THE long hot summer might be a distant memory but the lack of rain is still affecting the canal.

Low water sadly meant that the popular town centre boat trips from Wallbridge had to be cancelled.

The long sunny days also meant that weed growth, both in the canal and on the towpath, stepped up.

Levels were high enough for Sunday’s Raft Race.

Volunteers are working on these issues.

A dedicated weed cutting boat will help keep the canal itself clear, while bank maintenance will be made much easier with the arrival of a new maintenance boat, already named Flea!

This will work on the newly opened stretch upstream of Stroud, whilst Wookey Hole continues downstream.

Another volunteer team is working on a water supply into the canal from the River Frome at Brimscombe.

This very clever installation works by siphon but is experiencing teething problems and difficulties with a restricted culvert at Bowbridge.

Water supply is important - each time a lock is used, over 300,000 litres of water are lost downstream.

These issues highlight the transition from restoration to maintenance.

Now that the canal between Thrupp and Stonehouse is functioning, it has to be looked after.

Alongside the volunteers already mentioned, we have teams dredging and maintaining locks and towpaths.

Others are preparing new tugs and workboats – all part of the growing maintenance operation.

Construction of a ramp at Bowbridge is now complete and should be a popular improvement to canal access.

It allows cycle, buggy and mobility scooter users access to and from the towpath, avoiding the steps under the nearby bridge.

Volunteers did the hard work, while the county, district and town councils got together with LiveWest Housing to fund it, make the land available and manage the project.

At Lodgemore (Stroud), volunteers are working to electrify the bridge.

This pioneering design is a little difficult to operate by hand but fortunately was designed to easily take an electric motor.

Our thanks to neighbours for allowing their garden to be dug up for the cable!

All this and future canal developments mean that we need many more volunteers with all sorts of skills.

Call at one of the Canal Visitor Centres or email jon.pontefract@stroud.gov.uk

A recent piece of good news is that our partner organisation, the Cotswold Canals Trust, has been awarded the Christopher Power Prize from the Inland Waterways Association.

The prize ‘is awarded to a person, society or trust that has made the most significant contribution to the restoration of an inland waterway’.

lDave Marshall is canal manager at Stroud District Council.