Sculpture for K&A

Published: Thursday, 04 November 2010

A NEW sculpture to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Kennet and Avon Canal was unveiled last weekend.

The sculpture is on the canal towpath near the Horseshoe Walk end of the Widcombe Flight, and was commissioned by Bath and North East Somerset Council, in partnership with the Widcombe Association, the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and British Waterways, Alan Tilbury tells us.

Something to see

Peter Dunn, who is on the Board of Trustees of the canal trust, remarked:

"This is just something else for people to see as they walk along the canal.  We are looking to improve the whole walkway and get more people walking along it."

Sarah Brice, of British Waterways, explained:

"We are looking forward now to the next 200 years and we are hoping to improve all the other structures along the canal. This project is providing heritage for the future and it is all about looking forward and letting people enjoy it.

"It is creating something for the future and bringing the community together in the mean time."

Protesters

However those boaters with continuous cruising licences that take up so much mooring space on the waterway without moving, gathered at the event to air their frustrations at national plans by British Waterways to change its mooring rules and regulations, meaning they cannot stay moored at sites along the waterway for years on end flaunting the rules, with Chief Executive Robin Evans stating:

"We are determined that our waterways should thrive as working navigations, for this is at the root of their heritage. We want waterways that are vibrant with boat movement, rather than extended linear boat parks."