Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust volunteers preparing the Garden of Reflection. Image from Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust.

Tom Reid from the Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust has been in touch to let us know aboutGarden of Reflection they’re creating near the canal under restoration near Lichfield, and how they’re helping with Britain in Bloom.

If you’re unaware of the local canal restoration that’s steadily progressing this excellent blog post by Christine Howles explains more about it. The trust run regular work parties and all are very much welcome, whether you’ve a specialist skill or not!

At the moment, the volunteers are not only beavering away on the route of the lost line between Barracks Lane, Ogley Hay and The Boat restaurant, on the Lichfield Road at Summerhill, but also at several sites, including this one between Wall and Lichfield, Borrowcop on the A51 at Lichfield, and other places along the route of the lost line.

To find out more, please pop along to the Lichfield and Hateherton Canal Restoration Trust website here.

Tom Reid wrote:

The Mayor of Lichfield Councillor Janice Greaves with Peter Buck and Christine Bull at the launch of the Garden of Reflection project at Gallows Wharf. Image from Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust.

BLOOMING HARD WORK FOR CANAL VOLUNTEERS

Lichfield’s canal trust has launched a project to recreate the city’s historic Gallows Wharf, incorporating planting areas in a Garden of Reflection.

The garden will become part of Blooming Lichfield’s entry for Britain in Bloom, the nationwide community gardening competition led by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Gallows Wharf, near the junction of London Road and Tamworth Road, is on the route of the Lichfield Canal, which is being restored by Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust.

It is close to the site of the city’s gallows, originally erected in 1532, where on June 1, 1810, the last three men to be hanged in Lichfield met their fate, for forging and uttering forged banknotes.

It was also at Gallows Wharf that stained glass windows rescued from a dissolved abbey in Herkenrode, Belgium, were unloaded from canal boats on their way to Lichfield Cathedral in 1803.

The Mayor of Lichfield, Councillor Janice Greaves, launched the Garden of Reflection project on Thursday May 10 by unveiling a bench set in a small planted area and planting an oak tree.

Coun Greaves said: ‘I hope many people will stop along here, will sit here and reflect.’

The Trust’s engineering director Peter Buck explained that on the opposite side of the canal a garden representing the original wharf with two crane bases and a large container will be planted up and made ready for the Britain in Bloom competition judging in July.

‘Gallows Wharf is a historic part of the canal, and the city. It was here when the canal was built in 1797,’ he said.

‘We have an enormous amount of work to do. We have yet to build the wharf, we have yet to build the flower beds and we have yet to plant them, so there’s a lot of work to do between now and the 26^thof July.

‘Today is the project launch of the Lichfield in Bloom work that we are doing at Gallows Wharf.

Members of the Foresters Scouts Group working on the narrow boat on Tamworth Road. Image from Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust.

‘We’d like to thank Councillor Colin Greatorex of Staffordshire County Council who provided a grant that kickstarted this work off.

‘Literally eight weeks ago there was nothing here, no flower beds, no trellis, none of the work on the wharf. This has all been carried out by our volunteers.’

Another part of the Trust’s contribution to Blooming Lichfield is taking shape a little way down Tamworth Road where a representation of a 70ft narrow boat is being built by students from Queens Croft School and the Foresters Scout Group with help from the Trust’s chairperson Christine Bull.

Flowers will be planted along the length the boat, which is being made using wooden pallets and willow cuttings and a cabin built by Trust volunteer Tony Cadwallader.

To find out more about these opportunities for volunteering please click here.