ON Saturday 27th October, members of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia) (RMRE) and firefighters from Monmouth Fire Station joined forces to clean one of Monmouth’s smaller bridges.

The MOD-owned footbridge provides a vital link across the River Monnow linking Vauxhall Fields to the town. It is a popular bridge, used by the public as well as members of the Regiment walking between Castle House and Vauxhall Camp.

The Monmouth firefighters under command of Watch Manager Darren Cleaves, pumped water from the River Monnow and used a high-pressured hose to blast off the grime. Simultaneously, soldiers from the Regiment brushed and wiped the bridges metal work to reveal a cleaner structure and scrubbed the floor surface to provide a safer surface to walk on. The final rinse was completed by the Watch Manager himself.

The original Tibbs bridge, which crosses from below Monmouth Castle onto Vauxhall fields was built by the owner of The Beaufort Arms who had laid out pleasure gardens on Vauxhall, once visited by John Wesley in 1784, and wrote of "a gently rising ground on the top of which the gentry of the town frequently spend the evening in dancing. From hence spread various walks, bordered with flowers, one of which leads down to the river”.

The modern bridge we see today was built by Nusteel Structures and opened in August 1990 by the mayor at that time, Councillor Richard Bond.

The soldiers that took part were drafted in from the Field Squadrons as far as Jersey, Swansea, Cwmbran and Oldbury as well as the surrounding area. They were training at the Castle and Vauxhall Camp as part of a Personal Development Weekend. The 120 soldiers completed a number of engineering tasks including the construction of new pathways, demolition work and using heavy plant.

Organiser Warrant Officer Andy Jones said “the task was discussed with Darren back in the summer, and this weekend provided the perfect opportunity to complete it. Darren and his crew have provided much needed support and I am extremely grateful for their efforts, especially as the result benefits everyone”.

To find out more information on the organisations including joining up, go to rmonrem.com or www.southwales-fire.gov.uk