Consultation on new Severn Canoe Trail on-line guide

Severn Canoe Trail On-line Guide – Consultation Phase 1

Hi,

Earlier this year after a number of years of development and fund raising we were very pleased to hear that our funding bid to Sport England to put together a new and updated on-line guide to the River Severn had been successful. The aim of the project is to provide web based up-to-date and accurate information to local people and visitors to the Shropshire stretch of the River Severn so they can safely and responsibly explore possibly the best bit of the Severn by canoe, row boat, paddleboard, coracle or paddle powered pedalo! Past canoe guides for the Severn are now sadly out-of-date and with the growth of outdoor adventuring many newcomers to the river are uncertain of where to get in and out and how to look after the river and its wildlife. The Sport England Funding will help us and our partners to fund a new website to host a canoe trail guide, improvements to a number of the current access points and cover the cost of the installation of welcome boards at key locations along the river.

To help with the development of the canoe trail and ensure the access improvements are what is needed we have formed an informal Severn Canoe Trail Partnership of Town, Borough and County Councils, ourselves at Shropshire Wildlife Trust, National Trust, River businesses and others. If you would like to join the group please get in touch.

We have already started access design development works at Hampton Loade, Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury to get the design stages right for improved access and spoken with many folk up and down the river regarding their views on the river, canoe use and recreation. But I do know despite this we have not reached everyone , far from it!

All well and good but getting to the point of publishing an accurate and helpful guide to 77 miles of river is quite a challenge and this is where we need your help:

We have attached a document that is our first go at setting down the things that will need to be considered along the way to putting together a polished, accurate and helpful on-line canoe trail guide. Would you please mind sparing some time to read through and getting back to us with any thoughts, ideas, criticisms, ponderings, corrections, musings, reactions or responses, thank you. We are aiming to complete the on-line canoe trail guide by Easter next year in time for the new season. If you have any feedback please can you email me direct at: petel@shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk thank you.

Deadline for comment for phase 1 is Friday 1^st November – all welcome

Phase 2 will involve the setting out of a draft layout for the on-line guide and if you can help with comment on this that would be great, thanks in advance. We are expecting to get to this point until very early in the new year.

Finally being not only a canoeist but a fly and coarse fisherman I can see how much care we need to get this right, the river is such a wonderful place to be and to share it is the ideal.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Kind regards,

Pete

Pete Lambert, River Projects Manager , Shropshire Wildlife Trust

Mob. 07506 120022 Tel 01743 232394, peteL@shropshirewildlifetrust.org.uk

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