West
Vale Branch |
The cold winter weather brings with it particular problems for canals – ICE! In the period just after Christmas and The New Year we saw the sections of the canal around Shrivenham freeze solid, encouraging the older members of the village to recall times long since gone when “you could ice skate all the way to Swindon Centre”. Sounds delightful and paints a wonderful mental picture. Those times are gone however, and although we are working hard to restore it, the canal only holds water in a few places in this area. This leads to frozen pools which can tempt the young to try and walk on them when the ice is not thick enough to take their weight. We want everyone to enjoy the canal even in its current partially restored state but we must urge all parents to warn their children of the dangers of ice covered water and not to try and walk on it, no matter how strong the ice appears. The areas where this is of most concern is the Canalside Park, the section between Stainswick Lane and Station Road, and the section immediately west of Station Road Bridge to Bourton Road.
I also have to report that we are again suffering from continued acts of vandalism at various points along the canal. In the Canalside Park, our small towpath trailer was taken from alongside the storage container and pushed into the canal (or maybe onto the ice!) and its side broken. Also in the park, various pieces of timber and steel sections have been taken and thrown onto the ice covered pond which will cause problems later. At Steppingstone Lane Bridge, two Circular Walk signs have been pulled down, broken and thrown in the canal. Mindless!
As reported in previous months “News”, we have begun work at Steppingstone Lane Bridge on the bridleway between Bourton and Station Road, Shrivenham. Our aim is to fully restore this bridge over the coming 2 to 3 years. The time-scales are dependent on the availability of our volunteers and what local funding we can raise, but we are quietly confident that this can be achieved.
We intend to minimise disruption to bridleway users by creating a diversion around the work site over the coming two months. Before bringing the diversion into use however, there is to be a meeting of interested parties at Steppingstone Lane Bridge to ensure that all necessary safety precautions have been taken and that both walkers and riders are satisfied that their interests are catered for. The dates and times of this meeting will be sent out to those interested in due course. Apart from those that I have already contacted, anyone wishing to be invited to the meeting should let me know and I will get details to them when the meeting is arranged.
Progress is steady and at our last working party on the 12th January, four stalwarts from our local Branch completed the route clearing for the bridleway diversion. This required some serious stump removal and ground profiling to reduce the gradients. Additionally, a drainage pipe was put beneath the southern access point to the diversion. Eventually this drainage will be extended to the bridge site improving the bridleway surface in that area. This access point will be further enhanced with the laying of a scalpings and membrane surface at the next work party.
We are continuing to strive to take leases on the length of canal in this area and are actively negotiating with landowners and their agents to achieve this. It is a slow and complex task but we are making progress, albeit slowly. The only section fully in our control is the Canalside Park which is owned by the Trust, but open to all as an amenity. All work in keeping the park tidy, and the grass cut is carried out by our volunteers. The towpaths along the canal are open to the public by kind permission of the landowners with all grass cutting and hedge maintenance also carried out by our members.
With all this work just to keep the park and towpaths open you would expect us to have an army of volunteers. Sadly this is not the case and we are only able to muster between 4 and 6 people for our work parties which usually take place on the Saturday immediately after our monthly meetings where we agree responsibilities and tasks to be carried out. Strength is not a requirement as we have a ride-on mower which is used for the majority of the grass cutting. General tidying and pruning of hedges is also work which, although quite light, still takes time and effort.
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!
Orph Mable - Branch Project Co-ordinator
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