Canal volunteers ina race against time

Race against time at Staveley Basin. Will Staveley Town Lock be completed and operating in time for the Festival on May 28th? The Chesterfield Canal Trusts volunteer Work Party is striving valiantly to get everything completed, but bad weather and mechanical problems are making it really difficult.
Work on the lock itself is almost complete. Only the coping stones and the lock gates need to be fitted. The gates have already been made by Hargreaves and are in their works in Halifax. Volunteers working on the spill weir. — Race against time at Staveley Basin. Will Staveley Town Lock be completed and operating in time for the Festival on May 28th? The Chesterfield Canal Trusts volunteer Work Party is striving valiantly to get everything completed, but bad weather and mechanical problems are making it really difficult. Work on the lock itself is almost complete. Only the coping stones and the lock gates need to be fitted. The gates have already been made by Hargreaves and are in their works in Halifax. Volunteers working on the spill weir.

The Chesterfield Canal Trust’s volunteer work party is striving to get everything completed, but bad weather and mechanical problems are making it really difficult.

The main issue is completing the 300m of canal below the lock, known as Hartington Harbour. This area has been, at best, ankle deep in mud and at worst totally flooded since November.

The trust’s ageing excavator has developed frequent mechanical problems. JCB/TCHarrison has helped the trust to fix these breakdowns.

David Kiddy, trustee in charge of volunteers, said: “I am very proud of our volunteers. Many have come to work on four or five days a week throughout the winter, frequently working in atrocious conditions.”

Work on the lock itself is almost complete. Only coping stones and lock gates need to be fitted.