DOZENS of ramblers gathered to celebrate the opening of a footbridge built in memory of two walkers.

Members of the Ramblers' Association in Ripon joined Roger and Elizabeth Parker, son and daughter of the late Kenneth and Betty Parker, who had been active in the association for more than 30 years.

They were invited by North Yorkshire's director of business and environmental services, Gordon Gresty, to open the footbridge, which spans a stream beside the River Ure in Little Studley, north of Ripon.

Kenneth Parker, a former chairman of Ripon Ramblers' Association, died suddenly during the evening of his golden wedding anniversary, nearly two years ago.

His widow, Betty, who was a former treasurer of the association, died 12 days later, just before her husband's funeral. She had been suffering from cancer.

Wanting to create a fitting memorial to their parents, Roger and Elizabeth contacted the county's rights of way team in February last year to help them identify a suitable project in the Ripon area.

They suggested Little Studley - and the couple offered to pay the costs from their parents' estate.

Mr Gresty said: "This is a very generous gesture. North Yorkshire has the largest network of footpaths in the UK and, obviously, there's not the funding available to maintain all up to the standard we would wish.

"However, thanks to Roger, Elizabeth and the hard work of our engineers at Balfour Beatty, ramblers can continue to share Kenneth and Betty's passion for nature in this idyllic corner of North Yorkshire."

Elizabeth Parker said: "Our parents loved the countryside and they would have been delighted to see this new footbridge.

"We hope that it will encourage more people to walk in the beautiful countryside around Ripon."