A GARDEN party is to be held to celebrate the seventh anniversary of the Dulverton Weir and Leat Conservation Trust (DWLCT).

Trust patrons Lord and Lady Dulverton and the trustees will hold the event at Hollam House, Dulverton, on July 5 by permission of Mr and Mrs Preben Prebensen.

Supporters will be updated on the charity’s progress with the new Somerset Council, which took ownership of the weir and leat when it was created on April 1.

The garden party will be held on a charitable donation basis with a suggested minimum contribution of £10 per person.

The trust has been working to save Dulverton’s medieval weir and leat on the River Barle from collapse and restore them to good condition and conserve them for future generations.

The weir and the leat have ‘significant national historic as an ‘urban watermill landscape’ and have been recognised as ‘the best preserved medieval leat in England’.

The weir was built using an oak stake and boulder technology first introduced in the UK by the Normans, and which was used throughout the medieval period.

The structure stretches for about 160 yards and at the time it represented an enormous investment in ‘cutting edge’ water power technology.

DWLCT is working with partners Exmoor National Park Authority, Westcountry Rivers Trust, and Young Somerset in the restoration and preservation of the ancient structure and the wildlife dependant on it.

The restoration project also represents an opportunity to boost sporting facilities for users of the river and also to improve the environment and passage both up and downstream for fish.

Anybody who is interested in helping DWLCT should call trustee Philip Hull on 01398 323526 or email him at [email protected].