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Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site - Community Project

Communities Around The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site Urged To Play An Active Role In Its Future

Communities along the newly crowned Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site of the Llangollen Canal corridor are being urged to make a new year's resolution that will take them back to their roots.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct & Canal Project, a partnership of British Waterways, Northern Marches Cymru, Wrexham County Borough Council and Cadwyn Clwyd, aims to forge stronger links between communities and the mighty Pontcysyllte Aqueduct World Heritage Site structure dominating the landscape.

A programme of presentations and workshops has already laid the foundations for grass-roots initiatives to take shape – now the project is set to move forward into its first delivery phase. The project is focusing on the World Heritage Site communities of Chirk Bank, Chirk, Pentre, Froncysyllte, Trevor, Garth, Pontcysyllte, Llangollen, Pentrefelin and Llantysilio. It has received funding through the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is supported by the Welsh Assembly Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.

Kick-starting the New Year are a range of activities open to the 10 rural communities along the 11 mile canal corridor, with Thomas Telford’s magnificent creation at its heart. They include:

A guided badger walk session designed to give people better insight into this secretive and often misunderstood nocturnal creature. The event will start from Llangollen at 10.00 on Saturday 16 January with an awareness introduction, followed by a site tour and field surveys;

On Wednesday 20 January, Wrexham County Borough Council’s biodiversity officer, Emma Broad will host a walk showcasing two animals that polarise popular opinion – otters and mink. Carnivorous mink have an appetite for the small and vulnerable native water vole, but are no match for larger native otters which act as natural guardians of ‘Ratty’. This will start with an awareness briefing at 10am in Trevor Community Centre, before taking to the canal bank in search of these predatory beasts;

Plans are being developed to create better habitats for the otter, which is once again thriving along sections of the Dee Valley. Otter homes – ‘holts’ – will be built at selected locations, encouraging this important native species to recolonise the area in strength;

Physical access improvements and towpath upgrades are being drawn up ahead of the new tourism season at Easter, encouraging more local people and visitors alike to enjoy this unique leisure environment;

Environmental maintenance and improvement work is a cornerstone of the two year project. The first in a rolling programme of ‘towpath tidy’ events is being staged in Trevor, Garth and Froncysyllte on Saturday 23 January, with community volunteers cleaning infrastructure, cutting back excess vegetation and clearing away rubbish;

Canals and rivers provide a haven for many plants and animals, including dragon and damselflies, otters, kingfishers, frogs, swans, ducks and water voles. In addition to providing a source of food and places to live they also provide a sheltered corridor on which to travel safely.

Community projects officer, Piers Warburton says a key project objective is to equip communities with the skills to identify ‘field signs’ of animals – a vital aspect in building up an accurate database of their habitats and movements.

“A series of awareness sessions will give people the skills to identify these wildlife signatures. We will then undertake a survey of the entire 11-mile canal length to compile a comprehensive picture of its wildlife and their lifestyles,” said Mr Warburton.

“This in turn will provide a platform for regular conservation days that will help conserve their habitats and help them to flourish,” he added.

For the walks, weatherproof clothing and stout footwear are essential equipment, while packed food is a desirable option on a winter’s day. You must book in advance booking by calling Piers Warburton on 07920 810349.

“These events provide the perfect antidote to post-Christmas gloom by engaging people in outdoor activities that will make a lasting contribution to their communities, and help work off any signs of seasonal over indulgence,” said Piers.

“A canalside walk provides an opportunity to get up close and personal with a catalogue of fascinating creatures you would never usually catch a glimpse of,” he added.

• Pontcysyllte Aqueduct General

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  Pontcysyllte Aqueduct Construction