Piling it on at the Lichfield Canal
LICHFIELD & HATHERTON Canals Restoration Trust is looking beyond the current coronavirus crisis with its Falkland Road Piling Appeal.
Through its 20-20 Vision initiative, the trust is inviting far-sighted supporters to contribute £20 per pile in return for which a personal tag will be attached, recording their generosity far into the future.
The steel piling will provide channel protection along a highly visible section beside the bypass. It is a well-proven and robust long-term solution to water containment where the bank has to be supported such as for the towpath or where limited land is available.
In January Staffordshire County Council transferred ownership of the first length of the Falkland Road environmental corridor to the trust. This had been reserved since the bypass was constructed in 2006 to accommodate a diversion of the Lichfield Canal replacing the original route past the historic Sandfields Waterworks.
The Falkland Road section adjoins the now well-developed Fosseway Heath section with its public nature trail and will add another length to the popular Heritage Towpath Trail flanking the Lichfield Canal.
This new appeal presents a rare opportunity for donors to be publicly recognised with a brief inscription embossed onto a metal tag permanently attached to the sponsored piles. It could include a personal name, a memorable pet or a club group.
A similar appeal 20 years ago funded 400 piles on the Darnford section carrying an interesting variety of inscriptions from the donors who made it possible.
In due course, acquisition of the remaining length alongside Falkland Road will connect the canal with the planned tunnel under the railway south of Lichfield for which funding and tunnelling contracts are still being pursued.
If you wish to support the appeal please complete and return the form below; if signed as a taxpayer, the trust can reclaim gift aid of 25p per £1 donation. Alternatively visit the trust’s website at www.lhcrt.org.uk/2020piling. html