Claverton Pumping Station is a truly unique piece of industrial heritage just outside Bath. At just over 200 years old, it houses one of the countries largest waterwheels, and was used to keep the canal in Bath topped up with water. The pump has been restored to full working order, and is run by a small, independent, all-volunteer group.

A difficult week

It has been an incredibly difficult week at Claverton. Last Friday our car park gate was vandelised, presumably by swimmers looking for a place to park. The following Saturday night we had a break in where a number of tools were stolen. This week we have been informed by the Canal and River Trust who own the site that they are going to renege on their promise to provide us with a yearly budget of a few thousand pounds. This budget would have helped us provide safety training for volunteers, and to focus on projects to make the site safer for volunteers and a better experience for visitors.

They say bad things come in threes, we hope that this is the end of what has been a series of set backs.

How funds could help

We are asking for funds to go directly into our unrestricted funds, allowing our committee to spend it in the best way for our group. Some money will go towards our managment priorities, such as improving the site for visitors. Some money is needed for us to fix and replace what was vandalised and stolen.

The Claverton Pumping Station Group is also looking to form a charity (we are currently a community group). This will allow us to take Gift Aid, apply for more grants, and to use the Just Giving platform to its full potential. We hope this will help us raise funds and become a more resilient organisation. We hope to do this reorganisation with as limited cost as possible, but there may be some costs during our transition. If anyone has expertise in forming a charity and would be able to advise us we would be very greatful for the help.

Thank you for your support

We really appreciate the community support. Our volunteers want to be free to do what they do best, keeping our pump running