The view from the sharp end

Crickheath, SUCS volunteers are already working onwards towards Llanymynech

On the towpath side to the south of Crickheath Bridge, the wash wall also requires repair. This will be done using lime mortar. In readiness, a meticulous job of cleaning the existing stone wall and joints was completed.

Whilst Phase 1A has previously been cleared of scrub, there remained many stumps. These ranged from the remains of small saplings, mainly on the towpath side, to two enormous alder stumps growing out of the wharf wall. In fact ‘monster’ would be a better description of the largest. However, after much preparatory work the previous day, even this was removed by Sunday morning and dragged out of the way. The inevitable large void was treated with grout to provide a firm foundation for rebuilding the stone wall in this area.

With various other ‘housekeeping’ jobs being completed in compounds north and south of the bridge, this completed a highly productive work party.

On the May working party Volunteer effort was spread across a wide variety of activities and experienced variable weather conditions. The one constant being the incredible output and progress made.

Work commenced on the towpath improvements in Phase 1A which are supported by a grant from Oswestry Rural Parish Council. The finished specification for the towpath won’t be delivered until works in this area are completed but this provides a level, self-draining path in the meantime by removing slip and trip hazards from mud and tree roots. On this occasion, a four-day work party had been organised to include bank holiday Monday – the Coronation Big Help Out event. It was by no means certain the works would be finished in this time. In the event, the towpath improvements were completed in barely more than two