A BUMPER crowd of volunteers rolled up their sleeves and got to grips with a giant Meccano building set!

After an appeal for volunteers in The Bolton News, an extra six people turned up on Saturday to help out with the construction of the £90,000 bridge across a disused part of canal at Nob End in Little Lever.

With a total workforce of about 22 toiling from 9am onwards, the team was able to pack up an hour early — just after 3pm on Saturday.

But on Sunday the quirks thrown up by the unusual building materials caused some unexpected delays.

Paul Hindle, chairman of Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society, said: “We’ve had a few issues simply because this has never been done before.

“The bolts are only 55mm smaller than the holes and they all have to fit properly.

The joists are laid side by side as well, rather than having girders across the span of the bridge, because Meccano never made pieces that big.

“That would be a far easier way to do it but we want to be accurate.” Despite the delays, the bridge is still on schedule and is expected to be completed tomorrow.

Volunteer Manny Aspinall said: “The weather hasn’t been too bad.

“The pieces have been heavier than we thought though — even the bolts are 1.4kg.”

Fellow volunteer Harry Taylor said: “The response from people has been brilliant, and a lot of that is thanks to the publicity The Bolton News has given us.”

The ironwork bridge will link Little Lever with Moses Gate Country Park and will be built on the site of an old horse bridge, passing over the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.

The Meccano pieces are 10 times the size of the toy set, and a local steel fabricator has made the beams, nuts and bolts in the same style — but 10 times thicker and 1,000 times heavier.

Artist Liam Curtin, who designed the bridge, said: “It’s really nice to see it being built.

“You can spend all day at your drawing board, but to see people actually putting the pieces in place and bolting them down is a great sight.

“I’m sure it’ll be a great thing for the community when it’s finished.”