The Whitchurch Waterway Trust

10/10/2026

Whitchurch Canal Repair Project – Latest News



Canal and River Trust has dammed off and drained a section of the Llangollen Canal upstream of the breach which has meant isolating the Whitchurch Arm. Narrowboats mooring on the Arm were given the choice to stay or to leave. In the end, four boats decided to stay and we are keeping in regular contact with their owners.



Once any leakage through the stop planks at the end of the Whitchurch Arm had been countered by pumping it back into the Arm, the levels in the Arm were found to be dropping by 10mm per day. This sounded like a problem until we realised that seepage occurs from all traditional clay-lined canals. The expected drop for a body of water like the Whitchurch Arm is between 10 and 50mm per day, so we are at the low end of the expected range.



Last week the CRT Project Manager confirmed that the wet areas found within the breach repair were drying out and that they are confident that the newly drained section is the source of the leak. Any soft areas have been dug out and replaced with stone and repair work to the embankment is resuming at pace. CRT will replace the corroded piling and re-seal the drained section before removing the temporary dam and reopening the Whitchurch Arm. This work will be completed before the canal is reopened next year.



Mark Lacey, Chair of WWT said, “sealing off of the Whitchurch Arm for the first time since it was reopened in 1993 was a significant event for us and as a result we are learning a lot about the construction, repair and maintenance of canals which will benefit The Whitchurch Arm in the future.”

04/10/2026

Yesterday, we were delighted to attend and support the Whitchurch Blackberry Fair! 🖤🍇

What an incredible community event, celebrating creativity, the arts and everything that makes Whitchurch such a special place.

At Whitchurch Waterway Trust, we believe it’s so important to support the events, organisations and volunteers who make our community thrive, just as they support us. ❤️

Events like the Blackberry Fair, just like our very own Whitchurch Canal Festival, simply cannot happen without the dedication of volunteers, the generosity of supporters and vital fundraising.

If we want to continue enjoying these fantastic community events, we all have a part to play in supporting them, whether that’s volunteering, donating, fundraising or simply coming along and getting involved.

A huge thank you to everyone who supported us yesterday by buying our tombola tickets and hats, and to everyone who stopped for a chat about the canal and the work of the Trust. Your support really does make a difference!

Finally, a massive well done to everyone involved in organising and delivering such a wonderful Blackberry Fair. It takes an incredible amount of hard work behind the scenes to bring an event like this to life, and you should all be very proud. 👏

📸 Here are some of our photos from the day!

If you haven't yet experienced the Whitchurch Blackberry Fair, make sure you put it in your diary for next year. Whether you're local or travelling from further afield, come along, enjoy the atmosphere and help support this fantastic community event!

When our community comes together, wonderful things happen!❤️

03/10/2026

18/09/2026

It’s been a hard week for our Trust.

The stop planks have not been in place at the end of the Arm since 1993, so this week marks a significant moment in the history of the Whitchurch Arm.

We know this is a difficult and uncertain time for the boaters who have been affected, and our thoughts remain very much with them.

As a small volunteer-led Trust, we are doing our best to support the Arm, our boaters and our community through what is an incredibly challenging situation.

Thank you to Kieran & Lottie Youtube for capturing this moment for the Trust’s historical records.

Here we go!

14/09/2026

Sounds like a fabulous event! 👏🏼

12/09/2026

The closure is a "setback" says the Whitchurch Waterway Trust which looks after the Llangollen Canal.
Full story: https://bbc.in/4A6kXi0

12/09/2026

🏆🚤 MINIATURE CANAL REGATTA 2026 — WINNERS ANNOUNCED! 🚤🏆

What a fantastic first year for the Whitchurch Waterway Trust Miniature Canal Regatta!

This was the first event of its kind, and we were absolutely delighted by the response from local businesses, organisations and the wider community. ❤️

Over the festival weekend, we counted more than 2,000 votes! 🗳️🎉 Tokens were handed out at all of our festival checkpoints to make sure everyone taking part had the same opportunity to vote.

And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for…

🥇 **1st Place — The Wheatsheaf Inn**
🥈 **2nd Place — Walkers Bakery**
🥉 **3rd Place — The Black Bear**

A huge congratulations to our winners! 👏🎉

But we also want to say a massive WELL DONE to every single business, organisation and community group who took part. You should all be incredibly proud. ❤️

We’ve had some fantastic feedback from the local community, including from many people who completed the trail and enjoyed discovering our local establishments along the way — stopping to eat, drink, shop and support local businesses.

That is exactly what we hoped the Miniature Canal Regatta would achieve: raising awareness about the canal, bringing people together, encouraging people to explore Whitchurch and supporting our wonderful local community.

🚤 And the good news…

**The Miniature Canal Regatta will be back in 2027!**

We’ll be running it again in the lead-up to next year’s Whitchurch Canal Festival, with more news coming in the New Year.

Sadly, Facebook will not let us tag everyone, apologies.

12/09/2026

Whitchurch Canal Repair Project – Latest Developments



Canal and River Trust (CRT) has been investigating a wet patch within the substantial ground works to repair the Llangollen Canal at Whitchurch. The source is thought to be a leak from the canal to the south of the works. In order to locate and repair the leak, CRT will temporarily close off The Whitchurch Arm with the agreement and support of The Whitchurch Waterway Trust (WWT).



WWT has contacted all the boats moored on the Arm to explain the situation. Their owners were given the choice either to stay where they are or to leave The Arm and move to moorings on the Llangollen Canal. CRT has advised that the problem could be resolved within weeks or could extend to several months, depending on what they find. The operation to seal off The Whitchurch Arm will begin on Monday 14th September. The majority of boat owners have made their decision with most opting to remain on The Arm. WWT is working with CRT to ensure that boat owners are supported during this period, including the provision of fresh water.



Mark Lacey, Chair of WWT said, “Coming so soon after our hugely successful Canal Festival, this is a setback, but we understand that renovating a 200-year old structure built with pick and shovel will throw up obstacles along the way. We have an excellent relationship with the CRT project team and we will work with them to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone who enjoys The Whitchurch Arm.”