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Boosting visits to the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ canal

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Issue 110, December 2014

P48

Christmas Gift Guide Starts P54

SUTTON WEAVER BRIDGE REOPENS TO RIVER TRAFFIC P4

Horse-drawn by Chelsea, the Friends of the Cromford Canal’s heritage narrowboat Birdswood between Cromford Wharf and Leawood Pump House during the recent Derwent Valley Mills Discovery Days. The boat has carried more than 5000 passengers in its first year of operation on the canal. More on P2. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Waterways hero wins special award from Prime Minister

THERE BEFORE IN ’74 CALDON CELEBRATES P13

A WATERWAY Recovery Group camp leader has won a new volunteering award announced by Prime Minister David Cameron.

George Rogers, 23, from Matlock, Derbyshire, has worked on over 500 miles of UK waterways restoration schemes and now leads canal ‘camps’ for people to help build their confidence and learn new skills.

He is the latest recipient of a Point of Light award, which recognises outstanding individual volunteers, people who are making a change in

BURNLEY DRY DOCK BACK IN BUSINESS P14

WATERWAYS ON THE WESTERN FRONT P49

Licence fee rise revealed

PRIVATE boat licence fees will rise by 1.6% in April 2015, the Canal & River Trust has said. The increase, in line with inflation, will be followed by another in 2016. Dean Davies, interim head of customer services at Canal & River Trust, said: “By pegging the licence fee to inflation for three years to 2016, we are recognising the financial pressure that some boaters face, while the trust also grows revenue from other sources to support our care for the waterways.”

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their community and inspiring others.

Each day, someone somewhere in the country is selected to receive the award to celebrate their remarkable achievements.

Mr Cameron said: “Through his work, George is helping to safeguard the heritage and culture of Britain’s canals for future generations, which is of great importance. He truly deserves this Point of Light award.”

After a summer canal camp helped George build his own confidence five years ago, he was inspired to join the

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OFTEN the cause of problems on railway lines, leaves were recently blamed for flooding on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, writes Geoff Wood. Water poured over the towpath and adjoining fields after autumn leaves blocked a weir at Linthwaite on the outskirts of Huddersfield. Engineers from the Canal & River Trust were called out and were able to clear the blockages so that the water which had backed up could drain away.

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George Rogers working on the construction of Staveley Lock on the Chesterfield Canal. PHOTO:WRG

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WRG to help others experience the same transformation.

As part of George’s role as a volunteer at WRG he helps to plan canal camps, focusing mainly on construction projects such as a new bridge and a new lock on the Chesterfield Canal.

The camps, which George runs during his annual leave, see him involved in all aspects of planning – such as working with the local restoration society to write risk assessments and strategies for restoration work.

• Continued on page 2

A SNAPSHOT survey by the National Bargee Travellers Association revealed 880 liveaboard boats on London towpaths from Uxbridge to Brentford, Bulls Bridge to Limehouse and Limehouse to Enfield – a combined distance of 50 miles. NBTA was responding to a BBC You and Yours programme which stated there were 3000 boats cruising in the capital. The association acknowledged that while some specific areas are obviously busy there is more than enough space in London as a whole for everyone.

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WELCOME

IT IS always heartwarming when one of the community’s ‘unsung heroes’ is recognised with an award; and George Rogers’ Point of Light accolade brings all the work done not only by the Waterway Recovery Group but also all the IWA branches and canal societies sharply into focus.

We feature another individual – Maffi Oxford – ‘doing his bit’ on our Work Party and Volunteering section on page 10. He wrote: “It shows what one person can do in less than a day and may serve as encouragement to others.” We couldn’t agree more, and early next year Towpath Talk will be launching its own Volunteer of the Year award… watch this space.

As I write, the news bulletins are full of images of the Armistice Day remembrance and, as mentioned last month, I visited the Waterways on the Western Front exhibition at the London Canal Museum, see my report on page 49.

Another anniversary which hits the headlines in this edition is Caldon Canal’s 40th since it reopened following restoration. Harry Arnold was also there in 1974 and reports on the celebrations held on the day and on the exact site of the original. See page 13.

The first of this year’s Stoppage Open Days has already taken place, reminding us that winter will soon be upon us, although we have been experiencing some unseasonably mild weather. And I don’t like to mention the ‘C’ word again but if you’re looking for that last-minute gift for the boater in your life, check out the second of our gift guides starting on page 54.

Keep safe and snug

TOWPATH

TALK

Janet

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Boat owners and would-be boaters are warned of the perils of illegal renting

By Polly Player

FOLLOWING on from our article in November’s Towpath Talk highlighting the current high demand for privately rented narrowboats, both the Canal & River Trust, other boating organisations and individual boaters themselves have expressed concern over the safety and legality issues with private boat rentals.

Making the decision to live aboard is becoming increasingly popular across a range of demographics, both out of a desire to live on the water for its own sake and, in some areas, as an attempt to counteract the ever increasing price of land-based housing.

While many would-be boaters aspire to a life on the water, not everyone has the funds to finance the purchase of a boat outright; and, understandably, the question of boat rental as a compromise comes up time and time again. For the uninitiated, renting a boat to live on can seem as straightforward as renting a flat or a house, and many non-boaters assume that the process is the same as that for a land-based property.

However, there is much more to renting a boat and staying above board than simply signing a tenancy agreement with the boat’s owner and sailing off into the sunset. The CRT’s regulations for boat rentals and also the legal and safety implications are rather more convoluted than many people expect.

Landlords of both land-based and water-based properties have a duty of

care in law to their tenants, which encompasses a high level of responsibility to the occupants if something were to go wrong and the tenants were to become sick or injured as a result of their tenancy. Failing to go through the correct legal process to rent out a boat leads to legal liability for the boat’s owner, as well as potential criminal culpability if something goes wrong.

Adding up the cost of all of the various requirements for private boat rentals soon becomes prohibitive. For a privately owned boat to be offered for rental legally, the end rental cost required to cover all of the bases is likely to come to as much as, if not more than, a flat or house. For this reason, many people who might otherwise consider renting out their boat to private tenants soon discard the idea as uneconomical and not worth pursuing.

Into this void falls both the uninformed private boat owner who assumes that renting their boat out will be simple and profitable, as well as the unscrupulous would-be landlord seeking to make a quick buck, unconcerned about the legality of their rental or their responsibilities to their tenants. Many would-be boating tenants and even some landlords are either totally unaware that their rental agreement is illegal and possibly placing them at risk, or simply make the conscious decision to forego their rights and responsibilities in law in order to enable a rental.

This is a particular problem in areas where land-based accommodation is at a premium, such as on the waterways of London, where a significant proportion of boats of all types are offered and sought for rent on a private basis.

Sheer demand

Aisha Mirza on her rented boat.

PHOTO:AISHA MIRZA, BOATWITHNOENGINE. WORDPRESS.COM

Classified adverts here in Towpath Talk, the London Boaters’ Facebook group, Canal World Discussion Forum and virtually every other marketplace for boating-related adverts verify the sheer demand for private boat rentals, both in London and across the UK. Canal World Discussion Forum in particular receives enquiries from new would-be boaters and boat owners considering renting their boat out on such a regular basis that the moderation team has pinned and highlighted an advice thread outlining the potential

• Continued from page 1

Waterways hero wins special award from Prime Minister At weekends, in his canal restoration volunteer role, George helps with anything from clearing up greenery in the waterways to repairing a derelict lock chamber so that more people can enjoy the waterways and get outdoors.

Thanks to him, over 100 volunteers also have the skills and experience to help them gain employment.

A graduate civil engineer, George also joined the committee for his local organisation, the Friends of the Cromford Canal committee in April 2010 having seen its request for a new webmaster. He took over and rebuilt its entire website, which he now coordinates and continues to develop along with a team of three volunteers who now also work on the website.

With his experience of working with the WRG, George also now acts as a local coordinator for canal camps and weekends taking place within his area.

George is also one of 30 ambassadors for Volunteers Week, an annual event co-ordinated by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, which celebrates the contribution volunteers make across the country.

He said: “Restoring the canals has long been my passion, and it is somewhat humbling to be recognised for something that I enjoy so much.

The short and long term benefits to the other volunteers and the wider community make it a truly rewarding experience.

“This award also represents my firm belief that all volunteering is equally important – whether it be restoring the canals, building a school in Africa or mowing an elderly neighbour’s lawn, volunteering is the bedrock of society and I only wish I could do more.” <info box> George is the 149th winner of the new Points of Light award which has been developed in partnership with successful Points of Light programme in the USA. The Points of Light awards recognise outstanding individual volunteers, people who are making a change in their community and inspiring others.

If people want to nominate a Point of Light they can do so by writing to the Prime Minister.

WhAT IS REquIREDTO RENTA pRIvATE BOAT OuT LEgALLY? In order for a boat to be rented out legally, a wide range of permits and permissions are required, which many private boat owners overlook when they begin to think of their unused boat as a potential stream of income.

First of all, the CRT licence required for a rented boat is not the same as that required for a private boat; this licence is identified by the letters ‘RL’ on the licence paperwork. In order to attain this licence for rental to liveaboard tenants, the boat must also have a designated residential home mooring, which are often in short supply.

The Boat Safety Scheme certificate for a rented boat is also different and covers a wider remit of potential risks than a privately used boat too. Due to added regulations on the number of exits and various other factors, many private boats would be unable to meet the necessary criteria to attain the correct certification.

Standard private boat insurance too does not cover rental to third parties, and commercial insurance must be attained in order to offer a boat for rent.

Finally, all residences, including boats of all kinds, fall within the scope of the residential Gas Safety and Use regulations (1998), which adds another layer of difficulty when achieving full legal compliance. problems and risks for both parties.

The appeal of boat rentals in London in particular has made national headlines several times this year already. A recent article in The Guardian newspaper told the tale of a London couple who decided to buy a small boat in order to provide extra office space, justifying the additional cost with the statement that they could always hire it out privately when they were not using it via the Airbnb holiday rentals website.

Journalist Sam Forbes, writing in The Guardian in February of this year, told the story of her experiences of renting a room in a houseboat slum on the Thames in West London, where, for around £400 per month, rooms were rented on two decrepit barges in the Richmond area.

No toilet or shower facilities, no electric and one small solid fuel stove that constantly triggered the CO alarm was the accepted status quo in this illegal rental. While this particular ‘landlord’ has been prevented from luring any further clients into his abode, small, illegally privately rented boats are still very common on London’s waterways.

Aisha Mirza privately rented a small GRP-topped narrowboat in London for several months during the summer of 2013. Aisha literally woke up one morning and decided she’d like to give boat life a whirl, and within four days had found a boat offered for rent and moved in, demonstrating just how easy it is to find an illegal private boat rental in London.

The boat that Aisha rented was 20ft long, had no engine or shower, and most of the facilities that she did have can fairly be described as sub-par.

This is neatly demonstrated by Aisha’s account of attempting to turn on the kitchen tap to find a shower of dead bugs and other detritus raining out of it in place of the wished-for water.

While Aisha was both thrilled to be living on the water and very much enjoyed the experience for the majority of the time that she resided on the boat, for the privilege of this illegal rental, she paid the landlord several hundred pounds per month.

Aisha blogged about her experiences of boat rental in London (as well as many other topics of interest) at aboatwithnoengine.wordpress.com

BIRDSWOOD BOOST FOR LOCAL ECONOMY THE success of the Birdswood project in attracting visitors to the Cromford Canal was praised by the High Sheriff of Derbyshire, David Coleman, following a trip aboard the horse-drawn canal boat as part of the recent Derwent Valley Mills Discovery Days programme.

He said more than 5000 passengers have enjoyed the experience in 2014 and that this new tourism is becoming an important asset for the World Heritage Site as well as helping to stimulate the local economy.

Mr Coleman, who is one of canal restoration charity Friends of the Cromford Canal’s 800-plus members and who lives near the route of the canal, took a return trip from Cromford Wharf to Leawood Pump House on the 75-year-old heritage narrowboat pulled by 13-year-old Chelsea, a sturdy Dales x Shire mare.

Returning to the busy Cromford wharfside where crowds were enjoying the fine weather and special family-friendly waterways-related events organised by the FCC, the High Sheriff remarked on the smoothness of the boat ride.

He then presented a commemorative brass narrowboat and boat-horse to Lance and Corinne Rose of Alderwasley-based working horse specialists Arraslea Shires, to mark a successful first season of horse-drawn canal cruises run in partnership with the FCC. Mike Kelley, the FCC’s operations manager who has guided the Birdswood project since its launch in 2011, said: “Our hard-working volunteers and partners have made this project a success in its first year of business. We will now build on this to give Derbyshire tourism a real boost in future years and to enable many more people to enjoy the peace and quiet of a canal cruise through a beautiful part of the county; and maybe to share the special High Sheriff David Coleman presents experience being pulled along by a the brass narrowboat and boat-horse horse. After all, there are only five to Corinne and Lance Rose of Arraslea places in Britain where the public can Shires with boat horse Chelsea. enjoy such a ride.”

PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

NEWS 3

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Welfare officer to work with vulnerable boaters

THE Canal & River Trust has appointed its first welfare officer, Sean Williams, who will work with vulnerable boaters who may be finding it harder to cope with life afloat.

Operating on a confidential basis, he will help them to find the right solutions for their issues and particular set of circumstances. This will be done in partnership with a network of external organisations whose remits include helping provide welfare assistance to those in society who most need it.

Sean will also offer expert advice for staff, volunteers and stakeholders on matters involving vulnerable boaters,

and in particular with enforcement cases where the boat owner is discovered to have welfare needs.

He said: “This is a great opportunity to make a real difference, both within the trust and outside it, to the lives of boaters who may need more support than they’re currently getting from the trust, local councils, housing associations or welfare charities. It’s an exciting role and one I’m really looking forward to taking on.”

Sean worked in an award-winning housing association in Hertfordshire for five years, most recently in the role of tenancy sustainment officer. His job covered supporting vulnerable tenants and empowering them to

maintain their tenancy, welfare reform, estate management and issues around anti-social behavior. In his role he built good relationships with partner agencies.

In his spare time he works with his partner on fundraising opportunities for School Club Zambia, which works with children in severe poverty.

Dean Davies, interim head of customer service at the Canal & River Trust, said: “For some people living on a boat is a lifestyle choice but for others there may not be any other options. Sean’s experience in working with vulnerable tenants and coordinating relationships with partners sets him in great stead for the post and

Breakdown firm on the road to recovery following fire disaster RIVER Canal Rescue MD Stephanie Horton is seeking a canalside property to rent in the Staffordshire area after the company’s stores and offices were gutted in a fire at neighbouring SP Fireworks on Thursday, October 30.

Since then RCR has been working from a temporary office.

