A Great Festival, and continued progress

Over the weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Melksham Food and River Festival.  Following last year’s very successful River Festival organised by WBCT, this year there was a combined event, joining in with the Melksham Food Festival.  Everybody concerned seemed to feel that the combination worked well, reducing the organisation task for all concerned, and giving a variety of interest.  The sun shone gloriously on Sunday, which gave a real festival feel to it.  The Trust had invited a number of special guests, including local MP Michelle Donelan, who had also come along on Saturday as crew on our trip boat.  Some very useful contacts made and renewed.  Our thanks go to Waitrose for their help with the hospitality tent, and of course to MCC branch for their great efforts in organising the ‘River’ part of the event.

The series of meetings being led by Roderick Bluh to explain to members the purpose and effects of the proposed reorganisation of the Trust really got under way last week, with visits to two branches and an open meeting at the Peterborough Arms.  Some very useful comments and feedback coming in, which will be evaluated and taken on board.  The meeting continue this week as well, but if you cannot get to one, then have a look at the proposals on the website, and send your thoughts and comments to Roderick Bluh on roderick.bluh@wbct.org.uk or to me chis.coyle@wbct.org.uk

As you know we receive valuable support and encouragement from the members of the Wiltshire Swindon and Oxfordshire Canal Partnership.  We meet them every other month to report on progress.  Normally that is a meeting in the usual form, but this time we want to take them out and show them some of the physical progress they are fostering, so our ‘meeting’ with them on Thursday will take the form of a brief visit to the Peterborough Arms to explain what our plans are there, and then a visit to the Studley Grange site to show them canal restoration in action.  We are taking the opportunity to invite the press along to Studley Grange at the same time to try to get coverage for the progress being made.  Just a reminder, we are planning that Trust members will be able to visit the Studley Grange site on the day of the AGM, Saturday 17^th October.

Meanwhile we continue with the background work that is so essential to enable progress.  As an example, this week Ken Oliver, Rod Hacker David Cook and Eddie Thomas are meeting the Environment Agency to identify and try to resolve some of the issues surrounding further work at Mouldon Hill.  One of a number of small steps being made, to enable the big ones.

Chris Coyle