Many waterways enthusiasts, particularly those engaged in restoration and regeneration projects, were saddened to hear of the death of Patrick Moss following a long illness.

Patrick began his career working for Atkins, the global engineering consultancy that undertook the first ever feasibility study for the restoration of the Montgomery Canal, before establishing Moss Naylor Young Ltd in 2011, which specialised in canal restoration and local planning and regeneration.

Through Moss Naylor Young, Patrick saw canals not as accessories but as the main components of urban and rural regeneration. Patrick was also chair of the Somerset Coal Canal Society (established 1992) and the Railway & Canal Historical Society (established 1954). He was elected chair of the society’s managing committee in 2019 and brought new leadership and vision to the role. Based in Frome, Somerset, he was also active with IWA’s West Country Branch for a period.

[The photo, left, shows Patrick Moss, front, on a WRG work party on the Somersetshire Coal Canal in 2011 – by Tim Lewis]