Find out more about the Montgomery Canal

Anyone interested in the future of the Montgomery Canal which currently only reaches to a few miles outside Newtown, can attend the Montgomery Canal Forum.

The event will be held in Welshpool but will include information and updates about the whole canal. This includes plans to look at the cost of opening up the canal to Newtown.

The forum will be held at the Royal Oak Hotel, Welshpool SY21 7DG on Monday 22 April 2024 at 2.30pm.

The Forum is an annual event and presentations this year will cover developments on the canal in Powys and Shropshire and plans for its future including:

The new Schoolhouse Bridge, the last highway blockage in Shropshire, rebuilt by contractors in a volunteer-led project entirely funded by donations from supporters, private companies and charitable trusts.

Volunteers restoring the canal channel in Shropshire supported by the UK Shared 

Prosperity Fund and other grants.

The Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal supporting future restoration.

Multi-million pound Levelling-Up projects in Powys.

Nurturing nature and embracing ecological stewardship in the canal restoration.

Heulwen Trust, possibly the world’s first boat trip for vulnerable and less abled adults and children.

Michael Limbrey, Chairman of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust, said: "The forum is open to anyone interested in the restoration and development of the Montgomery Canal with its social, economic and environmental benefits for present and future generations. There will be an opportunity to discuss any issue concerning the future of the Montgomery Canal and its contribution to the area."

He added: "Major works are under way to extend the isolated section of canal in Powys and at the same time volunteers are hard at work to restore the canal to the Shropshire border at Llanymynech.

"Restoration ensures a safe and accessible towpath, protects the canal’s valuable ecology and its historic canal-age structures, and ensures an amenity for water sports as well as boating visitors: all topics that will be covered at our Forum this year.

“The Montgomery Canal is part of a network of waterways which extends from Newtown in mid-Wales to London’s Docklands and deep into Yorkshire. Many miles of once neglected canal have been reopened to become attractive features enjoyed by visitors and residents in towns like Llangollen, Brecon, Stratford-on-Avon and Droitwich. We believe that the restored Montgomery Canal will be a valuable in making the borderlands of Shropshire and Powys a great place for visitors and for residents to live, work and enjoy.”