Emergency and general enquiry lines are operational but on divert to mobiles – the main switchboard number is 01785 785680. All mail is being redirected to the current location so correspondence can continue to be posted to RCR at 10 Tilcon Avenue, Baswich, Stafford ST18 0YJ or Freepost NAT 11249, Stafford, Staffordshire ST17 0BR. Stephanie is confident the breakdown and assistance firm will be up and running by spring – in time for the start of the boating season – but it will not return to its original location as the area is being bulldozed.

She said: “The fire wiped out stock we’d built up since 2000 – refurbished items and pieces of equipment which are no longer produced.

However, we’ve started ordering base levels of stock so we can tick over and once

IN BRIEF

Oxfam role for Ruth

Sean Williams: A great opportunity to make a real difference. PHOTO: CRT I think that he will bring a new perspective to the trust.”

The role will also help establish the trust’s policies on vulnerable boaters and assist in its compliance with relevant legislation, for example the Equality Act.

Stag parties cause chaos on the K&A

by Bob Naylor

The aftermath of the fire which gutted River Canal Rescue’s stores and offices. PHOTO: RCR we move into more permanent premises, we’ll be able to build upon these. We would welcome donations of any parts that need refurbishing to help us build the essential stocks needed to support our customers.

“Thankfully, essential stock, such as fan belts, filters and general breakdown parts, was held in our eastern and southern stores and our engineers have a supply on their vans, so we can still supply these items very quickly. Certain replacement parts are likely to take two to

three days longer than usual as we are reliant on thirdparty suppliers, but we will endeavour to provide an uninterrupted service where we can.”

Stephanie added: “Although these are difficult times, we have contingency plans in place and a fantastic team to ensure the business continues running.

“This coupled with the goodwill of the boating community gives me confidence for the future and I thank everyone for their messages of support.”

THE hire boat season on the Kennet & Avon Canal ended as it began with the canal closed by a stag party on a hire boat getting their boat caught on the cill and sinking it on the Bath Flight.

In March, an Alvechurch hire boat from Hilperton was sunk in Horseshoe Bridge (Lock 11) and the canal was closed for a week – and the latest at the beginning of November at Wash House Lock (Lock 10) was an Anglo Welsh Boat from Bradfordon-Avon, which at the time of going to press has caused the canal The sunken hire boat in Wash to be closed for 11 House Lock. PHOTO: BOB NAYLOR days. There is no forecast of when the canal will be re-opened.

In both incidents alcohol is believed to have contributed to the sinking, and witnesses said the crews of both the sunken boats were standing on the lockside continuing to drink lager after they had sunk the boats.

This season has had more complaints on the K&A about bad behaviour by stag parties than usual and in April the police were called to remove the hirers of two boats when they became abusive to Oxfordshire Narrowboats staff from Bradford-on-Avon who had responded to complaints about their excessive speed, abusive behaviour towards other canal users and deliberate hitting of other boats.

THE Canal & River Trust’s head of fundraising Ruth Ruderham has joined the board of Oxfam as a non-executive trustee. Her appointment comes as the international charity runs a crisis appeal to raise funds to prevent the spread of Ebola and will supplement her work at the CRT. She said: “It is a real honour for me to have the opportunity to use my fundraising and governance experience to support the work of a charity doing such vital work to help the world’s poorest people.”

Canal centre cash

A TWO-year project has been launched to boost the Fourteen Locks Canal Centre at Rogerstone, Newport, on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal with the help of a £83,900 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Although the focus will be on continuing to be a community centre, it is planned to develop a core volunteer group as well as training opportunities.

The windfall will also help to create jobs and increase visitor numbers.

Online vote

IN OUR latest online poll at www.towpathtalk.co.uk we asked readers what sort of toilet they have on their boats.

Cassette toilets proved the most popular with those who responded, registering 64%, while 30% opted for pumpouts. Just 4% have composting toilets, but is this figure set to grow?

This month we are asking readers where they plan to eat their Christmas dinner.

Concert tribute

A COMMEMORATIVE concert was held in Huddersfield recently to remember the life and times of former music teacher and boater Eileen Bass, writes Geoff Wood.

She influenced thousands of young musicians over three decades at Huddersfield Technical College’s School of Music. But others will remember Eileen as the joint owner with her husband Rodney of a 40ft narrowboat which they took on extensive voyages throughout Britain starting at Brighouse.

Boat trip prize

GETTING afloat in a narrowboat proved a popular prize in a competition to devise the best walks in the Sefton and West Lancashire areas, writes Geoff Wood. The winner was Graham Unwin who picked up the first prize of a day’s hire of the Pride of Sefton canal boat with lunch provided.

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Cutting the ribbon, while the vintage vehicles wait to cross, are: Coun Mike Pusey, Sutton Weaver Parish Council chairman; Coun Allen Wales, Frodsham Mayor; Coun Andrew Dawson, CWaC; Graham Evans MP; Coun Mike Jones, CWaC leader; George Ballinger, CRT head of engineering; Coun Lynn Riley, CWaC and Richard Parry (CRT chief executive).

Major Weaver swing bridge reopens

By Harry Arnold

CRT bridge operator Mo Azouz demonstrates the restored controls to CWaC councillor Lynn Riley and CRT chief executive Richard Parry.

SUTTON Weaver Swing Bridge, spanning the River Weaver near Frodsham in Cheshire, is literally down the road from where I used to live and I have passed over – and through – it many times.

At one stage in its history my wife’s family also lived right by the river.

So it was good to see it gleaming like new after a 12month £4.5 million restoration that has been considerably more extensive and detailed than simply a new paint job. Despite being in effect bypassed by the

Narrowboats from the Weaver Navigation Society pass through at the officially reopened swing bridge. In the foreground is Steve Wood of the Historic Narrow Boat Club on his boat Bream. PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES M56, the bridge still carries 20,000 vehicles a day – up to 40tonne weight – along the busy A56 trunk road.

Sutton Weaver is one of four major swing bridges spanning this navigation to be refurbished over recent years, the others being Acton Bridge and Town and Hayhurst bridges in Northwich. In this instance, because of the density of traffic, a substantial temporary diversion bridge had to be built; restricting navigation to craft with an air draught lower than 2.2m.

The extensive work on the88year-old structure, which started in summer 2013, has extended the bridge’s life by more than 50 years. Funding came from Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC), the

Department for Transport and the Canal & River Trust (CRT).

The project was managed by the CRT, in conjunction with CWaC, with Kier as the main contractor.

One of the fascinating details of the work is that – apart from a press-button to work the modern road traffic barriers – the original bridge controls and their cabin have been fully overhauled and are still in use. The elegant heavy iron road gates have also been restored.

At the opening ceremony – following speeches, a plaque unveiling and ribbon cutting – a vintage Leyland Cub lorry, a modern HGV, and other historic vehicles drove across the bridge to highlight the vehicle weight changes the bridge has had to cope with since it opened in 1926. The bridge was then

swung open and a flotilla of rowing boats from Runcorn Rowing Club and canal boats from the River Weaver Navigation Society passed through on the river.

Following the dismantling of the temporary bridge the Weaver Navigation was again open to all vessels, including ships, by the end of October. Let us hope that commercial shipping will again return to this river, which has one of Britain’s main sources of road salt next to its banks. Why can’t it be shipped out to be stockpiled at various convenient ports?

It seems a long time since 1977 when – on an early morning passage through Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge on the bridge of a ship heading for the ICI at Northwich – a bleary-eyed Scots’ skipper offered the river pilot, the

Narrowboats on the new Winsford town moorings at the regatta. PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES

Entertainment on the main site – opposite the narrowboats – at the regatta.

By Harry Arnold

that the Weaver waterfront will benefit: Similar to new projects and proposals for its sister town of Northwich further down river.

A great waterway might-havebeen was of course the Second World War plan to continue the Weaver Navigation up through the flashes and on to join a widened Shropshire Union line – via a boat lift – at Audlem, creating a 100-ton barge canal to Wolverhampton and the Midlands: That would have been quite something.

All credit to the Winsford local authorities and the Weaver Navigation Society for the organisation of this new one-day event and their promotion of the town and the Weaver as a tourist destination.

The commemorative plaque is unveiled by local MP Graham Evans, watched by CWaC councillor Lynn Riley and CRT chief executive Richard Parry. late and legendary Stan Garner, and myself a half-pint glass of neat whisky each. But those were different days!

Salt Fair has First World War theme for first regatta THE official head of navigation – and the Canal & River Trust’s (CRT) responsibility – on the River Weaver is Winsford Bridge; but boats can carry on into lakes known locally as ‘flashes’.

Winsford Bottom Flash is navigable with care and the Top Flash only in small craft.

The flashes shallow off very gradually – ideal for trapping the unwary in a flat-bottomed boat – as one well-known current CRT trustee may recall from his pioneering holiday waterway explorations in a hire boat in the 1960s.

Winsford is a very attractive but somewhat unsung boating venue

(although as a Cheshire man I am biased) and this year the local authority has financed and completed a purpose-built town mooring in the arm as you enter the Bottom Flash; now dubbed ‘Winsford Marina’. It proved an ideal centre for a gathering of about 40 narrowboats taking part in the one-day Winsford Salt Fair Regatta on September 21.

This was the third Salt Fair – which commemorates a royal charter of 1280 allowing an annual fair in the town – and had a First World War theme. It was the first fair to feature a regatta, with a range of trade and charity stands, music and entertainment, was based on the island adjacent to the moorings and with the

narrowboats and good weather created a colourful spectacle.

The actual regatta side was the province of the sailing craft some distance away up the Bottom Flash but there were other small boat variations, such as canoes, closer on the main site. Although the sailing was somewhat separated from the main public part it certainly provided an interesting variation on the usual waterway event and an eyecatching backdrop.

There are apparently wideranging proposals for Winsford and the surrounding area – too complicated to explain here – involving developments such as new roads and the access to the salt mines, from which it is hoped

Canoes, narrowboats and sailing boats create an interesting mix of craft on Winsford Bottom Flash.

NEWS 5

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Work starts on new canalside homes BUILDING work has started on a new waterside development of 14 family homes in the heart of Lancaster.

H2O, a partnership between the Canal & River Trust and niche property development company, bloc, is bringing a new lease of life to a disused, historic canal wharf, Aldcliffe Yard, situated in a city centre conservation area off Aldcliffe Road.

Prices start at £295,000 and work is expected to be completed by July next year.

Project manager Mike Atkinson said: “We launched this very attractive residential scheme in the summer and already half the plots are sold.

Opportunities to buy into such an attractive piece of Lancaster canal heritage don’t come along very often. One of the new houses even includes a small, historic cargo crane in the back garden.”

Aldcliffe Yard overlooks the picturesque Lancaster Canal and will include a mixture of new three- and four-bedroom houses as well as refurbished three-, four- and five-bedroom homes created from listed, stone canal buildings.

Newts delay Montgomery Canal restoration

Mike Atkinson, H2O project manager, centre, on site with Jim and Nicola Combe, who bought one of the first plots in the summer. PHOTOS:CANAL & RIVERTRUST Purchasers buying their homes off-plan will have a choice of luxury kitchens and bathrooms and a range of high-quality interior finishes.

Newts are delaying Montgomery Canal restoration beyond Pryce’s Bridge. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

By Harry Arnold

A computer-generated image of the new homes.

Historic boats rally remembers war fallen A RALLY of historic boats on the Trent & Mersey Canal was a highlight of the Great War Weekend at Middlewich, Cheshire, writes Geoff Wood.

It was one of the events held

across seven sites in the town – all designed to provide entertainment and as a spur to remember the local soldiers who died in the First World War. Dave Thompson, events

manager at Middlewich Town Council said: “It is important that we remember the world wars and that remembering should help make sure that they never happen again.”

Festival promotes Melksham connection A NEW slipway was officially opened at the recent Melksham Festival which was attended by more than a dozen boats, writes Peter Huish.

The event helped to promote the connection of Melksham to the Kennet & Avon Canal at Semington, via a new cut and a new lock on the River Avon at the site of the current weir.

Melksham Town Council and volunteers from the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust had cleared the river bank, and removed fallen trees enabling the adventurous to cruise upstream beyond the proposed connection to the original line of the Wilts and Berks canal, to near Beanacre, more than halfway to Laycock.

Following the formal opening of the new slipway, crowds were entertained by a fairground, water-based demonstrations, cruise pasts by visiting boats, and trips on the W&BCT

A variety of craft on the water. boat Dragonfly. A number of folk musicians played during the two days of the event and on Saturday evening.

Visitors enjoying a boat trip during the festival weekend. PHOTOS: PETER HUISH

FOLLOWING the recent restoration of a further section of the Montgomery Canal, the relocation of newts will stop any further progress for some months.

Grant funding has been obtained to restore the next 50m stretch beyond Pryce’s Bridge by volunteers of the Shropshire Union Canal Society, supported

by the Canal & River Trust (CRT).

CRT has been waiting several months for a decision from Natural England (NE) on a licence application to relocate newts from this section. NE has finally advised that it is intending to reject the application.

It has asked CRT to provide more compensation habitat and to revisit the application to provide more information on the proposals including details of

newt compensation measures for further planned restoration on to Crickheath.

CRT is confident it can meet NE’s requirements, this will take further time and there is now no possibility of resubmitting an application and obtaining a positive decision in time to carry out a successful newt exclusion this calendar year; so works will be delayed until at least spring 2015.

6 NEWS

IN BRIEF

Gravedigger’s heroic action

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Council welcomes freeze on Thames lock cottage lettings

By Elizabeth Rogers

Along the 26-mile stretch are eight locks: Buscot, Grafton, Radcot, Rushey Lock near Buckland, Shifford, Northmoor, Pinkhill and Eynsham.

The district council’s cabinet member for the environment, Coun David Harvey, recently reported on the response received from the Environment Agency.

This stated that duties at the locks are shared by resident lock-keepers and relief staff living off-site who

A GRAVEDIGGER was described by his friends as a hero after he saved a man from drowning in a canal, writes Geoff Wood. Andy Kenworthy was cycling home beside the Ashton Canal in Tameside, Greater Manchester, when he saw a man struggling to get out and pulled him to safety. Drawing on his experience of a first aid course, Andy put the victim in the recovery position, kept him warm and called for an ambulance. He said later: “This was the first major incident I have been too. Normally in my trade you don’t need first aid.”

WEST Oxfordshire District Council welcomed a freeze on the renting out of lock-keepers’ houses on the River Thames at a recent meeting.

In May, as reported in Towpath Talk, councillors voted unanimously in support of a motion for the retention of resident staff at locks on the river that forms the southern boundary of the district.

Trailboat 2017 dates

Lock volunteers trained in life-saving techniques

THE 2017 IWA National Trailboat Festival will be hosted by Ashby Canal Trust. It is planned to take place on May 27-28, 2017 with a tour of the canal restoration work for boaters attending the festival on May 29. Next year’s festival will take place on the Westmorland Showground adjoining the Lancaster Canal, Crooklands, over the weekend May 30-31.

