The Local Group and
Local Interest Marquee.
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Midland Game Fair.
Rosemary Rachael Hart.
In the local group and local interest marquee, Fred Barrett of the
Shropshire Union Canal Society explained the history of the Montgomery Canal. I have happy memories of rides on this canal, especially the beautiful tree-lined stretch north of Welshpool – incidentally the canal doesn't go to Montgomery. Constructed in the heyday of canals, it became part of the Shropshire Union Canal System, but when the aqueduct over the River Perry collapsed in 1936, the section between Llanymynech and Crickheath was blocked so the southern stretch fell into disrepair.
In the 1960s there was a plan to convert the line of the canal through Welshpool into a bypass, but many people disagreed.
In 1969, 400 volunteers got together; in what became known as the Big Dig, they cleared 100 metres in the middle of
Welshpool. The bypass route was rejected by a public enquiry and the interest in canal restoration began. Work on clearing sections of canal continues to this day. Parts had been designated as (SSSI) Sites of Special Scientific Interest, but nature reserves have been created at points along the canal and endangered plants and wildlife taken from existing reserves to stock new ones.
Next to the canal project display was the Walled Garden Project. The Walled Garden is set in woodland; the perfect place for people suffering from stress, anxiety, or depression to recover a sense of well-being.
Then came something that would have made my mother, a skilled dressmaker, totally happy. Called Love Dressmaking, it is run by tutor Catherine Demet, who provides private tuition, group classes, and workshops.
Finally came the stand of the Shropshire Beekeepers' Association.
Since an estimated one-third of the human food supply relies on insect pollinators, and bees are so seriously threatened,
you can't help but appreciate the work groups like this are doing. I thought of becoming a beekeeper until I discovered how much care
they need during the summer. No! Even free-flying insects suffer neglect if the person in charge is forever away on one
trip after another! My part in their survival is to fill as much as possible of my garden with single-flowered
plants producing plenty of nectar. Many people think they haven't enough space, but even one square metre of
nectar-producing single flowers is enough to help.