Shropshire Union Canal Society – August 7–14, 2026 Work Party Report
Volunteers from the Shropshire Union Canal Society have completed an exceptional eight days of restoration work, making significant progress at Waen Wen and Schoolhouse Bridge despite challenging conditions during the latest summer heatwave.
August’s activity proved considerably bigger than a normal three-day work party, with five additional preparation days extending the programme from August 7 to 14.
The regular work party began on Friday in warm, dry weather with two main objectives: clearing vegetation at Waen Wen and completing the shuttering and steelwork required for the Schoolhouse Bridge wash wall footings.
The Society’s regular volunteers were joined by 11 corporate volunteers from Agilent and CGI, whose additional support proved invaluable during the labour-intensive vegetation clearance.
Tom Fulda, Restoration Project Manager, said: “The extra hands were a considerable help in the labour-intensive task of vegetation clearance, and we are very grateful for their support.”
Since trees were felled at Waen Wen last November, vegetation has regrown considerably, including new shoots from the remaining stumps. Some willow stumps had produced shoots reaching an impressive 2.5 metres since spring – an average growth rate of around 2cm per day.
With the site now dry enough to tackle the remaining stumps, volunteers first needed to clear the regrowth to reveal the full scale of the job ahead.
Remarkably, clearance around the stumps across the entire site – covering 430 metres of channel and the expansive Waen Wen Basin – was completed in little more than a day and a half.
With so many willing hands available, volunteers quickly moved on to further restoration tasks.
On Saturday, another length of channel in Phase 2 was lined and blocked, while on Sunday riprap and soil covering were manually placed above block level on both banks. Elsewhere, a team removed temporary fencing along the now-decommissioned haul road previously used for Phase 1B, allowing the area to be returned to the adjoining field.
At Schoolhouse Bridge, another group concentrated on preparations for the towpath wash wall. Following a good start during July’s work party, volunteers completed the shuttering and steelwork needed ahead of the scheduled concrete pour.
By Sunday afternoon, all shuttering, rebar mesh and vertical rebar had been successfully installed.
Although that marked the end of the regular work party, the volunteers’ efforts were far from over.
Preparation work continued throughout the following week as the country experienced another spell of extremely hot weather.
A visit from Canal & River Trust senior engineer Ian Draycott on Tuesday gave the footings work the all-clear, paving the way for the concrete pour the following day.
A small team of volunteers returned to complete the job, with a four-wheeled mixer reversing down the ramp into the channel as far as the bridge to deliver concrete directly into the formwork. Beyond the bridge, concrete was transported using a power barrow.
Work began at 10am and was completed by 2pm. With temperatures particularly high, the freshly poured concrete was periodically sprayed with water to prevent it from drying too quickly.
The Society has thanked the volunteers who worked in the sweltering conditions to complete the task so efficiently. Construction of the wash wall itself can now begin during the next work party.
Another major achievement during the week was the removal of approximately 200 tree stumps from Waen Wen.
A 13-tonne digger fitted with a root hook attachment was hired for the task. While many stumps were removed relatively quickly, some of the larger specimens took considerably longer, with individual stumps sometimes requiring up to three hours to extract.
Volunteers encountered ash, alder, willow, sycamore and wych elm, each presenting different challenges.
The biggest test was saved until the final day – a huge multi-stemmed stump comprising six stems of wych elm, two ash stems and two sycamores growing through the centre. After plenty of patience and persistence, the team successfully removed it.
Only a handful of large stumps alongside the lane remain, as attempting to remove these with the digger risked damaging the road. They will instead be tackled shortly by a specialist stump-grinding contractor.
Special recognition has been given to Graham and Tom, who worked continuously throughout all eight days to complete the stump-removal programme.
Despite the tremendous progress, there remains plenty of work ahead. The above-ground sections of the removed stumps need to be sawn into logs, while brash and stump roots must be collected and disposed of. This is expected to take several months.
Two drainage channels have also been dug in an effort to keep the site drier and accessible for longer periods, helping future restoration work to continue.
The level of interest in the project remains strong, with the Society revealing that three readers had contacted the team directly to ask when the August work party report would be published.
The Society has also advised supporters that its September work party will take place a week later than usual to coincide with Heritage Open Days, with further details to follow.
The latest achievements represent another substantial step forward for the Shropshire Union Canal Society and its volunteers as they continue their dedicated work to restore and preserve this important stretch of canal for future generations.