Four Crosses towpath work WORK on a £260,000 project to improve the towpath along the Montgomery Canal should be completed by Christmas. The latest mile-long section to be improved is between Four Crosses and Carreghofa, just south of the town of Llanymynech, near the Welsh-English border.

The work will replace the existing well-trodden grass towpath with a surfaced path and provide several new canoe access points.

CANAL & River Trust lock volunteers at Audlem on the Shropshire Union Canal were invited by Audlem Mill Canal Shop to join them recently for training on CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation). The defibrillator was provided to them on loan by North West Ambulance Service.

Audlem’s flight of 15 locks is located many miles from the nearest ambulance station or hospital, and Nick Blair of NWAS explained that the first few minutes after cardiac arrest are critical – hence the importance in having several people at Audlem trained up in lifesaving techniques.

Memorial towpath ride

FAMILY and friends completed a 127-mile canal towpath ride to raise money in memory of a seven-year-old boy who died earlier this year, writes Geoff Wood. Joel Shaw, seven, from Newburgh, died in June from from health problems including liver damage and pneumonia. A ride along the towpath of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal has raised £3500 for the two hospitals – Leeds Infirmary and Alder Hey, Liverpool – involved in his treatment. Joe’s mum Sue Shaw, 42, said the staff of the hospitals were amazing and they wanted to say thank you.

Nick Blair of NWAS is pictured with Brian Foster, Joe Halligan, Philip Shemilt, and David Williams. PHOTO SUPPLIED

cover for them on days when they are not available. Where a lock house has been rented out, relief keepers manage the lock and weir during duty hours.

The Environment Agency stated that the number of houses to be rented out has been frozen for two years. A study is being undertaken to compare the financial and operational management of sites with or without resident lockkeepers, and in the meantime no

more houses are being rented out.

Coun Peter Kelland, who was one of the proposers of the original motion with Coun Steve Good, said that he had been told that there were occasions when locks did not have a keeper available.

The district council believes that resident lock keepers play an important role in the life of and safety on the River Thames and that this is particularly so on this remote stretch of the river.

River relay starts ‘Totally Thames’ celebrations

By Elizabeth Rogers

LONDONERS recently enjoyed a month-long series of events along and beside the river during the Totally Thames celebrations organised by the Thames Festival Trust.

There were as many as 130 events spread along the 42 miles which the River Thames travels within the capital’s boundaries.

They included music, art, exhibitions, story-telling and activities for children.

Totally Thames actually started on August 17 with the Thames Festival Trust’s second ‘Source to the Sea’ relay when on each day for the remainder of the month, a bottle of river water was transported stage by stage to London.

The first stage was covered on foot, because of the size of the flow of the stripling Thames; the bottle then travelled from lock to lock aboard a variety of craft.

These included rowing boats, sailing boats and kayaks. Some lengths were covered by swimmers.

From September 1, the bottle began making its journey across

London, from west to east. Its overnight stops were at many major buildings and landmarks including the Houses of Parliament, where the trust’s relationship manager Jon Cooke presented it to the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

Other resting places included the London Eye, City Hall, the offices of the Mayor of London Boris Johnson, HMS Belfast, Chiswick Pier, St Katharine Dock, the Brunel Museum, and the headquarters of several rowing clubs.

By the final day of the festival, September 30, it had reached Southend-on-Sea, where local RNLI branch members took it to the end of the pier.

Major events during the festival included ‘Mapping London’, an exhibition at a gallery on the South Bank, which was displaying maps from the 16th century showing changes in the Thames landscape over the centuries, the London River Marathon and the Tall Ships Festival at Royal Greenwich.

A well-kept secret was the art

The HippopoThames floats past the London eye. PHOTO:THAMES installation for Nine Elms on the South Bank by the Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman. This was revealed to be the HippopoThames, a 20m long marine creature constructed from birchwood ply, and floating on a pontoon. The artist took as his inspiration his fascination with the prehistory of the Thames.

The Classic Boat Festival at St Katharine Dock. PHOTO: MIKE KEMP

New TV boat channel set for January launch NORTH East TV, the producer behind shows such as Discover Britain and Behind The Scenes, is launching The Boat Channel in January and it will broadcast nationally on Sky and Freesat.

The series will broadcast right next to the already successful Caravan Channel and Motorhome Channel which currently broadcasts at 9.30pm

on Monday nights.

It will feature everything boating and content will include a news section, cookery, places of interest as well as interviews and updates from organisations such as the RYA and Canals and River Trust to provide viewers all the latest up-to-date information.

The producers ran a pilot for

three months on Sky called Discover Boating and as a result enjoyed viewers in excess of 150,000. Viewers were also asked for feedback about what they wanted to see in future episodes.

Details will be available on www.theboatchannel.co.uk where broadcast information will be displayed.

RYA SPOTLIGHT 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.

Help beat stripy mussel invader Invasive Quagga mussels have been found in the UK for the first time and here the Green Blue, the joint environment project of the Royal Yachting Association and British Marine Federation, shares some top tips on how to deal with them.

ONE adult Quagga mussel can produce up to one million larvae in a year so it’s not surprising that the announcement from the Environment Agency in October that the invasive species had been found in the UK for the first time was a cause for concern.

The Quagga mussel (Dreissena bugensis rostriformis) is native to the

Ponto-Caspian region of Europe. It gained its notoriety as a highly invasive species along with the Zebra mussel from the damage it has caused to the built and natural environment in the Great Lakes since becoming established there in the 1980s.

Non-native species are those that have been introduced by direct human action and establish themselves outside of their normal range. The most likely way the species has arrived in the UK is in the ballast water of ships or on hull fouling, through aquaculture escapes or the import trade for plants and animals. Once in the UK, boating can provide a secondary means for a species to spread and establish itself further.

Some non-native species are also invasive, meaning they pose a threat to our native ecosystems and species by outcompeting them for food or often in the case of plant life, by smothering the water and depleting it of oxygen and light.

Simple steps

Quagga mussels are small with a dark brown and light brown stripy shell.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

The discovery of the Quagga mussel in Wraysbury Reservoir and the Wraysbury River, a tributary of the River Colne, near Egham, Surrey, is therefore a timely and serious reminder to all water users to look

out for the species and take simple but important steps to stop it from spreading across the UK’s inland waterways.

Eradication of most invasive species once established outside its usual range is extremely difficult, which is why the Green Blue is urging all boaters to follow the Check Clean Dry routine.

A key step is to wash and dry everything that has come into contact with the water before you leave the water body and move to another location. Soaking equipment or clothing in hot water on site or when you return home also improves the chances of killing larvae and adults but this should be done in addition to and not instead of Check Clean Dry. Of course lifting a narrowboat to check, clean and dry the hull is not so easy but you can and should take the time to regularly check the rudder and prop by lifting the weed hatch.

Quagga mussels are small (no more than 4cm across) with a dark brown and light brown stripy shell. When placed on its front it will roll to one

IN BRIEF

Show ticket offer

RYA members can once again take advantage of a specially negotiated RYA member ticket offer for the London Boat Show from January 9-18, 2015.

They can buy ‘preview day’ or ‘any standard day’ tickets to the show in advance for £12 (plus £1.75 admin fee), representing a saving of £8 off the gate price.

Kids can go free (up to two children aged 15 and under with each paying adult. Members of the RYA team will be on hand at stand DO16 to offer advice and information throughout the show. For more information and to buy tickets visit www.rya.org.uk

Top CRT duo appointed

side and it has an undulating (as opposed to a straight, horizontal) seam between the shells.

The inland waterways are no stranger to invasive alien species; hundreds of hours are spent every year controlling and removing some of the worst offenders, such as Japanese knotweed, Australian swamp stonecrop, floating pennywort and of course the Himalayan balsam.

Keeping access free to banks and towpaths is an ongoing challenge, as is access to clear water not just in terms of navigation but also water quality. And for boaters the species has the potential to cause damage to boats and equipment, clogging up outlets and inlets, and smothering hulls and props, so it goes without saying that it is in our own interest to make sure we can continue to enjoy our inland waterways boating experiences by following Check Clean Dry.

● If you think you may have found a Quagga mussel, send an email with a photograph and location details to alertnonnative@ceh.ac.uk To find out more visit www.nonnativespecies.org/alerts/quaggamussel For more information about the Green Blue visit www.thegreenblue.org.uk

THE Canal & River Trust has announced new chairmen for the North Wales & Borders and South Wales & Severn Waterways Partnerships, Brenda Harvey and David Hagg whose three year terms began on November 14.

A former chief executive of Ellesmere Port & Neston Borough Council, Beryl now runs a consultancy business. A former trustee of the Waterways Trust, she has also served on CRT’s Museums & Attractions Partnership.

The chief executive of Stroud District Council since 2001 David Hagg was formerly assistant chief executive at Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.

He has experience of the restoration of the Huddersfield Narrow and Cotswold canals.

Selby success

THE first canal festival to be held at Selby in Yorkshire hit the right notes, writes Geoff Wood.

There was wide range of activities in the town and community boat trips on the canal.

At Selby Boat Centre, there was a boat jumble, equipment and a demonstration by the International Guild of Knot-Tiers.

One of the organisers Simon Banks said: “The festival is something we have wanted to do for a number of years. And it turned out to be a great success. It was brilliant that so many people turned up. The boat trips were particularly popular.”

8 NETWORKING

SOCIETY NEWS

Collector’s item

THIS 50-year commemorative tribute to those that took on the shortsighted Ministry of Transport and lost was issued with the autumn/winter edition of the Lancaster Canal Trust’s magazine Waterwitch.. Already in demand, it could become a collector’s item.

Lottery bid

A BID for a £3.6 million Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant to restore Merseyside’s most historic ship still afloat to full working order has been submitted after two years of intense preparation. The application on behalf of the 111-year-old SS Daniel Adamson, the UK’s last steam-powered tug tender, was made by the Daniel Adamson Preservation Society (DAPS) and it is hoped a decision will be made by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s trustees in late January, 2015. Two years ago DAPS received a firstround pass which included £37,000 development funding to work up plans for the secondround application.

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Wooden boat champion wins national award

STALWART of the Wooden Canal Boat Society, Chris (The Boatman) Leah, has received a national award in recognition of his commitment to conserving historic boats and work within the community.

He travelled down from Ashton, Manchester, to London in October for the National Historic Ships Awards Ceremony and was delighted to win the 2014 Marsh Volunteer Award for historic vessel conservation.

Chris has dedicated over 25 years of his life to preserving and restoring wooden canal boats and putting them to use for the community. He set up the Wooden Canal Craft Trust in 1987 (later changing its name to The Wooden Canal Boat Society) and has been working in the community ever since.

The society now has the second largest collection of former working wooden canal boats in the country.

Chris runs community recycling trips, working with volunteers to take the boats out three times a month to local

Folk studies THE Black Country Living Museum

is hosting the conference of the Society for Folk Life Studies from September 10-13, 2015. Founded in 1961, this society has had many members from leading open-air museums in Britain and Ireland. It is proposed that one of the themes relates to canals and the museum hopes to have President and Kildare there. (Friends of President 195, November)

Bridge substitute

EAGLE-eyed readers who watched the BBC3 series Our World War may have spotted that the Mons-Condé Bridge in Belgium was in fact Claycart Bridge over the Basingstoke Canal, which was built by the Army in 1916 to replace a nearby lift bridge to allow its vehicles to cross the canal. (Basingstoke Canal News, Autumn)

● For more information about the Wooden Canal Boat Society, if you would like to volunteer or support any of their projects, please contact a.black@wcbs.org.uk

The Boatman Chris Leah. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Poet’s success in Bridport Prize competition

Trust benefits from floating market donation

CANAL laureate Jo Bell won the third prize of £500 in this year’s Bridport Prize poetry competition for her poem Begin.

It was selected by poetry judge, the renowned Scottish poet and playwright Liz Lochhead, who praised the poem saying: “It is written with real verve and a nerve which its author brings off brilliantly.”

Formerly director of National Poetry Day, the Staffordshire-based liveaboard poet was appointed as the UK’s canal laureate by the Poetry

THE Canal & River Trust received a £600 donation from the Roving Canal Traders Association (RCTA) at a floating market held recently in Ellesmere on the Shropshire Union Canal.

While visitors enjoyed the wide range

Care home cruise

AN ORGANISATION best known for setting sail with disadvantaged children has been helping an older clientele, writes Geoff Wood. Safe Anchor Trust of Mirfield, West Yorkshire, runs voyages along the Calder & Hebble Navigation and the River Calder itself. Now it has taken a cruise along the River Calder with residents from the Tolson Grange Care Home who were enjoying their second trip with the trust this year.

Resident George Sykes had a go at steering the boat in calm waters and entertained the crew with tales about his time in the Royal Navy.

housing estates to collect donations. Once sorted, the donations are sold in the Wooden Canal Boat Society Charity shop on Stamford Street in the centre of Ashton.

Inspired by the therapeutic value of life on the canals, Chris developed the idea of a wellbeing boat, to help people suffering from mental health problems such as stress and anxiety. With funding from Tameside Council, New Charter Housing, the Big Lottery and sponsors, Hazel, the 100-yearold wooden canal boat, has been restored and refitted, largely through the hard work and commitment of volunteers. Hazel’s wellbeing trips in and around Tameside will start from Easter next year.

Canal laureate Jo Bell. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Society and the Canal & River Trust.

She runs the successful online writing community 52. Earlier this year she won the Charles Causley Prize and her next collection Kith comes out in spring 2015 with Nine Arches Press.

Based in Bridport, Dorset, the Bridport Prize is one of the most prestigious open writing competitions in the English language. Founded in 1973 and with over £16,000 in prize money to be won annually, the competition attracts entries from across the globe. This year 15,000 writers from over 80 countries competed for one of the 34 winner and highly commended awards.

An anthology of this year’s winning entries, including Jo’s poem, is available from the Bridport Prize website at www.bridportprize.org.uk The competition for 2015 launched on November 15 with a closing date of May 31, 2015. Entries can be made by post or online with full information on how to apply available on the website.

Walking in the footsteps of the Thames Pilgrims

By Elizabeth Rogers

THE Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, met people from many of the churches in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire during the last few events before his retirement at the end of October.

He travelled across 104 miles of the diocese when he took part in the launch of the Thames Pilgrim Way, a pilgrimage route that follows the Thames Path from Radcot, near Faringdon, to Runnymede.

For the short service at the starting point, the bishop was joined by the Rt Revd Anthony Priddis, honorary

assistant bishop in the adjoining diocese of Gloucester, from which the Thames flows.

At the end of the journey he was joined by the Rt Revd Paul Williams, Bishop of Kensington, the diocese through which the river continues on its way.

