Buckingham Canal Society news

The BCS work parties have now split into two separate groups working in different areas of the canal. I work on alternate Thursdays and on the second Sunday of each month at our Bourton Meadow and Hyde Lane Nature Reserve sites. Most of the work at these sites involves keeping hedges trimmed, the towpath strimmed, bench seats painted, and any excess of reeds removed from the canal bed. So the work parties are mainly for people who like an environmental project.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Terry Cavender works at our Cosgrove site, where most of the work involves using excavators and dumper trucks, or working from our work boats Louise and Percy dredging the canal.

Recently we received a small grant which has enabled us to plant a small orchard at Cosgrove close to Bridge One, and also install flower beds and planters by Cosgrove Lock.

The main task at Cosgrove over the next few weeks will be to install piling along part of the canal beyond Bridge One, hopefully fixing several leaks in the canal bank. Once these leaks are fixed, the plan is to raise the water in the canal from Bridge One onwards to navigation level.

For the first time the Society took part in IWA Milton Keynes Branch's Canal Clean-up with their work boat Louise. (See separate report on Pages 4 - 5.)

We are always looking for more volunteers at all three sites so if any MK IWA volunteers have any free time please make contact.

The Society’s Canal Festival & Craft Fair returns to Cosgrove on 22 - 23 July. See the Diary on Page 8.