K&A Celebrations, Peterborough Arms Open Day and a thank you

It was a beautiful sunny day for the Kennet & Avon Canal’s 25^th Anniversary celebrations last Friday and a lot of people turned up to celebrate with them on Caen Hill, Devizes. The Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire, Mrs Sarah Troughton, was aboard the K & A Trust boat Kenavon Venturer and they passed through the same lock as the Queen did 25 years ago, breaking through a ribbon in a similar way as when the canal was opened  in 1990.  The Wilts & Berks Canal was not forgotten though – Mrs Troughton spoke in her speech about the opening of the landing stage at Wichelstowe and Richard Parry, CEO of Canal and River Trust spoke of taking inspiration from the K&A story to grasp the opportunity of  restoring the Wilts & Berks.  Our Events team had a stand and there was a steady stream of people the whole of the day who were interested in hearing about the Wilts & Berks and our progress.  BBC Radio Wiltshire covered the event and in the afternoon invited our Chairman on to talk about the economic benefits resulting from canal restoration. Rod spoke of the substantial progress that he hoped would be made in the next 10 years and the benefits for all the communities along the route especially in Swindon.

This coming Saturday 15^th August, the Peterborough Arms team are holding an open day at the pub, from 10am to 4pm, for members, investors and supporters to see what progress has been made and the plans for the future.  We also hope to display some details of the proposed new management structure of the Trust and Chair Rod Bluh will be present some of the day. A chance to meet the new Chairman!  Refreshments will be available as last time including some beer I believe ( Donations much appreciated).  I am told that a dedicated team have being painting the community room and Engineering office. Others have been cleaning and dusting ready for Saturday. Hope to see lots of you.  

The Trust received a small legacy last week from a member who lived in Chippenham all her life and was very interested in the canal. This is extremely welcome, as it provides some vital funds to carry out some restoration in the area that she knew and we will be able to acknowledge her contribution by providing some lasting memory for her family like a bench with a plaque. 

I promised a breakdown of the raffle ticket sales to date but I can just tell you that we have received around £2000 so far which is great. Please keep them coming – every penny counts!

 

Kath Hatton