RESTORATION of a coal canal in the Somer Valley is building a head of steam with “fantastic progress” being reported on the bridge wing walls.

The main goal of the Somersetshire Coal Canal Society’s (SCCS), based in Paulton, is to restore the full 10.5 mile stretch of the northern branch of the coal canal from Timsbury to Bath.

Most of the work is being carried out by a team of “fantastic volunteers”, most of whom have day jobs they also need to balance.

A spokesperson for the SCCS said: “It can feel and look like we are making slow progress, but every now and again we make a big step forward and we are very excited to share the latest update with you.

“When we first dug out this part of the canal, the Terminus Bridge site was in a terrible state of repair. It has taken us a long time to prepare and clear the ground around the bridge site so that we could see the condition of the stone walls. A bit of trial and error was inevitable too.

“We have volunteers working every Sunday at Paulton, but it is an arduous task to keep the area beautiful for the public to use as well as trying to restore sections. There is a lot of work to do, and we are always looking for more help.

By far the most important development has been attracting a skilled volunteer to work on Terminus Bridge site at Paulton end of the canal, the spokesperson added.

They added: “Leading up to the main part of where the bridge would have sat are four ‘wing walls.’ All four were in a bad state of repair and needed rebuilding. A lot of work was completed last year on the main bridge walls and one of the wing walls was almost finished, minus the coping stones.

“Over the last month, we have seen some fantastic progress on the second wing wall, and we are hopeful the last two will be completed before the harsh weather kicks in. We are so grateful for the superb work that has been put in by Adrian Iles recently.”

Anybody who thinks they might be able to help with maintenance or restoration activities, please contact the work party leader at Paulton, Stu Ashman. He can be emailed at [email protected] or call/text 07759 336864.