Barnardo’s Bridge adventure adds ‘Ultimate Experience’ for lucky few

‘Your View on the Forth Bridge is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event for those lucky enough to secure a ticket’

It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that has brought joy to thousands and raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for Scotland’s leading children’s charity. And now, after a six-year hiatus, the famous Barnardo’s Scotland ‘Your View’ event atop the iconic Forth Bridge is bringing back its much-coveted ‘Ultimate Experience’.

Your View – now in its seventh year – affords members of the public one of the most sought after and unique experiences in Scotland; namely the chance to ascend 361 feet up the historic bridge and enjoy an uninterrupted 360-degree panoramic view of the Edinburgh and Fife coastline.

This memorable experience has brought joy to thousands and raised vital funds for the work of Barnardo’s Scotland.

In addition to the popular Your View event over three days in September, the reprised Ultimate Experience, which is limited to a lucky few ticket holders, provides an extended tour which affords visitors the chance to stand at track level of the legendary bridge for some amazing photo opportunities.

And that’s not all: Thereafter, visitors will descend another level for a bridge walk under the railway track on the pathway out on to the Forth.

This remarkable experience culminates with refreshments and a certificate during a further historic talk and exhibition of historical artifacts in the 1930s-listed Bothy which most people will have never even spotted even if they have crossed the bridge many times. This 2½-hour ultimate experience will be offered twice a day across the weekend.

Your View 2025, which is run in conjunction with Network Rail and Balfour Beatty, will take place from Friday, 19th to Sunday, 21st September, with tickets going on sale at 10am tomorrow (Monday 16th June).

To date, more than 6,000 visitors have experienced the event and there have been around a dozen marriage proposals on the vertiginous viewing platform.

Best of all, though, the event has raised more than £375,000 to fund the work of Barnardo’s Scotland. To find out more, or to book tickets for the event, please visit: www.barnardos.org.uk/events/your-view-forth-bridge.

This year’s Your View event also coincides with a celebration of 200th anniversary of the railway and the 10th anniversary of the Forth Bridge gaining World Heritage status.

Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “Your View is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event for those lucky enough to secure a ticket. Not only is it a never-to-be-forgotten experience for those atop the iconic bridge, it is also a crucial fundraiser for Barnardo’s Scotland as we continue to support children, young people and their families throughout the country, notably in our fostering service.

“Right now, Scotland is facing a foster care crisis at an unprecedented rate, with too many children still entering the care system and an insufficient number of loving homes to accommodate them. The impact of the crisis is felt most by children in the care system. Without enough potential foster homes, children are already at risk of being placed in unsuitable situations as a last resort.

“As I am often reminded, tickets for Your View sell out very quickly indeed, so I would urge all of those keen to attend to sign up as quickly as possible. The return of the ‘Ultimate Experience’ this year is particularly exciting as it really does give one a rare behind-the-scenes tour of the bridge that only a precious view people will ever get to witness.

“Your View would not be possible without the generosity of Network Rail and Balfour Beatty, and I wish to thank both organisations and our wonderful volunteers for making this special weekend happen.”

Alan Ross, Network Rail Scotland’s Director of Engineering and Asset Management, added: “Few landmarks are as instantly recognisable and deeply cherished as the Forth Bridge, and as proud custodians, we couldn’t be happier to open it up for such a unique and special event.

“It’s a rare privilege to experience the bridge up close, and even more meaningful knowing that every step to the top supports the incredible work Barnardo’s Scotland does for children and families. We’re delighted again to support this fantastic event and look forward to welcoming visitors up on to one of Scotland’s most iconic structures.”

Colin Hardie, Construction Superintendent for Balfour Beatty, said: “At Balfour Beatty, we are committed to giving back to the communities we serve.

“The Your View event is one example of how we do just that, raising valuable funds to support disadvantaged children and families in Scotland.

“It has been an honour to work alongside Barnardo’s Scotland once again, to offer members of the public this memorable experience on one of the most iconic, unique and admired structures in the world – the Forth Bridge.”

Also featuring over the weekend will be the famous ‘Briggers’. The Briggers are a Forth Bridge research and presentation group of volunteers based in South Queensferry.

Named after the bridge workers, the group was formed to identify the names of the 73 men and boys who died constructing the Forth Bridge, they provide details on the history of the bridge and the people involved in its construction.

For more information on this year’s Your View event, please visit: 

www.barnardos.org.uk/events/your-view-forth-bridge.

For more information on becoming a foster carer with Barnardo’s in Scotland, please visit www.barnardos.org.uk/foster, or call 08000 277 280. The charity’s friendly and supportive staff are available from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm.

