TowPath Talk January 2018

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104 PAGES

Issue 147, January 2018

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A greetings card scene at Fradley Junction on December 11 following the first pre-Christmas snowfall for several years. PHOTO: WATERWAY IMAGES

IWA calls on MPs to support EA waterways transfer THE Inland Waterways Association has given its backing to the Canal & River Trust’s formal submission to Defra for the transfer of the Environment Agency’s navigation responsibilities.

IWA national chairman, Ivor Caplan, has written to Waterway Minister, Dr Thérèse Coffey MP, to assure her of IWA’s support for the proposal.

Team changes

He said transfer of these navigations to the Canal & River Trust would allow these waterways to benefit from improved maintenance, third party funding opportunities and the economies of scale to be gained from being part of a larger navigation authority.

IWA has also written to about 100 MPs to ask them to write to the Minister

FOLLOWING recent changes to its executive team, the Canal & River Trust began a 60-day internal consultation in early December about structural changes and a significant reduction in the size of its senior management team. Subject to consultation, this would see the trust move from the current 10 waterways to six larger regions, and embed more of the current national teams directly into the new regional teams. The trust anticipates making further announcements about the new structures in spring 2018.

with their support, including those with EA navigations in their constituencies, members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways, and other MPs who have previously indicated their support for the transfer.

At the time of going to press 16 MPs had responded positively, confirming that they would write to the Waterway Minister.

Mural project THE Shropshire Union Canal through Market Drayton is getting a facelift, thanks to an innovative arts project launched by Market Drayton Community Partnership and the Canal & River Trust. Plans are in place to develop an arts and heritage trail and interpretation boards along the town centre towpath. Local artists, supported by a grant from the Shropshire Housing Group, have been working with local schoolchildren and residents to create two murals which will brighten the drab concrete road bridge carrying the A53 bypass over the waterway.

Anglian investment

EA has announced a £1.4 million capital investment programme of repairs and upgrades to Anglian Waterways’ 353-mile network which it says will ensure the structures remain in good working order for years to come.

Continued on page 3

Award success

FOXTON Locks has been voted ‘Best Day Out’ – Free Entry’ at the recent Leicestershire Promotions Tourism and Hospitality Awards. The 200-yearold site on the Grand Union Canal is home to the longest and steepest staircase locks in the UK and is visited by 325,000 people each year and more than 4000 boats. Canal & River Trust site manager Alex Goode said: “The award is great recognition of the really important role our volunteers play in welcoming visitors to Foxton Locks. They help keep the locks, side ponds and green areas looking great.”

2 NEWS/COMMENT

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WELCOME

AS I write we have had the first real blast of winter albeit just a sprinkling here compared with the West Midlands and Wales. But as the snow melts, the flood warnings start and alerts have already gone out for the River Severn in Worcestershire from above Kidderminster down to Tewkesbury which I had the pleasure of visiting at the end of November.

I was on my way to the British Marine Inland Boating conference and AGM, see my report on this page and took the opportunity to visit Tewkesbury Marina en route and see the latest developments there (more next month).

It was good to be back in Gloucester, as it is almost 18 months since my previous visit for the reopening of the National Waterways Museum in Llanthony Warehouse.

The city’s Christmas market and ice rink in the Quays really added to the festive atmosphere.

On the way home I called to see the new Hill Farm Marina on the South Stratford Canal near Henley-in-Arden on a lovely crisp morning, see report on page 55, before heading to Braunston Marina for the launch of a superb book of photographs from the Mike Webb Collection, report on page 57.

The stoppage open day season is now in full swing and we have reports from Harry Arnold who tackled the walk up the towpath to the Derwent Mouth Lock on the Trent & Mersey Canal near Shardlow and Geoff Wood who hit the city streets for the Rochdale Canal open weekend in Manchester (reports on pages 4 and 5).

As reported on the front page, the proposed transfer of Environment Agency navigations to the Canal & River Trust appears to be gathering momentum with the IWA lobbying MPs for their support. Although touching on this at the BMIB conference, CRT chief executive Richard Parry said he had no insight how this would go and was grateful for IWA and BM’s support.

One thing’s for sure, this will continue to make the news in 2018 but first we look forward to the return of a dedicated inland boating area to the London Boat Show which opens on January 10, see our preview on page 59.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous new year

TOWPATH

TALK

Janet

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Working together to meet future challenges

By Janet Richardson

THE benefits of working together was a key theme of British Marine Inland Boating’s annual conference and AGM on November 24.

It was the first time the National Waterways Museum, Gloucester, had hosted such an event, which took place on the fifth floor of the Llanthony Warehouse.

Outgoing chairman Ann Davies said it had been an interesting year for the association and she would be working with her successor Russell Chase to move inland boating forward.

The committee would be supporting members, four of whom are taking boats, at the London Boat Show.

“We have a great location next to the Waterside Pub (see preview on page 59) and will be working for all in inland boating,” she added.

The new chairman Russell Chase is a former chef whose parents had the Guildford Boat House. When the Farncombe Boat House on the River Wey became vacant he took that over before moving south to his present base at Godalming. A keen football fan, he supports Aldershot FC and is also a member of a pantomime company. Also elected were vicechairman Paula Syred; treasurer James Griffin and the executive committee en bloc.

Thanking Ann for her support over the past few years through the organisation’s change of name Russell said: “We have got some challenges ahead of us.”

Ross Wombwell of British Marine updated members on technical issues including the Recreational Craft Directive 2 which came in last January and requires certification of all new hire boats since that date.

A voluntary code of practice, the hire boat code is set to be brought in as a licensing requirement. Drafting of the three-part code is complete and it will go to public consultation for a minimum of 12 weeks early in 2018 and should be introduced on a voluntary basis during the year.

Among the requirements are carbon monoxide alarms on vessels with solid fuel stoves, fire alarms on vessels with sleeping accommodation and a tiller arm warning.

Other updates include a new marina guide notice issued by the Marine Accident Investigations Branch (MAIB), Gas Safe registration for LPG use and Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) management certificates.

Shared ambitions

A team of speakers from the Canal & River Trust on the theme Working Together were introduced by interim head of boating Jon Horsfall.

He told BMIB delegates: “We do have some shared ambitions about getting more people on to the water and giving them a great time.”

Referring to the £53 million funding per annum from Government, he said boating contributes around £30 million and CRT is working hard to draw income from other users.

Gareth Stephens of the boating business team said this contributes about £10 million revenue to the trust. He explained there are four regions, each with a boating business manager and surveyor.

Referring to issues such as peer-to-peer renting and minority share ownership, he said these won’t be solved overnight. Currently there are 15-20 residential

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Christmas decorations bring a festive touch to the annual dinner.

Working together: Canal & River Trust chief executive Richard Parry, Ann Davies, Russell Chase and British Marine chief executive Howard Pridding. letting licences but that number is expected to rise. He asked members to report any relevant advertisements to the customer service team or the local boating business manager.

Matthew Symonds, strategy and engagement, reported on the online mooring strategy and said that CRT is currently consulting on a revised strategy and policy in respect of mooring on the main line, not including basins, lay-bys or other off-line moorings.

The consultation was due to run until December 18 after which feedback would be reviewed with any further revisions expected in January. It is aimed to agree and implement the new policy in spring 2018.

Richard Rutter, policy and research, said that the Canal & River Trust’s contract with Government is due to be reviewed in 2022. Quoting figures for its waterways, which are within 1km of eight million people, he said they currently attract 4.3 million regular users with up to 400 million visits each year and 15-20 million unique visitors. “There are far more people walking and cycling than boating but the other users are doing this because of the boats.

“It is really important that we work together, we want to secure the long-term future of the waterways.

Living waterways places transform and enrich lives, improving the well-being of the nation. Eight million people live within 1km of one of our waterways.”

Richard also referred to the planned new port in Leeds and an air quality strategy for the waterways in line with Government plans for clean air zones.

