Funding for heritage path improvements
Paths along the heritage trail in Ironbridge are being improved thanks to £30,000 ‘Pride in Our Community’ funding from Telford & Wrekin Council.
A bid for funding was submitted by the Ironbridge Coracle Trust to improve the steps from Waterloo Street Car Park that leads down to the River Severn and alongside the last remaining coracle shed in England, which was used by generations of the Rogers family.
The pathway improvements are part of a wider conservation project to conserve the heritage of Ironbridge for generations to come. Back in 2015 the trust was granted £40,000 from the Council to buy the coracle shed and has since been working hard to conserve it and clear the land around the shed so that it is visible from the Iron Bridge. The trust has also recently been given further funds from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help with the conservation costs.
Councillor Rae Evans, Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member with responsibility for tourism, said: “Ironbridge Gorge is a designated World Heritage Site and one of the borough’s wonderful assets, so I am so very pleased that we have been able to grant this funding which will improve access to the trail along the river. The work the Ironbridge Coracle Trust is doing is important if we are to look after and treasure our industrial heritage. I shall look forward to following these projects as they progress.”
Work on improving the steps and pathways starts in the New Year and will be completed in time for the start of next year’s tourist season – the year that Telford turns 50.
