Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust
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Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust is a British
registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...
, number 510448, which exists to promote the restoration of the
Montgomery Canal The Montgomery Canal ( cy, Camlas Trefaldwyn), known colloquially as "The Monty", is a partially restored canal in eastern Powys and northwest Shropshire. The canal runs from the Llangollen Canal at Frankton Junction to Newtown via Llanymy ...
.


History

The first efforts to restore the Montgomery Canal were made by the Shropshire Union Canal Society in 1968, when the section in
Welshpool Welshpool ( cy, Y Trallwng) is a market town and community in Powys, Wales, historically in the county of Montgomeryshire. The town is from the Wales–England border and low-lying on the River Severn; its Welsh language name ''Y Trallwng'' m ...
was restored. Further progress towards restoration was made in 1980, when the concept of a restored canal was written into the Shropshire and Powys County Structure Plan. Seven years later,
British Waterways British Waterways, often shortened to BW, was a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom. It served as the navigation authority for the majority of canals and a number of rivers and docks in England, Scotland ...
obtained an
Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
to authorise the restoration. This was the first occurrence of such an Act being granted. With the need to co-ordinate a number of authorities and manage applications for grants to fund the work, an umbrella organisation was needed, and so the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust was created. The Trust was formed in 1980 and its members include: *
Inland Waterways Association The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom and was formed in 1946 to campaign for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and sensitive development of British Canals and river navigations. Not ...
*
Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust (Welsh: ''Ymddiriedolaeth Natur Maldwyn'') is one of six wildlife trusts in Wales. It covers the vice-county of Montgomeryshire. and is based in Welshpool. As at 2013 the trust had 20 reserves. They include: * Cors ...
*
Powys County Council Powys County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Powys) is the local authority for Powys, one of the administrative areas of Wales. The County Hall is in Llandrindod Wells. History The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Governme ...
*
The Prince's Trust The Prince's Trust ( cy, Ymddiriedolaeth y Tywysog) is a charity in the United Kingdom founded in 1976 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds who are u ...
*
Shropshire Council Shropshire Council is the local authority of Shropshire (district), Shropshire, in England, comprising the ceremonial county of Shropshire except Telford and Wrekin. It is a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority, having the powers ...
* Shropshire Union Canal Society *
Shropshire Wildlife Trust The Shropshire Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the geographic county of Shropshire, England. Nature reserves The trust cares for, or is associated with, 42 nature reserves (plus its headquarters in Shrewsbury – see next section) ...
*
Waterway Recovery Group The Waterway Recovery Group (WRG), founded in 1970, is the national co-ordinating body for voluntary labour on the inland waterways of the United Kingdom. History The formation of the Waterway Recovery Group was a logical progression from events ...
"Friends of the Montgomery Canal" is a less formal group, created by the Trust for people living in the canal corridor, which provides them with information and opportunities for involvement in various canal-related activities. The Friends organises events including the annual Montgomery Dinghy Dawdle, which provides an opportunity for a large number of people in unpowered boats such as canoes and coracles to explore a section of the canal, and generates publicity for future restoration. The event is jointly organised with the Shropshire Union Canal Society.


Activity

One of the first big tests for the new organisation occurred in 1982, after the Powys Structure Plan had included a clause protecting the canal north of Whitehorse Bridge No. 120. Just three weeks later, the
British Waterways Board British Waterways, often shortened to BW, was a statutory corporation wholly owned by the government of the United Kingdom. It served as the navigation authority for the majority of canals and a number of rivers and docks in England, Scotland a ...
announced that they would not be starting any more work on the canal once the existing work at Frankton and Carreghofa was completed. They declared that restoration of the whole canal was uncertain, and that no water for it would be available from the
Llangollen Canal The Llangollen Canal ( cy, Camlas Llangollen) is a navigable canal crossing the border between England and Wales. The waterway links Llangollen in Denbighshire, north Wales, with Hurleston in south Cheshire, via the town of Ellesmere, Shropshi ...
. The Trust then requested a meeting with Sir Frank Price, the chairman of the BWB, and the two organisations agreed on the need for an economic study, which would inform future development plans. The meeting was held on 5 April, and the report was to be completed by October of that year.


See also

*
Canals of the United Kingdom The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's ro ...
*
History of the British canal system History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
* Shropshire Union Canal Society


Bibliography

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References

{{Reflist


External links


Pete’s Montgomery Canal web-site, incorporating the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust
Waterways organisations in England Charities based in Shropshire