AN 88-year-old Helensburgh woman has enjoyed the trip of a lifetime after being hoisted to the top of the iconic Forth Bridge.

Maureen Morison and her son Andrew set off to North Queensferry on the Firth of Forth to ascend the north tower of the 19th-century railway bridge.

The special trip, on Sunday, September 22, was made possible by Barnado’s Scotland, Balfour Beatty and an enthusiastic bunch of volunteers who are dedicated to preserving the history of the magnificent engineering masterpiece.

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Andrew said: “The visit was particularly poignant as my mother’s great-grandmother was the sister of Sir William Arrol, the man whose company constructed the bridge.

“We were treated to a very interesting talk by Frank Hay about the construction of the bridge and following a safety briefing we and 12 other visitors packed into an external hoist to be taken to the top.

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“Unfortunately, the weather had deteriorated, but we were still able to enjoy the views from the top and were fortunate to see HMS Prince of Wales, the aircraft carrier, return to Rosyth following sea trials.

“Our hosts very generously presented my mother with a book about the construction of the bridge and went out of their way to make the visit a tremendous success.”