WILTS & BERKS CANAL TRUST

Saul to Lechlade  Cotswold Canals Centennial Cruise reaches eastern end of the Wilts & Berks Canal

Pictured at Jubilee Junction the Centennial Cruise has had to go ( for the moment at least) the long way round from Semington to reach Abingdon via the Kennet & Avon Canal and River Thames.

Once again the Trust was able to wish them well on there journey and look forward to the day that they will be able to cruise via Swindon on the Wilts & Berks.

Jubilee Junction images courtesy Martin Buckland

http://www.saultolechlade100.co.uk

Cotswold Canals Centennial Cruise stopping off at Semington Selection of images including exchange of plaques (organised by MCC branch) at the site of the new junction for the Melksham Link.

Hardworking volunteers have celebrated a major milestone in their campaign to restore a former waterway through the Wiltshire countryside.

Following tens of thousands of hours of free labour, the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust has officially reopened the two-mile stretch from Pewsham to Reybridge.

Over the last few years the charity has been clearing rubbish and undergrowth, dredging the canalbed, raising the towpath, and repairing spillweirs and even an entire bridge.

The impressive results were enjoyed by hundreds of people taking part in this year's annual sponsored walk, which included a formal ribbon-cutting at the start of the rewatered stretch.

Guests included John Laverick, chairman of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, together with campaign supporter Duncan Hames MP.

They then boarded a tripboat to become the first passengers to travel along the waterway since it was abandoned almost a century ago.

(Above) Duncan Hames MP cuts the ribbon assisted by Canal Trust Chairman John Laverick and Rebecca Lemont-Jiggens from Community First

Mr Laverick said: "Only a few years ago there were still some people who said we were trying to achieve the impossible. They claimed it would place an intolerable burden on local taxpayers. But we managed to repair and restore this wonderful piece of our industrial heritage almost entirely through our own fundraising efforts, together with generous donations from local businesses and the kind support of local landowners".

Mendip District Council and the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust have worked together to save an historic Bailey Bridge from the scrap yard. Volunteers from the Trust will now renovate the bridge for use on the Melksham Link Project.

WBCT co-director of Engineering, Mike Lee spent 2 years doing National Service, followed by 11years in the TA, as an Officer in the Royal Engineers and has extensive operational experience in building and dismantling Bailey Bridges. Mike said, "I have been working with the Contractors to make sure the bridge is dismantled with plenty of TLC to ensure all reusable parts were saved for renovation. Unfortunately all of the decking and the stringers that support it had to be scrapped. We planned very carefully how the bridge was to be removed without damaging the fibre -optic cables, which it supported, but even so it was nerve-wracking to see the structure being lifted gently by the crane. Once renovated, we will use the parts to build a slightly short-span farm crossing of the waterway as part of the Melksham Link Project."

WBCT Chairman, John Laverick said, "We're honoured to have such an historic structure as part of our waterway. The Melksham Link project is a key part of our restoration plans and the bridge will be put to good use. Many people who use the canal enjoy the connections with our great industrial heritage so we will include interpretative signs on the towpath to highlight the historic significance of this type of bridge."

Bailey Bridges are named after Sir Donald Coleman Bailey who was responsible for the design, development and manufacture of a range of military bridging equipment. The bridges were designed in 1940 to meet the need for a military bridge that could be built quickly and provide temporary spans capable of taking heavy loading. At the time engineering production capacity was at a premium but because the parts were small it was possible to spread the work between about 650 makers of windows, bedsteads, greenhouses, etc. The bridges were used by the Army from 1941 and by 1947 about 2000 Bailey Bridges had been built. A Bailey pontoon bridge over the Maas River in The Netherlands spanned 4,000 feet (1,200 m). A widened version of the bridge continued in use until the 1960s. Parts of the military bridging equipment were modified to provide a civil version for long term bridging and this is the type used at Frome.

The Bailey Bridge in Frome had spanned the river since it was built in 1986 but was closed to traffic twenty years later due to safety concerns. It will be replaced by a new bridge costing £200,000 to be named after Formula 1 star, Jenson Button who is from Frome. Work is due to be completed on the new Button Bridge in January 2011.

FUNDRAISERS took a last look at an empty canal-bed before it is filled with water for the first time in more than a century.

The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust held its annual sponsored walk on Sunday morning, following the former line of the waterway from Chippenham to Lacock.

Around 150 people enjoyed the four-mile journey through open countryside and past the remains of locks, dry-docks and cottages.
Some groups took up the challenge to walk the route while carrying boats of all shapes and sizes, from small models up to inflatable dinghies - and even a Viking longship left over from a school play!

Later this year, the charity hopes to start engineering work to fill most of the stretch with water as part of its ongoing restoration campaign.

Canal enthusiasts defied the weekend weather to offer a different view of a popular park.

The local branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust arranged scenic boatrides as part of Calne's Easter activities on Saturday afternoon.
Members of the public were taken on a short trip from Chaveywell Bridge to the edge of the Bowood Estate and back again, raising much-needed funds to support the charity's local restoration campaign.

CAMPAIGNERS breathing new life into a former waterway through the Wiltshire countryside have received almost £900 to support their local work.

The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust has been presented with £883 to spend on conservation and restoration between Melksham and Chippenham.
The money was raised from the charity's annual sponsored walk in April which attracted more than a hundred people of all ages.
Supporters were able to follow the line of the former waterway from Chippenham to Lacock and back, walking a total of eight miles past derelict locks and dry-docks and even a rebuilt bridge.
Event organiser Peter Williams presented the cheque to members of the Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the Trust during one of their regular work parties.

HARDWORKING volunteers have been praised for an "exceptional" year of campaigning for the restoration of a former waterway.

The Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is one of the largest of the entire charity, with more than 300 members out of a total membership of more than 2,000.
They hope to emulate the success of the nearby Kennet & Avon Canal which has generated millions of pounds for the local economy through increased tourism and employment.
In the last year alone they volunteered more than 5,000 hours of labour to local restoration efforts.

Speaking at the branch's recent AGM, branch chairman Rob Jones said: "This has been an exceptional year with progress on so many different fronts, including membership levels, work parties and media exposure.
"In particular, landowners who were once hostile to our scheme now offer their help and show much greater interest in our aims and objectives. Thanks to their support, work will soon start on several new pieces of land.
"We are steadily moving closer to our ultimate goal of a fully restored waterway."

Led by the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust, the Partnership is working on the final stages of planning the restoration of the locks and facilities at Pewsham near Chippenham.

The derelict locks are part of the restoration of the 52 miles of the main line of the Wilts & Berks Canal from Semington, near Melksham via Swindon to Abingdon on the River Thames.