THERE are many a town or city across the world that is recognisable by their most prominent landmark – and Newport is no exception thanks to our distinctive Transporter Bridge.

One of only five remaining operational transporter bridges worldwide and of those, the most complete original structure, we even stand out in the transporter bridge crowd.

In true recognition of its importance, plans to revamp and enhance Newport Transporter Bridge are pressing forward – but we very much need the support of our community.

Newport City Council was successful in its bid to secure £1 million of Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF) earlier this year to help carry out essential repairs to the bridge and Victorian gondola.

The project also includes building a new visitor centre and improvements to the visitor facilities.

Now we’ve cleared the first hurdle, the council needs to show HLF it has sufficient support to proceed to the second round stage and win a further £9 million to complete the work.

Supported by the Friends of Newport Transporter Bridge, we are committed to raising more than £100,000 as well as applying for other grants to support the appeal.

There are a number of events planned to raise awareness of the cause and encourage local people to make a contribution.

We would love to hear your ideas – special events, night time openings, fundraising in schools and the involvement of local businesses – nothing’s off the cards.

There is also a Just Giving page where you can make a donation – our city has more than 145,000 residents so if everyone gave just £1, we would easily smash our target.

This is a piece of our history – it would be amazing if everyone felt it was their Transporter Bridge and had a stake in its future.

The bridge is open to the public from March to October and last year attracted more than 20,000 visitors from around the world.

Significant maintenance and repairs to the bridge have taken place over the years, the last being replacement traveller rails and comprehensive repainting carried out in 2010. But this will most certainly be an ongoing project and very much a labour of love.

We know the Transporter Bridge is treasured by many people not only in Newport but across the world, but we need your help to ensure it stands proud on the River Usk for generations to come.

You can find out more about the bridge and this cause at newport.gov.uk/transporterbridge