West canal gets £6.4m to restore crucial link

THE historic Stroudwater Canal in Gloucestershire has received a £6.46m grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore crucial parts of the waterway.

- PHIL NORRIS [e-mail]

A major part of the project involves reinstating the 'missing mile,' which will take the canal under the M5, reconnecting the currently landlocked Stroudwater Navigation with the national inland waterways network.

This initiative, spearheaded by Stroud District Council in collaboration with the Cotswold Canals Trust, will establish a new fully accessible towpath linking Stroud to Gloucester and Sharpness, as well as forming an essential wildlife corridor connecting habitats from east to west.

A series of community activities will increase participation and enhance physical access to the canal, including new canal-side spaces for communities to congregate.

Canal heritage will be brought into community settings to extend its influence beyond the waterway, and the Stroudwater Navigation Archive believed to be the oldest canal archive globally will provide opportunities to narrate the canal's story in fresh and engaging ways.

Young people will have a pivotal role in the project, contributing through volunteering opportunities, interacting with canal heritage in the classroom, and actively participating in decision-making regarding the canal's future.