Festival to be revived following two-year break

A WATERWAYS charity is able to run an event for the first time in two years following the easing of Covid restrictions.

TheShrewsbury& NewportCanals Trust is staging the Norbury Canal Festival at Norbury Junctionover the first May Bank Holiday from April 30-May 2. Theevent is free and opens at 10am daily until 4pm and can be found by using postcode ST20 0PN.

Boats, boats and more boats will be moored along about a kilometre of the Shropshire Union Canal and will be selling food, gifts, arts, crafts and more. Expect activities and street food, entertainment, boat trips and displays about the work to restore the Shrewsbury & Newport canals.

There will be children’s entertainment in the Junction Inn’s garden field including a bouncy castle, face painting and more. And on the Sunday at 2pm there will be the traditional church service on NorburyWharf.

Bainton & Berkhampstead, a working pair of historic boats that are undergoing restoration, will be present. Visitors will be able to see them and speak to the volunteers that are doing this important work.

The Junction Inn and Norbury Wharf Ltd will once again be supporting the event with plenty to eat and drink, a narrowboat trip, or a longer cruise on the 42-seat Shropshire Star where you can eat and drink aboard. Both businesses will have livemusic through Saturday andSunday afternoonsandevenings.

Car parking is free and adjacent to the canal.

It will be a great family day out and youwill be helping to restore the local canal network all the way from Norbury Junction to Shrewsbury.