TAPTON Lock Visitor Centre has been officially reopened by renowned musician Dave Berry.
The centre is owned by Derbyshire County Council and was previously run by its Countryside Service. Much to the dismay of many canal towpath users, it was closed in May after many months of only opening for a few days a week because the council could no longer afford to run it.
Chesterfield Canal Trust stepped in and has taken out an initial nine-month licence. It hopes to agree a longer-term lease next spring and now has sufficient volunteers to be able to open every day except Christmas Day.
Regular customers at the centre have expressed delight that their much-loved space has reopened.
Jill Hardy, who runs the centre for the trust, said: “We are grateful to Dave for coming to officially open Tapton Lock Visitor Centre. It has been a steep learning curve for me since I agreed to take it on, but I have been incredibly well supported by our fabulous volunteers.”
Dave Berry is famous for many classic hits from the 1960s including The Crying Game.He lives locally, in Dronfield, and first contacted the Chesterfield Canal Trust many years ago after taking his granddaughter on a festive cruise. He was impressed by the work of the volunteers and became the trust’s restoration ambassador. He once cycled the full length of the canal, raising several hundred pounds in sponsorship.
The trust, as reported, is restoring the canal at Staveley. In the next few months, a new lock, a pumping system and several hundred metres of canal will be built. Almost two miles of towpath will be restored to Renishaw.
Dave officially opened the centre during the Tapton Lock Festival, organised by Junction Arts.
