Just £18,000 needed for new aqueduct

Volunteers restoring the Lichfield Canal are just £18,000 short of the £500,000 they need to carry their canal over Birmingham's new motorway bypass.

An appeal fronted by actor David Suchet has raised almost all the money to build a dramatic aqueduct over the M6 Toll road. Its success has been such that the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust has been able to place the order for the aqueduct parts, in the expectation that the remaining funds will be raised.

The canal trough is due to be installed on the aqueduct this month - creating a major landmark ready for when the motorway opens next January. The Trust's Janette Horton said it was "exciting" to be so near to the target, but emphasised that donations are still needed to reach the £500,000 figure.

Once the aqueduct has been built, the restorers will turn their attention to the rest of the Lichfield Canal. Several locks and bridges have already been rebuilt on this important route, which originally closed in 1962. When restoration is complete, the canal will link the popular Coventry Canal holiday route with the cathedral city of Lichfield and the northern reaches of Birmingham's canal network.

Click here to make a donation to the appeal.