The route had been designed so that where possible the walkers could reach each day’s starting and finishing points by public transport. The daily staging posts after Radcot were Newbridge, Wolvercote, Radley, Little Wittenham, Moulsford, Tileshurst, Shiplake, Marlow and Maidenhead before the finish at Runnymede.

Tony Hales, centre, receives the cheque from Mick and Jackie Warren.

PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST

The average daily distance was 10 miles, and the number of people on the walk varied from a dozen to 50, with 200 overall taking part. The bishop made part of each journey travelling alongside them aboard a boat, the Running Wild, because of a recent health problem.

Although the walk took 10 days, it was spread over 11, as the third day took a different form – the Grand Day Out on Christ Church Meadow beside the River Thames in Oxford at which there was a day-long programme of worship, talks and activities for all ages.

Pilgrimage was also part of that event, from Binsey, beside the river in the west of the city, to Christ Church Meadow for the start of the day, and on a pilgrimage trail laid out on paths around the meadow.

of goods available, Jackie and Mick Warren of Jays4Jewellery presented the cheque on behalf of RCTA to CRT chairman Tony Hales in front of their narrowboat Half a Shilling, from which they sell soaps and crafts.

The RCTA has held a series of seven floating markets around the country since April. It collects a fee from each trading boat taking part in the market to cover its costs of advertising, provision of site signage and other administrative costs and decided to donate its surplus to the trust to support its work caring for the nation’s waterways.

Tony Hales said: “I’m a big fan of the floating markets the RCTA has been holding. They draw more people to the waterways and offer something new and exciting that visitors really love.”

RCTA membership secretary Paul Howland said: “This year has seen RCTA members bring a vibrant taste of the waterways to nearly a dozen locations around the canal network to be enjoyed by boaters and non-boaters.”

Retiring Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd John Pritchard, right, with the Revd Rod Cosh, Area Dean of Burnham & Slough and the Rt Revd Paul Williams, Bishop of Kensington. PHOTOS COURTESY

OXFORD DIOCESE

ThewaTerways communiTy loses one of iTs mosT ouTsTanding‘idlewomen’

By Harry Arnold

THE funeral took place at Stanley Portlarge Church on November 13 of Sonia Rolt OBE who died at the age of 95 on October 22.

Widow of the author L T C (Tom) Rolt – author of the iconic book Narrow Boat and

Sonia Rolt OBE. PHOTOS: WATERWAYS IMAGES

other transport works and one of the founders of the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) – Sonia was however famous in her own right as one of the most outstanding women of the waterways world.

Born Sonia Mary Flemming South, she originally trained as an actress then, with the outbreak of the Second World War, worked for a while in the Hoover factory at Greenford on wiring for military aircraft.

Shortly after this she volunteered as a trainee boatwoman on the canals, becoming one of the now almost legendary Idle Women, a name coined from the IW badge they wore. Later, she met and married a working boatman George Smith.

She became active in working for better conditions for the boat people, then met Tom Rolt at a screening of the film Painted Boats in 1945.

Sonia then worked with Tom in the early days of IWA campaigning.

She married Tom, moving to his family home at Stanley Pontlarge, the house where she lived until her death. They had two sons, Richard and Timothy.

Although often pressed to write her own life story, Sonia remained a fierce guardian of Tom’s works and wrote several new introductions to these, recently also launching a 70th anniversary edition of Narrow Boat. In 1997 she wrote A Canal People, The Photographs of Robert Longden.

A love of historic buildings led to her work for the Landmark Trust and later the National Trust, and active membership of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. She was a vice-president of the IWA. In 2010 Sonia was awarded an OBE for services to industrial archaeology and heritage. Latterly, she was given the Outstanding Achievement Award in the recent Canal & River Trust Living Waterways Awards.

Sonia in Tom Rolt’s office at Stanley Pontlarge.

Those of us who were lucky enough to know her well – her knowledge and indefatigable enthusiasm for waterways, wit and ever good company – will miss her greatly; particularly the long reminiscing phone calls and messages left on our answering machine. I wish I had kept the tapes.

My wife Beryl and I spent a day with her at Stanley

Pontlarge and she said that because of her age, we wouldn’t have to mind if she fell asleep after lunch. When we left in the evening, she was still going strong and it was we who were exhausted.

Another long-time waterway and working narrowboat enthusiast and a mutual friend summed up Sonia’s passing when he said: “We have lost our leader.”

NETWORKING 9

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Les Heath’s narrowboat Country Rose approaches Tower Bridge on the tidal Thames. PHOTOS: LES HEATH

The busiest lifeboat station in the country

By Les Heath

WITH the ever increasing number of narrowboats venturing onto the tidal Thames the workload of the RLNI’s Tower Lifeboat Station has been rising accordingly.

Now recognised as the busiest lifeboat station in the country its crews are ready to launch within 90 seconds of an emergency call.

And in the summer months some of those calls are to narrowboaters who have not sought the appropriate advice, are not properly equipped or who are unable to handle their boats in turbulent water.

“We go out to five or six narrowboats a year,” said station manager Janet Kelly. “But it is surprising it is not more. It is quite common to see them go past here without life jackets.”

She added that the annual figure for the Thames was quite high considering that narrowboats usually made the trip only in summer months.

Some of the calls involve engines overheating and a similar situation exists on the Ribble estuary where Lytham St Anne’s lifeboat station has been kept busy with narrowboats since the opening of the Ribble Link.

Tower Lifeboat Station, formerly used by Metropolitan Police launches, has a new E Class Mk.2 lifeboat – the fastest in the RNLI fleet. It is powered by twin water jets specifically designed to meet the hostile demands of the Thames. The boat can make 40 knots from its two 435hp D6 Volvo diesels.

The station was established at Tower Millennium Pier following the Marchioness disaster and moved to its current location near Waterloo Bridge in 2006. It is manned continuously to provide immediate response and

The new E Class Mk.2 lifeboat at Tower Lifeboat Station is the fastest in the RNLI fleet. its operations are coordinated by the coastguard station at Woolwich.

Narrowboats leaving Limehouse Basin to catch the tide to Brentford or Teddington should seek advice from the lock keeper before entering the tideway. Similar advice should be sought for travelling downstream when even more care has to be taken.

All boats must have VHF radio to communicate with London VTS (Vessel Traffic Services). An anchor and life jackets are also essential and the boat must be capable of dealing with the rigours of the tidal Thames. The Port of London Authority is pleased to give boaters safety advice for the waters under their jurisdiction.

Biffa gives trust’s Portal project a boost DUDLEY Canal Trust has been presented with £500,000 by Biffa Award as its flagship project for this year.

The money will make a considerable difference to the trust’s Portal project, a state of the art new centre due to open to visitors in 2015. Schools, community groups and the general public will

Dudley Canal Trust Trips Ltd chief executive Nick Morris and DCTT skipper Brian Atkins aboard tripboat William, holding the £500,000 cheque from Biffa Award. PHOTO SUPPLIED

benefit from the new facilities, particularly the Biffa Award Gallery which has been supported directly by Biffa Award.

“We are thrilled to have received this very generous contribution from Biffa Award,” said Nick Morris, the chief executive of the Dudley Canal Trust.

“The Portal is such an exciting new development for us and we are delighted to have Biffa Award’s support for the brilliant exhibition gallery.”

The Biffa Award Gallery will give visitors an engaging and informative experience of what lies beneath Castle Hill.

This ranges from the vitally important geology of Dudley and the Industrial Revolution to the dramatic and emotional story of how the Dudley Tunnel was nearly lost in the 1960s but was eventually saved to become the heritage attraction it is today.

Biffa Award joins other grant giving bodies including the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Regional Development Fund in supporting the project, which will dramatically improve facilities available to visitors at the Trust’s Todd’s End site.

10 VOLUNTEERING

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WORK PARTY ROUNDUP WITH IWA’S STEFANIE PRESTON

Volunteers help Congleton to win gold medal AUTUMN has been a success for IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch’s Macclesfield Canal work parties.

Good news came in October, when it was announced that in the recent RHS Britain in Bloom competition, Congleton was awarded a gold medal in the large town category, narrowly missing out, by just a few points, on winning the overall category.

The regular IWA work party, supported by many local volunteers and other organisations, featured as one of the town’s contributions towards the award and the judges made specific mention of the efforts being made to encourage community engagement. All volunteers who have taken part in the IWA work parties from various societies, trusts, businesses and the local area deserve a big thank you for helping to achieve this.

It has also been a productive time for the work parties. In September, 10 volunteers from the local area spent time clearing litter from along the towpath and around the station, as

Clearing the path for stoppage machinery

Volunteers at the IWA work party on the Macclesfield Canal at Congleton.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

well as continuing vegetation clearance. There was also a major push to clear low-hanging branches across the towpath between bridges 75 and 76 to create a much more open feel to the mooring area along that stretch of the canal.

Eight volunteers continued the work along this stretch of canal in October, completing the removal of overhanging branches between bridges 75 and 76 as well as further clearance of vegetation at Bridge 76.

As is the case at most of these work parties, a litter pick was also carried out and volunteers were happy to record that the amount of litter has significantly decreased since the regular work parties and litter picking began.

MEMBERS of the IWA South Yorkshire & Dukeries Branch were joined by other volunteers for the biannual cleanup which took place once again on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal, where they met and worked towards Rotherham.

Thirty-six volunteers from IWA, Abbeydale Rotary Club, Tinsley Boat Club and Adsetts Canal Project took part, all supervised

by Dave Walker of the Canal & River Trust.

There is to be a major stoppage on the canal in January/February

One man and his dog on a mission Maffi Oxford and Molly the Wonder Dog are pictured with their haul of rubbish collected from a 200yd stretch of the Grand Union Paddington Arm between two bridges. On the day this was taken Maffi collected 19 bags plus two the following day.

The steps down to the towpath were overgrown so he also fixed them. Maffi told us: “During the last three years I have spent my winter cruise time collecting the detritus of the canal users. I estimate so far I have collected about 12 tons of canal rubbish. This includes seven porta potties, mostly full, four TVs, between 30 and 40 car or truck tyres, 450 wheelie bin liners of general litter, loads of boaters’ rebuild rubbish and I would hate to think how much dog doodoo.” PHOTO: DR KATE SAFFIN

Scouts and cubs join in annual autumn cleanup

THERE was a great turnout for the annual autumn canal cleanup held by IWA Milton Keynes Branch in October.

More than 50 volunteers helped across the two days, including 15 scouts and cubs on the Saturday.

Over the Friday and Saturday, volunteers travelled over nine miles of the Grand Union Canal from Fenny Stratford to Grove Lock by boat and foot, using grappling hooks to remove

The hopper team at work during the autumn cleanup. PHOTO: IWA MILTON KEYNES

Northampton branch keeps up the good work SINCE the start of July, IWA Northampton Branch has run five work parties on the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal, accumulating 122 volunteer hours over this period.

In this time volunteers managed to paint the hut at Lock 1, paint Lock 6 and the associated bollards, weed the sanitary station area, cut up and dispose of a large kitchen worktop and litter pick from Lock 1 to the M1 motorway bridge.

For the remainder of the year the branch will continue lock painting or litter pick from Lock 17 to Briar Hill depending on the weather. All volunteers are welcome to come and have a go.

submerged rubbish from the canal bed, as well as tackling floating litter.

The rubbish collected weighed in at over five and a half tons.

The scouts and cubs pulled out five bicycles and two shopping trolleys while other volunteers found a further 12 bikes and eight shopping trolleys as well as four motorcycle frames, two tractor tyres, a camera and a double mattress among other assorted items. The great work was only achieved thanks to the nearly 400 hours spent by those at the work party grappling, litter picking and navigating boats.

IWA Milton Keynes Branch is grateful for the Canal & River Trust’s support before and during the event and also to Wyvern Shipping which once again sponsored the event with its managing director, James Griffin, towing CRT’s 70ft hopper with his seagoing narrowboat Ocean Princess.

Thanks also to Jonathan Brown and Athina Beckett who took the 40ft CRT pan workboat with their narrowboat Brown Trout. Both workboats were used as bases to grapple from and tackle offside litter.

The fleet was completed by six IWA branch members’ boats that provided much needed tea, coffee and cake.

Painting project at Bridgwater Docks IWA WEST Country branch volunteers were out recently at Bridgwater Docks on the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal.

They met outside the newly installed IWA container for the first time and were joined

by Coun Brian Smedley, who stopped by to chat with those involved. Volunteers then continued with the branch’s painting project.

The group is painting the numerous metal structures around the docks, many of which were originally installed to cater for the large seagoing vessels that visited Bridgwater and are now an important part of its history.

time, so the group targeted the area where much of the work is to take place, collecting a total of 66 bags of rubbish.

This was to give a clear path for the work team to determine where to locate a roadway that will have to be constructed to enable machinery access to the site. The canal is to be completely dewatered between locks 3 and 8 during the works.

As usual, pie and peas were served and enjoyed by the volunteers after the event.

FOR some time both IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust committees had been aware that suitable storage for work party tools, display boards, gazebos and other items of kit was needed.

After much deliberation, and the offer of the use of a corner of a field belonging to members, a joint shed was agreed upon. The project started in May when the monthly work party, scheduled to be painting the bridge at Hazelhurst Junction, was relocated due to rain.

THE Towpath Task Force which meets every month to improve the canal environment at Audlem will continue its work over the winter months.

The volunteers recently completed some much needed tidying and de-weeding in the wharf area in front of the Shroppie Fly, which included trimming of foliage around the services area and aims to complete the whole area from the Bridge to Lock 13.

Canal & River Trust volunteer task leader Dek Owen said: “We are hoping to be working with ADAS (Audlem District Amenities Society Volunteers) too, in the area in front of the Mill so that the canal hopefully can match the rest of the village in attaining its ‘in bloom’ status.

“Also, we recently completed the refurbishment of the former mason’s and blacksmith’s workshops at Lock 10, and lock hut and Lock 4, along with repairing and painting fences at lock 10 and revealing heritage brick paving.”

Other tasks in the pipeline includes planting spring bulbs and more towpath clearing.

The small team of volunteers who had turned out made a start on digging in the corner of the field in order to create a level area for concreting later on.

Three consecutive days in June were designated for concreting and shed assembly, and by the end of the first work party day, the concrete base had been completed. Over the next two days, the shed was assembled and installed with a further session in July held to fit a wooden floor.

The final job was to dig a trench in front of the concrete base and fill it with

gravel, to stop water running down the field and into the shed. By chance, the project finished in much the same way it began, with the opportunity to carry out this task taken when another monthly work party had to be relocated from painting Hazelhurst Junction Bridge due to rain in October.

Four volunteers dug and filled the trench with almost one tonne of pea gravel, in very quick time. The next day, the shed was finally declared finished and it is now ready to use.

