West
Vale Branch |
Our local branch has been well rested over the Festive Season and is now preparing its programme of restoration for 2001. We intend to have a very busy year with the Branch concentrating on one or two major projects whilst continuing with the ongoing maintenance of the restored areas.
The first major project is at Steppingstone Lane Bridge on the bridlepath between Shrivenham and Bourton. This bridge was culverted and collapsed in the 1950's by Oxfordshire County Council on the grounds of safety. We intend to divert the bridlepath to the west across a causeway which is already in place, then to excavate the bridge foundations and, if they are sound enough, to rebuild this brick bridge. This is a long-term project but one that will enable us to extend the in-water section of the canal to the west.
Our second focus this year is to extend the dredged section east from the Canalside Park to meet the previously dredged section at Savernake Brake and improve the towpath in that section. This will give us another good section that should retain water in a similar way to the section to the west of Stainswick Lane.
We will continue with our maintenance programme of grass cutting, hedging and improving the Canalside Park. The blue container, currently on the carpark, and one of the Porta-Cabins are due to be moved as soon as the ground dries out sufficiently. The new footpath past the cemetery is now fully surfaced and provides a good dry path as part of the Circular Walk, but still needs a final tidy-up which should be completed before the on-set of Spring.
For more information or to volunteer assistance please come along to one of our meetings held in the Shrivenham Bowls Club, Martens Road, on the second Wednesday of every month at 8 p.m. You will be made very welcome. Alternatively, ask any of the volunteers that you see working on the canal or park, they will be more than pleased to stop and talk!
With all the wet weather that we have been experiencing our local sections of canal are currently brim full of water and look as though there should be boats in passage. Lovely thought!
Orph Mable - Branch Project Co-ordinator
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