The March 2010 edition of Waterways World contains a 4 page article on the restoration of the Wilts & Berks Canal.

Entitled 'The Big One' it describes "Britain's longest restoration of 67 miles of rural narrow canal. An impossible dream? Perhaps not, as Richard Fairhurst finds"

The full article can be found in Newspaper Archives section of the website.

Further details about Waterways World can be found from their website: www.waterwaysworld.com

I am pleased to announce that today the new Wilts & Berks Canal Trust website was launched. The address stays the same (www.wbct.org.uk) but the look and feel is all new.

The website will be the central point to find out the latest news about the Trust, all that is going on in our restoration projects and also a fantastic archive of historic information about the canal.

Over the next few months the site will be growing with new content and also some new features will be added as well to make the site more interactive. If you want to keep up to date with the latest news you can find an RSS link on the news page.

Matt
WBCT Webmaster

The Foxham & Lyneham Branch is hosting this year's AGM for the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust
at Bushton Village Hall, Bushton, Lyneham, SN4 7PX.

Also an opportunity to view the Restoration in Progress at Seven Locks, (with Walk option).

Download full details together with a lunch booking form

(Please can lunch forms be returned to the office no later than Thursday 8th October)

Another Chapter Begins

Another chapter has begun today in the restoration process of the Wilts & Berks Canal. Following three years as the Trust's energetic and successful Chief Executive, Ken Oliver today started in his new role as Canal Officer with the new Wiltshire Council.

Ken has achieved much in the last three years and I am confident that from his new seat with all the resources and back up available at County Hall he will be able to achieve many more times that amount over the next three years.

As discussed at the last three meetings of Council of Management, we are not losing Ken as a resource for restoration but some things will inevitably be done differently for example he will not be attending all the WBCT committees on the same regular basis but will be keeping in touch, subject to the direction of his new 'masters'. As Ken says it will take a few weeks for the new arrangements to settle down. Council has already discussed some possible changes and Chris Coyle is drafting a paper on contingency issues. One thing is certain, Ken will be reporting regularly to each meeting of Council of Management.

The office will continue to function under Justine and Ann's stewardship. Staff management issues for Justine will likely fall towards Chris and those for Ann towards Peter Kinsman. There will be slight changes in roles for many of us as we adapt to filling some of Ken's former functions that cannot sensibly transfer with him. We must not hurry into these changes but adapt as circumstances dictate.

Royal Visit

I would also like to comment on the tremendous success of our Patron's visit. Thank you to all of you who participated in making the event such a success. I think that Her Royal Highness genuinely enjoyed her time with us and on departure commented to me that if she could help in any way in the future then we were to contact her office. As a consequence of the day, central funds have already been boosted by the generous donation of £5000 from a personal friend of HRH who was much impressed with our restoration project. The Trust has also received letters expressing good will towards the project from some of those who attended the double event (Double Bridge and Bowood). We must not lose the momentum generated by the day and I know that this is uppermost in Ken's mind and will be part of the agenda at the next Partnership Meeting to be held next week.

John Laverick
Chairman