A garden stall in Pant raising funds for the restoration of the Montgomery Canal has raised over £100 and the organisers want to say a big ‘Thank You’ to the villagers, walkers and cyclists who have been so generous.
The stall in Penygarreg Lane has been organised by Dawn and David Aylwin who are keen canal boaters and are members of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA).
Selling a variety of plants, fresh produce and donated items, such as books and DVDs, the stall has already raised more than £100 for the Restore the Montgomery Canal Appeal, which is organised by The Friends of the Montgomery Canal, the Shropshire Union Canal Society and the IWA, Shrewsbury District & North Wales branch.
Explained Dawn, the focus at the moment is fundraising for the reconstruction of the Schoolhouse Bridge between Pant and Crickheath: “When the canals fell out of commercial use, bridges across the canal network were removed or lowered and that’s what happened to our local bridge.”
A fundraising appeal was launched a couple of years ago to get the bridge reinstated in advance of the extension of the restoration effort to the dry section of canal between Crickheath and Llanymynech.
Added David: “We are passionate about canal restoration and our stall is just one of the ways we like to support the efforts to reopen the canal to the village. We are convinced that a reopened Montgomery Canal would be of great benefit to Pant, not only in terms of tourism and visitors to the area but also in making the village more attractive, especially as people enjoy walking beside water teeming with wildlife.”
To help support the fundraising effort, look out for the stall for the rest of the summer in Penygarreg Lane or you can donate online by visiting https://themontgomerycanal.org.uk/donate.
If you would like to find out more about the Montgomery Canal, please visit https://themontgomerycanal.org.uk.