THE Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has shown its support and commitment to the Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal Trust through the provision of a £150,000 loan. This will allow the Trust to develop and own a property at Dymock which will form part of a wider housing development in the local community. This follows only a few months after providing £85,000 part funding to purchase the only waterside pub on the canal route.

The Herefordshire and Gloucestershire Canal Trust is a not for profit organisation committed to the restoration of the 34 mile canal from Hereford to Gloucester. It boasts 1300 members and leads the way in sustainable income streams to remove the need for long term central or local government financial support. Based at The Wharf House in Gloucester (the Trust's AA Red Rosette restaurant with rooms), the commercially focussed Trust team, headed up by David Penny, forecasts the canal will generate around £20 million a year and will create 500 jobs, figures calculated by British Waterways in a 2009 economic study. By working in partnership with landowners and local authorities this enables the Trust to make a sound case for restoring the canal and its corridor, thus providing recreational facilities for the whole community to enjoy.