Canal camp volunteers support Burslem Port project
OVER the October half term, IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group helped to create a new footpath on the Burslem Branch Canal in Stoke-on-Trent.
A group of 12 volunteers spent four days kick-starting the Burslem Port Footsteps project as part of a WRG canal camp working holiday. They installed more than 60m of footpath edgings and new path materials. The rest of the project was due to be completed by contractors by the end of November.
The Footsteps project, run by the Burslem Port Trust, aims to provide a walkway from the Trent & Mersey Canal along the line of the Burslem Branch Canal. The walk will also include interpretation signs covering the canal’s heritage as well as the potential for the reopening.
Longer term it will enable the creation of walking/cycling routes connecting Festival Park with areas of Middleport and Burslem and prepare the area for wider investment alongside the Etruria Valley development.
WRG Canal Camps in 2022 will be announced in the new year. These are usually a week long and no experience is necessary. You can sign up to receive the brochure at waterways.org.uk/wrg