In glorious weather that lasted all weekend we welcomed guests from Shropshire Council, Canal & River Trust and many others on Friday to celebrate the topping out of the re-watered sections.

“The works over the last year have been substantially aided by a Rural Prosperity Fund grant. Said Tom Fulda, Restoration Project Manager, “And progress was rapid with the original scope exceeded for a variety of reasons so there was plenty to celebrate. During this period volunteers contributed 6500 hours of their time”.

Following words of appreciation by Society Chair David Carter, Tom Fulda, CRT West Midlands Regional Director, Henriette (Hen) Breukelaar, and Montgomery Canal Partnership Chair John Dodwell, a ribbon across the canal was cut by Leader of Shropshire Council Lezley Picton and Hen.

“There were plenty of other highlights this work party. A further 30 metres of channel was lined and blocked. But this doesn’t finish the job since blocks finish just below water level. The liner above water level is protected by riprap (large-sized aggregate) covered with soil. All the lining and blocking completed last work party, and this now has riprap applied above the blocks”.

This is a relatively straightforward task on the towpath bank with material being delivered by power barrow along the towpath. Not so straightforward for the offside bank without a temporary haul road to provide access. For this, countless buckets of riprap were delivered by wheelbarrow along the newly block channel, carried up the slope, tipped one by one above the blocks and then manually arranged to fully cover the liner. In addition, all the riprap on the towpath bank now has its final soil covering.

Logistics are part and parcel of any project. Some are easier than others. So, with logistics only slightly less complex than fitting a quart into a pint pot, further space was freed up in the channel to continue profiling the banks back towards the re-watered section. Here, several pallets of hollow blocks used for soft-bank construction were stored in the bed of the channel, having been previously moved there to make way for further deliveries in the compound. This had enabled free access to the far end of the work site for the lining and blocking mentioned above but was now obstructing access to profile the channel banks. So, these were moved onto the channel bed in the newly blocked section. As heavy plant cannot drive on the blocks these had to be moved in stages each time a new area of blocking was completed. From their new location the blocks will have just one further move (phew!) to their final resting place in the soft bank retaining wall. Work on this will start next time where the channel widens to a splay on a bend.

Finally, and for the record, the topping out ceremony was not the only occasion a large crowd turned out at this month’s work party to admire the progress. A captive audience?

John Dodwell (Montgomery Canal Partnership Chair), Tom Fulda (SUCS Project manager), David Carter (Chair, SUCS) Hen Breukelaar (CRT West Midlands Regional Director – west)

Leader of Shropshire Council Lezley Picton and Hen Breukelaar cut the ribbon over the completed section of the canal.

All of the lining and blocking completed last work party, and this now has riprap applied above the blocks.

All the riprap on the towpath bank now has its final soil covering.