Senior councillors from Shropshire Council have taken part in an introductory boat tour of the Montgomery Canal, hosted by the Montgomery Canal appeal and restoration groups.
The visit marked the first opportunity for senior councillors to view restoration work on the Montgomery Canal since political control of the council changed following local elections in May. The tour allowed councillors to see first-hand the progress being made by volunteers from the Shropshire Union Canal Society (SUCS) during their regular work-party weekends.
The tour was led by John Dodwell, chair of the Montgomery Canal Partnership, which brings together the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust, Friends of the Montgomery Canal, and the Inland Waterways Association Shrewsbury & North Wales Branch. The councillors were met at Canal Central at Maesbury Marsh before boarding the steam launch Ictus, owned by Chris Bushnell and Maggie Ellis.
The cruise showcased the recently reopened section of canal between Gronwen Bridge and Crickheath Wharf, highlighting the current limits of navigation and ongoing challenges, including the replacement of Crickheath and Schoolhouse Mill Lift Bridges. The party disembarked at Crickheath to walk sections of the canal toward Waen Wen basin, which is planned to become the next turning point for boats as restoration progresses toward the Welsh border at Llanymynech.
Volunteers from across the region — including Oswestry-based business Aico — were working along the roughly three-quarter-mile stretch between Crickheath and Waen Wen, allowing councillors to observe restoration at various stages. These included sections already in water, areas lined and profiled, and others still being cleared.
By car from Schoolhouse Bridge, the group visited Pant Bridge to view obstacles awaiting restoration volunteers, before moving on to Llanymynech Wharf, home of the trip boat George Watson Buck. Named after a famous 19th-century Shropshire Union engineer, the vessel highlights the canal’s engineering heritage.
Speaking during the visit, Michael Haig, chair of the IWA branch, noted that Shropshire Council and the former county council had supported Montgomery Canal restoration for many years, particularly at Frankton Junction, where the canal connects to the national waterways network. He added that locks at Frankton Junction had been restored with funding from the Welsh Government.
Councillor Roger Evans said he looked forward to continuing engagement with the new Shropshire team, while maintaining close links with counterparts in Powys, who oversee UK Government Levelling Up projects, including new bridges, dredging work and the creation of new nature reserves to safeguard legally protected flora and fauna along the canal.
Following a debrief over lunch at the Bradford Arms in Whittington, Councillor Heather Kidd thanked canal restoration volunteers for their efforts, saying the visit had helped her and her colleagues understand the scale of work involved and how the canal could contribute to connectivity, economic growth, and health and wellbeing priorities.
Councillor Kidd was joined on the visit by Alex Wagner, deputy leader and portfolio holder for communities; Andy Davis, chair of the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee; Andy Wiggin, policy and environment service manager and member of the council’s Canal Project Board; and Councillor Roger Evans, portfolio holder for finance.
