About

Stourport Forward is a philanthropic company formed to oversee the Canal Basins Regeneration Project and set up by local businessman, Derek Fradegley in 1997. The project was responsible for restoring and developing the basins area, restoring buildings and creating two heritage rooms. Pathways, signage and lighting were improved and offer a fascinating welcome to visitors to this Georgian town.

The Stourport Forward team went on to work with local partners, British Waterways (now the Canal & River Trust), Stourport Town Council, Wyre Forest District Council, the Civic Society, Town Centre Forum, Riverside Traders and others, to support a spirit of regeneration. Developers went on to develop new housing by re-opening Lichfield Basin and building new apartments and houses around it, restoring the imposing Tontine building and improving other Georgian buildings. Stourport Forward supported the Town Council and the Civic volunteer group when the town’s impressive Civic Hall was transferred to a trust, and won a series of Market Towns Initiative awards for work in Stourport.

Stourport Forward is led by a chairman and board members, who oversee all work. Its Project Manager and Assistant Manager are part-time and it would not be possible to do any of the work without a large group of volunteers, carrying out a wide range of tasks. These include guided walks leaders, working boat volunteers, events and heritage volunteers and Canal & River Explorers Volunteers, who lead school and group visits in the canal basins.

In 2024 we successfully applied to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and obtained a grant for just under a quarter of a million pounds to roll out a variety of exciting community based heritage projects from 2024-2027 under the banner of our “Navigate StourPort” project heading.

Our overarching aim is to bring local history to life though a variety of initiatives including local guided heritage walks, seasonal event, heritage room open days and educational visits.