FORTHCOMINGWORK PARTY EVENTS 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 arrangement indicated.

Saturday, December 6

IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch: Monthly work party at various locations alongside the Shropshire Union Canal in the Chester area. 10am-4pm. Work will include painting and vegetation clearance. Contact Mike Carter 07795 617803, mike.carter@waterways.org.uk

Saturday, December 6 and Wednesdays December 3, 10 and 17

Wednesday, December 10

IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcestershire Branch: Monthly work party on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, 10am-3pm. Tasks to include painting, tidying and vegetation clearance at Wolverley Lock. Meet at the car park of The Lock Inn, Wolverley Road, Kidderminster DY10 3RN before heading down to Wolverley Lock. Contact David Struckett 07976 746225, david.struckett@waterways.org.uk

Thursday, December 11

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

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust: Monthly work party on the Caldon Canal. Coppicing and clearance around the site of the old lock adjacent to Flint Mill Lock, by Consall Nature Park (off A522 nr Wetley Rocks) ST9 0AJ. 10am-3pm. Contact Alison Smedley, 07779 090915, alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk

Saturday and Sunday, December 6-7

IWA Northampton Branch: Monthly work party on the Northampton Arm. Contact Geoff Wood by email Geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk

IWA Chelmsford Branch: Work party on the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation. Likely task to be scrub bashing and bonfire. Location to be decided; contact John Gale on 01376 334896.

Sunday, December 7

PHOTO: MIKE SLADE

Facelift for former workshops

New joint shed finished and ready for use

IWA Northampton Branch: Monthly work party on the Northampton Arm. Contact Geoff Wood by email Geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk

Volunteers painting at Bridgwater Docks.

Volunteers painting the former mason’s and blacksmith’s workshops at Lock 10.

Tuesday, December 16

Saturday, December 20

IWA Manchester Branch: This month sees the return to Bridge 6 at Hyde on the Lower Peak Forest Canal to continue the work improving the area with vegetation clearance and painting. 10am-2pm followed by seasonal refreshments in a local hostelry. Contact secretary@manchester-iwa.co.uk or phone 07710 554602.

For further information on any of these events contact: Alison Smedley, IWA branch campaign officer (07779 090915 or email alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk ) or Stefanie Preston, IWA branch campaign assistant (01494 783453 or email stefanie.preston@waterways.org.uk). Information can also be found on IWA’s website: www.waterways.org.uk

VOLUNTEERING 11

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Waterway Recovery Group launches new ‘Building Bridges’ project A JOINT initiative by the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) and Canal & River Trust, the Building Bridges project aims to enable volunteers to carry out minor, and some more major, repairs to canal bridges in desperate need of restoration.

It will also give local people and communities the chance to come together and look after a structure on a section of canal or waterway.

WRG is encouraging organisations such as community groups or residents’ associations to undertake more technical restoration work along their local waterways. It is hoped a new leaflet ‘Building Bridges – A guide for volunteers carrying out restoration work on waterway bridges’ will help volunteer groups through the process ensuring the work is planned, and everyone has a safe and fun experience.

Richard Parry, chief executive of Canal & River Trust said: “This document is a superb planning tool that will help both our own teams and the wider waterways community when working on more complex and ambitious projects.”

Volunteers can do many things to help preserve or restore a waterways bridge. In October 2014, local residents from Black Jack’s Lock Residents Association were the first group to take part in the Building Bridges Project, spending four days repointing Bridge 178 on the Grand Union Canal near Harefield.

Volunteers also gave the lock gates and lock furniture a makeover by repainting everything.

WRG volunteers pointing a bridge. PHOTO: STEVE WOOD Residents will return later on in the year to repaint the white bridge – finally restoring it to its former glory.

Miles Hendley, chairman of the Residents Association said: “We’ve been concerned at the state of the bridge and lock for some time but didn’t know how to go about restoring it. I then read about WRG volunteers restoring Lady Capel’s Bridge on the Grand Union Canal, near Watford and thought it was something the residents of Black Jacks could get involved in.” ● Need help getting started? Contact the Waterway Recovery Group’s Volunteers coordinator Jenny Black on 01494 783453 ext 604, email jenny.black@waterways.org.uk

DHL Delivers for Buckingham Canal Society THE huge success of this summer’s Cosgrove Canal Festival & Craft Fair was given an extra boost in October as a charitable donation made to Buckingham Canal Society (BCS) by one of its valued festival volunteers was matched by her employers, the global logistics and transport company, Deutsche Post DHL. Liz Turvey is the head of insurance programmes for the UK and Ireland with Deutsche Post DHL, and also finds the time to volunteer for BCS. This year, as in previous years, she organised a home-made cake stall as part of the BCS annual festival in July, although for the first time in the festival’s history she was able to expand her stall while under the cover of the all new Craft Fair venue that was to be the Cosgrove Village Hall.

She spent the week prior to the event preparing, among many others, popular coffee cakes and cupcakes, alongside more experimental lavender and lemon drizzle cakes which proved to make the weekend a huge triumph. To top it all, she raised £300 towards funds for the continued restoration of the Buckingham Canal that the society is undertaking between Cosgrove and Buckingham.

A selection of cakes were also donated by Puratos in Buckingham. Liz’s sister and mum, as well as Joan Shean and her family, also provided cakes and valued support during the day. In particular, Joan’s family made an amazing canal boat cake for the popular raffle.

Visitors could also, for the first time, sit in comfort and chat while enjoying a piece of cake and a cuppa.

However, it didn’t end there. It was revealed toward the end of October that Liz had also been successful in her Match It! application to the DHL UK Foundation, which allowed her £300 already raised to be doubled. The Foundation is a charitable organisation encouraging fundraising and volunteering by all DHL employees in their local communities and offers a variety of charity programmes, encouraging them to get

involved in those communities within which they live and work, in an effort to make a positive difference. Their Match It! programme encourages this even further by matching the money initially raised by the DHL employees, and then donating it directly to their chosen charities.

The success of the programme has seen £762,460 donated nationwide in 2013/2014, and BCS was extremely grateful to be one of their recipients, with the Foundation doubling the already generous £300 raised by Liz and her cake stall, to make a total of £600 raised for BCS! Thanks to Liz for her hard work at the festival were expressed by BCS Trustee and Festival Committee member Athina Beckett. She added: “I would also like to thank DHL for providing the extra funding for the canal society, which will be put to very good use for future restoration plans.”

● For further information about the DHL UK Foundation, please visit www.dhlukfoundation.org BCS work parties are held every other Thursday and the second Sunday of each month and are always friendly, welcoming and very rewarding. For further details visit www.buckinghamcanal.org.uk/events-and-news/workparties/ and for all other aspects of the Society please visit www.buckinghamcanal.org.uk

Restoration volunteers get younger every day!

THE Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust (SNCT) holds monthly work parties on the Shrewsbury canal adjacent to Lesley Owen Way in Shrewsbury. Fortunately this section has never been filled in, so the canal bed is largely still there.

Over the last 18 months, the Trust has cleared a section about 400m long of scrub and trees, using a Tirfor winch to get the tree stumps out, and it is very close to being ready for lining and rewatering The 26th Shrewsbury Scouts were out in force at a Shrewsbury work party in October when 20 of them helped to collect scrub and debris from the canal bed for burning and also pulled tree stumps together to make a ‘bug home’.

The scrub fire was later used to cook marshmallows for the hungry workers – traditional scouting fare! Andy Dady, the Trust’s work party leader commented: “This has been a great day.

These youngsters worked enthusiastically the whole time they were here and had a lot of fun too. Their help has been invaluable and we very much look forward to seeing them again.”

Some of the Shrewsbury scouts helping to collect scrub for their campfire. PHOTO SUPPLIED ● If you would like to know more about the SNCT and its work to restore the canals, go to www.sncanal.org.uk

12 COMMUNITY BOATING

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Serving the Thames community whenever called

By Elizabeth Rogers

AS A teenager, Henry Butt enjoyed helping other people aboard their boats, an interest that has continued throughout his lifetime with several boats of his own.

Now in his 80s, his sharing of his two present boats with friends and the wider local community was recognised when he was presented with the River Thames Society’s Durant Cup, as reported recently in Towpath Talk.

The award is made to the member who has made the most significant contribution towards the life and ethos of the river and Henry was nominated for his knowledge, experience, enthusiasm and readiness to offer his own services and that of his boat the Jolly Brit whenever needed.

A former lifeboat of the Royal Yacht Britannia, he discovered it more than 15 years ago, languishing along the Grand Union Canal at Brentford without an engine and gears, some floorboards and furnishings.

Henry was then looking to replace his cabin cruiser with a boat with less difficult steering, and he says that he saw in the Jolly Brit, as he named the boat, a project that would keep him busy. As his career had been as a motor mechanic, he is well equipped with many skills that have been equally applicable to working on boats.

The Jolly Brit is a 27ft launch, and was built at John Brown’s Shipyard on the Clyde in the year of the Queen’s coronation, 1953.

In his complete restoration Henry has installed a British Leyland 3.8 Commodore diesel engine and an oil-operated gearbox. He fitted new floorboards, made replacements for the chairs that were missing to match those still existing, renewed all the chrome metalwork, added a canvas cover and finished the boat with a navy blue livery.

The boat still has many original fittings, a solid bronze chromeplated anchor and chromeplated searchlight and a temperature-cooling valve for travel through tropical waters. It carries its own personal royal crest pattern, with permission to do so.

Busy life

Together Jolly Brit and Henry have a busy life with journeys along the River Thames, playing their part in many community events and contributing to the activities of the Teddington to Old Windsor branch of the River Thames Society.

Their annual programme is an ‘A-list’ of events and has included the Walton Heritage Day, the RNLI Thames Rally, the traditional boat rally at Henleyon-Thames, the Surrey Mayors’

Henry Butt wearing his captain’s uniform on board the Jolly Brit.

‘Taxation Day’ ceremony, the Mayor of Spelthorne’s Civic Day, and the River Thames Society’s own Heritage Day each September.

There have been many other rallies, flotillas and pageants – not least the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee pageant in 2013 – with events too in Kingston-uponThames and Elmbridge.

The Jolly Brit could carry up to 30 passengers when in service as a lifeboat, but on the river the maximum is 12, including the crew. Fellow members of the RTS are among friends who crew for Henry, and they help out on civic occasions, during which guests are also served buffet refreshments.

A popular occasion is the swan-upping ceremony, when the Queen’s swan-marker and his team spend five days travelling upstream in six rowing skiffs in search of the cygnets born that year. They are weighed, given a health check and marked to indicate that, following a tradition that goes back to the 12th century, they are the property of the sovereign.

Henry and his friends are among the many people who enjoy meeting with the swan marker and his team.

A late summer event is the Thames Festival Source to Sea bottle relay, during which a bottle of river water is taken from the source of the Thames in Gloucestershire to the Thames Estuary. Henry carried the precious bottle for his second time this year, between Old Windsor Lock and Bell Weir Lock.

He made a special hammock to ensure a comfortable ride for the water bottle, sized to fit a wine bottle. But he was amused that when it was handed over to him last year its size was not more than that of a bottle of perfume.

Party boat

But it is not all work and no play, for Henry’s more recent acquisition is his ‘party boat’, the Hi-N-Dri – so named for it is permanently berthed at the end of his garden in Wraysbury, with a third of its length hanging out

Helping youngsters to move on to more positive futures

Carole McKenna from Care Afloat, recently attended a National Community Boats Association Trainers Course at Skipton. Director of training Derek Stansfield took the opportunity to find out more about Care Afloat and persuaded Carole to write the following article.

CARE Afloat is a long standing member of the NCBA. Established by its director, Danny Curran some 23 years ago, it specialises in working with disenfranchised and challenging young people and has had considerable success in helping hundreds move on to more positive futures.

With 70 staff, it’s not all about boats, but the vessels play a vital role, complementing Care Afloat’s other provision including small residential homes, registered school and therapeutic resource. It is always on the lookout for skippers and crew committed to using boats as catalysts for the personal development of our young people.

The first stage of Care Afloat’s programme is definitively unique. With three narrowboats, a new wide beam boat and an ocean-going yacht, it is able to offer each young person a month spent aboard one of these vessels as a member of a crew. In this environment, those caring for the young person can form the relationship of trust essential to any developmental process – and give the young person experiences and challenges often entirely foreign to them. The registered mobile facility and narrowboat Waterworks offer this opportunity over a more extended period of time.

Waterworks Henry receives the ‘baton’ from rowers at Old Windsor Lock during the Source to Sea Thames Relay. over the landing stage towards the river.

This was another rescue operation, for he found the thennamed Gadzooks in a boatyard at Chertsey Mead, with only a future of being scrapped ahead of it.

This was another fine challenge for his engineering skills, and also in the transporting of the boat to his home.

It was to become a threemonth-long enterprise, beginning with the removal of the furnishings, which have been replaced by four tables and eight chairs, and the complete stripping-out of the hull.

The cabin roof was removed, leaving just the front screen, and later replaced with a framework for the cover.

Henry describes the exterior when he first saw it as ‘grubby’, but he found that it cleaned up very well.

He was able to bring the Hi-NDri into his garden thanks to the co-operation of a next-door neighbour who allowed the temporary removal of fence panels.

These neighbours and many other friends are welcomed to share use of the party boat whenever they need a venue for a small celebration. It has also served the River Thames Society well, as an appropriate setting for branch meetings.

Henry is the perfect host at either location – when the party boat is lit up with its coloured lights, or aboard the Jolly Brit, welcoming guests aboard wearing his replica captain’s uniform.

At 71ft x 6ft Waterworks is one of the largest narrowboats on the canal network of Great Britain. It was built in steel in the Cammel Laird Ship Yard (Monk Ferry Trust) by young people in 1986 and is believed to be the only floating registered children’s home in the country having been registered as such since January 2005.

Staff aboard are experienced carers and qualified skippers and have many years’ experience of working with young people over periods of time in the very different environment aboard a community afloat. This provides a level of consistency different from normal residential care and allows time for longer, more adventurous trips.

As the canal system is linked throughout the country, the boats can operate in most areas from Liverpool to London, from Leeds to Llangollen.

Charmaine

Built in the same shipyard at the same time as its sister ship Waterworks, Charmaine has almost identical specifications, with one main difference – it is fully accessible to wheelchair users.

To reflect Care Afloat’s commitment to the local community, Charmaine has three main roles: ● As a ‘day-boat’ for up to 12 ablebodied/wheelchair users on a reduced or sometimes no-charge basis. ● As a back up to Waterworks for emergency placements or for any young people who need its special facilities. It is also a replacement for Waterworks in case of breakdown/maintenance. ● As a holiday provision for up to six individuals.

