A COMMUNITY group is hoping to help speed up the closing of the Shropshire Gap.
Enthusiastic members of Borderland Rotary have seen at first hand the work to restore the Montgomery Canal and, in particular, the section known as the Shropshire Gap which covers two miles from Crickheath Basin to Llanymynech.
The group, which included 30 members, partners and friends, recently walked the Montgomery Canal from Crickheath to Schoolhouse Bridge. They saw first hand the restoration work, which cost £230,000 and was completed in June this year.
Borderland Rotary president Rob Hughes said: “It certainly is a wonderful section of the canal, a hidden gem, and well worth all the effort to bring it back to life. I’m sure we will all spread the word.”
Rotarians are hoping they can help by volunteering and publicising the work, which has been ongoing for more than 50 years, to completely open up the 35-mile-long canal.
The focus at present is on the Shropshire Gap, which closed in the 1930s. Volunteers and council leaders hope its eventual reopening would boost tourism, bring jobs to the region and benefit wildlife.
One of the Rotarians, Chris Bryan-Smith, is a canal enthusiast and part of the Shropshire Union Canal Society, is hoping one day boats will glide along the waterway – as they did nearly 100 years ago.
“We hope one day boats will be able to travel from the national canal network over the border and take advantage of the two proposed new bridges,” he said. “We are trying to spread the word about this wonderful rural canal and we are really looking for people to join the society and volunteer in all different disciplines so that we can lobby the powers that be and make sure that the restoration continues into the future.”
The Montgomery Canal, which links England and Wales, closed to boating in the 1930s following a serious breach of the banks near Frankton Locks in Shropshire. It was never repaired and was left to decline. Restoration started in 1969 and has continued with the reopening of 20 miles of canal and 35 miles of towpaths.
Work is funded by various organisations including Shropshire Council, the Government’s Levelling Up Fund and donations from the public. There are also dozens of volunteers who give their time to the project.
To find out more about the Montgomery Canal and the Shropshire Gap visit themontgomerycanal.org.uk or shropshireunion.org.uk
