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The Waterway Advisory Group (Wales) - A new group formed to shape the future of waterways in Wales.

Waterway group visits the cutting edge of Llangollen and Montgomery canals business

A new group formed to shape the future of waterways in Wales has been on a fact finding tour of two popular waterways – and found business confidence is high on both the Llangollen and Montgomery canals.

The Waterway Advisory Group comprises committed individuals from a wide range of professional backgrounds, each of whom can make a significant contribution to ensuring the waterways of Wales contributes fully to the national economy.

Their visit involved:

crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, newly crowned as a World Heritage Site;

visiting Llangollen Mooring Basin to see the 32 berth facility that has boosted visitor numbers to the waterway and town;

meetings with entrepreneurs whose thriving businesses in Llangollen and Maesbury are directly waterway related;

interaction with volunteers at the recently restored Redwith section of Montgomery Canal;

viewing further restoration potential at sites along the Montgomery Canal.

Group chairman, John Bridgeman said 7.5 million people visit the waterways of Wales annually, generating around £33m in visitor spend for just a tenth of that cost in maintenance.

“Add to this a World Heritage Site, three Scheduled Ancient Monuments and 206 Listed Buildings, and the contribution our waterways make to the culture and economy of Wales is clear,” he said.

The party discussed business at the waterway customer interface with established boat owner Peter Furness, based at Llangollen Wharf, then Iain and Fiona MacDonald, who have developed Maesbury Post Office as a thriving canalside retail hub.

“By meeting with individual success stories, we can assess the types of business models which are most likely to benefit from being located in a waterway environment,” said Mr Bridgeman.

“The ultimate aim is to secure the long term future of our waterways and the prosperity of those communities living beside them,” he added.

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