Canal trust rockets ahead with historic project
A charity aiming to restore part of Shropshire’s historic canal network will help to make history this summer in a new mission to Mars.
The name of the Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust will leave Earth on a journey of 35.8m miles as part of the Mars 2020 space exploration. The trust has had its name engraved on a metal plate on the spacecraft ‘Perseverance’, which is scheduled to leave for Mars in July, along with 10.9 million others.
The trust, which is aiming to restore the waterway linking Norbury Junction to Shrewsbury, has also embarked on a mission of its own and is looking to local businesses and people for support.
It is appealing for donations to support its restoration of two workings boats, named Bainton and Berkhamsted, which were given to the trust earlier this year.
The boats were built in 1936 by Harland and Wolfe in Woolwich, London, the same company that launched the Titanic in Belfast in 1911.
Chairman of the Trust, Bernie Jones, said: “Whilst our name is heading to Mars we are on a mission of our own to complete the boats’ journeys to Norbury Junction where we can start the long process of restoration.
“In the 84 years since they were built it is estimated that they have travelled over 200,000 miles at a top speed of just four mph, so not quite the distance to Mars but enough to need some TLC to bring them back to mint condition.
“In the longer term we plan to have teams of volunteers working on the restoration of the boats, under expert supervision, and to use them as part of our educational programme about the working people and boats of the UK’s unique canal system.
“We’re estimating this will cost in the region of £100,000 but that will only truly be known once they have arrived at Norbury and been assessed. We would love to hear from any organisations or individuals who would like to support this project.”
