Canal Towpath Taskforce Report

Audlem Canal & River Trust Towpath Taskforce events took place on Wednesday the 11th of May and Saturday the 14th of May.

Wednesday, despite best plans, it started raining so a quick change of plans from painting Lock 15 to refurbishing signs and totem poles throughout the Audlem Lock flight. New Canal & River Trust plaques were installed. A mild evening of mixed work, focusing on improvements to customer and visitor experience.

On Saturday, we had fantastic weather, so we caught up with work achieving a number of tasks and painting. The work completed:

• Refresh of the paint work on Lock 1 balance beams.
• Refresh of the paint work on Lock 3 balance beams.
• Installed and painted a new post, to replace a failed post, on the access at Bagley lane leading to Lock 3 to warn of overhead services/no fishing
• Painted 4 mooring totem posts and installed new CRT plaques, above Lock 1 and between Locks 2 & 3.
• Painted 3 overhead wires/fishing warning posts between Locks 2 and 3
• Installed no dog fouling signs to existing posts at the Bagley Lane access, adjacent to Lock 3
• Refreshed paint on the access gate at Bagley Lane/Lock 3

Saturday also saw the volunteers assisting in the emergency work at Lock 2, whereby the bottom gates were obstructed by debris, this was cleared by the staff from Norbury attending as an emergency.

The weather on Saturday was fantastic, so we enjoyed lunch and coffee, hot soup, fresh bread rolls and home-made biscuits outdoors on the picnic benches at Coxbank. We used the Section Land Rover in anger on Saturday, transporting materials from our store and service yard, to Coxbank/Kinlock, a very useful tool to assist the volunteers making the improvements to the Canal and Audlem.

Dek Owen
Volunteer (Task Leader)
Canal & River Trust
07771 831340

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