A new home with a very bright future
“We’ve moved and the future looks bright,” said a triumphant, if exhausted, Tom Fulda, the restoration project manager for the society, “Over a work party, which we extended to four days, the two main events were starting work in Phase 2 and relocating the works compound. We also received news that, in collaboration with Canal & River Trust, the Society will benefit from a further UK Shared Prosperity Fund grant”
The grant of £250K, including match funding, runs to March next year. Of this £140K will be used for continued restoration on the Montgomery Canal including towpath resurfacing, environmental works and further channel restoration by the Society’s volunteers. It will also fund significant repairs to Aston Lock hut by CRT to enabling its use as a base for volunteers working in that area. The balance of £110K will be utilised by CRT for ongoing repairs at their historic Ellesmere Yard facility. We are very grateful to the funders for their support which will enable rapid progress to continue closing the ‘Shropshire Gap’ – the last two miles of unrestored canal in Shropshire.
Phase 2 of the Crickheath South project is the remaining 270 metres before we reach Schoolhouse Bridge. In order to work in this area and access the channel between Schoolhouse Bridge and the next bridge, Malthouse Bridge at Penygarreg Lane, we have occupied the compound previously used to build Schoolhouse Bridge.
The Phase 2 site is quite constrained, much of it is in a shallow cut. There is no haul road, all access will be made along the channel so once again we start at the far end and work back to the access point, in this case the new compound by the bridge. Whilst there had been brush cutting in this area last month, there still remained a good number of saplings and small trees to remove from the banks. Excellent progress was made in bone dry conditions and by Sunday afternoon, 90 metres had been cleared.
Elsewhere, there were a host of different activities at both compounds to prepare for the move on Monday. At the Crickheath end, materials were tidily assembled, accessible for Monday’s crane lorry. The welfare shelter was dismantled and the framework substantially (and lovingly) rejuvenated. The containers were packed ready for lifting. At the Schoolhouse end, final preparations were made including filling two skips with rubbish and setting out pads for the containers to rest on.
On Monday, two trucks with driver/operators plus four volunteers spent the day moving the goods and getting organised in the new compound. This was the day of Storm Floris with yellow weather warnings in North Wales, but we escaped with a few light showers and finished moving the containers before the weather became really gusty. There will still be some sorting out to do next time, not least erection of a gleaming welfare shelter, but we now have a new home.
Thanks to all who helped out, also with the plethora of other activities going on over the work party including thistle bashing and refresher training for dumper operators.
Feature image: Clearing the channel
