Today we returned to the site at Measham that runs along the old railway line (between the former railway station and the back of Forterra) to remove some small tree stumps that were causing a slight trip hazard after the previous clearing of the site for the new footbath between Snarestone & Measham.

We had about 8 volunteers attend who all really got stuck in and managed to achieve far more than we anticipated. A thoroughly enjoyable day was had by all and we left the site with a great sense of achievement.

Can’t wait for the next work party!

Today there was a work party held up at Ilott Wharf to try to assess the state of the saplings we planted a few years ago. They had become somewhat overgrown by grass, brambles & other weeds making it hard for them to get sunlight and also making it difficult for us to see which were doing well, which needed attention in order to be saved and which just plain need replacing.

Unfortunately the weather was not too kind as the horrible unseasonably wet, cold & windy May continues to bear down on us but in traditional ACA style and with just 3 volunteers (Arran, Dave and new volunteer Alan) we put on our hats, zipped up our coats and managed to clear the worst of the overgrowth around the saplings giving them all a much better chance of survival for the ones still alive. For the ones that didn’t make it we were able to get an idea of how many we need to replace at the end of the summer.

We will need to return soon to tackle some of the nasty brambles etc that remain in the surrounding areas close to the saplings and also to maintain the area that we have just worked on but now we have gently cleared around the delicate saplings we can take a slightly more heavy handed approach to what remains.

Today we continued with Phase 2 of the slab laying project. We laid sand on the area we had previously prepared and then thanks to Trevor (who has clearly done this before) we fired along getting several rows of slabs down all straight & level.

This weekend a small team began preparing the ground to the side of the shop area for being converted from grass to slabs. It still requires sand laying etc before the slabs can go down but it’s certainly getting there!

This weekend we have finally been able to start laying down the extra slabs in front of the shop canopy at Snarestone Wharf.

The ground was prepared just before Christmas but a change in weather put a stop to any further work on this until now. It was a very chilly but incredibly sunny weekend and with just 2 Volunteers assisting the 2 already on site each day we managed to get 15 slabs down on Saturday and then even more than that on Sunday. You could really feel that Spring is in the air and the volunteers did a great job!

Today we did some ground work in preparation for laying some more slabs in front of the shop area at Snarestone Wharf. This previously grassy area would become very muddy and slippery when it rained and given how close it is to the canal for people’s safety, convenience and for the general aesthetics we decided to lay more slabs.

Today Arran & Fred did some work trimming the hedgerow on the towpath side at Snarestone Wharf. There were a number of ‘sticky uppy bits’ that required tidying up and were niggling away at them.

We recently received a grant from the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) for the sum of £10,000 to help fund a project to instate a new footpath between the towpath at the current terminus of the canal just past Bridge 62 at Snarestone and start of the Ashby Woulds Heritage Trail in the neighbouring town of Measham. The footpath will follow the restoration route of the canal and once the restoration is completed will be replaced by the towpath.

We identified the part of the route which would be most suitable to begin working on to kick off the project and this happened to be a small copse area on the corner of Bosworth road and Gallows Lane between Measham & Snarestone. The land once housed a couple of buildings, one thought to be a pub of some sort once upon a time but was now just an overgrown plot that we would need to clear a path through. A small team of 6 (due to COVID-19 restrictions) got to work on this today and we made great progress as can be seen below.

After receiving many contributions to our ‘Buy a Brick’ Gilwiskaw brook aqueduct appeal over the last few years we recently decided that it would be a good idea to source a supplier to manufacture the bricks we have so far and put them on display at Snarestone Wharf. The idea being that this would make a nice feature for everyone to see until they take their final place around the aqueduct when it is finally built.

A local company, Ibstock brick very kindly agreed to manufacture these bricks for us free of charge meaning that 100% of the funds raised would be able to go towards the manufacture and installation of the aqueduct. For this we are very grateful.

Today we received this first batch of bricks and set about putting them on the recently custom built display as can be seen below. This is just an initial placing of the bricks and we aim to make it more visually appealing in the coming days/weeks.

Today we were treating all of the individual wooden pieces that once installed will together form a valance for the new shop canopy and give it that traditional ‘railway station’ look.

Firstly we have treated them with a protective stain by a company called Barrettine. This is the same product that we use to treat our benches and notice boards with in order to protect them against infestation and rot etc. Once in place on the canopy we will then paint them with a cream coloured exterior gloss paint as their final coat.