The coordinators of two visionary initiatives to prevent suicides at Van Stadens Bridge near Port Elizabeth have invited members of the public to attend a celebration ceremony at the foot of the Cross of Hope on a promontary opposite the bridge.
“Over the last year many, many people have been involved in the building of the Cross of Hope at van Stadens. At the same time, the Friends of Van Stadens Bridge have succeeded in constructing a giant safety barrier along Van Stadens Bridge to prevent further suicides,” says Cross of Hope project coordinator Robbie Hift in a letter inviting “everyone who has been involved in these twin projects and all interested people” to a celebration day starting at 10.30am on December 5. Directions to the celebration venue at the foot of the Cross of Hope will be published on both www.gatewaynews.co.za and www.ecmirror.co.za a week before the event.
Commenting on the latest development in his project, Hift said: “Recently, three giant steel frames have been constructed at a workshop in Jeffreys Bay. When these frames return from galvanising, we will bolt on the giant Perspex letters that read: JESUS LOVES YOU. These frames will then be transported to the mountain and sunk into their foundations at the foot of the Cross of Hope.
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“As you can imagine, it costs a lot of money to build giant steel frames and we do need some financial help in covering the running costs of this amazing project. If you are willing to help with this in any way, please send us an email to info@ecmirror.co.za.”
Meanwhile Friends of Van Stadens Bridge (FOVSB), which lobbied successfully for the construction of an anti-suicide pedestrian barrier on the bridge, have appealed to the public to contribute to the cost of repairs to life-saving closed circuit TV (CCTV) monitoring equipment on the bridge, following recent lightning damage. Contributions of any amount towards the R40 000 repair costs will be greatly appreciated, says Cliff Rose, chairman of FOVSB. He says he has ordered the materials in faith because of the need to complete the repairs before the imminent completion of the pedestrian barrier.
Contributions can be desposited into LifeLine’s bank account at:
Account name:LifeLine Port Elizabeth
Bank:First National Bank, Rink Street
Account number: 534 6119 5019
Type of account: Cheque
Branch code: 210317
Reference: “FOVSBT” or “Van Stadens Bridge CCTV repairs”
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