£90k canal towpath scheme

A £90,000 scheme, including a ramp for cyclists, people with pushchairs and those in wheelchairs, has been unveiled along the Wolverhampton stretch of the Staffordshire-Worcester Canal.

The ramp, which leads off Hordern Road in Tettenhall, leads down to a resurfaced three-mile stretch of the canal towpath and marks the end of a six-month project to improve the area.

Volunteers from Wightwick and Regis Enterprise Network (WREN) won a £49,999 grant from the Big Lottery Fund's 'changing spaces' programme, plus £39,945 from

The Veolia Environmental Trust, which they used to rip out the old wooden steps and replace them with a new access ramp. Bins, benches and signs have also been installed using the money.

WREN director John Rowley said the voluntary group had worked with British Waterways, the City Council and the Wildside Activity Centre on the project.

"It feels good to see it coming to fruition," he said. "We hope that it will provide a platform for future plans to protect the natural environment and to encourage more people to benefit from the beauty of the canal and the Smestow Valley Local Nature Reserve."