Gurkha soldiers refurbish bridge they built

Bearsted Woodland Trust (BWT) welcomes back Gurkha soldiers this autumn to refurbish a bridge their colleagues built 16 years ago.

A new generation of soldiers, from the 36 Engineer Regiment and the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers, based at Maidstone’s Invicta Barracks, is working in October on BWT’s ‘Gurkha Bridge’ over the Lilk stream.

The bridge was originally built by members of the 70 Gurkha Field Support Squadron to replace a rickety footbridge following an appeal to raise funds for materials.

The bridge refurbishment is just part of a regular round of maintenance, most of which is carried out by volunteers at the award-winning green space in the heart of Bearsted comprising 26 acres of woodland and meadow.