Future pressures

CRT’s national hydrology manager Adam Comerford spoke of future pressures including climate change, increased boating, reduced spending, environmental legislation, water transfers and water sales.

Following a dry October, he reported on the current situation with the Leicester Line closure still in place and restrictions on the Grand Union Canal at Tring summit and in Oxfordshire and on the Kennet & Avon Canal.

Referring to prospects for the 2018 season, he added: “We are considering temporary works aimed at improving the position for Easter.”

CRT chief executive Richard Parry said that they were ‘still in a bit of a hole’ regarding negotiations for the transfer of Environment Agency waters and were grateful for the support of organisations including British Marine and the Inland Waterways Association.

“We have tried to make it attractive financially for them and we are a very willing counterpart to have that conversation.”

He also spoke on the benefits of working together and said that in spring 2022, CRT will make its best submission to Government about its future funding requirements when the current agreement ends in 2027.

Retiring chairman Ann Davies receives a thank-you gift from her successor Russell Chase. PHOTOS: WATERWAY IMAGES “We will be building evidence as to why Government should keep funding us and how much we contribute to national life.”

British Marine chief executive Howard Pridding said BM had been working on behalf of the industry with navigation authorities.

“This is a large part of what we do with over 1500 members with a diversity of interests from canoes to yachts and marinas etc.” He said that the biggest impact of Brexit was the uncertainty with 40% of exports going to Europe and 20% of workers coming from EU states.

The London Boat Show is one of BM’s three revenue streams so income from the event is vital. He said that the reduction from 10 to five days has had a very good effect and two new elements have been introduced – the Bespoke London lifestyle exhibition and the Boating & Watersports Show of which the lock and waterside pub will be the inland boating exhibit.

Future projects are aimed at increasing participation in boating. “Our aim is to work together to sustain and grow boating and watersports,” he added.

The final speaker was Chris Coughlan of the Exeter office of national law firm Ashfords, who gave an in-depth presentation on new General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) which take effect in April 2018 and will impact on how marina and hireboat operators hold information about their customers.

An early evening tour of the museum, which reopened in July 2016, was followed by the annual dinner for which the function room on the fifth floor had been transformed with seasonal decorations by hosts, the Canal & River Trust. Outside the Gloucester Christmas Market was in full swing with fairground rides, an ice rink and stalls adding to the festive flavour.

NEWS 3

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Fund grows for Sandhill Lock restoration project

By Helen Gazeley

CHRISTMAS came early for Pocklington Canal Amenity Society when their entry for the Aviva Community Awards netted them £1000.

The money is earmarked for work on Sandhill Lock, the next stage in the society’s ongoing restoration of the 9.5-mile remainder canal, which

The Sandhill Lock will need dewatering and a lot of voluntary hours to rebuild the lock chamber before new lock gates are fitted.

• Continued from page 1

IWA calls on MPs to support EA waterways transfer The work covers the locks at Wadenhoe, Woodford, Titchmarsh, Orton, Cotterstock, and Ashton on the River Nene, and Eaton Socon and Brandon on the River Great Ouse. These are among the busiest locks on the Anglian network, giving access to around 7000 boaters a year.

Work will continue throughout the winter months, avoiding the peak boating season to minimise disruption for those on the river.

Boaters can sign up for email updates about closures by visiting gov.uk and searching for ‘Anglian Waterways river closures’, or calling the Environment Agency on 03708 506506 and asking for Anglian Waterways.

The investment programme will also include de-shoaling work on the rivers Great Ouse and Nene. This will remove underwater gravel that builds up naturally and can hamper navigation.

Also included are investigations into improving the Nene’s landing stages, where boaters can disembark, and upgrading control panels at the locks to the same model, making them consistent and easier to use and maintain across the region.

Neil Pope, Anglian Waterways assets team leader at the Environment Agency, said: “Our precious waterways are an important part of our nation’s rich heritage and beauty. Maintaining them to a good, safe working standard is one of our top priorities.”

in July will be the subject of celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of its opening.

Volunteers are currently working on the Walbut Lock, completing the two-mile stretch between Melbourne and the Bielby Arm. “The completed section of canal hadn’t been used since about the 1930s, so you can imagine what it was like,” said Tim Charlson, fundraising co-ordinator.

The aim is for the section to be ready in time for the bicentennial celebration.

Work on Sandhill Lock – the focus of their current, £150,000 fundraising effort – won’t begin until after July, when the chamber will be rebuilt and major repairs undertaken on a wing wall.

The Aviva award is the latest in a year of successful fundraising. Last April the society reached its previous £250,000 target, launched in February 2015, thanks to £106,400 donation from the Tony Harrison legacy administered by the IWA. “There are only a dozen people on our committee,” explained Tim, “so to reach that target so quickly was a spectacular result.”

Currently half the canal is navigable, accessed from the River Derwent, near York. A change of opinion in environmental circles over recent years has aided the restoration. “There were issues about

IN BRIEF Boston barrier

The giant crack in the wing wall of the Sandhill Lock will need major restoration work. PHOTOS: POCKLINGTON CANAL AMENITY SOCIETY keeping canals silted up and not dredging them,” said Tim. “Now they’ve decided that it’s better for wildlife if they’re kept clear.”

So, nearly 50 years since the society was set up, and 60 since the threat of infilling created so strong a protest that the House of Commons became involved, a fully navigable Pocklington Canal is in sight.

“The Canal & River Trust suggests pushing for 2025 for it to be fully open,” added Tim. “It’s been a long time – the majority of the original founders have gone to meet their maker, but we’re just custodians of the canal until the next generation comes along.”

The bicentennial weekend will take place on July 28-29, 2018, with a boat rally taking centre stage in the celebrations.

Faulty lift bridge causes traffic chaos

By Harry Arnold

ACCORDING to local newspaper reports “fury was vented over traffic chaos and the non-opening to road traffic of the Barton Lifting Bridge over the Manchester Ship Canal” at a packed meeting of the Irlam and Cadishead Community Committee.

The bridge, one of the newest and most high-tech of those spanning this waterway, has been plagued with problems since its building. Shortly after opening it suffered a collapse when the computer system controlling the four lifting legs malfunctioned. Salford Council

and Peel Holdings have been at loggerheads over who will pay for the operation of the bridge and strategic director of Salford Council Services Ben Dolan revealed at the meeting that the costs will be around £150,000 a year for repairs and maintenance and likely to rise in the future.

At the meeting local residents told of children missing half an hour a day at school through traffic problems in the bridge area and of people being late for work and ambulances taking over an hour to arrive at the nearby medical centre. A local businessman – owner of Moss Farm Fisheries in Irlam – said

Passing under the raised Barton Lifting Bridge on the Manchester Ship Canal. PHOTO: WATERWAY IMAGES

that: “As from this week we’ve had to put our fishery up for sale through this road.”

Asked why a contract wasn’t drawn up for the bridge operation at the start of the process, Mr Dolan said: “Right from the outset of this project it was clear to the council that it was Peel’s responsibility.” He was also asked if there’s a Plan B if Peel refuses to open the bridge, to which Mr Dolan responded: “If necessary the council will take appropriate legal action.”

He also confirmed that Peel had discussed making the bridge into a toll but argued that it wasn’t acceptable to the council, going on to say: “There’s £30 million public money in loans and grants in that bridge and that means it’s got to be open free for use by the public. We’re hoping to find a resolution quickly, but the opening date is in the hands of Peel at the moment.”

A further meeting between the council and Peel Holdings was scheduled for the following week.

But at the time of going to press we had been unable to obtain a statement from either Salford City Council or Peel Holdings on the results of that meeting.

THE Environment Agency’s £100 million Boston Barrier has been given the green light. Defra Secretary of State Michael Gove announced the approval of a Transport and Works Act Order (TWAO) for the construction of the barrier which will better protect more than 14,000 properties from tidal flooding.

It will feature a moveable gate across the River Witham (known locally as The Haven), together with a new control building to operate the barrier, flood defence walls on both banks and a replacement gate across the entrance to the Port of Boston wet dock.

