Telford lade clean-up – January ’09
On Saturday 24th we met at the Pulteney Distillery mill lade in Wick. This was constructed by Thomas Telford in the first decade of the 19th century and carries water to the distillery from Loch Hempriggs. The area of ground surrounding the lade, and the lade itself have been severely neglected over the years and we undertook to clean it up. This is just the start of a larger project being run by the Wick Paths Project to develop the area. They hope to tidy and plant the surrounding area and have a path that eventually runs alongside the lade as far as the loch. We removed a large amount of rubbish including a shopping trolley, a bike, two prams, some traffic cones, and filled a lot of black bags with rubbish. Dieter said: “It was a beautiful day and we were congratulated by numerous passers-by, who thought it was time that someone dealt with the area. Hopefully people will respect our efforts, and help to keep the area tidy and safe for the children who walk along here every day, to attend the nearby South school.”
It was great to be able to make such a positive contribution to Telford Lade. Good to see familiar faces again and some new ones as well. Good fun and a very satisfying mornings work.
Comment by John Knowles — January 28, 2009 @ 11:28 am
It was a very successful morning, and like you say it is very satisfying when you can see what a difference just a few hours work can make.
Comment by admin — January 29, 2009 @ 11:56 am
It was a part of Wick that I never knew existed. It’s a curious and interesting site, with lots of amenity potential, especially since it’s next to the primary school and surrounded by houses, yet almost at the edge of the town. The channel of the lade has been craftsman built,lined carefully with stone.I would like to have seen it as it was intended in Thomas Telford’s time.
Comment by Gina Grunskis — January 29, 2009 @ 11:53 pm