Chesterfield Canal trust ground breaking ceremony

Derbyshire Times

Transcript

00:00 Hello, I'm Peter Hardy. I'm the Chair of the Chesterfield Canal Trust and myself and lots of other people

00:07 we're all here for a groundbreaking event.

00:10 And the groundbreaking event is that today we are starting the next stage of the restoration of the Chesterfield Canal.

00:18 We have been awarded some of money from the Staveley Towns Fund and

00:26 that money is being used to build two bridges, a lock,

00:31 half mile of canal and a footpath, a bridleway, all the way from here to Renishaw.

00:38 And we hope that in a few months time

00:41 people will be able to walk, commute,

00:46 cycle, horse ride even, all the way from Renishaw to Staveley.

00:52 Welcome everybody and I'd just like on behalf of the Chesterfield Canal Trust to welcome you to this groundbreaking event.

00:59 This is the start of an exciting time for the Chesterfield Canal Trust.

01:04 But not just the Canal Trust, also for the residents of Staveley

01:10 and for any visitors that are going to come along.

01:13 There will be lots.

01:16 Staveley, as you probably know, was awarded the money from the government's town deal.

01:19 And we were fortunate to receive a share of it.

01:24 We've also ourselves been raising money to help with landscaping and seating.

01:29 I mean thank you to you, thanks to everyone that's involved in the Chesterfield Canal Trust.

01:36 It's a huge asset to the town, it's one we're incredibly proud of.

01:40 I know a huge amount of work goes in from both people like George and volunteers

01:45 who've brought forward what is a huge asset for the town.

01:50 Huge thanks also to Chesterfield Borough Council who led on the town deal bid.

01:55 Without that bid, a lot of the developments that we're now getting for Staveley couldn't have happened.

02:01 And thanks also to everyone who supports this, the facility that you have here.

02:07 And I know that once we get the bridge built, once we get the further extension to the canal,

02:14 we'll have an even bigger asset for many generations in the future.

02:17 On behalf of Chesterfield Borough Council and the Staveley Town Deal Board,

02:23 I'd like to thank the Canal Trust for inviting us along this afternoon.

02:28 The canal, as Toby's referenced, is a real asset to the area.

02:37 Particularly so in case of people's health and well-being.

02:43 It's extremely well used.

02:45 This will make a piece of the canal even more accessible to people.

02:52 And of course, if we're going to get our economy going again in this town,

02:57 it means that we're going to have to get more and more people work ready.

03:01 And through recreation and leisure, they build up their strength to be able then to take on

03:07 some of the other projects that are involved in the town deal,

03:09 which are about gaining skills and getting into work.

03:13 I just want to echo what's been said.

03:16 It's just great to see the canal getting going again.

03:20 And that's all down to the volunteers who've put so much time in on it.

03:26 And all down to everybody who works on the Canal Trust.

03:29 Because without them, without their enthusiasm,

03:31 without their 30 year plus now record of getting things done,

03:35 we wouldn't be here today.

03:37 And we wouldn't be restoring this magnificent part of our history to its former glories.

03:43 And I can't wait.

03:45 I know when I first became an MP in 2017, I came and talked to the Trust.

03:49 And they were so as enthusiastic as they are now about finishing this final bit.

03:54 And we are getting there.

03:55 And we're getting there thanks to a lot of hard work, a lot of endeavour,

03:59 quite a few, I think, gritty, sleepless nights and frustrations at times.

04:03 but it's days like today that make all the difference.

04:06 So thank you for everything you've done to get us here.

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