Melksham, Calne and Chippenham Branch Welfare Unit

Jon Coates, the Trust’s new Chief Engineer, had been visiting MCC branch regularly, as he was shown the various projects gathering pace on site and, although we had an old caravan we used as a mini welfare unit, he decided we needed one to meet industry standards.

Within a few weeks, Marsha Miles, the Trust’s fundraisers, had secured the branch a grant from the National Lottery to buy such a unit.

Ray Canter had spotted one on Gum Tree, the classified ads site. It was a 28’ welfare unit with flush toilet, washroom, crew room with sink and a generator room! It looked too good to be true, so a visit was made to South Wales to take a look, and it turned out to be the bargain advertised.

Dave Maloney, chair of the Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the Trust, said: “We are very grateful to the National Lottery Community Fund for their generous grant. Our old caravan served us well for many years, providing somewhere dry and warm for volunteers to take a break, but it was no longer fit for purpose. The lockdowns encouraged a greater appreciation of local green spaces and the importance of fresh air and exercise, which resulted in a surge in support for our local workparties. It soon became clear that we needed more room for our volunteers to shelter from the weather and relax during a tea beak; we also needed more room for the extra equipment which was being used. The new welfare unit provides much better facilities, for more people, and will hopefully encourage others to join our campaign to bring this wonderful waterway back to life.”

Some weeks later, the welfare unit is on site at Pewsham, and we are investigating solar power and rainwater harvesting systems – never a dull moment at MCC branch.