CANAL campaigners have been given a £25,000 boost to help restore Wiltshire's waterway network.

The money will come from the London-based Underwood Trust, which provides cash for medium-sized charities in the UK.

The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust will use the money to employ a part-time administrator and provide office premises in Wootton Bassett.

Its ultimate goal is to restore a continuous navigable waterway linking the Kennet and Avon Canal, near Melksham, the River Thames, near Abingdon and the Thames and Severn Canal, near Cricklade.

The canal trust's secretary, Graham Smith, said that the grant would make an enormous difference to the way his organisation operates.

"The new administrator will undertake a variety of tasks including publicity," he said.

"We are now seeking someone who can work with the trust volunteers to help further the restoration of this beautiful canal.

"Wootton Bassett was selected because of its convenient location and ease of access.

"The office will serve as a hub for volunteers and improve communication between branches. The canal trust has strong community support and many active volunteers."

The trust has 10 branches located along the canal route with more than 1,600 members.

Restoration of the waterway began after a 1998 feasibility study found the work was economically viable.

Four years later eight miles of the waterway had been improved, including sections at Dauntsey, Shrivenham and Wootton Bassett.

The trust has recently received grants to fund the re-watering of a section of the canal to the south of Pewsham Locks, in Chippen-ham.

The Swindon branch of the canal trust is also planning to re-water a section of canal this year using funds obtained through the Landfill Tax Credit scheme.

The trust may also gain up to £2.5m in EU funding if plans to twin the waterway with a French canal succeed.

Negotiations are continuing between the canal trust and the authority that looks after the Nantes to Brest waterway, which runs close to Wootton Bassett's twin town of Blain.

Details of the part-time administrator position are available at www.wbct.org.uk.

For an application pack call Graham on 01635 580356, or ask at the Job Centre. The closing date is April 30.