Nice enough weather today, so a goodly bunch of volunteers met at the Swansea Canal Centre in Clydach to tackle a number of tasks.

Many thanks to Janet who brought along a selection of perennials to plant in the garden this week. She, Chris, Moira, Ronnie and Martin planted these plus even more tête-à-tête bulbs so that the garden will be in fine shape for the official opening of the centre on October the 25th.

The chaps tackled the large willows overhanging the canal, firstly with a pole saw that generated loads of brash that Bob fed through the chipper – a bit slow, but very effective.

Andy cut back a few rouge twigs of sycamore and tugged yards of bramble from the banked garden.

Mike is always smiling. His speciality is litter picking along the canal and he does a great job. Here he is by the stone barge with a full bag of people’s throw-aways.

Inside the centre, Sharon, Alan and John Gw. hung more of the panels from the “225 in 2024” exhibition. The first photo may look like they had taken leave of their senses but in reality they were measuring where the batten needed to be placed. The second shows a magnificent outcome.

Tea was taken in the comfort of the new centre. Margaret was the baker of the day – true to form, her gingerbread was particularly appreciated by Andy.

After tea, work continued on the willow trees. This time, Gordon used his chainsaw to great effect and the haulage team was back in action to drag the trunks from the canal. They also cut many withies that they pushed into the mud – hopefully they will all take. After a mad scramble to clear the brash, the overall effect was excellent.

Excellent work today. A good clean next Tuesday and the centre will be ready for the grand opening.