Canal cause to make a big splash

Buy photos » The Coney Meadow Reed Bed. (s)

A NEW charity which aims to make Droitwich’s cherished waterways a haven for people and nature for generations to come as been launched on a wave of support.

The Canal and River Trust will help people who live by, visit or work on the canals and replaces the roles previously held by British Waterways and The Waterways Trust in England and Wales.

Every penny donated to the cause will be spent directly on conserving, restoring, and enhancing local rivers and canals such as those in the Spa.

Google, The Co-operative Bank and Peoples’ Postcode Lottery are among the big names already signed up to support the scheme.

Jack Hegarty, chair of the Canal and River Trust South Wales and Severn Waterway Partnership, said: "Today, the canals and rivers in South Wales, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire are being given to the people in this region.

"This is an exciting new chapter in the fascinating history of our waterways and it would be fantastic if as many people as possible could be part of it," he added.

And to celebrate its launch, the Canal and River Trust is unveiling its first ever appeal of 50 projects across the country to breathe new life into towpaths and riverbanks.

Locally, the trust needs help to raise a much-needed £5,000 for Coney Meadow Reed Bed which was created in 2008 during the restoration of the Droitwich canals.

Four years on, the reed bed is in need of some careful management. It provides a vital habitat for local wildlife and the support will encourage threatened species such as reed warblers, reed buntings, grasshoppers, otters and kingfishers to flourish.

Ecologist Dr Mark Robinson, said: "The reed bed, surrounding grassland and trees are starting to become an important wildlife reserve by the Droitwich Canals.

"Already, we are starting to see many exciting and threatened species using the beds, but we need support to help us make improvements as well as managing the existing reed beds," he added.

To donate to this project text REED to 70007. Visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk for more information on how to visit, volunteer or donate to the Canal and River Trust.

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