Double anniversary celebration weekend event to be held in Stafford
The event will mark the 250th anniversary of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and 25 years of the Stafford Riverway Link restoration project
Pictured above is the building of the basin walls
A Stafford based Community Interest Company are hosting an event to celebrate two anniversaries.
The upcoming event will mark the 250th anniversary of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal and the 25th anniversary of the Stafford Riverway Link (SRL) restoration project.
The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal (SWC) was the brainchild of James Brindley and runs for 46 miles between Great Haywood, where it meets the Trent & Mersey Canal, and Stourport, where it locks into the River Severn.
The canal was cut with little more than picks and shovels using Brindley’s methodology of following the natural contours of the land and became an immediate success following its opening in 1772.
The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal passed within one and a half miles of Stafford at Radford Bank and in 1816 it was connected to Stafford by the River Sow Navigation.
This was constructed privately by Lord Stafford and the navigation served the town for over a century but became disused in the 1920s.
SRL’s ongoing restoration project aims to rebuild this link to the town centre for community benefit. Regular working parties have been held at the original Baswich site and all of the work is undertaken by local volunteers.
SRL Chair Paul Bryan said: “I am extremely proud to take over as Chair at what will be an exciting period in our history.
“Our big news at the moment is the formation of a partnership with Stafford College. The college is keen for their apprentices to work on the SRL site to gain practical on-site experiences.
“All building trades will have the opportunity of brick laying and carpentry etc. Additionally, we will have use of some heavy equipment, such as a 16 tonne digger. This will enable us to move at a much greater pace.
“We are holding the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the beginning of Stafford Riverway Link because we feel we do have something to celebrate, and it is a marvellous opportunity to demonstrate to the local population what it is we are doing and what we hope to achieve.
“Also it is good to be associated with the celebrations of the opening of the Staffordshire and Worcester canal 250 years ago.”
The anniversary event will take place on May 28 and 29 2022 and will be a large fete at SRL’s Baswich site, off Baswich Lane in Stafford. Admission and car parking for the public will be free.
They would also like to invite organisations to have a stall at this event. There will be no charge for stalls, although donations would be very welcome.
Setting up for stallholders will be on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 and ideally, the area will be cleared on the Sunday evening.
In addition to the stalls, it is hoped that there will be trade boats attending over the weekend.
Anyone that would like to take part or require more details should contact John Potter, SRL Site Coordinator, on 01785 226662 asap to reserve a pitch.
For more information on the SRL project visit their Facebook page or to donate money head to their GoFundMe website.
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