At Barnardo’s, our purpose is clear: Changing childhoods and changing lives, so that children, young people, and families are safe, happy, healthy, and hopeful. Last year, we worked with thousands of children across Scotland through more than 150 services and partnerships.

Across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, we provided essential support to 373,200 children, young people, parents and carers through more than 800 services and partnerships across the UK. This included 150-plus services in Scotland.

For more than 150 years, we’ve been here for the children and young people who need us most – bringing love, care and hope into their lives and giving them a place where they feel they belong.

Over the course of the financial year 2023-24, more than 16,000 people volunteered for Barnardo’s across the UK – a total of 1.7 million hours of their time. To donate, volunteer or fundraise, please visit: www.barnardos.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money.

Love is in the air during Barnardo’s charity fundraising event

A wedding proposal, a 90th birthday and a Golden wedding anniversary were just some of the happy occasions being celebrated at the top of the Forth Bridge at weekend, during an exclusive charity fundraising experience. 

The sell-out ‘Your View’ event, which gave visitors the chance to stand atop the iconic Forth Bridge and enjoy uninterrupted views of the Edinburgh and Fife coastline, took place between Friday 23 and Sunday 25 September, raising funds for Barnardo’s Scotland. 

Around 750 visitors were welcomed to the experience throughout the weekend, with more than 40 volunteers from Network Rail, Balfour Beatty, The Briggers and Barnardo’s Scotland working to run the event behind the scenes. 

Members of the public had the history of the bridge brought to life by The Briggers heritage group, before ascending over 360ft to the top of the Forth Bridge platform on the north cantilever to take in the panoramic views. 

One couple who certainly enjoyed the view, were Meghan Crawford, 38, and her partner Paul Ward, 44, from West Lothian.

Meghan had treated Paul to tickets for the event on the Sunday evening, but Paul surprised her by proposing at the top! 

Meghan said: “We had our first date in south Queensferry, and I thought the Forth Bridge visit would be a nice trip to do together. When we got to the top, Paul handed his phone to a volunteer and asked them to take some photos of us admiring the view, and when I turned around, he was on one knee!

“There was a professional photographer who did some great photos for us and as we came back down and out of the lift, the volunteers all did a guard of honour and were clapping and cheering. It was absolutely lovely, and we can’t thank all the people from Barnardo’s, Network Rail, Balfour Beatty and the rest of the crew enough, as they made everything so special for us.” 

To continue the celebrations that evening, Paul had the champagne waiting on ice and had booked a special dinner and stay at a hotel in south Queensferry, where their room had, of course, a perfect view of the bridge.  

This is the fourth year that Network Rail, Balfour Beatty, The Briggers and Barnardo’s Scotland have joined forces to run the Your View event, and Meghan and Paul’s wedding proposal is the fourth to take place during this time. 

Final totals raised from the Your View event are still being calculated, but the weekend’s activities are believed to have raised in excess of £50k for Barnardo’s Scotland, with three previous events run since 2017 already raising more than £223,000 to support the charity’s work.     

Martin Crewe, Director for Barnardo’s Scotland said:We simply could not be more grateful to Network Rail, Balfour Beatty and The Briggers for all their support in making this event happen, and for the many volunteers from these organisations, Barnardo’s and others, working tirelessly behind the scenes all weekend to keep everything running. 

“They helped to create such a memorable experience for members of the public, including for Meghan and Paul, and we wish this couple every happiness for the future. 

“We would also like to say a huge thank you to everyone that purchased tickets to come and take part in this event – we have received some great feedback and hope that a fantastic time was had by all.

“The valuable funds raised will go towards Barnardo’s hardship fund, which will be providing direct support to struggling families across Scotland this winter to help with food and energy bills.” 

Stewart Lothian, Network Rail’s structures asset manager for Scotland, said: “As custodians of this iconic structure, we were delighted once again to work with Barnardo’s and Balfour Beatty to open up the Forth Bridge to the public and raise such a fantastic sum for the charity, supporting the charity’s drive to raise funds for vulnerable children, young people and families across the local communities.

“I’d like to thank all those colleagues from Network Rail and Balfour Beatty who volunteered their time to make the event happen.”    

Colin Hardie, Regional Construction Superintendent for Balfour Beatty’s Regional Scotland business, said: “We are delighted to have worked with Network Rail on this year’s volunteering event at Forth Bridge, which saw a staggering 750 people reach the peak of the impressive structure across the weekend, raising important funds for Barnardo’s.

“I’d like to send my thanks to Barnardo’s, Network Rail and all those involved for making the event such a success.” 

The Forth Rail Bridge took eight years to build and was finished in 1890. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2015. 

A video of a previous Your View event can be found at:

https://www.barnardos.org.uk/events/your-view-forth-bridge