Golden celebrations to launch on canal

A golden anniversary on the Midlands waterways will be celebrated this weekend with a gathering of boats and vintage vehicles.

Up to 60 boats are expected at the event to mark the 50th birthday of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Society (SWCS).

It is one of the longest established canal societies in the country and helps protect and promote the canal for the benefit of users. The anniversary celebrations tomorrow and Sunday will be held at the Bratch Locks in Wombourne. Joint organiser Chris Dyche said it promised to be a family occasion with children's activities, including slides and bouncy castles.

The 400-ton steam engine Victoria will be fired up over the weekend together with five full-size steam engines and five quarter-size steam engines moving around the site. Classic car fans can revel in the host of vintage vehicles and motorbikes on show, including a steam motorbike. Refreshment stalls will also be be selling a variety of cakes, tea, coffee, sweets and ice-cream.

Former SWCS chairman Graham Fisher said: "The event will celebrate the achievements of the organisation since its early days and considering some 50 or 60 boats will be taking to the water, it will be quite a sight."

The presentation of a specially-commissioned plaque to commemorate the occasion will be the centrepiece of the celebrations. SWCS is jointly hosting the festivities with fellow waterways conservation group the Trustees of the Bratch Pumping Station.

Admission to the Bratch Station in Wombourne is £4/£2 for children and entry for boats is £10 inclusive of a plague, otherwise all access is free.

The society has been behind many projects to safeguard the future of the length of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal by ensuring it was granted conservation area status.