Pride

The latest acquisition for Care Afloat’s mobile provision, at 57ft long and 10ft wide Pride is the most spacious boat and can cater for individuals, groups of up to six and has full wheelchair accessibility. Fully central heated, it can operate all year round regardless of the conditions.

All the boats offer a unique experience for young people to live in an environment away from their normal everyday lives, allowing time to reflect while gaining new experiences and skills.

Young people aboard have the opportunity to gain new skills while working towards a nationally recognised qualification, the NCBA Community Crew Course (CCC). Benefits include: ● Increased self-esteem ● Increased confidence ● Improved communication skills ● Safe use of boat equipment ● Understand how to operate locks correctly

COMMUNITY CREW COURSE At present there are four courses in the NCBA suite of qualifications; the Community Crew Course is for people aged 14 and over. No previous experience is needed and it is a way for people to begin to enjoy canals and to build both boating and life skills.

The course takes place on a boat meeting NCBA standards for training and takes at least 20 hours and no longer than 12 months.

It is tutored by CCBM holders qualified as mentors and supervised by an NCBA trainer who observes, helps with training and verifies that the course standard is met. It has to be delivered through a NCBA Accredited Training Centre (ATC).

There are seven units, each containing a number of tasks. The units are: ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

1. Taking over the boat 2. Health, safety and environment 3. Group arrangement 4. Practical boat handling 5. Boat handling: theory 6. Practical boat handling 2 7. Discussion and appraisal

On successful completion of all the units an NCBA certificate is issued. CCC certificates do not need to be renewed.

Sharon Carrying out a boat check.

The oldest boat and at 38ft, a cosy environment and real chill-out space.

Tables and chairs have replaced the furnishings inside the party boat.

Henry’s party boat Hi-N-Dri at the end of his garden. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

● To find out where you can attend a CCC course visit www.national-cba.co.uk/ members to find an ATC near you.

● Follow NCBA on Facebook.com/NationalCBA and Twitter @CommunityBoats. Blogging at http://blog.national-cba.co.uk

ANNIVERSARY 13

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Guests and Caldon campaigners – including some of those who were ‘Here before in ’74’ – at Cheddleton Top Lock. PHOTOS:WATERWAY

Here before in ’74 Harry Arnold reports on the celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the reopening of the Caldon Canal.

Ian Dudson discusses cycling with the Pedal Peak team.

THE last of this year’s waterway restoration anniversary ceremonies – that commemorating the reopening of the Caldon Canal 40 years ago – was celebrated at Cheddleton Top Lock, where the plaque marking the original event stands.

It was held on Sunday, September 28, so it was not only on the exact site but 40 years to the very day since the reopening in 1974. Organisation was mainly by the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canal Trust (CUCT) the North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch of the Inland

Fleur D’eau is still owned by early IWA campaigners the Potter family and was at the original ceremony.

Waterways Association (IWA), with assistance from the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) – which had held a work party on the Uttoxeter Canal on the previous day – and particularly the Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club.

Members of the club were very actively engaged in the early lobbying and campaigning which led first to the formation of a Caldon Canal Committee then the Caldon Canal Society.

From this came one of the first joint canal restoration projects involving volunteers, British Waterways and Staffordshire County and Stoke City councils.

The main ceremony took the form of a parade of what might be described as veteran pleasure craft, some of which were at the original opening, including one still in the same ownership; led by locally based community boat Beatrice. IWA’s Roger Savage, who was also there at the first celebration, was not only master of ceremonies but kept up a great running commentary and held a series of interviews with the boat crews.

Main initial speeches from the Beatrice were made by CUCT chairman Julie Arnold, CRT chief executive Richard Parry

and the Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire Ian Dudson CBE. All the guests praised the work of the original pioneers and later supporters of the Caldon restoration. Ian Dudson raised a considerable amount of money when, previously as High Sheriff, he walked every mile of canal in Staffordshire, including the Caldon.

A most interesting speech was made by CRT Trustee John Dodwell, from his boat the tug Helen. He was there in 1974 but not then as a boat owner.

Everyone who was at the original ceremony (including your correspondent) was given a ‘Here before in ’74’ badge.

An unusual feature was that artist Rob Poynton sketched the scene ‘live’ on his easel by the lockside. A wide range of displays from voluntary groups and others, including the Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership, the Trent & Mersey Canal Society, the local CRT Partnership, RSPB, CUCT itself and others provided lots for visitors to see and do; including WoW children’s events.

Perhaps one of the most interesting was the promotion of cycling by the Pedal Peak team

The plaque – unveiled at the reopening – at Cheddleton Top Lock.

‘Here before in ’74’ badge. who are working with the Department of Transport, via a £5 million grant, to encourage cycling in the Peak District National Park, which is linked with the Churnet Valley and the Caldon Canal towpath route.

An open-air service at the adjacent Flint Mill rounded off the event and a quarter-peal of bells at Cheddleton’s St Edward’s Church also endorsed the occasion. The weather that was not just good but brilliant and 40 years of not only restoration success but the ever-increasing popularity of the Caldon Canal was well and truly celebrated.

But there is no resting on laurels as the Uttoxeter Canal, in estate agent’s jargon, ‘needs a little attention’!

CRT trustee John Dodwell reminisces about the restoration from his boat Helen.

Caldon Witch – owned by long-time Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club members the Salt family.

14 HERITAGE

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Helping to put the beat back into Burnley’s canal heart

By Janet Richardson

THE newly restored Bank Hall Dry Dock had a very special guest for its official opening on October 17 – Leeds & Liverpool short boat Kennet.

Looking pristine, having been touched up and blacked above the water line, the historic boat took centre stage in the launch ceremony performed by the Mayor of Burnley, Coun Andy Tatchell.

Kennet had arrived at the dry dock – which has been restored by Les and Angela White, Brian Denison and Jane Garnett, trading as Feathers & Gaskell – earlier in the week for the work to be carried out before heading for her winter quarters at Greenberfield.

After cutting the ribbon to open the dry dock, Coun Tatchell described it as “really

At the launch ceremony are Burnley Borough Council leader Mark Townsend, Brian Denison, Les White, Mayor Andy Tatchell; front, Jane Garnett and Angela White. PHOTO: BURNLEY COUNCIL

magnificent” and referred to all the work which had gone into the project. He added: “The canal was a major part of Burnley’s past and is a major part of Burnley’s present.”

Council leader Mark Townsend agreed the canal was the heartbeat of Burnley in the past and added his ‘massive congratulations’ to Brian and Les for putting back these facilities.

“This is a prime example of what can be done; it is an absolutely wonderful achievement.” He added that Burnley Council, which owns the site and the Canal & River Trust had been involved in the project.

Also known as ‘Birley’s Dock’, Bank Hall Dry Dock sits on the edge of the former Bank Hall Coal Pit and hadn’t been used in over 50 years. As previously reported, semi-retired couples Les and Angela White, and Brian

Burnley Mayor Andy Tatchell cuts the ribbon to open the Bank Hall Dry Dock with, from left, council leader Mark Townsend and Les White, Brian Denison, Jane Garnett and Angela White of Feather & Gaskell.

PHOTOS: JANET RICHARDSON UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED

The water rushes into the dock so that Kennet can be floated out into the canal.

Denison and Jane Garnett approached the council with their ideas to bring the derelict site back to life as a working dry dock for canal boat painting and repair.

Brian Denison said: “It has been hard work for the last 12 months or more. We have not done it on our own and our thanks go to everyone who has been involved.”

The new sign for the dry dock was painted by Eddie Ralph from Gargrave who is providing signwriting services at the yard.

Among the other guests present were Carl West, technical manager for the Canal & River Trust and members of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society, including its president and historian Mike Clarke, and the Friends of Kennet which look after and operate the boat for the society.

LLCS committee member Ken Barnes showed me onboard Kennet which will head for the Yorkshire side of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in the spring, having operated in Lancashire this year.

Built in 1947 for Canal Transport Ltd, which carried general cargo on the canal, the society bought the boat in 2011.

With the help of three years of

Ken Barnes of Leeds & Liverpool Canal Society shows visitor Chris Myerscough the cabin onboard Kennet.

Visitors look at the exhibits onboard Kennet.

Heritage Lottery funding, Kennet is used as a floating interactive museum and as an educational facility by visiting schools as well as attending events to promote the heritage of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

In 2016 it is planned for Kennet to make a journey along the entire length of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in celebration of its 200th anniversary.

● Bank Hall Dry Dock: Feather & Gaskell 01287 788686 Kennet: friendsofkennet@gmail.com www.llcs.org.uk

Protected from the elements by the dry dock’s new cover.

Museum boat goes back to work after 25 years THE Canal Museum’s former working narrowboat Sculptor based at Stoke Bruerne, which has lain idle since being accessioned as an exhibit in 1986, was recently loaded with coal at the bottom of the Stoke Bruerne lock flight.

Sculptor last carried cargo of any significance when returning from the IWA Festival at Castlefield on the Bridgewater Canal in 1988.

The opportunity to load Sculptor arose during the summer when Stoke Bruerne-

based canal trader Julia Cook of Jules Fuels, needed somewhere to put some excess coal while her butty, Bideford, was undergoing maintenance. The Canal & River Trust, owners of Sculptor and operators of the Canal Museum readily agreed.

Sculptor has been lovingly restored and maintained by volunteers from The Friends of The Canal Museum ever since the group was formed in 2006.

In 2012 ownership moved from British Waterways to the new

waterways charity, the Canal & River Trust, but Sculptor’s role has changed little except that while it used to attend a number of events and was loaded from time-to-time, of late it has remained unladen and mainly in Stoke Bruerne with occasional trips to festivals. Attendance at local and national festivals is now increasing as the volunteer team who look after Sculptor gain more experience.

Julia Cook, a long term supporter of the Friends of The

Canal Museum said: “It’s a pleasure to see Sculptor back in use carrying cargo after all these years. It has just returned from docking at Braunston where volunteers have carried out ‘bottom blacking’ and other maintenance tasks and really looks a picture in the new paintwork.”

After loading, Sculptor returned to moorings at The Canal Museum where it will remain on show to visitors loaded (and used for training) until the New Year.

Loading coal onto Sculptor at Stoke Bruerne. PHOTO: KATHRYN DODINGTON

TOWPATH TRADER 15

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EFI ELD H ARE FIE LD M A R IN A Brid ge 180, G ra n d Un io n Ca n a l, Ha refield UB9 6PD Tel: 01895 822036 Fa x: 01895 825729

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BOATYARD & MARINA NEWS 47

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Food & Drink Competition What’s on

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Christmas gift guide Reviews Bits & Bobs

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Everything and the kitchen sink at Willow Ridge THE new team at the paint dock and workshop at Hillmorton Wharf combines years of expertise in the boatbuilding and carpentry trade.

Directors of Willow Ridge Boatfitting Ltd and its team of five are Matthew Hutchinson and Richard Hancock who have more than 60 years’ experience between them.

They have taken on the winter work for the BCBM Shared Ownership fleet and have private work booked in until next August.

Matthew is following in the footsteps of his late father John who was a former Left: Hillmorton Wharf. PHOTO SUPPLIED

owner of Willow Wren and also worked at Ladyline and Blue Line before his death at the age of 47 following an accident.

Having just turned 47 himself, Matthew served his apprenticeship as a carpenter and bench joiner in the shopfitting trade before becoming a design engineer and self-employed carpenter.

With 25 years of experience under his belt, he said: “I have worked on many canal boats after being asked to refit a galley and it went on from there.”

Richard has also been a painter and carpenter for 35 years and has completed a variety of blue

chip projects in the canal industry.

Willow Ridge Boatfitting Ltd is offering everything under one roof from full repairs, blacking and repairs to full fit outs, galley and bathroom refurbishments and refits, welding, plumbing, servicing and a breakdown service with membership. ● Willow Ridge Boatfitting Ltd, Hillmorton Wharf CV21 4HW Contact: 01788 578383/07539 738005 (Matthew)/07976 692633 (Richard) willowridgeboatfitting@yahoo. com

Events raise over £1500 for Hearing Dogs for Deaf People FUNDRAISING raffles, quizzes and events including a dog show at Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina’s Annual Family Fun Day brought in more than £1500 for the charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Its chairman Terry Webb was presented with a cheque for £1643 by marina director Andrea Parton and Gwyn Grocott who moors her boat, NB Nonsuch at the marina.

Andrea said: “It is wonderful to be able to donate such a worthy sum to such a magnificent cause. Hearing dogs really make a difference to people who can’t hear and it is terrific to be able to help the charity. We choose a different charity to support each year and the choice is made from suggestions received from our moorers, customers and staff. This year we are very pleased to have been able to support Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.”

The marina had a fabulous day for their Family Fun Day this year. The great turnout and enthusiasm and support from everyone involved helped to make the day a big success, not just for the marina but also for the charity being supported, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.

Terry Webb said: “We are so grateful to Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina for its support. Generally people don’t realise how big a difference hearing dogs make for deaf people and how much they cost to train and support.

This donation will really help. It costs £2000 to support a hearing dog partnership for a year but just £10 contributes towards an initial assessment for a hearing dog partnership.”

Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina holds several events each year to support charity. The next event is a Christmas craft fair and car boot sale

The design for the retro-look houseboat. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Iconic houseboat destined for a Thames mooring

Terry Webb, right, chairman of Hearing Dogs for Deaf People receives the cheque from Aqueduct Marina director Andrea Parton with, on left, moorer Gwyn Grocott and June Hartstone with her hearing dog Paddy. PHOTO SUPPLIED being held on Sunday, November 30, 2014 from 11am until 4pm with a wide selection of Christmas crafts and gifts for sale. Crafts for all ages will be there as well as a canal map tombola, dolls’ house furniture, jewellery, photography, glass crafts and decorations, beauty products and

home-made cakes. The Small Tasks Team Volunteers will be there to explain what they do to help improve the canals for everyone. ● For more information visit www.apprenticeships.org

FAIRLIE Yachts, designers and builders of modern classic yachts, have started work on the construction of an 80 x 23ft classic retro-look houseboat for a British client which is destined for an exclusive mooring on the Thames in central London.

The steel superstructure of the vessel is rapidly taking shape at the yard in the Hamble, and although a little different from their usual bespoke work in wood, the project is well within the scope of the team of expert shipwrights.

Paul Spooner, director and chief naval architect at Fairlie Yachts, was given the remit to design a classic maritime-looking houseboat offering the maximum liveable space within the planning constraints set for craft on the Thames. Fairlie went on to produce the complete structural engineering drawings for the vessel before taking on the construction of the houseboat earlier this year.

The houseboat interior has been designed by superyacht interior

specialist David Wright of David Wright Design and will comprise of four bedrooms, a large living/dining/kitchen area, study, laundry and al fresco dining area.

The top deck also encompasses a sunken glass deck conservatory which doubles as a skylight to bring maximum light to the living areas below. The fit out, by Fairlie craftsmen will be done to their usual quality.

