IT is estimated that between 500 and 600 people carrying placards, Ukrainian flags and banners demonstrated their support for the Solidarity Walk across the Tamar Road Bridge on Sunday (March 6), reports the town’s Sue Hooper.

Residents from Saltash and Plymouth joined together to meet in the centre of the bridge, representing ‘bordered’ Devon and Cornwall unifying to support the Ukrainian people’s outstanding bravery in attempting to fight back Russian President Putin’s tyrannous invasion of their sovereign country.

People of all ages, many wearing blue and yellow and carrying flowers, braved the cold weather to walk from both sides of the bridge to put up a united front, during which there were loud chants for peace and applause for the Ukrainian people. There was also a quiet time with prayers led by Saltash Baptist Minister Tim Parkman, followed by a two minutes’ silence.

Following Tim’s address, he asked the parade to show solidarity by clapping and asking for peace in Ukraine.

The walk was attended from the Devon side by the Plymouth City Lord Mayor Councillor Terri Beer, along with other Plymouth City Councillors including Jonathan Drean, Co-Chair of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee.

There were also Saltash Town Councillors marching in support of Ukraine among the crowds walking across the bridge from the Cornish side of the Tamar.

The Lord Mayor of Plymouth said that the solidarity walk showed how we should all stand together to show our support and how devastating it had been to witness so many lives being affected by the conflict.

Another attendee, Cornwall Councillor Martin Worth, Co-Chair of the Bridge Committee, and who was accompanied by his wife Sally, said: “We have been so shocked and devastated by what is happening in the Ukraine, we wanted to show our support for the people there. It seems fitting to stand together on the bridge as a symbol of peace, joining us all together in solidarity with the Ukraine.”

Martin added that it was “a bridgehead to peace.”

Many Solidarity walkers wished to make other supportive comments. Ros Ruby said that she had gone along to the event as there was a need to show solidarity for the Ukrainian people, and to call for humanity and for their freedom to be restored.

A former citizen of Poland, Jo Flower, who taught there for many years, said: “With my long association with Poland, which borders onto the Ukraine, I wanted to show my support to our neighbouring citizens.”

Saltash Councillors Gloria Challen, Rachel Bullock, Julia Peggs and Lewis Challen were all united in their support for the Ukrainian people. They said they were participating to show their solidarity with all those innocent people, including children - and especially sick children. Their main concerns were over the tragedy of the devastation of Ukraine and of broken families and those uprooted as refugees. They said they were all very overwhelmed at seeing so many residents from Saltash coming together as a community supporting such a purposeful event, and were full of praise for the organisers.

Other comments were from Janet Bennett, Sonia and Mark Fox, Jim Virgo, Vincent and Sheila Wilson and their daughter Louise Sparkes, Saltash Fire Cadets (who carried the Ukrainian Flags), Saltash Lions, and David and Pauline Newman. In their joint comments they said they were there asking for the end of war, and to call for peace and freedom of speech in the Ukraine, Europe and around the World.

Pat Alford said that her daughter-in-law was Polish and her relatives still lived in Poland. She said she was relieved that Poland was taking in so many refugees.

Karen Lilley referred to the London Ukrainian Embassy, where people can register to host a Ukrainian family, which Karen and her family hope to make enquiries about as possible hosts.

Event organisers Gloria Challen and Katie Bonner said: “Saltash, and their neighbours of Plymouth, invariably pull out all the stops on occasions of Solidarity and Unanimity and on many other occasions when they feel that they can make a difference, and use a loud voice to shout from the rooftops.

“In this case it is to support freedom and democracy in the Ukraine.

“We would like to thank all those that attended and supported in any and every way, in particular the Tamar Crossings staff, the marshals, Saltash Lions, Karen Lilley and family and friends, Sue and John Hooper and Mike Parker and Alan Chowings plus the Saltash Fire Cadets for the first aid and defibrillator equipment."

They added, in a message to the public at large: “In addition, kindly consider donating to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal at donate.redcross.org

“Thank you one and all.”

In other Cornish events held to show solidarity for the people of Ukraine, a total of 150 classical musicians took part in Sunday afternoon’s flashmob orchestral event on Truro’s Lemon Quay, which saw a performance of Mussorgsky’s piece The Great Gate of Kiev (the former spelling of the name of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv) taking place in front of a large crowd of onlookers. The event was organised and conducted by Cornwall resident Bill Bankes-Jones BEM, Founder and Artistic Director of Tête à Tête, Europe’s largest Festival of new opera, and the number of musicians signing up to take part far exceeded all expectations.