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Big Dig 40 ― A successful weekend

Big Dig 40 ― A successful weekend commemorating the start of the Montgomery Canal restoration

The weekend of 17/18 October 2009 was called Big Dig 40, and was a commemoration of the start of the restoration of the Montgomery Canal at the Big Dig in Welshpool in 1969.

Over the weekend of 18/19 October 1969 nearly 300 volunteers cleared the section of the Montgomery Canal through Welshpool. This was the first mechanised work party on the waterway and was unique in involving local residents as well as canal enthusiasts.

The weekend of BIG DIG 40 included today's enthusiasts from Shropshire Union Canal Society and Waterway Recovery Group carrying on restoration work on the length to Pant and a celebration at Welshpool.

On Saturday 17 October there was a range of activities at Welshpool co-ordinated by the Friends of the Montgomery Canal:

boat trips run by Heulwen Trust from Welshpool Town Lock from 10am

canalside displays, stands and children's activities at Welshpool Town Wharf and main Car Park .

The children's activities included competitions and crafts: many parents will remember their children making foghorns...! There were stands from the Inland Waterways Association, Shropshire Union Canal Society, Waterway Recovery Group and the Duchess-Countess Project from Llanymynech, with the Valley Arts & Crafts group from Lake Vyrnwy. The Horseboating Society organised demonstrations with Buddy the horse, and there was a canal boat display by boat-builders Price Fallows of Shrewsbury.

The Inland Waterways Association promoted their Save our Waterways campaign against cuts in Government funding which leave British Waterways with less than they need to maintain the canal network.

The Friends of the Montgomery Canal had a further display at the Powysland Museum where members were given cups of tea and Montgomery Mud Pies, cakes symbolising the mud that had to be cleaned out of the canal forty years ago.

Exhibitions of original, historic photos of the Big Dig, taken by renowned waterways photographer and author, Harry Arnold, were on display at the Powysland Museum and adjacent wharfside Stable Block.

There was a presentation to Stephen Lees of a painting of Ellesmere Yard by the well-known local artist and author Tony Lewery. Stephen left the Montgomery Canal earlier this year after seven years as the Project Manager for the Montgomery Canal; he steered the strategy for restoration to completion and organised the restoration and improvement works on the canal which followed.
There was a crowd at the canalside at 3-30 when a commemorative plaque was unveiled, recording the start of restoration. The bilingual plaque, concealed by a red Waterway Recovery Group T-shirt and a purple Shropshire Union Canal Society T-shirt was unveiled by four people who took part in the events of October 1969, representing the groups involved, introduced by Michael Limbrey, Chairman of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust :

John Dodwell, representing what was to become the Waterway Recovery Group (though it did not formally adopt that name until the following year). John is Chairman of the Commercial Boat Owners' Association and has recently been appointed to the Government's advisory body on waterway matters, the Inland Waterways Advisory Council.

Mrs Nancy Millington of Welshpool, representing the local community volunteers of the Welshpool By-Pass Action Committee who opposed the idea of building a by-pass along the line of the canal. Nancy and her late husband Claude have been long-time supporters of the restoration of the Montgomery Canal, and she is the bookings secretary for the Heulwen Trust, the first charity in the world to provide canal boat trips for disabled children and adults.

Mrs Pat Wilson, representing the Shropshire Union Canal Society. Pat has twice been Chairman of the Shropshire Union Canal Society: she and her late husband Geoff and their children all took part in the working party in October 1969 and with their converted narrowboat have remained involved in waterways ever since.

Harry Arnold, waterway journalist and photographer, representing the committee which organised the 1969 weekend. Harry was a founder member of the Shropshire Union Canal Society and is a Vice-President of the Inland Waterways Association.
After the unveiling Lembit Opik MP spoke to commend the work of volunteers and underline his enthusiasm for the restoration of the canal.

The Mayor of Welshpool, Cllr Ann Holloway then boarded the cruiser Melrose long-term resident in Welshpool, belonging to supporter Gordon Adams. She was joined by Glyn Davies and Powys County Council Chief Executive Jeremy Patterson. Lembit Opik and John Dodwell boarded the steam launch Graculus which was also in the lock. As they left the lock there was a salute from other boats present with steam whistles and air horns which must have been heard all over Welshpool. The other boats then lined up to follow them on the canal through the town. There were a dozen boats in the procession following the mayor, including an ocean-going canoe, a caraboat, steam launches and motor boats, with the two boats of the Heulwen Trust, all dressed overall with flags and bunting.

The order of boats and their details are set out HERE.

When the procession had passed, the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust hosted a reception for VIP guests including councillors from Powys and Shropshire, the Mayors of Welshpool and Newtown, the Deputy Mayor of Welshpool, John Bufton MEP, representatives of British Waterways, the National and Regional Chairmen of the Inland Waterways Association, David Aylwin, Chairman of the Shrewsbury District and North Wales branch of the Inland Waterways Association, Terry O'Brien, Chairman of the Shropshire Union Canal Society, and some of the volunteers from 1969. The guests were addressed by John Dodwell and by Andrew Stumpf.

