The 'Friends Crossing' and 20th Anniversary celebration

We were determined it was never going to be ‘a bridge too far’ for us. And now, in the year we celebrate the 20th anniversary of our group's formation, the Friends of Foots Cray Meadows (FFCM) are delighted to announce the success of a project resulting in what we are calling the 'Friends Crossing' bridge over a valued inlet on the River Cray.

This was an ambitious plan to replace the once-cherished wooden bridge near the popular wetlands on the meadows. The original wooden bridge, known as Marsh Bridge, was believed to have been installed in the late 1990s but had fallen into disrepair and was eventually demolished for safety reasons.

The old Marsh Bridge fell into disrepair

The replacement, which was installed earlier this spring, is a durable metal structure some eight metres in length. It crosses the stretch of water off the main River Cray between the unique Penny Farthing Bridge and the historic Five Arches Bridge.

The picturesque inlet is located on the west bank of the River Cray about 50 metres south of the upstream ford, as you approach the woodland on that side of the river walking to the south. The precise what3words location is ///bound.forks.trace.

The inlet is a shelter for fish fry and other river creatures from predators and when the river is in spate.

View from the bridge along the inlet towards the River Cray

The FFCM explored a series of options and suggestions, pulling together all the research under the careful guidance of our conservation manager Sid Wilkinson and treasurer Ray Hudson.

The challenge for the FFCM and its partners was: to rebuild the foot bridge to allow walkers to pass over the wetland; to incorporate a viewing platform for educational visits; and to ensure habitat enhancement for the inlet as an integral part of a vibrant chalk stream within the meadows as a local nature reserve.

Michael Heath, the FFCM co-chair, explains, “The idea was to enhance the visitor experience as a community outdoor well-being destination.”

We received invaluable contributions for this scheme from Bexley Council and we were able to fund such a venture due to the generous continued support from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Sidcup as well as our ever-growing membership.

After the structure was installed, volunteers with our partner Thames21 river action group cleared overgrown vegetation in the water and on the banks, opening up the inlet again. Wooden fencing was also added on each side of the metal bridge.

Added to the location is one of our popular QR code posts, the tenth throughout the meadows, to highlight information about our Friends Crossing. Our successful QR code posts project was rolled out in September 2023, enabling visitors to scan the codes with their mobile phones to learn more about various locations around the meadows. The results produced by our tech monitoring team reveal that we receive a substantial number of regular ‘hits’ on these posts.

A local artist's impression of the Friends Crossing (top) and the real thing

Information about the new bridge will form part of the presentation display at our 'Best of Friends' 20th Anniversary Celebration Day on the meadows on Saturday, 27 June 2026. We extend an invitation to our members and visitors to Foots Cray Meadows to join us on this occasion to mark 20 years since we were founded as a volunteer group focused on protecting and preserving everything about this intriguing 240 acres of woodlands, wetlands and grasslands.

More details about the 'Best of Friends' day can be found on the Events page.

Friends Crossing might not be as spectacular as the Five Arches Bridge or as unique as Penny Farthing Bridge but we are sure it will become a popular site for all regular users of the meadows.