Brig’s Editor-in-Chief has created a petition 33 years on from original student vote to name the bridge.
Editor-in-Chief of Brig Newspaper, Iona Young, has introduced a petition to name the bridge across Airthrey Loch on the University of Stirling campus.
Young decided to put plans in motion for this petition upon seeing a number of posts on Twitter which commented on the bridge’s lack of a name.
As part of the Journalism Studies course at Stirling, students were challenged to tweet a picture of the bridge which connects accommodation buildings to the main campus, alongside the bridge’s backstory and the hashtag “#stir2020“.
Numerous tweets noted that, in 1987 (one year after the naming of Nelson Mandela Place in Glasgow), students voted to name the bridge after political leader and philanthropist, Nelson Mandela.
However, this never came to fruition, and the bridge, which can be seen below when it was under construction in 1970, currently has no name.
Giving the bridge a name will commemorate the life of a great and revolutionary man and will additionally prevent confusion with the Link Bridge on campus and the nearby town, Bridge of Allan.
The Brig committee have expressed their shock over how little this has been tweeted about previously – the only posts on the topic are from this week.
“It’s something I’d love to do in my final year,” Young has stated.
She wishes to finally make the change a reality and is asking students for their signatures and support.
The creators of the Twitter challenge – the official Twitter page for the Stirling Journalism Studies course – have strongly encouraged signatures, telling students they have the power to make this happen.
The Twitter Challenge has certainly been a success in demonstrating how much influence a hashtag online can have, showing its ability to raise awareness of issues and promote change.
You can sign the petition here via UK Change.
Featured image credit: Imogen Robinson
English Studies at Stirling '23 / Pet Sitter / Yoga Teacher / Writer 💗
You must log in to post a comment.