Paul commented: “We are excited about the prospect of creating a ‘little ship’ that will become home for a young, professional family keen to live in style on a houseboat in the centre of London. It is being fitted out for luxury modern living and we have designed the vessel to make the most of the light and space available on the river, while blending gently with London’s rich maritime heritage and historical waterfrontage.” ● For more information please visit www.fairlieyachts.com

SPOTLIGHT TURNED ON MARINE CAREERS AS INDUSTRY ANNOUNCED AS TRAILBLAZER

THE government’s spotlight shines on marine apprenticeships, with the marine industry being announced as a Trailblazer. Within this scheme, a new boatbuilding apprenticeship will be developed by employers working together to design standards in their occupations and sectors.

Co-ordinated by the British Marine Federation, the employer group for the marine industry will be led by Berthon Boat Company and includes Sunseeker International, Princess Yachts, Pioneer Sailing Trust, Pendennis Shipyard, Fairline Boats, Broom Boats, Green Marine, English Harbour Yachts, Windboats and Cockwells.

The marine industry is one of 37 sectors chosen as a Phase 3 Trailblazer, alongside others such as maritime defence, emergency services and port operations and supply chain.

The industry’s relationship manager will be Jennifer Coupland, head of BIS/DfE Apprenticeships Unit, confirming the importance of the sector.

Sarah Dhanda, senior federation director at the British Marine Federation said: “This announcement is positive news for the marine industry. Our apprenticeship scheme is already a recognised success with some 80 young people completing their boatbuilding training each year.

“By developing marine apprenticeships further, we are ensuring the continued quality of the industry’s training programme. We will be preserving much needed skills and ensuring the sector is well placed for the future, while crucially maintaining a strong profile both in government and within young people.”

The houseboat under construction at Fairlie’s Hamble boatyard.

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K N I R D & D FOO

nts Canalside pubs & restaura to satisfy all tastes...

Kathryn outside her new tea shop at Sawley lock cottage. PHOTOS: LES HEATH TOP RIGHT: The new tea shop and covered eating area at Sawley lock cottage.

Lock cottage transformed into new tea shop stop

By Les Heath

A FORMER lock-keeper’s cottage at Sawley on the upper Trent has taken on a new lease of life as a tea shop offering refreshments to boaters and passers-by.

Kathryn Collier and partner Dave Porritt hit on the idea while renovating the cottage having bought it from the Canal & River Trust.

“It was something I had thought about for some time while we were living on a boat during the renovations,” said Kathryn. “But now the dream has become a reality.”

Dave, the former lock-keeper who still works for CRT, helped to create the shop and outside covered seating area.

The venture was launched at the beginning of October and is open from 11am to 4.30pm, Wednesday to Sunday.

“We will be reviewing the situation on opening hours at the beginning of next summer,” said Kathryn.

Among the hot and cold drinks and snacks being served are a variety of cakes made at home by Kathryn. And now she is hoping for a mild winter to help the business get off the ground.

WHAT’S ON 49

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WHAT’S ON

Email details of your event to: jrichardson@mortons.co.uk or send details to: What’s on, Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ

Compiled by Janet Richardson

Looking at the First World War from a different perspective

By Janet Richardson

THE significance of the waterways to the war effort on the Western Front is explored through four themes to a new exhibition which opened recently at the London Canal Museum.

Waterways on the Western Front views the First World War from some very different perspectives from those already being covered in the centenary commemorations with previously unseen archive images and artefacts complemented by film footage showing continuously on the small screen on the first floor of the museum which overlooks Battlebridge Basin near King’s Cross.

Museum spokesman Charlie Forman said that it had taken nine months to prepare the exhibit and, at the time of my visit, was trying to obtain some additional material. “When we started on this we did not realise how important waterways were on the Western Front and thanks to some good material it has made for a really interesting exhibition.”

Food relief

A picture of a poster published in 1914.

Sources include the Imperial War Museum, the Royal Engineers Museum and the Hoover Museum in Iowa, US. Themes cover the supply of food to the Belgian people, the role of hospital barges, the theatre of war and the supply line through the secret Port Richborough on the Thames estuary.

The Americans sent food relief to Belgium throughout the war and it all went via the canal network. Ships were allowed to go into Rotterdam (as Holland

remained neutral) with food for the Belgian people which was then transported in a fleet of 500 barges.

A quarter of the money needed for food relief was raised by public subscription, with New Zealand being the most generous supporter. Every Belgian family had a ration card and bakers would collect ration cards for the families they supplied and take these to the mills to collect the flour they were entitled to.

On show are pictures of messages stitched on sacks by Belgian women to show that the food was getting to the people and not into German hands.

Charlie added that it was hoped to get an actual example from the Hoover Museum to put on show.

Another beneficial use of the waterways was the hospital barges, British medics having recognised quite soon that wounds were being exacerbated by jolting in lorries and trains whereas canals provided a smoother mode of transport for wounded soldiers. Journeys between front line and the channel ports could take between 24 and 48 hours with five or six hospital barges in each convoy. War horses were precious, and wounded animals with treatable injuries were also transported in barges to veterinary surgeons at military headquarters such as St Omer.

An image showing wounded horses being loaded on to a barge.

The Hopkins Bridge spanning the Canal du Nord which had not been completed when war broke out.

Magical tour

SEARCH for Santa and the Sleeping Beauty on a magical underground trip through the Dudley tunnels and caverns.

The decorated and illuminated caverns will bring Christmas to life for both children and adults during the one-hour boat trips. Boats will depart every half hour from 10am to 5pm on December 7, 13, 14, 20, 21 and 22. Cost is £10.80 per person to include a present for every child and a hot drink and mince pie for adults. Tickets are available online at www.dudleycanaltrust.org.uk or from 0121 557 6265.

Floating grotto

An introduction to the exhibition.

The Belgian army never completely lost all of the country to the Germans and was still defending the channel ports.

Personal stories include that of Henrick Geeraert, a tug boat owner who stopped the Germans taking the channel ports by opening sluice gates to halt their advance, and Millicent Peterkin, one of two nursing sisters who worked tirelessly on a hospital barge carrying the wounded to safety.

Exhibits include an engraved shell case presented as a thank-you gift to the greatgrandfather of the museum’s volunteering and training manager Celia Halsey. He was responsible for some of the 100,000 Chinese labourers working in France during the war to release men to fight, many of whom were based at grain depots on the canal at Fontinettes outside Calais.

Secret port

Exhibits including the ensign, engraved shell case and pictures of the messages stitched on sacks.

IN BRIEF

The Theatre of War theme also highlights the importance of the Royal Engineers who blew up bridges behind British retreats and also had to build new canal bridges very quickly and of enough strength to take tanks across.

The St Quentin Canal and Canal du Nord were heavily defended positions and there is a first-hand account by the British soldier who was first over the Riqueval bridge over a deep cutting of the St Quentin Canal as the Allies broke through the Hindenburg Line in September 1918. Another exhibit is the ensign from the Royal Engineers flown by the first barge to reach the Western Front at the end of the year.

Ocean-going barges were built at the secret Port Richborough, built in 1916.

This comprised about a mile of barge wharfing on the River Stour between Ramsgate and Sandwich and a town of some 19,000 people grew up around it.

Sandwich Guildhall Archives provided a lot of the material about the port which was abandoned in 1919. There is very little to see today. ● Waterways on the Western Front runs until April 12, 2015.

Admission is £4 for adults, £3 concessions and £2 for children.

Open Tuesdays to Sundays, 10am to 4.30pm. Admission to the exhibition only is free on the first Thursday of the month between 4.30pm and 7pm.

The London Canal Museum is on New Wharf Road, close to King’s Cross station, London. www.canalmuseum.org.uk.

FOLLOWING its annual November closure for maintenance, the Falkirk Wheel will re-open in time for its transformation into its annual appearance as Santa’s Floating Grotto which runs from Saturday to Wednesday, December 13-24, when a special barge will take children and their parents to Santa’s Grotto.

During the drain-down, the visitor centre, cafe and gift shop remained open from Wednesday to Sunday between 11am and 4pm.

Making wreaths

CHRISTMAS wreath making workshops will be held at the Hollingwood Hub on the Chesterfield Canal on Friday and Saturday, December 5-6, from 10am-1pm. Cost is £15 per person to include all natural materials and you get to take a festive decoration for your door home with you.

It also includes a cuppa and a mince pie. For further information, ring 01246 477569 or visit www.chesterfield-canaltrust.org.uk

Stourbridge Santa

SANTA boat trips operated by the Stourbridge Navigation Trust Ltd will take place over the weekends of December 13-14 and 20-21 from the Bonded Warehouse, Canal Street, Stourbridge. Tickets cost £7.50 each including a present for each child while adults receive a mince pie and drink. Parking is free and booking essential on 01384 395216.

Pod market dates

GLASSWARE designer and artist Kate Webley of The Pod is again exhibiting at a number of festive markets in the West Midlands in the runup to Christmas. Forthcoming dates are as follows: Thursday to Sunday, November 27-30: Worcester Victorian Christmas Fair; Sunday, December 6: Birmingham, Midlands Arts Centre, Canon Hill Park; Sunday, December 7: Leamington Spa Yuletide Market; Friday, December 12: Birmingham Colmore Row; Saturday and Sunday, December 13-14: Birmingham, Midlands Arts Centre. www.pod4art.com

50 WHAT’S ON

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Showcasing the work to care for a 200-year-old waterway network THIS winter’s programme of public open days are part of the Canal & River Trust’s fivemonth, £45 million maintenance programme to canals and rivers across England and Wales.

Open days range from a spectacular walk to see the Marple Aqueduct to a behind the scenes tour at the National Waterway Museum, Ellesmere Port.

The works will provide thousands of visitors the rare chance to go behind the scenes providing the opportunity to see up close some of the finest examples of working industrial heritage in the world.

This year, essential maintenance will include the replacement of worn-out lock gates and repairs to aqueducts, reservoirs and tunnels.

Richard Parry, chief executive of the Canal & River Trust said: “This winter we are spending £45 million on essential repairs and restorations and routine maintenance to our canals and rivers.

“By showcasing this work to the public we can give them a glimpse of the craftsmanship of the waterways’ original 18th Century design and the scale of

Groups of visitors in all three of the Grindley Brook staircase locks during last winter’s open days.

PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Festive fun at Foxton THE Christmas season at Foxton Canal Museum starts with Films from Foxton at 1.30pm on Wednesday, December 3. An afternoon of films made by Dr Leonard Holden and narrated by Mike Beech feature the waterways including the premier of Grand Union 200.

On Sunday, December 7, a song for Christmas will include various performers from Foxton Folk Club with a wide range of seasonal songs, music and fun. Opening at 1.30 for 2pm, entry is free to members, £3 for non-members.

Foxton Folk Club will also be in the museum from 7.30pm.

And on Wednesday, December 10, at 1.30pm, Bob Hakewill will present Harborough’s buildings from the canal age.

The museum is open every weekend until Christmas from 11am until 5pm, other times subject to staff availability. Normal entry is £3.50 and £3. All events are free to members.

Christmas crafts at Church Minshull A CHRISTMAS craft fair and car boot sale is being held at Church Minshull Aqueduct Marina in Cheshire on Sunday, November 30, from 11am until 4pm with a wide selection of Christmas crafts and gifts for sale.

Crafts for all ages will be there as well as a canal map tombola, dolls’ house furniture, jewellery, photography, glass crafts and decorations, beauty products and home-made cakes. The Small Tasks Team Volunteers will be there to explain what they do to help improve the canals for everyone.

Sunshine Santa sails into Chesterfield SANTA turned up at Tapton Lock in wonderfully sunny weather for the launch of this year’s Chesterfield Canal Santa Special Cruises.

In a scene that looked more like midsummer than November, he arrived aboard the John Varley, one of three different boats that will be doing Santa Cruises for the Chesterfield Canal Trust.

The mayor and mayoress of Chesterfield, the chairman of North East Derbyshire District Council, the vice-chairman of Derbyshire County Council and Toby Perkins MP had all come to meet the great man.

After a quick photo shoot, the first of two cruises set off. All the children received presents.

Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd was tucking into pie & peas with mince pies to follow.

The trust will be running Santa Cruises from Tapton Lock in Chesterfield (S41 7JB) every Saturday and Sunday from November 22 to December 21. The John Varley will then move to Hollingwood Hub (S43 2JP) to do more cruises on December 22-24. Every child is given a present, every adult gets a drink and a mince pie. It costs £6 per person. For bookings, ring 01629 533020.

There are more Santa opportunities on the canal in North Nottinghamshire.

In Retford, the Seth Ellis will be running Santa Cruises every Saturday and Sunday from November 29 to December 21, plus December 22-

the work we do to care for it. We hope this will inspire more people to get involved to enjoy and help support their local canal or river navigation.”

As part of its maintenance programme, the trust will be working on around 144 lock gates across the country. The new lock gates are made in the trust’s specialist workshops at Bradley in the West Midlands and Stanley Ferry in Yorkshire.

Each lock gate is hand-crafted by a skilled team of carpenters and made from sustainably sourced British oak. A single lock gate weighs on average 3.6 tonnes, can take up to 20 days to make and has a working life of 25-30 years.

Lock gate making and fitting is an extremely skilled and traditional trade and one that remains essential to the waterways. Lock gates are constructed with tremendous strength as they have to control huge water pressures, take the hard usage they get from the thousands of boats which use them each year and survive for a long time underwater and at the mercy of the elements. In order to be waterproof they also need to be built very precisely, fitting tightly to the masonry of the lock walls and to each other. ● To find out more about the restoration and repairs programme and the open days happening across the country go to www.canalrivertrust.org. uk/winter-open-days201415

WHAT’S ON IN DECEmBER

Lock gates under construction in the Stanley Ferry workshop.

PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

OPEN DAYS November 30

Marple Aqueduct / Lock 2, Peak Forest Canal

December 13/14

City Road Lock, Regent’s Canal

January 17/18

Lime Kiln Lock, Grand Union Canal, Leicester Line

January 24

Aldermaston Lock, Kennet & Avon Canal Braunston, Grand Union Canal National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port: behind the scenes

January 31/February 1

Bedford St Lock in Etruria, Caldon Canal, Stoke

February 8

Tinsley Locks 5 & 6, Sheffield & Tinsley Canal

February 14/15

Lock 34, Grand Union Canal (Hatton) West Midlands

February 21

Choldmondeston Lock, Shropshire Union Canal

February 28

Lock 77, Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Wigan

To be decided

The Roundhouse, Birmingham West Midlands Please note works are subject to change due to weather conditions and the nature of the work being undertaken.

Check the website for updates.

If you want your event listed in our free monthly What’s On section email your entry to jrichardson@mortons.co.uk or use the events form at www.towpathtalk.co.uk/events.

