The Lichfield Canal may be best known to many people as the one with the isolated section going over the M6 Toll Road. The line of the canal is as close to safeguarded as it is possible to get at the moment. The aim of the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust is to "restore the Lichfield Canal and the Hatherton Canal to re-open waterway links between Staffordshire and the West Midlands, for the benefit of the environment, amenity and prosperity of the people of the Region and to enhance the nation's inland waterway system."
WRG Forestry Team are carrying out a relatively small task (hopefully this will not be famous last words), in the vicinity of Lock 25 on the Tamworth Road site. In order to restore the lock completely and also the section of canal between locks 24 and 25 a reasonably mature sycamore with three main stems will need to be removed. The trees will have to be removed in sections to minimise the potential for damage to the lock and other structures. An initial weekend of work was planned for 8th and 9th January 2005 in conjunction with WRG North West. However, gale force winds prevented work starting, and we enjoyed some time with shovels and wheelbarrows instead.
Tentative arrangements were put place to join up with another WRG Group, either KESCRG on 5/6 February or Newbury Working Party Group in March. Once again, fate was not on our side, and the KESCRG weekend proved impossible with Dave "Tenko" Johnson not being well. Finally, Graham "Sparky" Robinson saved the day by making it ot the Newbury weekend on 12 / 13 March; supported by Jen Leigh and the stalwarts of NWPG the sectioning down commenced!
Pictures to follow once the vagiaries of digital cameras are defeated.
photo courtesy of the Lichfield website.
Click here for the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust home page