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Boater fined

BERKSHIRE boater Dylan GardenerCollins has been convicted by Reading Magistrates after his unregistered boat was spotted near Cleeve Lock on the River Thames. He admitted failing to register his boat Ubique II (aka Ubique) with the Environment Agency and was ordered to pay £797.65 to the Environment Agency in respect of unpaid registration fees and a victim surcharge of £20. He was also given a conditional discharge for 12 months. All vessels ‘kept’ or ‘used’ on the River Thames are required by law to be registered with the Environment Agency and display a valid annual boat registration plate.

Farewell Chantelle

AFTER four and a half years’ service, Chantelle Seaborn, waterway manager for the North West, leaves the Canal & River Trust at the end of December. Her achievements include leading the awardwinning celebrations to mark the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Bicentenary in 2016.

Stephen Higham, Enterprise North team manager, will be taking on the role of waterway manager in an interim capacity.

Path setback

LOCAL councillors have shelved plans to improve the Rochdale Canal towpath between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden, writes Geoff Wood. The proposals, which were part of the West Yorkshire City Connect programme, had already received Government funding of £1.5 million and detailed designs were drawn up by consultants working for City Connect after a public consultation 12 months ago. But at a recent meeting of the West Yorkshire Combined Authority Transport Committee it was announced that the project would not be taken forward at this time.

Bomb alert

AN AREA around Deansgate Locks in Manchester, scene of the recent open weekend, was sealed off after a suspected bomb was found, writes Geoff Wood. But bomb disposal officers later examined the metal object and confirmed that it was not an explosive device.

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Hidden history revealed at open weekend

By Harry Arnold

DERWENT Mouth Lock – the first at the start of the south-eastern end of the 93-mile Trent & Mersey Canal – was one of two venues where the Canal & River Trust (CRT) held a major public open event over the weekend of December 2-3.

The name of the lock comes from the confluence – just downstream – of the canal, the River Trent Navigation and the once-navigable River Derwent.

This is a very early canal lock in that although the Trent & Mersey Canal was not completed until 1777, it was open for traffic through Shardlow to Great Haywood on June 24, 1770. Also, it was one of the locks built to a quoted 13ft 6in beam up to Burton-on-Trent to take River Trent craft. But we have taken a 14ft-beam Leeds & Liverpool Canal boat through Derwent Mouth and another one got all the way to Burton.

Derwent Mouth Lock chamber is also at least 80ft long to take Upper Trent Keels into the canal port of Shardlow.

CRT chief executive Richard Parry, left, has the work on the upper lock cill explained to him.

Ex-Fellows, Morton & Clayton narrowboats Dove and Minnow showed off the traditions of the canals.

So it was a particularly interesting one to show off such an unusually large chamber on what is normally thought of as a narrow canal. The depth also has to accommodate the often-fluctuating water levels when the two rivers below are in flood.

The work was not spectacular in that there were no new gates as are often the case at lock open days. But the extensive

repairs to the variety of historic brick and stone work, with explanations by CRT staff, provided plenty to interest visitors – 550 people went down into the lock but visitors to the site were more like 700.

It is a considerable walk from the nearest car parking – CRT said 10 minutes – but having walked it myself three times this year, I would say that was optimistic.

Around 550 visitors were able to see the renovation work on the chamber of the Trent & Mersey Canal’s Derwent Mouth Lock. PHOTOS: WATERWAY IMAGES

Horse Shreck – now a regular at East Midlands events – demonstrated horse-boating on the Saturday by pulling the historic narrowboat Dove.

Undoubtedly, an added attraction but a little odd in that Dove is a deepdraughted motor boat. Shreck didn’t appear on the Sunday.

There was a CRT information stand and a Santa trail and Explorer activities for children. Perhaps oddly, among the displays, there were no photographs of the lock working; of which there are many.

CRT East Midlands waterway manager, Sean McGinley, said: “Our historic waterways are still working as they were designed to 240 years ago thanks to CRT. By inviting the public along to Derwent Mouth Lock we were able to give them a glimpse into the waterways’ original 18th century design and its hidden history under the water line.”

A Leeds & Liverpool wide boat – author John Liley’s Arthur – passing through Derwent Mouth Lock in 1970.

Grand Union Canal lights up Milton Keynes THE first illuminated boat festival at Milton Keynes attracted an estimated 10,000 people.

Organised by the Canal & River Trust, the festival celebrated the Grand Union Canal as part of the town’s 50th birthday celebrations.

Santa waves a greeting from one of the illuminated boats.

PHOTOS: CANAL & RIVER TRUST

Thirty-six festively decorated boats, each covered in twinkling fairy lights, took to the water on Saturday, December 2, navigating from the Lionhearts Cruising Club and Milton Keynes Marina towards Campbell Park.

It is the first time that an event of this scale had been attempted on this stretch of the canal, which weaves through the town then either towards Birmingham to the north and London to the south.

When first opened more than 200 years ago the route was the M1 of its day, bustling with freight boats transporting goods. Today the Canal & River Trust ensures the canal is just as popular, with boaters using the waterway to live and work along and thousands of people visiting the towpath to keep fit or to enjoy the history and wildlife.

Emily Nicholas, Canal & River Trust development and engagement manager, said: “We’re delighted with how well the festival went, it was amazing to see so many people turn out to see the boats.

“The Grand Union Canal is going from strength to strength, people are using it for such a range of activities from boating and running to walking and fishing. And increasing numbers are helping us to look after it and make it the special place that it is.

It’s really there for the community to enjoy, a place to relax and slow down, so it’s fantastic that the canal could become such a centrepiece for the 50th birthday celebrations.” The event wouldn’t have been possible without the support from local volunteers, organisations including The Parks Trust, and funding from MK Community Foundation.

Children’s activities – including creating a ‘lace plate’ – were run by the Explorers’ team.

Some of the 36 decorated boats.

NEWS 5

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Dancing in the lock

By Geoff Wood

OPEN days are all the rage at schools and town halls throughout the land. And now canals are getting in on the act – even when the canal happens to be in the centre of a city.

One of the historical characters helping to set the scene.

PHOTO: GEOFF WOOD

The location for an open weekend was the Rochdale Canal in the heart of Manchester, once an important artery for textiles and essential supplies.

But bargees of yesteryear would have scratched their heads at the latest use for Lock 91. In an attempt to boost public interest in the open weekend, the Canal & River Trust staged a disco in the bottom of the specially drained lock where scores of visitors danced the night away waving glow sticks as they danced under the light of disco lights.

One of the DJs said: “It was great to see so many people along. And I think it goes a long way to support the work of the Canal & River Trust.”

On a more serious note, the weekend was staged by the trust to highlight essential works carried out there.

Visitors were able to walk in the drained lock chambers and see close up the vast quantity of rubbish that gets thrown into the water.

They also learned how the trust looks after a busy section of canal which will cost £100,000 to keep in good repair.

Mark Wrigley, construction manager for the trust, said: “We are carrying out these repairs to ensure that the canal in this bustling part of city centre

The evening scene at Lock 91. PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST

Manchester is kept in good order for all those who love and use it.

“The lock gates are only half the way through their life but we still have to do some work on them to counter leakages. It has also been necessary to do some work on the cills and do some masonry work.”

Biggest task

A walk along the line of the canal at lower level was like stepping into the history books with mighty stone canal walls looming. Here little has changed for 200 years.

But perhaps the biggest task is clearing the mountain of rubbish thrown into the canal. Purses, bottles, discarded mobile phones and even a lorry tyre are there amid the debris.

All this was clearly visible from the specially erected walkways which made viewing of the activity straightforward where the locks and canal had been drained.

Canal & River Trust spokeswoman Sarah Burns said in the Pennine region £50,000 is spent annually clearing the rubbish. They hope to persuade people not to throw things into the canals.

