MORE than 400 visitors attended an open day at the Forth Road Bridge in support of Alzheimer Scotland.

The event, held on Saturday, September 23, raised around £2,400 for the dementia charity and involved guided tours hosted by experienced staff members.

These departed every 15 minutes throughout the day and stopped at points of interest along the bridge deck as well as visiting one of the main cable anchorages which is normally hidden from public view.

The open day was organsied by Transport Scotland’s operating company BEAR Scotland for the second year in a row.

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In total, £2,459 was raised for BEAR Scotland’s national charity partner of the year, Alzheimer Scotland.

Judith Hughes, from Alzheimer Scotland, said: "Thank you to everyone at BEAR for choosing Alzheimer Scotland to be their national charity of the year, to all the team who put so much effort into a fantastic Doors Open Day with an incredible backdrop and to all the extremely generous donors.

"We depend on fundraised money to support people living with dementia and their carers; from our centres in towns across Scotland to our 24-hour, freephone helpline; from our campaigns to improve health and social care for dementia to our research into prevention and a finding a cure.

"None of this would be possible without the money raised by our amazing supporters.

"Thank you for helping us to make sure nobody faces dementia alone."

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The Forth Bridges Contact and Education Centre was open to the public, featuring competitions, special exhibits and educational activities for children, as well as sales of Forth Bridges branded merchandise.

The prize of a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the top of one of the Queensferry Crossing's main towers was won by Anna Cauldwell, from Edinburgh.

Visitors also had the chance to climb inside one of BEAR Scotland’s 32-tonne gritters and see the advanced technology that controls the release of salt and grit onto the road.

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BEAR Scotland’s Andy Thompson said: “After the success of last year’s Doors Open Day, BEAR Scotland was delighted to welcome the public back to the Forth Road Bridge.

"We increased the number of tours on offer this year, however they were still all snapped up within a couple of hours.

"It’s very rewarding for us to share our passion for maintaining this iconic structure and to see how interested members of the public are in the work we do.

"Our thanks go to all who attended and helped to raise money for such a deserving cause in Alzheimer Scotland."