A grant from the owners of the Gazette and Herald will go towards the restoration of a swathe of Chippenham’s long-lost waterway.

The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust say they are delighted with the £5,774 Gannett award, which will help pay for the final dredging of the canal’s Pewsham stretch.

After years of hard work by volunteers, the once-abandoned canal now contains water and can be used by boaters, as well as by towpath walkers and cyclists.

Fundraiser Kath Hatton, who applied for the grant, said the money would be well used by the trust.

She said: “We had a special opening day of the previous stretch that was dredged in May with a sponsored walk.

“It was extremely popular, so it goes to show how appreciated the canal is in the area.

“We’ve even been able to get boats on the canal again.”

The money will go towards hiring a digger and driver, although the majority of work done so far has been completed by volunteers.

Mrs Hatton said: “The length of the canal we’re restoring is 160 metres. It all needs to be excavated and rewatered, and much of the work will be checking the culverts already there and using clay to re-puddle some of them.

“The work will cost £9,774, but the difference will be made up in volunteer hours.

“Work will start when the weather gets better, and continue for about five weeks.”

The canal was built in 1819 but, after losing trade to the emerging railway network, it was abandoned in 1914.

The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, which has more than 2,500 members, has been connecting up sections of restored waterway as and when they become available.

With a £350 grant from The Tree Council, and volunteers from Youth Action Wiltshire and the 3rd Chippenham Scouts, the trust recently planted 175 trees alongside the newly restored canal at Naish Hill.

Mrs Hatton said oak and hazel trees were among those planted, and it is hoped that in the future these will help other community projects.

She said: “The intention is, in years to come, some of the oaks will be harvested as part of woodland management.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with Wiltshire Council’s Countryside Team to ensure this young woodland will be safeguarded for future generations.”