Blue, green and lots in between at NCA’s spring meeting

THE Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust has put together a full programme of talks and a site visit when it hosts the spring meeting of the Northern Canals Association on Sunday, March 17.

Presentations by a variety of speakers will be followed in the afternoon by a tour of the Darnford Moors Ecology Park Project.

Trust chairman Carole Mills will talk on The Blue and the Green: developing Lichfield’s Canal Corridor, in which a 500m section of the canal has been built and lined as part of the project.

As well as creating an aquatic habitat, wetlands area and nature trail, work has included the installation of ducting for electric cables to provide power for electric boats.

Lichfield MP Sir Michael Fabricant, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways and is patron of the trust, will talk on Parliament and our Waterways while Tom Rochford, head of drainage services with contractors OnSite Central Ltd, will tackle Water Water Everywhere.

Student Charlie Plant will talk about his experiences of Volunteering through the DoE Award and Onward. Former IWA national chairman Ivor Caplan will give an update on the Funding Britain’s Waterways campaign.

YouTube film-maker and roving trader Andy Tidy will focus on the Lichfield/Ogley Locks and the impact on the wider BCN and after lunch Geoffrey Pursglove of the Ashby Canal Association will talk about slipways and restorations followed by restoration group updates.

The meeting is being held at Boley Park Community Hall, 7 Ryknild Street, Lichfield WS14 9XU. For further information and to book a place contact northern.canals2021@ btinternet.com as soon as possible.