Staff from Swindon-based fibre optic and cable manufacturer AFL have helped improve the area around a restored stretch of the town’s historic canal.
AFL partnered with the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust to plant more than 150 native British trees and hedgerows alongside the canal at Mouldon Hill. The project was part of AFL’s Take Root program which aims to plant 12,000 trees by next year. 
AFL volunteers contributed 26 hours of their time to work on the scheme, which recognises that hedgerows and trees are important for the restoration of the canal as they create habitat for wildlife as well as an important boundary and natural safety barrier to the farmlands or communities that the canal passes through.
Wilts and Berks Canal Trust project director central Ray Aldridge said: “The Canal Trust selects the types of tree plants very carefully, making sure that they not only provide the right environment for habitat, but also that they are low growing species that will not grow too tall and overhang the towpath.
“We also need to make sure the root systems will not grow into the canal bed in years to come. The efforts of today’s restoration are carefully planned for the continued use of the canal well into the future.”
AFL’s Swindon facility manufactures and supplies fibre optic cable solutions and services throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The plant was originally owned by Focas, a hi-tech business launched by Swindon cabling firm Raychem.
