Gordon Walker, Nigel Craddock and myself were made very welcome by Richard Dommett, the site manager of the restoration work being done to the locks north of Cwmbran on the Mon and Brec Canal. We were very interested to hear his views on the need for partnerships to push forwrd any major funding for canal restoration. The Mon and Brecon Canal Regeneration Partnership consists of three councils (Torfaen, Newport and Caerphilly), the CRT and the Brecon Beacons National Park.

The personnel on site are a mix of volunteers and paid young people learning a trade. They were all working on the new double lock gates which will be put in place in the canal shortly. These lock gates are not made of the traditional green oak but of metal and will last four times as long. They are indistiguishable from the wooden variety.

We must learn from Richard and his team and our immediate goal is to get both our councils as well as large businesses in the area on board a new restoration partnership for the Swansea Canal.