Over the open weekend in early

Young dancers show off their moves in the lock. PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST December, 3000 visitors went to the site off Deansgate. Characters dressed as personalities from early canal history helped set the scene for an event that was well organised and featured many helpers.

And for many the area around the canal had much to interest them.

Around the side are cobbled streets with restored Victorian buildings and overhead are mighty bridges where trains still roar.

There are also canal basins and many boaters were moored up there even in the run-up to Christmas.

Not far away at Castlefield is the Museum of Science and Industry, a celebration of Manchester's importance as a birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. And the galleries are free of charge to visit.

So much to see and to experience – and as someone who worked in city centre Manchester for 20 years, I have a soft spot for this area of Victoriana against a backcloth of a changing city.

But a word of warning; the parking wardens are mustard keen. I was caught and will have to pay for overstaying on a meter.

The mountain of rubbish revealed when the lock was drained.

PHOTO: GEOFF WOOD

6 NEWS

IN BRIEF Towpath works

A MAJOR project is under way to improve more than 3.5km of the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal towpath in Greater Manchester. This work started in mid-November and is expected to take 16 weeks. As well as the section between Bridge 17, School Street in Radcliffe through to Prestolee Horse Bridge in Little Lever, it will include a further 450m of towpath improvements close to Elton Reservoir and repairs to sections of historic stonework. Funding of £340,000 was secured by the Canal & River Trust from Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) through the Department for Transport Cycle City Ambition Grant (CCAG).

Metal finds

AN EARLY chisel, possibly used for repairs to a narrowboat, a number of coins, and a cap-badge of the Royal Green Jackets were among the finds unearthed by metal detectorists during a project to help uncover the 200-year history of the Grand Union Canal in Aylesbury. Engaged through the British Museum’s Portable Antiquities Scheme and under special licence from the Canal & River Trust, the detectorists worked along the stretch of the Aylesbury Arm towpath while it was being resurfaced. It is hoped to display the finds in a local museum.

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Mooring rings celebrate canal town’s anniversary FIFTY new mooring rings have been installed by the Canal & River Trust to encourage more boaters to explore Milton Keynes as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations.

Specially made commemorative date bricks have also been installed next to the mooring rings along the canal at Campbell Park – a popular stopping point for boaters.

They will serve as a reminder to the thousands of people who visit the waterways each year of the special relationship between the canal and the people of Milton Keynes.

Lee King, from the Canal & River Trust, said: “Boating along the canal in Milton Keynes is a real joy as there

Bridge tolls

DRIVERS who have used the new Mersey Gateway Bridge without paying the tolls now owe £1 million in fines, writes Geoff Wood. Many people say the toll signs are not easily visible from the road while others say the crossing between Widnes and Runcorn should have been free in the first place.

Meanwhile operators of the bridge say they are determined to collect the fines.

Canal operative Tristan Owen with one of the mooring rings.

INSET: One of the specially made date bricks. PHOTOS: CANAL & RIVER TRUST

Waterway could play key part in green infrastructure THE Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Park can provide a unique opportunity to create new green infrastructure according to the National Infrastructure Commission’s final report on planning for economic growth in the Oxford/Cambridge/ Milton Keynes corridor.

Over the past year the NIC has been looking into the ways in which economic growth and housing delivery can be speeded up across the whole corridor.

The proposed Waterway Park sits at its heart, between Bedford and

Disappearing mills

HISTORIC textile mills in the north, many built beside canals, are disappearing fast, despite massive public support against demolition, writes Geoff Wood. According to Historic England, almost half in Greater Manchester have been lost since the 1980s, Salford has lost 66% and Bradford has seen more than 100 fires at historic mills since 2010. But a survey found that 90% of respondents in England believed that mills are an important part of the nation’s heritage, story and character.

aren’t any locks to contend with, just lots of open space and miles of carefree cruising.

“The addition of these mooring rings will ensure boaters can easily stop and explore the delights of the canal, enjoy a stroll along the canal and through Campbell Park and take some time to enjoy the waterways in Milton Keynes.”

The 200-year-old Grand Union Canal slowly weaves through Milton Keynes and has 14 miles of lock-free cruising.

From Cosgrove in Northamptonshire to Fenny Stratford, boaters can enjoy a scenic countryside view of Milton Keynes and feel a million miles away from the busy hustle and bustle as they boat peacefully along the canal.

Milton Keynes, providing a unique opportunity for thinking big and planning across boundaries.

While the report emphasises the need for improved road and rail connections, it also points to the need for strong ‘placemaking’ including new green space to help establish places where people want to live and work.

It states: “Projects such as the established Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Park could offer such an opportunity to create a green infrastructure asset which contributes to wider placemaking objectives.”

Partnership theme at ADA conference Lifting new gates from the work boat that transported them to the site. PHOTOS: COLIN WAREING OF COLIN AND CAROLE’S CREATIONS

Gates of oak at Appley NEW lock gates have been fitted at Appley Lock, west of Wigan on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, writes Colin Wareing.

As it is a listed structure the steel gates that were fitted in the last century are being replaced with new wooden ones built of oak.

Part of the Canal & River Trust’s winter stoppage programme, the work was due to be completed by mid-December.

A ‘spider crane’ was installed on a temporary bridge over the lock chamber and used to lift the new tail gates, each weighing around 4000kg, off the work boat on which they had been transported to the lock.

THE need for strong partnerships and close working relationships between government, national agencies and local bodies was the overriding theme during the 80th ADA (Association of Drainage Authorities) Conference held recently in London.

Keynote speakers included Waterways Minister Thérèse Coffey MP and Environment Agency chief executive Sir James Bevan.

Welcoming a full house, chairman Henry Cator warned of three main threats to effective water level and flood risk management. He spoke of over-regulation representing the biggest danger, with environmental management potentially being strangled by bureaucracy.

Thérèse Coffey MP announced the publication of new statutory guidance on the designation of ‘main river’. This guidance was published as part of the progression of de-maining pilots that were launched earlier

this year and sets out the basis on which the Environment Agency should decide whether or not a river or watercourse is treated as a ‘main river’.

Essentially, the de-maining process involves passing river maintenance and operational activities from the Environment Agency to IDBs or local authorities where there is mutual agreement, a locally generated appetite, and a benefit to do so.

Retiring from office after 10 years, Norfolk farmer Henry Cator officially handed the chairmanship to Robert Caudwell following his formal approval during the AGM, immediately following the conference.

Also a farmer of some 350ha of arable and horticultural land north of Boston in Lincolnshire, Mr Caudwell echoed Mr Cator’s view, stating: “I passionately believe in partnerships, and the message to all is we will work with you, if you work with us.”

It will provide a continuous route between Bedford and Milton Keynes for a wide range of both leisure and commuting including walking, horse riding and cycling.

Describing the report as a significant step forward, Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust chairman Jane Hamilton said: “We are already working across boundaries to establish the Waterway Park as a crucial part of planning for new settlements. The trust will be working to ensure that the waterway is included in any new strategic plans for the future.”

CHECKING THE BRIDGE

Contractors for Network Rail recently undertook an inspection of the bridge that carries the West Coast Main Line over the Leigh branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Bamfurlong near Wigan. The Canal & River Trust advised boaters that there may be delays to their journey while the pontoon the inspection team used was moved out of the way.

Narrowboat Tootleworth and crew pass the pontoon on their way southwards. PHOTO: COLIN WAREING OF COLIN AND CAROLE’S CREATIONS

RYA 7

www.towpathtalk.co.uk The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is the national body for all forms of boating, including dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sports boats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and narrowboats and personal watercraft.

Top tips for tackling the non-tidal Thames From its first trickles high in the Cotswolds to the three locks at Teddington, all 135 miles of the non-tidal Thames are a real boating treat. But they can also be full of surprises if you’ve never cruised on this part of the river before. RYA training adviser and Thames aficionado, Paul Mara, reveals some of the ‘must knows.’

THE non-tidal Thames meanders through some of Britain’s most picturesque and historic towns and countryside. But the river is quite different to the country’s other waterways. So what should you know if you’re considering a Thames cruise?

