Biodiversity, wellbeing and much more – the benefits of canals touch on almost every Welsh Government responsibility, I aim to ensure they’re preserved, protected and celebrated. The Neath, Tennant and Swansea Canals in my region are not just an irreplaceable piece of our heritage, it is a true community asset that is enjoyed by many locals and visitors each year.
They are also an important environmental site, the Tennant canal is an important as a breeding ground for the Fen Raft Spider of which I am the Species Champion.
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06.05.25 - Wildlife Trust and the Swansea Canal Society
Sioned Williams MS meets the team at North Wales Wildlife Trust who have been working with Swansea Canal Society to combat invasive species.
29.01.25 - What is Welsh Government doing to ensure canals are preserved, protected and celebrated?
Biodiversity, wellbeing and much more – the benefits of canals touch on almost every Welsh Government responsibility, so I asked them what they’re doing to ensure they’re preserved, protected and celebrated, such as the Neath, Tennant and Swansea Canals in my region.
You can read the transcript in full here
25.10.24 - Swansea Canal Centre Grand Opening
Great to see the opening of phase 2 of the Clydach Lock Restoration Scheme and the Swansea Canal Society Centre in Clydach which is packed full of information and is a great community asset. Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing back this wonderful part of the Swansea Canal.
23.10.24 - Paying tribute to Tŷ Banc Canal Group
Neath Canal celebrates its 250th birthday over this next year, unfortunately ours could be the generation to see the canal fade away completely, or ours could be the generation to see the canal be renewed and repurposed. In the Senedd today I paid tribute to all the volunteers and groups such as the Tŷ Banc Canal Group who are working hard to ensure the right choice for the future of the canal is taken.
29.07.24 - Neath Canal
On this day, two hundred and twenty-five years ago, the last section of the Neath canal was completed. This makes the canal older than postage stamps, universal public education in Wales, and the United Kingdom itself! Despite the enormous changes that have taken place in Neath over the last two centuries, the Neath canal is a constant that has endured.
I believe that with the right support, the canal could play a vital role in the social, economic, and environmental wellbeing of our communities. Last week, I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of St Modwen, the majority shareholder in the Neath Canal Navigation Company, to hear about the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for the canal. I have also written to Neath Port Talbot Council and will be reaching out to community groups who are already doing so much to help maintain and preserve the canal, to ensure that we will not be the generation that allows this enduring part of our community disappear for good.
11.09.23 Spotted: the rare Fen Raft Spider
17.01.22 Sioned Williams MS backs cross-party calls to protect “irreplaceable community asset”
October 2021 - Sioned Williams Species Champion: The Fen Raft Spider
I'm honoured to be asked and have accepted the role of Species Champion for the Fen Raft Spider, rare native of the Tennant Canal and Crymlyn Burrows.
- Buglife directory page: https://www.buglife.org.uk/bugs/bug-directory/fen-raft-spider/
- Briefing on ponds for fen raft spiders: https://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Fen-Raft-Spider-new-logo.pdf
- All the info you could possibly need on a dedicated site(!): https://www.dolomedes.org.uk/index.php/
- A brilliant video here of it standing on the water and hunting for prey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsH1GGyQCpo
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