THE simple wooden bridge which crosses the River Adur has become the centrepiece of grief felt across the county in the wake of the Shoreham Airshow disaster.

Now, a week on, there are calls for a permanent memorial to be placed on the site to mark the tragedy.

With suggestions of a memorial plaque, along with renaming the Shoreham Tollbridge, the longstanding structure may become an equally longstanding place for people to honour those who died on that fateful day.

Ideas for the bridge include renaming it The Bridge of Flowers, having coloured glass panels installed to mimic this week’s rainbow of bouquets, engraving the names of the victims and tributes to them in the wood, and having a memorial plaque placed on the site.

Shirley Whelam, from The Amsterdam pub, said the tollbridge has become a “focal point” for people to come to and even one week on people are still arriving to lay flowers.

She said: “We had a lady come in who can barely walk who travelled over from past Eastbourne just to lay flowers – there are still loads of people coming.

“A plaque on that particular bridge would be so fantastic; it seems everyone is going there.

“My daughter and I put flowers there on Monday.

“Something I spotted which is quite eerie is you can see the flyover from the bridge and you can see all the fire vehicles and response teams still there – so maybe that is why it has become the focal point, it is the closest people can get.”

She added: “Once one person lays flowers, everyone follows. It is a beautiful idea, but what can you say in a disaster like this?”

Already the simple wooden bridge is covered in flowers as mourners flocked to the site to lay their tributes and the images of the bank of flowers has become synonymous with the terrible plane crash.

Anne Hodgson, trustee at the Ropetackle Arts Centre, said: “I think the names of people on the bridge combined with some kind of art presentation is something which perhaps could be considered rather than just a plaque.

“It is very silent there now with no airplanes and you have the constant sound of sirens.

“I think it has had a massive effect on Shoreham, people are very shocked by and they are all very concerned about the families and are hugely grateful to the emergency services.”.

Thousands of flowers have now been laid on the bridge and attached to the railings as a steady stream of people arrive to pay tribute.

Peter Wood, chairman of Shoreham River Fest, said: “Renaming the Tollbridge would be a nice idea – maybe a memorial plaque there as well. It would be nice to have something for families where they can lay flowers at the appropriate time.”

However, Reverend Ann Waizeneker, the vicar in charge of St Mary’s and St Nicolas’ Church, said while she hoped the community would have input into the memorial she said it was “too soon” to be thinking about it.

She said: “We probably need a bit of time to let us come to terms with what has happened and there is a danger of rushing into things.”

Chairman of Adur District Council, Carson Albury, echoed this saying the focus should currently be on the ongoing efforts at the crash scene and supporting the victims families – adding he hopes the “community will be involved” when the time comes to make a decision.

A spokesman for Adur and Worthing Councils said: “Many ideas are starting to come forward for a fitting permanent memorial to the tragic events of last weekend.

“At the moment, it is too early to make any decisions. When the time is right, the families of those who lost their lives will be asked if they would like to be involved, as well as the wider community of those directly affected, to create a fitting memorial to stand the tests of time.”

FOCAL POINT FOR MEMORIAL

A SINGLE bouquet blossomed into a field of colour as a simple wooden bridge became the centrepiece for an outpouring of grief. 

As the county came to terms with the devastation of last weekend’s nightmarish disaster, Shoreham Tollbridge became a beacon for Sussex’s heartache.

If you turn around, just hundreds of yards away is the view of the now desolate A27. A week ago today the tragedy unfolded and those who could do nothing but watch were drawn to this old bridge. 

It offered a little piece of calm to those dealing with what had happened – a place to reflect and lament. 

With a heavy heart, the flowers bloomed and the short walk across the Adur became a pilgrimage of remembrance. One bouquet with a simple message of tribute became ten, ten became a 100 – and now thousands of flowers stand in memory of those 11 people believed to have lost their lives.

This bank of colour along the more than 200-year-old bridge now stands buffeting in the summer breeze. While the flowers may wilt and the tragedy becomes an awful memory, the walk across this weathered bridge has become the county’s everlasting eulogy to those who will never be forgotten.