The Wey & Arun Canal Trust is delighted to announce the recent appointment of TURLOUGH BAMBER as their NEW RESTORATION MANAGER.

Turlough arrives at an exciting time for the Trust as it seeks planning approval for the B2133 Guildford Road crossing in Loxwood. The project to install a replacement for Haybarn Bridge (near Billingshurst) is near completion, a large Summer work camp took place this year at Lording's and the Trust is organising a 2-day exhibition in Bramley, Surrey (8^th/9^th October). Bramley is a major challenge to full restoration as the original route of the canal is now blocked by 20^th century housing.

Turlough is 68 years old and made his professional career in construction, involving roads, canals, earth embankments, high-level dams and heavy foundations in difficult ground conditions. He is a Chartered Civil Engineer specialising in geotechnics and earthworks. Since retiring in 2001, he has been involved in disaster response work for World Vision (Kosovo post-war and sanitation reconstruction) & Tearfund Logistics in their "Great Lakes" projects for water and sanitation, therapeutic and supplementary food programmes in Congo and Burundi. A further logistics role with Tearfund was on the "Operation Lifeline Sudan" food programmes in that tragic war-torn country.

Turlough has been involved in dams, canals with associated hydraulic structures and roads as well as short-span bridges in many developing countries, including Jordan, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana and Guinea (West Africa). Married with four sons and seven grandchildren, he has lived in Godalming for 32 years. Over 11 years, he and his wife have converted Fox's Barn in Binscombe, Surrey.

Turlough has always looked for a challenge in his professional work. The Wey & Arun canal restoration programme is another challenge and fits the bill well for his retirement.

Turlough says "We live in such a wonderful part of England, and I am delighted to be invited to lend a hand. I pray that my grandchildren will be able to enjoy the fun and peace of canal life. We must restore the "lost route to the sea" to link up with the rest of the British waterways network. So much has been done already by the Trust's dedicated volunteers, but there is much work still to do by those same volunteers, professional design groups and local authorities if we are to complete the whole length of canal and restore it as a major local recreation resource. Our canal is the last link that connects the wonderful British Waterways network to the south coast: a challenge to be grasped and not ignored."

Further information can be obtained from the Wey & Arun Trust's Public Relations Officer: Sally Schupke (01483 560543): email: press@wact.org.uk If you would like to receive future press releases by email or fax, please let Sally know.