During the lockdown HDC Ranger Paul Claydon has been keeping up maintenance on the Island. The volunteers were not allowed to work between March and July, but they are now back in action. In July, as part of the installation of non-slip panels on boards that have lost their tar chippings, it was found that the main beams supporting the wooden bridge just inside the Island had rotted.

Bridge before works	Hand rail removed	New beams

It was decide that the bridge should be replaced and new beams were duly ordered. On Thursday 30 July they arrived and were floated across to the Island from the slipway. Last Sunday the volunteers made a start on the reconstruction by taking down the old bridge and getting the new beams across from one side to the other.

New beams	Unfixed boards	Walkway yet to be completed

Parts of the walkway either end of the bridge also needed some replacement which is being done at the same time. Work has continued during the week and the three main beams are now in place. The boarding, non-slips and the handrails remain to be installed. More updates will follow.

Photos by Roy Allen and Julian Limentani