Locked on

There are 45 locks on the non-tidal Thames, but unlike other locks you might be used to, most have lock keepers and are typically electronically, not manually, operated.

Lock keepers are normally on duty from 9am to 6pm in peak season (shorter hours off-peak). When a lock keeper isn’t available, a blue ‘self service’ sign, complete with operation instructions, is displayed.

Lock keepers are trained, friendly and helpful. They will try to position as many boats as possible into what are generally wider locks to conserve water, so you might find you aren’t called in on a first come, first served basis. You will also be expected to use two lines, not one, in the lock.

Round the twist

The Thames’ meandering nature means you need your navigational wits about you. The river is wider than many waterways, while shallows on corners aren’t always marked. Heading upstream be prepared to give way to those going in the opposite direction at bridges, in narrows or on a bend.

Wash can also be an issue, especially travelling upstream. This stretch of the Thames has a speed limit. But the general ‘rule’ is, even if you’re below the limit, if you’re creating lots of wash you’re going too fast.

What’s on?

From tourist pleasure boats gathered at Windsor and Hampton Court Palace, crowds and rowers in Henley for the regatta and weekend cruisers taking in the honeypot sights around Marlow, Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds, the Thames gets busy, even out of season. This is great if you have no time constraints and can join in the fun, not so great if you’re on a schedule. Check what’s on.

Book ahead

Be alert to stream warnings and changing river conditions.

PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

Don’t expect to moor where you like.

Since November 2016, the Environment Agency (EA), which manages this section of the river, has run a trial for managing short-stay visitor moorings through Thames Visitor Moorings (www. thamesvisitormoorings.co.uk). This website is an information treasure trove, complete with interactive map, services and facilities and the ability to register and pay for your mooring online once you’ve arrived.

There are eight marinas between Shepperton and Reading. Look out for the ‘Gold Anchor’ rating, the scheme designed by The Yacht Harbour Association, with a contribution from the RYA, to help boaters make informed decisions where to berth.

There are several points you can access and leave the river too, including the Oxford Canal at Oxford, the Kennet and Avon Canal at Reading and the River Wey Navigation at Shepperton.

Mind your head!

A boat can only travel as far as the lowest bridge allows. There are many low bridges on the non-tidal Thames and people can overlook that water levels fluctuate. Getting stuck under a bridge heading downstream can be a particular nightmare. You can also end up pinned, broadside, against the bridge. You will quickly find out gongoozlers aren’t only found on the canal system!

Keep your guard

Don’t let the tranquillity of the river trick you into complacency. Wearing a lifejacket, especially around locks, is always a good idea, and be alert to stream warnings and changing river conditions posted on warning boards at locks and the EA website.

All boats kept, used or let for hire on the river must be registered. Most powered boats need valid Boat Safety Scheme Certification or, for boats up to four years old, a valid Declaration of Conformity made by the boat’s builder under the Recreational Craft Directive.

Meanwhile, while navigating at night

The river is wider than many waterways. PHOTO: RYA is allowed it isn’t advisable, especially between towns, where the stars often provide the only light.

Find out more

The RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman's Course, covering helmsmanship, locks, tunnels, collision avoidance and engine checks, provides a good introduction to helming a motor cruiser or canal boat safely inland. There’s also an RYA Inland Waterways Crew Course, for people who want to assist the helm. This includes personal safety, ropework, boat handling and dealing with emergencies. To find out more about RYA Inland Waterways training courses visit www.rya.org.uk/ go/inlandwaterways The EA website (www.gov. u k / g ov e r n m e n t / o r g a n i s a t i o n s / environment-agency) provides invaluable information on river conditions, bridge heights, distances and times between locks, lock dimensions, lock keeper hours and more.

8 NETWORKING

SOCIETY NEWS Next challenge

ON WHAT was a historically significant day, two narrow beam workboats entered the Thames & Severn Canal at Lower Wallbridge Lock on November 10, navigated Upper Wallbridge Lock and passed through Stroud to enter Bowbridge Lock for the first time since 1934. The challenge now faced by the Cotswold Canals Trust is to fund and build the fourmile connection to the national waterways network, hopefully within the next five years. (The Trow, winter 2017)

Faulkner legacy

GRANTS of £10,000 each have been made to two projects from IWA Northampton branch’s John Faulkner Legacy. These are for a higher clearance footbridge over the River Nene, a short distance below Islip Lock, at Thrapston and the Buckingham Canal Society towards the cost of restoring Bridge No 1 (see article at foot of this page).

Northampton Sea Cadets have been promised a similar sum.

(Endeavour, November 2017)

Major milestone

THE Shropshire Union Middlewich Branch Adopters (SUMBA) had a very busy November with four successful work parties visiting all five-anda-half miles of their adoption length. They also passed another major milestone – the hedgelaying session was the group’s 150th work party.

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Crofton Pumping Station gets into systems engineering THE Heritage Lottery-funded restoration project at the historic Crofton Pumping Station recently featured in a keynote address at the annual systems engineering conference of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE).

This is INCOSE UK’s annual flagship event, bringing together a wide range of professionals from a variety of backgrounds, with a common interest in building up their systems engineering (SE) knowledge and sharing ideas with their peers.

UK’s foremost conference in this field, the event in November was attended by nearly 200 delegates and was held at Warwick University’s new Slade Conference Centre.

Jon Willis and Mike Rodd of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust (KACT), together with Jon Holt of Scarecrow Consultants, presented some pioneering work on the development of a formal specification as part of the overall Crofton project, aimed at introducing the latest monitoring and instrumentation techniques within a 19th-century plant.

Crofton Pumping Station was built in

THE Wey & Arun Canal Trust was recently commended for its achievement in building the new Compasses Bridge at Alfold in Surrey.

It was one of the finalists at the 2017 Living Waterways Awards.

Officially opened in October 2016

by Dame Penelope Keith, Patron of

THE Erewash Canal Preservation and Development Association will celebrate its 50th birthday at the first meeting of the new year on January 18, 2018. The anniversary rally, which will also celebrate 45 years since the reopening of Langley Mill Basin, will take place over the spring bank holiday weekend (May 26-28).

THE official opening of the extension to the Pocklington Canal navigation from Melbourne to Bielby will take place at Thornton Lock on Wednesday, July 25, 2018.

It will be followed by a boat rally and other festivities on July 28-29, which is the nearest weekend to the 200th anniversary of the original opening of the canal.

(Double Nine, autumn 2017)

Structural issues

After the canal was finally abandoned in 1968, Crofton was purchased and restored to full working order some 50 years ago by KACT volunteers, rescuing it from the previous owners’ plans to scrap it completely. Crofton still houses two engines dating back to 1812 and 1846.

The Georgian and Victorian beam engines are themselves in good working condition, but they are vulnerable, especially as they run under full load conditions; most historic engines such as these failed long ago.

However, the building that houses the engines now has urgent structural issues that need to be addressed in order to secure the long-term future of this Grade 1 listed site, one of the most important surviving (and, uniquely, fully operational) monuments of the Industrial Revolution.

In a joint project with Bath University and Scarecrow Consultants, and now as part of a Heritage Lottery-funded project to restore and refresh the site, a unique mechatronics initiative is being developed. The proposal is to exploit modern industrial technology in a heritage-acceptable fashion to provide real time data monitoring of the plant’s internal operation.

This will allow operating and maintenance engineers, students and visitors to observe how the various components of the pumping station are functioning in real time, and will provide a deeper understanding of the critical 200-year-old station’s operation and the condition of its various components.

The paper presented at INCOSE 2017 described how an agreed initial set of requirements, together with the system

The 1812 Boulton & Watt beam engine at Crofton.

PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

specification, provides a basis for a commercial tender for developing the actual solution system.

In this way, state-of-the-art modern technology will be used to heighten an understanding of technology that was itself state of the art 200 years ago!

