Canal charity praises ‘fantastic’ volunteers

HARDWORKING volunteers have reflected on another successful year of restoring a former waterway through the local countryside.

The Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust recently held its Annual General Meeting where it looked back over the previous 12 months. The charity continued to make progress on several stretches and attracted significant grants from a variety of local and national organisations. Branch chairman Dave Maloney paid tribute to the dedication and commitment of volunteers.

He said, “Every member of the team should be proud of their achievements over the last year. We have a fantastic group of all ages and backgrounds who help with so many jobs, from the physical toil of workparties to the equally vital work of fundraising, engineering, research and administration.

“Together, they’ve succeeded in uncovering and restoring even more of this wonderful piece of our industrial heritage.”

Much of the activity has taken place along the stretch to the north of Lacock. At Pewsham Locks, the walls of the dry dock have been rebuilt and the site of the former carpenters workshop has been cleared in the hope that both structures can be restored as educational assets. Improvements have also been made to the towpath, hedging and fencing.

Nearby, at Pudding Brook, a further stretch has been cleared and a habitat management plan has included the expansion of hedgerows. Both sites also benefitted from the involvement of local businesses who arranged ‘teambuilding’ days for their staff to support the restoration effort.

Fundraising highlights included £15,000 from Wiltshire Community Foundation for the dry dock, £10,000 from Chippenham Borough Lands Charity for the carpenters workshop and £4,825 for training, tools and equipment, £9,500 from the National Lottery for a new welfare unit for volunteers, and £4,892 from Chippenham Area Board for repairs to the bank and towpath.

Dave said, “We’d like to thank everyone who supported us with grants and donations over the last year.

“Their generosity enables us to quicken the pace of restoration and brings us closer to our ultimate ambition of a fully navigable waterway linking our local towns.

“It would be a huge boost to tourism and employment, as well as creating a valuable amenity for the whole community and vital new wildlife habitats.

“We’d love to hear from anyone else who is interested in joining our exciting campaign.”

Email dave.maloney@ wbct.org.uk or visit www. wbct.org.uk

The aim of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is to restore the waterway from the Kennet & Avon Canal near Melksham to the Thames & Severn Canal near Cricklade and the River Thames near Abingdon, connecting Chippenham, Calne, Royal Wootton Bassett and Swindon.