Lord Lieutenant promises to update King after marking completion of latest canal restoration project

A packed ceremony saw Shropshire's Lord Lieutenant, Anna Turner, officially unveil a plaque detailing the efforts undertaken to rebuild the bridge.

The work on the bridge, which was finished earlier this year, removes the last highway blockage on the Montgomery Canal near Crickheath in North Shropshire.

Joining the Lord Lieutenant for the ceremony were a host of guests, including Brian Welti, the High Sheriff of Shropshire; Lezley Picton – the leader of Shropshire Council - councillors; senior officers of the Canal & River Trust; a director of Shrewsbury contractors Beaver Bridges which built the bridge; Mike Wills, National Chairman of the Inland Waterways Association; trustees of Shropshire charity The Walker Trust; and Charles Lillis and Sue Turner – the Sheriffs of Shropshire and Powys respectively when the appeal for the bridge was launched in April 2017.

Speaking at the ceremony John Dodwell, chairman of the Montgomery Canal Partnership, said: “I thank the public at large for donating the money we needed to rebuild this bridge – about £1.1m.

"Special thanks to the Inland Waterways Association for £70,000 from the Tony Harrison Memorial legacy.

"Thank you too to the Walker Trust and to the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund and to the Millichope Foundation. Thank you also to the Friends of the Montgomery Canal who have contributed over £30,000, largely from their renowned annual triathlons – and the Shropshire Union Canal Society who started the fundraising off with £12,000.

"Thanks to all those who made individual donations – and continue to do. We have one person who donates £5,000 a year and another who donates £100 a month. One person donated £10,000 and others have given £5,000. On top of that, we had the enormous help from an anonymous donor who provided many thousands of pounds."

Mr Dodwell thanked the volunteers who had supported the project, specifically Michael Limbrey, Phil Parker, and Rogery Bravey, and spoke of the eight years it had taken to complete the project.

He said: "The original bridge was flattened in the 1950s/60s and an earth causeway put across the canal.

"Given there was no pressing highways problem and that the Canal & River Trust had other things on their plate, we decided to take on the project ourselves.

"Rather than wait for the famous 'them' to do something, we determined to do it 'ourselves'.

"This meant assembling a team of skilled and experienced volunteers – retired professionals with engineering, legal and project management skills.

"As a result, we were able to produce a bridge design which satisfied Shropshire Highways and the Canal & River Trust.

"It meant agreements with adjacent landowners and agreement with the council whereby they took on ownership of the bridge. As is so often the case, the planning for the works took a lot longer than the bridge building itself. In all it has taken some eight years from start to finish during which time the key volunteers stayed with the project."

Looking to the future, Mr Dodwell said the partnership is committed to re-opening the stretch of canal.

He said: "Where next? We have only two miles left to restore in Shropshire – where 80 per cent has been completed. It’s what we call the Shropshire Gap. Volunteers from the Shropshire Union Canal Society have been working away to put the water back into the canal from Crickheath Bridge – where we celebrated last year – to here and indeed towards Pant.

"All this costs money – even with volunteers. We need money for the equipment hire and materials they use. That’s why last year we launched a new public appeal for £250,000. I’m pleased to say that – excluding the Rural Prosperity Fund grant – we are more than half way there with the total now being about £130,000.”

Addressing the crowd Mrs Turner said King Charles himself had been interested in the canal project, adding that she would be reporting back to him about the progress.

She said: “I also want to celebrate everyone that’s here. You have done an incredible job. Our future generations are going to benefit from everything you have done. You must be very, very proud of yourselves.”

The final act was to christen the traditional canal bridge number plate on the arch, denoting the bridge as number 86.

The task was carried out by the two volunteer engineers of the project, Roger Bravey and Phil Parker.

Following the ceremony Mr Limbrey, chairman of the Restore the Montgomery Canal project, said: "This was another great day for the Montgomery Canal, a celebration of many years of effort.

"While the new bridge removes the last highway blockage in Shropshire, in Powys engineers are working on plans for new bridges as part of substantial investment under the UK Government Levelling-Up grant.

"Plans for the Welsh section also include new nature reserves to safeguard the canal’s valued flora and fauna to match the reserves in Shropshire.

"All this is part of a vision of a revived canal which values its built and natural heritage and offers amenity, well-being and business and employment opportunities to its local communities and visitors.”