● The Crofton project is supported by The Heritage Lottery Fund, Bath University and Scarecrow Consultants, together with grants from the Garfield Weston Foundation, Manifold Charitable Trust, Tanner Trust, Saddlers’ Company, Wolfson Foundation, Sylvia Waddilove Foundation, Charles Hayward Foundation and the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust itself.

‘Outstanding’ canal bridge wins award

Anniversary year

Weekend of celebrations

1807-9 as the primary source of water for the summit pound of the Kennet & Avon Canal, using (then) state-of-the-art coalfired beam engines to pump the water.

As the canal fell into disuse, the pumping station stopped work in 1959.

Wey & Arun Canal Trust chairman Sally Schupke and Bill Nicholson, one of the Compasses working party leaders, with the Living Waterways Awards commendation. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

the Surrey Hills, Compasses Bridge was entered in the Community and Volunteering category.

The bridge replaced a 1930s concrete causeway, a major obstacle to navigation on the canal’s summit level on the site of the original 19th-century bridge.

Contractors built the reinforced shell for the new bridge alongside the causeway. Volunteers finished most of the rest of the construction work, including laying the facing brickwork and the landscaping, and demolished the causeway.

The Compasses project was managed

by Wey & Arun Canal Trust board member Tony Ford, who said the award was deserved recognition of the skills of the construction volunteers.

“The completed bridge will be handed over to the local highway authority, so the work of the volunteers had to meet their requirements for drainage, paving, fencing and earthworks,” said Tony.

“This was achieved while maintaining good relations with the residents of adjacent properties and with the owners and operators of Dunsfold aerodrome.

The completed Compasses Bridge in the summer of 2017.

The bridge is a heavily used access to the aerodrome, so the work of our volunteers had to be carefully planned around their events programme.”

Those who worked on the project included members of the trust’s own northern working party, which is led by volunteer Dave Evans, and visiting branches of the Waterway Recovery Group, an arm of the Inland Waterways Association.

Compasses Bridge is at the Alfold entrance to the Dunsfold Park aerodrome and business complex, on

Towpath bench dedicated to Lichfield couple A BENCH has been installed on Lichfield Canal’s towpath in memory of a couple who spent more than 35 years in the city.

Rona and Clifford Chalmers moved to a bungalow on Tamworth Road in 1980, returning to the area after leaving in the mid-1950s.

Rona was treasurer and later secretary of the Conservative Tea Club, while Clifford, a retired engineer, helped with repairs at the George Hotel and Maple Hayes School. He was also secretary of Whittington Golf Club for a time.

The couple enjoyed gardening and always looked forward to their annual walk into the city for the Bower festivities.

As they had started life in the Burntwood area they had a wealth of local knowledge and only last year Clifford gave a talk to Lichfield Cathedral pupils about his school days at the Cathedral in the early 1930s.

In 2015 ill health meant the couple moved to Darwin Court Care Home where Rona died in October 2016 and Clifford in September 2017.

The bench, with a plaque inscribed ‘In memory of Rona and Clifford Chalmers long time residents of Tamworth Road’, was donated by the couple’s

Briony and Colin Hunter on the bench dedicated to the memory of Rona and Clifford Chalmers. PHOTO: LHCRT daughters Briony Hunter, who lives in Bedfordshire, and Hazel John, who has lived in Brisbane, Australia, since 1977 but returns to England every year.

It was made by Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust volunteer Tony Cadwallader and installed on the towpath directly opposite the Cliffords’ old home on Tamworth Road.

what was once the main road between Guildford and Horsham.

It is in the middle of a 1¼-mile section of the canal between Tickner’s Heath and Fast Bridge on the A281. Around half of this length has so far been restored for navigation by small boats, with plans being made to complete the de-silting.

The bridge, which is near the Wey-South Path long-distance walking route devised by the trust, has a viewing platform with an information board where the public can enjoy the enhanced environment.

COME BUILD US A BRIDGE! BUCKINGHAM Canal Society has been awarded a LEADER grant of £72,039 towards the costs of rebuilding the former canal bridge at Cosgrove as a part of the overall restoration work of the canal from Cosgrove to Buckingham.

The bridge rebuilding project is also supported by a £10,000 legacy grant from the Northampton Branch of Inland Waterways Association, along with direct fundraising by the society.

Volunteers will be rebuilding the bridge, which was blocking the Buckingham Arm of the Grand Union canal prior to the site being excavated last year.

The rebuilding will start with preparations this winter and actual brickwork over the summer in 2018. The team also anticipate re-watering the canal for around a further 300m while they formulate a multi-million-pound bid for the new channel to mitigate the section lost to housebuilding.

Fancy joining in? Email info@buckingham canal.org.uk www.buckinghamcanal.org.uk

NETWORKING 9

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Phil Underwood on board his narrowboat Vital Spark. PHOTO © PHIL UNDERWOOD

Characters of the cut Julie Webb meets the musician who has formed his own theatre company.

“VERY worthy and rather dull” is how boat-dwelling musician and song writer Phil Underwood’s RE teacher described the folk club Phil started at school.

Whatever his playing was like then, however, it’s certainly livened up since. When I went to talk to him aboard Vital Spark, the 71ft Colecraft he’ll shortly be changing for a pair of modern working boats, I was treated to an impromptu concert featuring tunes on Cajun accordion and melodeon (irresistibly danceable, had there been room); a sea song he wrote about the fishermen of Leigh in Essex; and Tommy was the ’orse’s name, a rollicking number from his new show The Canals of Old England.

Boats entered Phil’s life relatively late, which is surprising given his youth surrounded by water on the Isle of Wight. He was one of four children, two boys and two girls, and took much inspiration from his father, a man of energy, initiative and many interests.

“Dad was a brilliant man,” he told me. “He was a rocket engineer. He and Mum, who played classical piano, were very involved in amateur dramatics and created a theatre, The Apollo, in an old chapel. Dad played melodeon for the Isle of Wight Morris, and also guitar and banjo.”

Artistic differences

His parents thought the nine-year-old Phil, who was composing songs in the blues style he already loved, might benefit from piano lessons

Nancy Potts and Phil Underwood will be performing at the Easter Gathering at Ellesmere Port and the Braunston Historic Boat Rally in 2018.

PHOTO © PHIL UNDERWOOD

– but the project was short-lived owing to artistic differences with the teacher.

“I’d play the way I thought it should be and he’d say ‘Nicely!

Nicely!’ I didn’t want to play ‘Nicely, nicely’! ” As a teenager he played rock guitar and sang in the local IOW folk club, then upped sticks to the mainland to train as a radio engineer at Bletchley Park.

“After my apprenticeship I was posted by National Air Traffic Services to West Drayton, where I saw boats on the canal and was very interested – but I decided it wasn’t for me at that time, and got on to the whole housebuying-ladder thing.

“Later I joined Thames Valley Morris Men, and in parallel with folk I got involved with Cajun music.” (This is the traditional music of Louisiana, based originally on ballads from French Canada.)

One of his bands, Ti-Fer (meaning ‘little triangle’ – an instrument essential to Cajun’s characteristic sound) became well-known throughout Britain so, spurred on by this success, when the chance came to take early retirement from the day job and pursue a career as a musician, Phil embraced it.

In 2007 he bought Vital Spark, moored where it is now, at Cosgrove on the Grand Union, and moved on to it. Soon after, his partner, an American, fell ill and had to go to the States for treatment. Phil looked after her, in a beautiful rented house on the York River in Virginia, until her death a couple of years later, and then returned to England.

“It was December 1, 2010. It had been 70 degrees in Virginia and here all the boats were iced in, the Elsan point was frozen, and you had to roll the water. It was certainly living on a boat the hard way!”

Solo trip

In 2011 he took a four-week solo trip down to the Thames, along the Oxford Canal and back to Cosgrove, which confirmed his feeling that ‘home is where the boat is’, (despite injuring a finger on a spinning windlass).

Phil Underwood playing the Cajun accordion.

