Bruntyards bridge repair a huge boost for £25 a day taxi woman
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THE reopening of the Bruntyards bridge has come as a delight for a north east woman who spent thousands of pounds on taxis to reach her beloved horse.
The crossing has been out of action after it was washed away by heavy rainfall in September 2019.
Jacqueline Fraser has lived down the road from the crossing for two years.
The 33-year-old has spina bifida and needs a wheelchair to get around.
She was up on her feet until last summer when she was diagnosed with Charcot in her knee.
Jacqueline spent up to £20 a day on taxis to get to her horse, Randall, who lives in a field on the other side of the bridge.
She said she had to book a taxi as she had no other way of reaching him.
But with rising fuel costs, Jacqueline saw her daily taxi fare rise to £25 and she reckons she has “spent thousands” on transport over the last two years.
Jacqueline tried to visit her therapy animal as much as she could – going up to five days a week.
She said: “It’s up to me to have a horse. It’s not just a hobby, it helps me to have one.
“Without the horses what have I got? There’s nothing without the horses.”
Thinking back on the last two years, Jacqueline reckons most of her money had been spent on taxis.
She said: “If I had bills come through I thought: ‘well I need to not go to the horse for a few days so I need to find somebody who can go out to check that he is ok’.
“I had no choice, it was either get rid of the horse or just do it and I had no other transport.”
Without the bridge Jacqueline had to take a four-mile diversion to reach Randall.
But, now the crossing is open again, he is just a mile away.
Jacqueline can travel on her own using her electric wheelchair.
Her journey currently takes 15 minutes but she is hoping to buy a mobility scooter that would reduce it further.
Before any of the King Edward bridges were repaired it would take up to 15 minutes to get to her horse by car.
Jacqueline is “very happy” to have the bridge open again and said it would benefit others in the area including other horse riders and dog walkers.
She added: “My mum’s got a horse as well so she’ll get out for walks here.
“If I ride my horse I can take him on a little hack up home and back again.”
The bridge opening again also means more independence for Jacqueline.
“Once I got my electric wheelchair and the bridge opened I could just go. It’s freedom.”
Jacqueline had reached out to councillor Mark Findlater in the hope that he could help.
After exchanging a few emails, Mr Findlater gave Jacqueline the news she had been waiting for. The bridge was finally open.
Councillor Findlater said: “I have been trying my best to get those bridges up and back in use. It’s amazing the number of people that live in King Edward, Dunlugas and Eden.
“They are all connected with little roads and these bridges which has been a real problem these last few years.
“Jacqueline is a great example of this having an impact on people’s daily lives.
“It’s cost her a lot of money in taxis to go from one side of the bridge to the other to get to her horse which she has for her mental health and exercise.
“But an awful lot of businesses have been affected, the farmers especially.”
Mr Findlater revealed that the remaining bridges should be fixed by early next year and said that engineers are “cracking on” with the job at hand.
Aberdeenshire Council announced its plan to rebuild the six King Edward bridges last August.
Bridges manager at Aberdeenshire Council, Donald MacPherson, said: “This has been a major undertaking since the flash floods of 2019 and has taken significant investment to achieve our goal of rebuilding the structures we lost at King Edward.
“I am delighted that North Litterty and Bruntyards have now re-opened and works are well underway at Mill of Balmaud. I would like to thank all residents and businesses impacted by the closures for their patience and understanding as we do everything we can to reconnect this rural community.”
Bridge of Fortrie was the first of the crossings to be repaired, followed by the reopening of the crossing at North Litterty, near Fintry.
Work is still ongoing at the Mill of Balmaud bridge and it is yet to begin at Millcroft and Gorrachie.
