LOCAL fundraisers will raise a glass to another successful year of canal restoration at a popular festival next month.

The Wilts & Berks Canal Trust is hosting its fourth annual Winter Ales, Cider & Sausage Festival at Melksham Assembly Hall on Saturday, November 10 from noon to 4pm.

The fun event features ten real ales, three ciders and several varieties of sizzling sausages.

Tickets at just £5 each, including a commemorative glass, are available from Melksham Tourist Information Centre in Canon Square or The Bell Inn at Lacock.

The festival has been organised by the Melksham, Chippenham & Calne branch of the charity.

Branch chairman Dave Maloney said: “This is one of our most popular fundraising events of the year and is open to everyone, regardless of whether or not they’re members of the charity.

“We’ll have lots of displays featuring the history of the canal and our exciting plans for a new Melksham Link to bring boats through the town centre.”

using the River Avon, but there’s no pressure for people to join our campaign.”

“They can simply enjoy a relaxing afternoon with their friends, gathering around a table and savouring all of the delicious food and drink.

“At last year’s event people drank more than 340 pints and ate 240 sausages – so it’s clearly a very popular way to raise funds for a worthy cause!”

The event supports the ongoing restoration of the former waterway from the Kennet & Avon Canal near Semington to the Thames & Severn Canal near Cricklade and the River Thames near Abingdon.

In the last year alone, the Trust has re-opened a navigable stretch from Double Bridge near Reybridge to Pewsham Locks near Chippenham, allowing local volunteers to run trip-boats for members of the public for the first time.

The Trust has also purchased several acres of land near Queenfield Farm on the northern edge of Melksham to enable clearing of the former towpath.

For information on joining the local branch of the Wilts & Berks Canal Trust visit www.wbct.org.uk