PHOTO: JULIE WEBB

Though he’d been able to play in a few jam sessions during his time in the US, music had taken second place to his focus on his partner. Back in the UK he looked for opportunities to develop his new career. In 2012 he was one of a dozen folk singers awarded a place on the National Theatre’s Warhorse Songman School. He did well enough to be invited to audition for the part and, though he didn’t get it, he found the experience highly rewarding and began to consider writing and performing his own play.

Being on the boat prompted him to look more closely at the history and traditions of the canals, and with Arts Council funding (supported by CRT) he wrote the five-hander Roses and Castles – exploring the lives of a family of boat people over almost 200 years – and formed his theatre company, Bonnet and Belt.

His current production, which can be seen in 2018 at, among other events, Ellesmere Port Easter Gathering and Braunston Historic Boat Rally, is a re-imagining of the original drama.

“It has a cast of two – myself and Nancy Potts, who is a fiddler and singer. We perform songs, poems and stories – mainly true ones, though some are tweaked a bit for dramatic effect.”

Once he’s sold Vital Spark, Phil hopes to use the butty of the pair he’s buying as the theatre company’s boat. He has no regrets about leaving life on land for the waterways.

“It reminds me of the 50s” he said, “with frost on the windows and being in a proper community where everybody knows each other. I really like that!” www.bonnetandbelt.com

10 COMMUNITY BOATING

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Barrus partners The Rose of Hungerford UNTIL recently, the very first Shire engine ever marinised by Barrus was still powering The Rose of Hungerford, a purpose-built, 55ft wide-beamed trip boat belonging to the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust (KACT) – a full 20 years after its installation!

After two decades of exceptionally hard work, however, it was decided that the time for an upgrade had come. This would not only allow the Rose to continue to operate reliably for another 20-plus years but would also provide an opportunity for several other modifications that could simplify the maintenance programme for the willing volunteers who care for both engine and boat.

After a careful examination of running conditions and an analysis of the Rose’s rather idiosyncratic engine bay, a 50hp Shire engine was selected and carefully

The new engine arrives at Hungerford Wharf. PHOTO: KACT

Installing the Barrus Shire engine.

PHOTO: KACT

modified by Barrus to fit. With the able assistance of K&A-based technical boat expert, Brendon Hossack, the old engine was removed at Hungerford wharf.

Following customisation and modifications back at Barrus’s excellent facilities in Bicester, the new engine was successfully installed a few days later, and the boat was successfully commissioned – just in the nick of time for the first of this year’s many annual Santa trips.

“The original power for the Rose was an engine acquired from a crashed ex-London taxi,” commented Mike Rodd, chairman of the Hungerford Branch of the KACT. “When that became unreliable, a Shire engine was chosen and installed in 1997 and – with various modifications along the way – the engine has proved to be extremely reliable over the last 20 years.

“However,” Mike explained, “the

The Rose of Hungerford. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON engine has led a tough life (being driven by numerous helms on our heavy programme of public and charter trips, and being used extensively for crew training), so it has been put through some very tricky situations.

“It was also in need of a major overhaul. However, given the sad state of various other components such as the exhaust system, and the need to increase the electrical power available, a new engine seemed to be the most appropriate way ahead.

“Barrus proved to be a very sympathetic partner, not only offering the new engine at a most reasonable price but also supplying a host of other components free of charge.

“They also generously provided their extensive engineering expertise at no cost to the trust!”

The Rose of Hungerford, which has a maximum capacity of 50 passengers and is one of a fleet of nine public trip boats (including four boats specially designed to carry disabled passengers) is owned by the KACT, which led the restoration of the canal that connects Bristol to London. She was launched on the canal in 1982, but it was not until 1990 that she carried Her Majesty the Queen for the reopening of the complete navigable length of the canal.

The Rose undertakes more than 200 public trips each year, including both scheduled trips and charters, and carries

more than 6000 passengers a year. Totally operated and maintained by volunteers, she brings an income to the trust of about £40,000 a year.

To find out more about The Rose of Hungerford and the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, visit www.rose.katrust.org.uk.

The current Barrus Shire Canal Collection comprises 10 engines with a power range from 15hp to 90hp, suitable for narrowboats, wide-beam boats and Dutch barges. The range is continually being improved and modified to maintain its position as a leader in the market place. It has been a proud and momentous year for Barrus as the company has celebrated its 100th anniversary, and 20 years of Shire.

COMMUNITY BOATING 11

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Ambulance technician Christa Calladine, Dennis Oates, Sarah Cunnington and 999 call handler Georgia Culligan.

Surprise bravery award for woman who saved boater’s life A WOMAN who selflessly jumped into a marina to save an unconscious 91-year-old boater from drowning has been presented with a prestigious bravery award.

Sarah Cunnington, who works part-time at Mercia Marina in Willington, Derbyshire, leapt into the water when Dennis Oates collapsed and fell into the marina. She called for help and held Dennis’ head above water to stop him from drowning.

At the surprise event at the marina, Sarah was presented with an East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) Bravery Award and was also reunited with Dennis, 999 call handler Georgia Culligan who took the call and the ambulance technician Christa Calladine who came to help him.

On receiving the award, Sarah said: “This is so surreal. I didn’t really do anything out of the ordinary, I was only doing what anyone would have done.”

Dennis, who has lived on a houseboat at Mercia Marina for five years and previously worked for the National Coal Board as a mechanic, spent four days at Royal Derby Hospital receiving treatment.

He has made a full recovery and was delighted to have the opportunity to thank Sarah for saving his life, and to thank the ambulance crew for caring for him.

He said: “Sarah is my number one heroine and my life-saver. Words fail me, I’m just so grateful. She absolutely deserves this award – she is marvellous.”

The incident happened as Dennis walked back to his boat from the toilet block. He said: “The last thing I recall is being halfway down the pathway, and then I blacked out. The next thing I knew was Sarah screaming blue murder for someone to help her.

“Sarah had just dropped what she was carrying and jumped straight in, even though the water was deep.”

Unconscious

She explained that she was walking to her own boat when she saw Dennis fall into the water and wasn’t moving, with his head under the water.

“Dennis was unconscious with his face under the water. I scrambled down the bank and into the water which was chest height. I grabbed his jumper and pulled his shoulders up so his face was out of water, and I stood there shouting for help.”

Several people helped to lift Dennis out of the

A grateful hug from Dennis Oates for his rescuer Sarah Cunnington. PHOTOS SUPPLIED water on to the pontoon and someone called for an ambulance. 999 call handler Georgia provided support over the phone until paramedic Cheryl Scott and technician Christa Calladine arrived at the marina to care for Dennis and to take him to hospital.

Sarah said: “The ambulance crew were amazing.

They were incredibly calm and professional and took it all in their stride.”

The 999 call was Christa’s first for someone at risk of drowning and so she was pleased to meet Dennis and see that he was doing well.

She said: “He's looking much better than the last time we saw him, and it’s lovely to see him in much better circumstances. Sarah really deserves this bravery award – she is a real superstar.”

Following the incident, Sarah has now become a team leader of the first aid team at Mercia Marina so she can help even more people who need medical assistance.

General manager Robert Neff said: “We would like to thank Sarah for her selfless and extremely brave actions which ultimately saved Dennis’ life and we are thankful that he has now made a full recovery.

“We would like to congratulate Sarah on receiving this award, which she thoroughly deserves, and we are delighted that she has joined the volunteer first aid team and feel proud that she is part of the wonderful community that we have at Mercia Marina.”

Happy couples board shuttle THE Marsden Shuttle, a 12-seater canal boat operated by the Huddersfield Canal Society, is getting a place in family albums, writes Geoff Wood.

It came into service to transport visitors from Marsden to the Standedge Visitor Centre at Tunnel End. But now brides and bridegrooms are hopping aboard in full regalia to travel to wedding receptions at the visitor centre’s community rooms.

