Waterway Recovery Group volunteers from across the UK spent a week helping out regular Wey & Arun Canal Trust volunteers at Loxwood recently.

Some 15 visitors gave up their time to help construct landing stages and make towpath improvements as part of the WRG summer camp.

With the canal increasingly used by canoeists, kayakers and paddleboarders the Trust was keen to add suitable landing stages and the extra pairs of hands meant four were constructed in just a week.

The landing stages, one a double deck to accommodate boat crew, are made to British Canoeing standards, sitting 300mm above the water line for easy access to the canal. They are made using locally sourced Douglas Fir which was also sawn at a local timber mill.

As well as constructing the landing stages, the volunteers helped resurface a 200m section of towpath at Birch Copse and from Devil’s Hole Lock to the Ifold footpath.

These sections were worst affected in bad weather so the resurfacing with Fittleworth stone should see a great improvement.

The towpath work was made possible thanks to a £600 donation from the Loxwood Fete Committee and we are incredibly grateful for the funds which helped towards the cost of 180 tonnes of stone needed and the hiring of digger, dumper and roller.  

It wasn’t all work for the campers, however, who managed to enjoy a game of skittles, pub quiz and a guided walk to Lordings during their stay. Thank you to all those who attended the camp and to organisers including Dave Evans and Bill Nicholson.

Constructing the landing stages was something of a learning curve. By the end of the week the team had it down to a fine art.

The landing stages will be a great asset as the number of paddlers using the canal increases. All the wood used was sourced locally.

The finished product - one of four landing stages completed over the course of the week-long summer camp. 

The visitors helped resurface the towpath at Loxwood. Some 180 tonnes of Fittleworth stone was used. 

 A donation from Loxwood Fete Committee helped fund the materials needed for the towpath repairs. (Photo by Dave Miller).