We make most progress with restoration when we can have a concentrated blitz using the full range of excavators, bulldozers and dumpers. We do this by arranging "camps" and working for a full week or fortnight. To see just how much can be achieved in a short time see the figures on the Yarkhill page.

Sometimes we have help from The Waterway Recovery Group, (known as WRG and pronounced Wurg) which co-ordinates about 30 groups of canal enthusiasts who either work regularly on a particular project or travel from site to site working on selected restoration projects. In February '99 they built the foundations for The Wharf at Over for us.

We arrange temporary accommodation for the group while they are with us - recently at Newent Cricket Club and at Oxstalls School in Gloucester.

One of the volunteers at Over in February said he has been going on work camps regularly and finds it really great fun (not his exact words!). He finds that the hard physical work on a canal is a great contrast to office life.

Last year he returned to complete the work on the canal he had first been involved with nine years ago and said he felt really proud to have been involved.

For more information about WRG, see their web site.

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A WRG party helping us at Lock Cottage, Oxenhall

It's still unclear to our volunteers whether this
was House Lock or a Roman villa

They were probably listening to a lecture on the intricacies of lock construction!

The dumper driver at Over had a cunning plan for preventing joy riders abusing our equipment over night - bog it down so thoroughly that no one could move it. He failed. We moved it.

This one speaks for itself.
In the background is the former mobile dental surgery which has served as our site hut since we started work at Over.

WRG's 1999 annual training weekend was held at Over. A film crew, making a documentary for Japanese TV on canal restoration in the UK , focus on the trainee bricklayers.

Some enterprising wergies decided they could raise funds by bottling mud from our Over site and selling it at the National Festival.

WRG's 1999 annual reunion at Over. With about 130 volunteers on site someone had a lot of sandwiches to make.

A formidable sight!

Guy Fawkes gave us an excuse to burn some junk.
Thanks, Dan, for these last two pictures.

This must be a management meeting!

Transforming the new Over site hut.
How many wergies does it take to hammer in a nail?
I make it 6

STOP PRESS!
Navvies editor caught moonlighting on a building site

WRG's crack line dancing team take time off to train for the Sydney Olympics

It's true!
David Penny has been replaced by a triffid

Not exactly spreading wood chips to form the towpath

WRG celebrated its 30th birthday at the Over Opening Weekend.
The "Boaters' Games" event comprised strange activities such as transporting balloons by wheelbarrow and cramming your team into a kit trailer

Mr Penny got the wrong idea about the Hogroast - he seemed to think he was meant to eat the whole hog

You can think up your own caption for this one.