West
Vale Branch |
The good weather continues and I am pleased to report that the local Branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is preparing itself for a more active period over the next few months in several areas.
We are continuing to chase the Land Agents to secure suitable leases on two sections of the canal. Without these leases we are unable to work or spend any Trust money. The Trust is a registered charity and as such is governed by the Charity Commission rules which are extremely rigorous in this area. So we continue to chase.
We are very fortunate to have secured the services of a team from the Waterway Recovery Group, part of the Inland Waterways Association. This team (KESCRG) will be working on the canal in the area of Steppingstone Lane Bridge and Station Road on the weekend of 4/5 October. They usually achieve a great deal in a short time and we are hopeful of good progress.
We are still working with Oxfordshire County Council to finalise the engineering drawings for the restored bridge at Steppingstone Lane and hope to be able to begin reconstruction soon.
The Canalside Park will also continue to be maintained and improved on where we can and when manpower and time allows. The Trust in general as agreed that more effort will be spent on maintenance in the coming year and the Branch is hopeful of benefiting from this initiative.
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. For those with a computer and Internet access please visit our Branch Web Site at www.westvalecanal.org.uk.
Orph Mable - Branch Project Co-ordinator
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