Restoration Hub
Bridge 70 on the Uttoxeter Canal • IWA’s honorary engineers worked with Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust (CUCT) to draw up the specification of work needed for the bridge restoration. • IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group ran four canal camps to manage the encroaching woodland around the bridge, repoint stonework, install drains and a waterproof membrane, and relay the top surface. • Towards the end of the four-year project, CUCT hit a temporary cashflow problem until IWA stepped in with short-term aid. • To fund the final stage of the restoration, IWA worked with CUCT to devise a short-term finance package, enabling CUCT to complete the work and unlock a retrospective grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, which paid for the project as part of the Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership scheme.
Geldeston Lock on the River Waveney • The River Waveney Trust made an initial enquiry to the Hub looking for help to refurbish the lock chamber. • A site visit by IWA’s volunteers coordinator to discuss the project quickly followed (December 2015). • The expertise of one of IWA’s honorary consultant engineers, Howard Worth, was needed and he carried out a visual inspection and produced a report on the condition of the lock chamber. • The Trust asked for advice from IWA’s fundraising officer regarding local funding opportunities. • A second visit from IWA’s volunteers coordinator (November 2016) was arranged to discuss project management, site set-up and scaffolding. • The Trust will be hosting a Waterway Recovery Group Canal Camp in August 2017.
Lock 15 on the Grantham Canal In the case of the Grantham Canal, the Hub has actively tried to support the project and celebrate its successes: • IWA is a member of the Grantham Canal Partnership and arranges insurance cover for Grantham Canal Society’s requirements, such as equipment and buildings. • Mike Palmer, WRG’s chairman, is a member of GCHI Project Team and the engineering sub-team. • Restoration progress is covered extensively via IWA’s social media accounts, Bulletin newsletter, and Navvies and Waterways magazines. • WRG’s Forestry Team has spent several weekends clearing vegetation from locks 14 and 15. • WRG volunteers contributed £100,000 in volunteer hours for Heritage Lottery Fund match funding in 2016.
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