Terry Cavender, Executive Officer at the Buckingham Canal Society (BCS), gave us an impressive account of the achievements of the Society and volunteers in protecting and restoring the Buckingham Arm, built in the 1790s as part of the Grand Junction scheme. The canal was a financial success and community asset until the opening of the railway in 1850 drew trade away from it. It was dammed off in World War II and offically abandoned in 1964. The BCS formed in 1992 and has been working to restore several sections. Through collaboration with a range of partners they have reopened a 1/2 mile stretch and rebuilt a bridge with ambitious plans for further work. Terry's talk explained how this had been achieved and shared information on the resulting positive impacts on biodiversity and public access alongside benefits to the wider community.
