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Editorial My first and final editorial. The first since I took the helm from Mary for the Winter 2020 edion, and the last, as I feel the me is right to hand the keyboard to a younger brain. Will you take it on, please? I will con nue to edit the June and July Newsle%ers, but new blood will be needed for the August edi on of Q . The job mainly consists of colla ng and edi ng ar cles, and placing them in the Q “template” that makes up this magazine. Equally, a new incumbent may wish to adopt their own strategies. I will give any help I can to a new editor, and hopefully s ll provide some items and images from the archives, if needed. The Trust is now on the cusp of a new phase in the restora on of the canal. The li.ing of the shadow of the Stop No ce on the four canal owners opens the way for looking at the significant possibili es the restora on offers to the proprietors (and likewise the canalside landowners, those local developers looking to “spend” their BNG credits, wildlife possibili es as the bio -diversity of the canal valley is enhanced, as well as the community at large). Future restora on will not be or look the same as the OCC’s magnificent work. Environmental legisla on has altered considerably. Proprietors will have different visions for their sec ons, and the work itself will need to be grant- rather than owner-funded. The Trust, as you’ll see from the Chair’s comments, has been having informal talks with the canal owners for several years, and is now star ng to formalise the way forward. Last November, the Trustees agreed the updated Strategy Plan, 2022-2032 and they are now working on the Middle Canal Restora on Proposals. This is ahead of discussions with the proprietor, who has some exci ng ideas for that sec on of the naviga on. Canal restora on is not just about opening a channel for boa ng. For example, the £9m lo%ery award to the Cotswold Canal Trust - for them to re-open some five miles of canal linking the restored Stroud sec on with the main network at Saul - will open the waterway to cra.. However, of the ten main objec ves listed in their lo%ery submission for the re-build, only one actually s pulated naviga on by boats. The next few exci ng years for the Trust will rely heavily on fundraising. With that in mind, the new Funds Team Leader, David B., is looking for others’ enthusias c offers to join his team. No ma%er what your slant or where your interest lies, all can be included within a holis c grant approach. For my final edi on, I’ve taken the theme of “Where Next?”, looking beyond 2022. Ivan Cane ֎
Quagmire
