbreak of the war. His knowledge and memory of the area are still very good but has no recollection of the Figure head above the what was the Public Hall but thinks it looks like SHAKESPEARE ?

The public hall was owned by the McRae's when I was a boy and was a dance hall. Some of the band members were Sandy Williamson [SAX] Drogue McRae also [SAX] Jimmy Bochel [drums] Also playing were Vicky Ellen Gus Miller and if I recall right the band name was the MONOTONES