It may be a long time before there are any boats on the Lichfield Canal but meanwhile all the work of our volunteers and supporters has really paid off with the sections at Borrowcop Locks Canal Park (Tamworth Road), Summerhill, and Fosseway Heath in particular being enjoyed by walkers, cyclists and wildlife lovers. A few years ago it was just about possible to walk along Fosseway Heath,
with care. Now thanks to all the hard work it is a safe and
very pleasant place to take a stroll, walk the dog, sit awhile and listen to
the birdsong - and maintain a social distance.
And we know how much our efforts are appreciated, not just locally but from further afield:
"I've just come across your website. What you're doing there is incredible on all levels, from helping young people learning skills for life, to providing walks and green spaces for everyone to enjoy." - Murray
Read more on how we did it here.
While most of our work (some essential maintenance continues under strict infection control measures) and all of our events have come to a halt the Trust still needs funds to cover numerous day-to-day running costs. Last month we took a look at some other ways the Trust, and individual supporters, are working to raise funds. A big thank you to all - and others not mentioned. Here is a brief update.
The 2020 Piling Appeal, launched last month in social media, Cut Both Ways and Towpath Talk magazines, has caught the public attention with a most encouraging number of subscribers. To date we have 86 donors who have paid for 186 tags, which with Gift Aid totals almost £6000. A further donation brings the total to over £8700.
The first batch of piles has been bought and we hope to start installing them soon. Meanwhile, some assistance is needed with stamping out the names onto the aluminium strips ready for fixing.
For more information and to donate see our Piling Appeal Page or go straight to our online shop. Forms are also included in the latest issue of Cut Both Ways.
Christine Howles, communications director for LHCRT took part in the 'This Girl Runs' fun run aiming to run 50k by the end of April. Christine has raised £342 plus Gift Aid.
Christine said "I was humbled by the donations I received, not just from friends but also from people I don't know but who support the work we're doing to restore the canal. Most of my runs took place along the heritage towpath trail and it's a wonderful place to run, away from traffic and in amongst nature. Perhaps one day I'll be fit enough to run from Huddlesford to Ogley and maybe even to Hatherton."
You can still donate to Christine, visit
https://www.facebook.com/donate/527215601298113/
or you can donate
at Christine's fundraising virtual fun run
https://www.totalgiving.co.uk/mypage/christinesfunrun
A real Eric & Doreen's Easter Coffee morning, from 2017
As Eric and Doreen Wood's Easter coffee morning was cancelled, Lisa Barker set up a fundraiser on Facebook, asking people to have their own virtual coffee or tea morning, add a picture on the Facebook page and make a donation to help the canal restoration. So far she has raised £424.
To make a donation and post your picture, visit Lisa J Barker on Facebook.
Tony Harding walked along the length of the Lichfield and Hatherton canals, and the bit of the W&E that joins them, by doing 420 laps of his garden - a distance of 26.5 miles, and in the process he has raised £565.
You can still make a donation and read more on Tony's adventure on his Facebook page here.
Tony Cadwallader has been maintaining the dedicated benches he has been producing for the last few years. So successful have these been that we might run out of space! However we will do our best to accomodate your wishes should you have a specific place in mind.
Tony has also added a matching table to accompany the benches. The new dedicated table, and the benches, can be found in our online shop here.
Two more online auctions by Wintertons have raised a further £280. A collection of stamps raised £190 while an assortment of miniature crockery which failed to sell last time sold for £90. Bev Marshall said "We decided to try one more time before consigning the items to the skip so we were delighted with the result. We have only limited storage space but would love to receive more saleable items like these."
So in total the items raised £1065.00 with Richard Wintertons Auctioneers generously not taking any commission or fees. A great result,
many thanks to the donors and to Richard and his staff for so much help and expert advice.