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REPAIRS MADE: To bank washed away in floods

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November 9, 2024

Lucy Wood reports… MAJOR repairs to a section of canal bank that was washed away by winter floods in Leicester have been completed. The Canal & River Trust has repaired and strengthened a 100-metre section of the Grand Union Canal bank, which was severely damaged when floodwater from the non-navigable River Soar, which runs parallel,…
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CRUISERS THWARTED by failed structures and lack of dredging

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November 8, 2024

A SIX-DAY cruise by a group of 23ft-long trailable boats failed in its bid to visit Brandon, Santon Downham, the village of Reach, Ely and Denver Sluice. In the event, the boaters could only go as far as Brandon Lock, which has been out of use due to silt from flood alleviation work earlier in…
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MARINA LODGE: To be retreat for cancer victims

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November 7, 2024

A YOUNG cancer victim is more than halfway to her goal of buying a waterside haven as a sanctuary for other patients. Hannah Roberts, who suffers from glioblastoma (GBM4), has already raised £106,000 towards the £203,000 she needs to buy the lodge at Mercia Marina in the Midlands. She hopes it will provide a much-needed…
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£140K DREDGING: 1200 Tonnes of silt removed

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November 6, 2024

THE Canal and River Trust has spent £140,000 dredging the River Soar in Leicester, removing more than 1200 tonnes of silt as part of works to make it easier for boaters and encourage wildlife. The work was carried out on a 500-metre section of the river at Limekiln Lock, near Abbey Park, as well as…
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NEW: Wetland and gardens open

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November 5, 2024

A COMBINED effort has seen a green corridor to aid well-being open alongside a London waterway. The Southall Wellbeing Way is a combined park and wetland area, linked with towpaths to improve access to a series of green spaces in the area. The canal towpaths and linked green spaces between Spikes Bridge Park and Glade…
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ANCIENT CRAFTS: Demonstrated along the Leeds & Liverpool

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November 4, 2024

CROWDS enjoyed a series of free special blacksmith’s forge demonstrations to celebrate this year’s Heritage Open Days at Apperley Bridge, Bradford close to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Thanks to Canal & River Trust volunteer and former blacksmith David Wadsworth and fellow volunteer Phil ‘bellow boy’ Bristow, the charity was able to reignite history and…
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LLANGOLLEN Canal: £400K Lottery Award

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November 2, 2024

PLANS to open up one of the oldest working boat yards on the Llangollen Canal will now become a reality after a £409,933 development grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Ellesmere Yard, which dates back to 1806, could house a visitor centre and craft workshops as well as continue as a working canal maintenance…
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Attends canalside memorial

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November 1, 2024

A MEMORIAL plaque has been unveiled to commemorate and celebrate the life of Michelle Hodgkinson, who died after being attacked in Tameside close to the Ashton Canal last year. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner joined Michelle’s family and friends to unveil the special tribute to the 51-year-old mum and grandmother on the canal towpath as…
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INVASIVE WEEDS: Floating digger brought in

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October 31, 2024

A FLOATING digger is the latest weapon being used by the Canal & River Trust to tackle invasive weeds in the waterways. The trust has spent £1 million a year on various methods to tackle plants which clog the canals and rivers it looks after. There is even a UK conference later this month which…
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CANAL HISTORY: Marked with plaque

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October 30, 2024

Lucy Wood reports… A PLAQUE marking the site of a hostelry that played a part in the origins of the Chesterfield Canal has been unveiled. The canal has been central to the town’s life for 250 years since it opened in the 1700s – but it almost was not to be. The original route of…
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FORCES VETERANS AFLOAT: Needs help

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October 29, 2024

Tim Greenfield reports… A CHARITY which provides homeless military veterans with boats to live on is appealing for aid so it can expand its operations and help even more ex-service personnel. The Forces Veterans Afloat Charitable Trust, which takes former military personnel off the streets and provides them with a floating home, has been a…
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CANALS STRATEGY: To breathe life into historic waterways

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October 28, 2024

Lucy Wood reports… THE Canal & River Trust and Active Black Country have unveiled the Black Country Canals Strategy 2024-2029, setting out ambitions to maximise the potential of the region’s world-famous navigable canal network. Central to the strategy are the opportunities for improvements in the health and well-being of local communities through increased access to…
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CRT: Income rises to £237m

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October 26, 2024

THE Canal & River Trust has seen its overall income increase by £12 million to £237 million in the last year, raising more from commercial operations as its reliance on government funding decreases. In what the charity says was a record year for charitable work (£208 million), it also spent £70 million on engineering works,…
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GHOST BOAT: Resurfaces on a Shropshire canal

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October 25, 2024

RELICS of a ghost boat said to be haunted by its skipper have resurfaced during work to restore the Montgomery Canal. A digger working on the canal channel at Crickheath Tramway Wharf came across ironwork from a narrowboat deep in the earth. All the woodwork had long since rotted away but the iron skeleton remained…
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