School pupils and community groups enjoy last Queensferry Crossing walk event

About 10,000 local school pupils and community group members have walked across the Queensferry Crossing in the last event before it permanently opens to traffic.

It comes after a week featuring a light show, public walk and a royal visit to mark the opening of the £1.35 billion bridge.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney joined pupils and staff from the 13 schools located nearest to the crossing along with 3,000 people from six community councils on Tuesday.

The bridge across the Firth of Forth will open to traffic on Thursday.

Mr Swinney said: The Queensferry Crossing is one of the biggest infrastructure projects of its kind in the world. To go from inception to opening in under a decade is a momentous feat of planning and engineering.

The project has had a particularly strong focus on community liaison and hosted over 70,000 visitors, including 23,000 school pupils, at its dedicated contact and education centre.

It is therefore fantastic that so many children and representatives from those communities living closest to the bridge are being given the opportunity to celebrate in this historic occasion and create a lasting legacy for the future.'