THE Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust has been awarded a massive £2.53m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
This is the result of many years of work by the Trust to get money from the lottery, at last have been successful with the announcement of the grant.
Delighted
Learning about the money that has been awarded, Michael Limbrey, Chairman of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust, enthused:
"We are delighted with the news of this grant for the project to reopen another length of the Montgomery Canal.
"Many thanks are due to Canal & River Trust team which has worked over several years to achieve success with this bid. There is a lot of competition for lottery funding and to achieve success you have to look for the best results for the restoration while meeting the funder's standards. You also have to manage the costs and ensure public support for your plans.
Local support
A great deal of effort has already been made to the restoration of the Montgomery Canal, that has had the support of local communities and waterway enthusiasts, including Friends of the Montgomery Canal and the local branch of the Inland Waterways Association.
The association's Waterway Recovery Group has been particularly involved with the restoration, the waterway being the site of many of its work camps over the years.
The next section of the Montgomery to be restored will be to Crickheath in Shropshire, with the ultimate aim to bring boats back to Welshpool in ten years, joining mid-Wales once again with the rest of the system.