John Dodwell, who is a member of The Inland Waterways Association, the Shropshire Union Canal Society and the Friends of the Montgomery Canal, speaking in a personal capacity said that planning should start before the English length reached the border to deal with the lowered bridges, which block the canal in Wales from the national system, and for creating nature reserves along the canal. He said that he was interested in the canal 's industrial history, its wildlife, flora and fauna, its towpath as well as boating. Last August he had brought his boat to the canal at Maesbury and had seen for himself the economic benefits of restoration – as he had last year when on the restored Kennet and Avon Canal in Berkshire. Finally, he reminded people that the canal in Welshpool was part of the national waterways system and so part of the nation’s heritage and that its restoration was high on the priorities list of the Inland Waterways Advisory Council.

Andrew Stumpf will shortly be taking up the post of British Waterways' Head of Regeneration, Wales & West. He said that he had started as a volunteer and had worked for British Waterways on other restoration schemes, including the Cotswold Canals. He commended the work of volunteers and confirmed British Waterways' commitment to the Montgomery Canal.

While the efforts of volunteers were being celebrated in Welshpool, over a hundred enthusiasts from Waterway Recovery Group were clearing a further dry channel section of north of Pant as a preliminary to restoration. Volunteers in this group had come from across the country, including Kent, Gloucestershire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cheshire. Clearance of the canal is a first step to a survey which will show what has to be done so this length of the canal can be restored.

On the Saturday evening, the Waterway Recovery Group was joined in its temporary accommodation at the Marches School. Oswestry, by members of Shropshire Union Canal Society. Through the evening archive films and photographs were shown of early restoration on the Montgomery Canal and on other canal restoration projects around the country.

On Sunday, 18 October, interest shifted to the Shropshire length of the canal, between Morton and Pant, south of Oswestry.
At the southern end of this site Waterway Recovery Group continued to clear the canal bed.

At Price's Bridge, the Friends of the Montgomery Canal offered guided walks of the section under restoration by Shropshire Union Canal Society. Visitors arrived by car or on a classic bus service from Welshpool. Over a hundred people came to see the works, and were regaled with refreshments by the Friends of the Montgomery Canal.

This length of canal has been dry for over 50 years. Volunteer work parties have been constructing walling at the side of the channel and have started laying a waterproof liner at the bottom of the channel. Members of the regular Society working party showed visitors the nearly-completed walling works, the newly-laid towpath hedge, and other volunteers working machinery to clear the canal bed for the remainder of the length.
On the same day Shropshire Union Canal Society had invited a number of guests to see their work. Guests included Mrs Anna Turner, High Sheriff of Shropshire, and British Waterways board member for Wales, John S Bridgeman CBE TD DL, Lembit Opik MP, the Earl of Powis, the Mayors of Oswestry and Welshpool towns, Cllr Peter Nutting of Shropshire Council, a number of members who had taken part in the work in 1969, and representatives of British Waterways, the Friends of the Montgomery Canal, Inland Waterways Association and Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust.

Speaking to the guests, Mr Bridgeman spoke enthusiastically of the future for the Montgomery Canal and what British Waterways and the volunteer groups could achieve together.
Mrs Turner commended the work of volunteers, her chosen theme for her year in office, and launched the Society's Buy a Barrow of Boulders appeal to raise funds for boulders to protect the new lining to be laid in the bed of the restored canal.

Trust Chairman Michael Limbrey said, “This has been the biggest weekend of our year. We have commemorated the start of restoration and celebrated what volunteers have achieved since and the work they are continuing with into the future. Restoration has of course also involved major engineering projects achieved with the help of British Waterways, the local authorities and other funding agencies. Together, we now have half of the canal restored for navigation, and our guests this weekend have emphasised their support for work to press forward.
"The next step is to complete the restoration to the Shropshire border. This is a short but significant length, and will offer great opportunities to the Llanymynech area. After that we will look to completing the connection to Welshpool so that mid-Wales will once again be connected to a national network which extends to Liverpool, Lincoln and London.
"The reopened canal will be a key part in developing the opportunities for the border area which now includes a World Heritage Site on the Llangollen Canal, castles, stately homes, steam railways, long distance footpaths and so much more.
"The Trust and its members will continue to work with British Waterways, public agencies and the volunteer groups so that together we can promote the future of this canal as an asset for the local community, for visitors and businesses."

The Big Dig 40 weekend was co-ordinated by the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust and involved the groups involved in the restoration project – Friends of the Montgomery Canal, Inland Waterways Association, Shropshire Union Canal Society, Waterway Recovery Group and British Waterways.