Cash wanted for the Llangollen

THE Canal & River Trust states it is hoping to raise £3,000 to carry out a project along the Press [Prees] Branch of the Llangollen Canal, that is situated between Whitchurch and Ellesmere.

Not alas for a bit of dredging but to provide for the two projects that have been launched to 'breathe new life into towpaths and riverbanks', Alan Tilbury tells us.

Sheltered homes

One is to provide sheltered homes for the water voles, to bring them back to the  Llangollen Canal, with CaRT Ecologist Stuart Moodie explaining:

"They used to be one of our most common mammals and now they're increasingly rare, they really need our help.

"Mink were brought over here for a fur animal but they escaped into the countryside. They're excellent at hunting and water voles have been particularly hard hit."

[It was actually ecologists and such that illegally released the Mink from farms where they were being bred for fur, totally naive to what a disaster they were creating for our own wildlife—Editor.]

We are told the scheme will involve cutting back overgrowth to create open water for the voles to swim away from predators such as mink and also providing a habitat of reeds for them to live.

Orchard

The second project is to raise £2,000 to plant a community orchard alongside the the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on the Llangollen Canal, with Stuart explaining that fruit trees are being planted, telling:

"They do something for everybody, they look nice in the Spring with the blossom and people can collect fruit from them at this time of year.

"The ones that fall to floor are a food source for birds and insects and the flowers provide nectar for bees in the spring."

To donate to the projects text either VOLE or TREE to 70007.