THE St Edmund’s Community Association in Salisbury has won a national award for its Milford Street Bridge Project.

The association was awarded most innovative group as well as overall group of the year by the Community Archives and Heritage Group.

Judges praised the “excellent participation” of the community and the “impressive outcomes”, saying: “The community put a previously un-sung area of Salisbury on the map and gave everyone a real sense of a shared past.

“The work in schools was inspirational; the children had fun and learned a lot about their local history.

“Parents got involved when their children arrived home to talk about life before the bridge. This project will clearly go on.”

The award was presented at the annual conference of the Community Archives and Heritage Group on July 15 and then presented to the members of the association in a special ceremony at Salisbury Arts Centre on July 21.

Clare Christopher, coordinator of the project, said: “We are absolutely delighted. It is a reflection of the commitment and passion of our project team and volunteers, and shows how the lives of ordinary people can interest and inspire others.”

In 2008, local artist Fred Fieber had the idea to paint a mural on the bridge which now has two murals remembering life before it was built.

In parallel, the association developed resource packs for local schools, designed a memory walk offering a self-guiding tour of the backstreets of Salisbury and put together a website.

The Community Archives and Heritage Group is a nationally-focused special interest group of the Archives and Records Association of the UK and Ireland.

For more details see milfordstreetbridgeproject.org.uk