RIGHT: A happy couple on board the Marsden Shuttle. PHOTO: HUDDERSFIELD CANAL SOCIETY

12 IWA ROUND-UP

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AROUND THE BRANCHES WITH IWA’S GEMMA BOLTON

Peterborough

Guests of IWA West Country Branch attended a tour of Bridgwater Docks. IWA’s Branch Achievement Award takes centre stage, having been presented to the branch volunteers. PHOTO: IWA

West Country IWA West Country Branch members recently celebrated their win of the Branch Achievement award in Bridgwater Docks alongside local councillors and other invited guests.

Mayor of Bridgwater Graham Granter was there to thank volunteers for their contribution to the town.

The branch has been working with Bridgwater Town Council on the regeneration of the former docks and

also on the Tidal Barrier Campaign.

Guests were invited on a tour of the docks by committee member Mike Slade who briefed them on IWA’s aspirations for the regeneration of the docks, which includes restoration of Newtown Lock and the Barge Lock and in addition restoring the 1841 heritage bascule bridge across the docks, thus re-establishing navigation between the River Parrett and the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal.

IWA’s campaign to regain non-tidal access to the historic Old Bedford River continues and the third campaign cruise of 2017 by IWA members took place in November.

Access to this historic waterway was lost in 2006 when the Environment Agency closed Welches Dam Lock, and the waterway remains difficult and sometimes impossible to navigate.

The first two cruises weren’t without their difficulties. In April three boats scraped through inches of water at the mouth of the river from the Great Ouse, and in July the cruiser Marie II had to be rescued from rotting algae.

The latest cruise was no different, but this time boats were left behind.

Three boats locked out of the Middle Level lock at Salters Lode into the tidal Great Ouse, but progress was halted as the narrow tidal channel leading to the Old Bedford sluice was badly silted up and a sand bar blocked the entrance.

John Revell used nb Olive Emily’s propellor in reverse gear to dig a channel, allowing the boat to eventually reverse into the non-tidal

Olive Emily digs out a channel watched closely by Lily May in the main river. PHOTO: DAVID MERCER river just after the tide turned, but the other boats were unable to follow.

The rest of the trip along the river went without a hitch but Welches Dam Lock

continues to block the other end from the rest of the Middle Level Navigations.

Discussions continue at national and local level to make progress.

Manchester VOLUNTEERS recently gathered at Lock 7 on the Ashton Canal where they were offered a choice of tasks including a planned paint touch up, towpath vegetation cutting and garden path laying.

Numbers on lock beams were

repainted and two human excavators squared up a path trench and barrowed the base limestone over to the far side of the lock. Volunteers also got stuck into a huge bramble patch and then chopped merrily along the towpath.

Lichfield

At Welches Dam Lock. PHOTO: EDDY EDWARDS

CHAIRMAN of the IWA Lichfield Branch Phil Sharpe surprised Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust chairman Christine Bull with the presentation of a cheque for £1000 at the branch’s November meeting.

The donation will be put towards the trust’s Tunnel Vision Appeal which aims to raise £1 million by early 2019 to build a tunnel for the canal under the CrossCity railway line at the same time as a road tunnel is constructed to take the extension to Lichfield Southern By-pass.

Launched in early 2017 by trust vicepresident David Suchet, the appeal has already raised more than £400,000. IWA Lichfield Branch chairman Phil Sharpe said: “The IWA is pleased to be able to support this vital project to help secure the continuing restoration of the canal.

“This represents another good year of fundraising for Lichfield Branch, chiefly from the sales stand run by Helen Whitehouse and helpers at meetings and at waterway events including Fradley Junction, Moira and Huddlesford.

IWA WORK PARTIES IN JANUARY Anyone intending to attend one of these events for the first time should contact the organisers beforehand and wear suitable clothing and footwear. If staying all day take a packed lunch unless other arrangements are indicated.

East

Wednesdays January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 and Saturday January 13

Lichfield Branch chairman Phil Sharpe presents the £1000 cheque to Christine Bull, chairman LHCRT. PHOTO: WATERWAY IMAGES

“Over the past 30 years Lichfield Branch has donated £44,000 to waterway restoration projects, including £23,000 to Lichfield & Hatherton.”

Christine said she had been told there would be a ‘significant donation’ but in the event this far exceeded what she had expected.

North Staffs & South Cheshire IN NOVEMBER, volunteers from IWA North Staffordshire & Cheshire Branch contributed the full-time equivalent of 6.5 days of work to work parties on the Trent & Mersey Canal.

The biggest chunk of time was targeted to the painting of Church Locks 47 and 48 at Church Lawton, which have been waiting for a new coat of paint for more than two months due to wet weather.

Two volunteers spent 14 hours litter picking and a mooring ring survey was completed further north along the canal.

The tide is beginning to turn as Olive Emily nears the tidal doors and the non-tidal river beyond. John Revell is helming with Peer Le Fleming using the pole. PHOTO: DAVID MERCER

IWA Ipswich Branch supporting River Gipping Trust: Pipps Ford (Needham Market, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8LJ) or Baylham Mill Lock (Mill Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8LG), River Gipping. Meet at 9am to continue clearing storm damage to Pipps Ford or carry out maintenance at Baylham Mill Lock, finish at 3.30-4pm. Contact Martin Bird 01394 380765, restoration@rivergippingtrust.org.uk

Wednesday January 3 and Saturday January 27

IWA Peterborough Branch: Clearing vegetation on Horseways Channel and carrying out maintenance of Horseways Lock, 10am-3pm. Access is via, and by permission of, Allpress Farms, Byall Fen Drove (B1093) PE16 6XQ. Contact David Venn 01366 324102, david. venn@waterways.org.uk

North

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Saturday January 20

IWA Manchester Branch: Monthly work party at a venue to be confirmed in Greater Manchester, 10am-4pm.

Tasks will include vegetation clearance, litter picking, painting and pulling rubbish out of the canal. Contact 07710 554602, secretary@manchester-iwa.co.uk

Saturday January 27

IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch: Monthly work party in the Chester area working at various locations alongside the Shropshire Union Canal, 10am-4pm. Work will include painting and vegetation clearance. Contact Jason Watts, jason.watts@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Saturday January 6 and Tuesday January 23

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch supporting the Burslem Port Trust: Twice-monthly work party on the Burslem Arm, Stoke-on-Trent, 10am to 3pm. Meet at Luke Street, Middleport, Stoke-on-Trent ST6 3LY. Contact Steve Wood 07976 805858, steve. wood@waterways.org.uk

Thursday January 11

The painting team in front of the completed locks. These are paired locks but only one side is operational.

Thursday January 18

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Trent & Mersey Canal Society: Monthly work party on the Cheshire Locks, Trent & Mersey Canal. Meet at Church Locks 47 and 48 adjacent to All Saints Church, Lawton ST7 3DD at 10am. Contact John Brighouse 0780 887317, john.brighouse@waterways.org.uk

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust: Monthly work party on the Uttoxeter Canal at Bridge 70, Crumpwood.

10am-3pm. No parking at site so please meet at 9.30am at Denstone Village Hall, College Road, Denstone, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 5HR for a lift or, if on foot, meet on site at Bridge 70 at 10am. Contact Steve Wood 07976 805858, steve.wood@waterways.org.uk

Midlands

Sunday January 7 and Tuesday January 16

IWA Northampton Branch: Northampton Arm adoption, fortnightly work party 10am-2pm. Work includes a variety of tasks such as painting, vegetation clearance and litter picking. Location dependent on work completed at the previous work party. Contact Geoff Wood at geoff. wood@waterways.org.uk

South

Tuesday January 16 and 23

IWA Oxfordshire supporting Banbury Canal Partnership: Meet at 9am, work until around 1pm.

Contact Colin Garnham-Edge, bcpontheoxford@gmail. com

For further information on any of these events, please contact Gemma Bolton on 01494 783453 or email gemma.bolton@waterways.org.uk Details can also be found on IWA’s website at www.waterways.org.uk