CAMPAIGNERS fighting to get a condemned Northwich footbridge reopened have been given a glimmer of hope.

A meeting has been organised to take place between the Riversdale Campaign Group and the Weaver Valley Regional Park management board to see whether Riversdale Bridge can be restored.

The bridge, which leads from Hunt's Lock into The Crescent and Sir John Deane's College, was closed in November 2004 after a British Waterways inspection found serious safety problems with it.

But in January a group of former British Waterways' workers - all qualified craftsman - offered to build a replacement bridge free of charge.

Now the bridge could be restored under a partnership between British Waterways, Vale Royal Borough Council and Cheshire County Council as part of Weaver Valley Regional Park.

A meeting with the volunteer group will be held on July 14 and the partnership hopes to find funds to replace the bridge.

Noel O'Neill, from Vale Royal Borough Council, said: "The Weaver Way project gives us the opportunity to create fantastic links between the towns and villages of Cheshire and the River Weaver.

"Funding for this project will address Riversdale Bridge and reopen a river crossing that the people of Northwich seem to want."

Julie Sharman, from British Waterways, added: "Volunteers could play a central role if funding became available.

"It presents an ideal opportunity for volunteers to participate in a project that will benefit the wider community of Northwich."

But Ron Yarwood, from Riversdale Campaign Group, remains sceptical about the venture. He said: "We're not very optimistic that anything is going to come out of it in the short term and we are only prepared to go into this if we get a solution for the short term."