As always please check with organisers on the details of the event before setting out on your journey.

December 2

Worcester, Birmingham & Droitwich Canals Society: Christmas natter, noggin and quiz night. The Meeting Room, Alvechurch Boat Centre, Scarfield Wharf B48 7SQ, adjacent to The Weighbridge pub.

Information: www.wbdcs.org.uk

December 4

Southampton Canal Society: Annual IWA Waterways Quiz. American supper follows.

Chilworth Parish Hall, Chilworth, Southampton SO16 7JZ, 7.45pm. Contact 0238 067 5312, www.sotoncs.org.uk

December 8

Ashby Canal Association: The Song of the Soar – a fascinating journey along this beautiful river told in video, music and song. DMs, Donisthorpe Woodland Centre, 2 Church Street, Donisthorpe DE12 7PY, 7.30pm. All welcome, bar and good car parking.

December 9

Santa with Toby Perkins MP; Coun Tracy Reader (NEDDC); Andrew Reader; Coun Janet Hill (DCC); Coun Alexis Diouf (CBC) and Vickey-Anne Diouff.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

24. These all depart from the Hop Pole on the A620, Welham Road (DN22 6UG). It is the same formula and price as above, but this time ring 07925 851569 for bookings.

Finally, the Hugh Henshall will be running Santa Cruises from the Lock Keeper pub in Worksop (S80 1TJ) on December 6-7 and from Laura’s Coffee Shop in Shireoaks (S81 8LP) on December 13-14 and 2021. It is the same deal as above, but to book these trips please ring 01246 477569.

IWA Chester and Merseyside: The Mersey Gateway Project – a visit from the Mersey Gateway team who will give a presentation about the progress of the Mersey Gateway bridge between Runcorn and Widnes. Followed by mince pies, sherry and a bumper raffle. Tom Rolt Conference Centre, National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port CH65 4FW. 7.45pm.

Bar and coffee-making facilities available.

December 10

IWA Warwickshire: Quiz and social evening.

The Sports Connexion Leisure Centre, Rytonon-Dunsmore CV8 3FL. 7.30pm.

December 11

IWA Avon & Wiltshire: Social evening with a Christmas quiz and mince pies. The Crown, Saltford BS31 3HJ, 7.30pm. £2.50 per person.

Macclesfield Canal Society: AGM and members’ slides. Macclesfield Liberal Club, Boden Street, Macclesfield SK11 6LL, 7.30 for 7.45pm. www.macclesfieldcanal.org.uk

December 12

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire: Burgundy to the Mediterranean – presentation

by Patrick and Angela Marks on their boat trip down the Rhone. Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club, Endon Wharf, Post Lane, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent ST9 9DT, 7.45 for 8pm. Refreshments available, non-IWA members very welcome. Contact Barbara Wells, 01782 533856.

December 15

IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcester: Christmas supper and slides.

Coombeswood Canal Trust, Hawne Basin, Hereward Rise, Halesowen, West Midlands B62 8AW, 7.15 for 7.30pm. Contact Chris Osborn 01299 832593, jcosborn@btinternet.com

December 19

Boat Museum Society: The True Story of Mutiny on the Bounty by Chris Kay. Christmas social evening with ‘bring a plate’ refreshments, tombola etc. A celebration to mark 40 years since work started to establish the waterways museum at Ellesmere Port. Rolt Conference Centre at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 4FW, 7.30pm.

Bar, everyone welcome.

IWA Notts & Derby: Christmas social with sharing buffet. Rushcliffe Arena, Rugby Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham NG2 7HY, 7.45pm, non-members welcome. nottsandderbys@waterways.org.uk

December 31:

St Pancras Cruising Club: Icicle Cruise to Little Venice, BBQ lunch, return to SPCC for New Year’s Eve. Contact cruise co-ordinator Caroline Stanger on 07956 231456, carolinestanger@hotmail.com

HOLIDAYS 51

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Confident hirers book their spots for 2015

IN RECENT years holiday hire boat firms have adjusted to a much larger proportion of bookings being last-minute affairs, with families grabbing a week or two away only when they are sure they can afford it.

This year, it seems the pattern is reverting to what was commonplace five or 10 years ago, with the prime spots being booked well in advance.

David Ray, manager at Norbury Wharf on the Shropshire Union Canal said: “To be honest people really need to think about next year, as we are having an amazing amount of 2015 bookings coming through early, and I have heard of other companies having the same response.”

He suspects that an increasing number of people are no longer so unsure about their future security and even a slightly improving economy may have released a surge of pent-up demand.

David added: “If you know the date that you want to be boating next year, get it booked to save disappointment.”

Meanwhile those who want to move up from hiring a boat to owning one, seem to be getting their bids in early as well, with boat sales booming.

David added: “We desperately need more boats to sell; we have had an amazing couple of weeks and sold half of our stock! Perhaps it is caused by a bit more confidence in the economy, who knows?”

Tourism site praise for Huddersfield Narrow Canal

By Geoff Wood

THE Visit Manchester website strongly praises the Huddersfield Narrow Canal on its meandering course through Saddleworth.

It says the canal is a firm favourite for visitors and family days out, particularly around

the main village of Uppermill.

But also worth a visit, says the website, are the canal marina at Greenfield, the sculpture trail at Diggle and the nearby entrance to the Standedge Tunnel, the highest, deepest and longest canal tunnel in Britain.

The canal was restored in a massive operation dubbed the

‘Impossible Dream’ which was led by enthusiasts, later backed by grants, and reopened in 2001.

Some boaters say the passage through a large number of locks as the canal climbs towards the Pennines is hard work. But mooring up at attractive villages on route makes the journey worthwhile for many.

Part of Norbury’s hire fleet – already being booked out for next year’s prime times. PHOTO SUPPLIED

BOATING

HO LIDAYS Canal breaks and river cruising in the UK, Ireland and Europe

Narrowboats in popular Uppermill. PHOTO: GEOFF WOOD

Positive TV coverage boost for holiday bookings WATERWAYS Holidays is reporting a 20% growth in bookings for 2015 to date.

“Thanks to two good British summers and very positive TV coverage of holidays afloat, we have seen this season’s bookings soar by almost 150%,” said managing director Nigel Richards.

Family-friendly boating holidays are even more affordable with early booking offers including savings of 20% off peak July and August dates, for bookings made by December 31 this year.

The 20% saving applies to selected boats starting from 14 different boat bases across the UK, including locations on the

Kennet & Avon canal, the Grand Union canal in the heart of England, Scotland’s Forth & Clyde canal and the Llangollen canal in Wales.

As an example of price, a week’s hire of a six berth, five star graded ‘Thrush’ class narrowboat from any one of nine different bases in Britain costs £1680 if booked by December 31, saving £419 on a week’s rental over the school summer holidays.

That includes damage waiver insurance, car parking, loan of lifejackets and initial tuition as well as bed-linen and towels; pay for diesel as used.

A luxurious boat, the ‘Thrush’ has two full shower rooms and

has a flexible layout with two sleeping cabins offering the option of either double or single berths – making it equally suitable for up to three couples or families of four to six.

In addition to the fully equipped galley kitchen, on board facilities include a microwave, toaster and filter coffee machine. Each 66ft long narrowboat has 240v power supply, TV/DVD, radio/CD and comes with a welcome pack.

For 2015 all ‘Thrush’ class boats will also have free wi-fi.

Boats are also pet-friendly, with the first dog welcome at no extra charge.

For more details visit www.waterwaysholidays.com

52 TOWPATH TRADER

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TOWPATH TRADER 53

54 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

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Start your Christmas Gifts for all the family at Audlem Mill AUDLEM Mill, one of the oldest and best known canal shops, is alongside the Audlem flight of 15 locks on the Shropshire Union Canal.

It stocks lots of canalrelated gifts, as well as the largest range of canal books in the country – and also now many second-hand books.

There are gifts for all the family and an award-winning needlework shop on the first floor. This has a superb range of embroidery and canal cross-stitch kits, needlework threads and accessories and knitting yarns, as well as related books.

A wintry scene at Audlem Wharf. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

A Christmas card with a difference!

● Find out more at www.audlemmill.co.uk, or for books, www.canalbookshop.co.uk or

www.stitchbooks.co.uk.

W arw ick Top Lock , Low erCape, W arw ick CV34 5D P

Tel: 01 926 4 1 0588

Em ail: alan@ getk notted .co.u k

W eb : w w w .getk notted .co.u k

N o thing T o o B ig o rSm all Ro p e do o r sto p s, av ailable sm all, m edium and large fro m £19 .0 0

Fenderkit, inc luding bo o k £2 5

An ideal bo ating gift c o ntaining C o lin Jo nes’ guide to m aking fenders and all the ro p e yo u need to m ake yo urfirstside fender.

CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE 55

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shopping here Looking for bespoke Christmas gift ideas?

A VISIT to Tradline Rope & Fenders unearths an Aladdin’s cave of goodies from beautiful oil lamps and hand-crafted weather instruments to decorative cotton ropework.

The UK’s premier stockist of English Braids ropes, Tradline boasts the widest selection of rope and cordage on the inland waterways and this year has

produced a range of fender making and splicing kits for the hands-on enthusiasts.

This has proved a popular add-on to the company’s range of tools and materials, supported with a wealth of friendly advice shared from over 25 years of experience in the trade. Many of the most popular mooring ropes are available in attractive packaged sets along with pre-spliced individual lines for your convenience.

Tradline’s emporium also offers a unique step back in time, charmingly set in the listed Blacksmith’s Forge at the heart of the inland waterways within Braunston Marina.

Market leaders on traditional fenders, which are still handmade on site, Tradline caters for every type of vessel from Dutch barges to dinghies.

Alongside this, it supplies bespoke staircase ropes, vehicle tow ropes (including 4x4 recovery), garden landscaping ropes and features gymnasium ropes including battling ropes and is trade supplier to the theatre industry with scenery lifting ropes and film set props.

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Tradline’s emporium offers a step back in time.

A traditional stern set. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

● Full mail order service (including website and shopping cart) Tradline Rope & Fenders, Braunston Marina, Northamptonshire NN11 7JH Tel: 01788 891761. Email: tradline@btconnect.com Website: www.tradline.co.uk

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56 CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE

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Porthole covers come in a variety of colours and patterns.

Treat your boat to a new set of porthole covers PORTHOLE covers are a useful addition to your boat and come in a variety of colours and patterns.

They are very easy to fix to the inside of your porthole and come supplied with everything you need to install them.

The covers are made from durable 12mm thick High Density Polyethylene which is extremely robust and they are easily stored when not in use.

Some customers have ordered additional fitting kits so they can mount their covers on the wall facing inwards when not covering the porthole.

The team at Porthole Covers has a number of standard patterns; however most covers tend to be bespoke with individual designs supplied by customers.

A spokesman said: “We have supplied covers with the pattern cut on both sides; the effect was that some light was able to pass through the cutout so the pattern appears to glow on the inside during daylight and glow on the outside from light inside

Covers can be mounted on the wall facing inwards when not covering the porthole. PHOTOS SUPPLIED the boat at night.” Key holders are also available in bespoke designs for your boat.

Prices for porthole covers range from £36 inc VAT depending upon size and pattern.

● Visit www.portholecovers.co.uk for further information.

Ready painted or decorate it yourself – the choice is yours NOT sure what to buy that canal boater who has everything.

Top Box has teamed up with stockist BWML Sawley Marina and Canal Art to offer two new Christmas products, available to paint yourself or you can commission a decorated piece.

A timber planter for plants or herbs with a waterproof liner comes all primed and undercoated for you to gloss in a solid colour for under £20.

Or a boatman’s cabin stool is primed and undercoated for you to paint in a solid gloss colour from £20.

Both products are available from BWML

at Sawley Marina, contact 0115 907 7414.

Seed boxes are also available direct from Canal Art, priced £30, or to commission a decorated piece, ring Melanie at Canal Art on 07747 621437.

The timber planter comes primed and undercoated with a waterproof liner ready for you to gloss or you can commission it ready decorated.

This decorated boatman’s cabin stool and seed box can also be bought ready for you to paint.

● For Top Box general enquiries ring 07791 992479.

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Treat your boating buddy to a custom-made tiller pin

WHATS NEW

Books, DVDs and other items for possible review should be sent to:

Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk

The one that got away Reviewer: Harry Arnold

LOOKING for a special something for your boating friend or partner this Christmas?

Why not treat them to a custom-made tiller pin? Miracle Leisure Products has been hand picking various sizes, shapes and

designs of brass castings which have been found at curio and antique shops throughout the Midlands and making these into some great one-off tiller pins.

On its website www.tillerpins.co.uk you will find over 80 various styles which

will cater for every taste – from animals, birds and teddy bears to boots and boats – and the great thing is when they are shown off around the canal you will know you are the only person to grace the waterways with your chosen design.

● Just some of the range can be seen in the photos, but all can be seen on the website at

www.tillerpins.co.uk

Give the gift of a narrowboat holiday CRUISE through the countryside, relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery and explore the numerous pubs and restaurants located along the Trent & Mersey Canal with Avante Classic Narrowboats.

Avante has a fleet of boats moored at Mercia Marina. The

boats are four-, six- or eightberth, all are well-furnished and comfortable. The narrowboats feature ovens, hobs and a standard size fridge for ‘home’ cooked meals, if you really can resist the call of some outstanding pub and restaurant food, or a light lunch on the go.

For those colder nights, all the boats feature central heating, making a nice snug place to catch up on a bit of telly or that book you never get a chance to read. Avante will provide you with full tuition before you leave the marina and set you on your way for a wonderful holiday.

WHAT happened to the Derby Canal up to and after its official abandonment in 1974 is an object lesson in what not to do with a closed canal. The Derby local authority bought much of the line from the private canal company at what appeared a bargain price and it has since cost ratepayers millions of pounds.

John Wain’s, Saving the Derby Canal is dubbed ‘Mk.1’ as there is a current campaign by the Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust and its support society to reopen this waterway link between the Erewash and Trent & Mersey Canals.

It records the activities of the Derby Canal Restoration Committee – formed in February 1961 – and part of the then Midlands Branch Committee of the Inland Waterways Association; a group I joined when I moved into the area but when this campaign was virtually lost.

But I was lucky enough to work with and become friends with those involved – including one who actually bought a piece of the Derby Canal – and to appreciate the campaign they mounted; also to see the aftermath. John, as an early Trent & Mersey boater and secretary of the Swarkestone Boat Club – from which much support came – from 1956 to 1970 was a key player in their efforts.

Unfortunately it was a campaign before its time; before that for the successful reopening of the Southern Stratford Canal and – apart from these small bands of visionary enthusiasts – the

public, authorities and others couldn’t see the tourist and economic value of a waterway, linking with the River Derwent, and passing through the centre of a major city.

John Wain has recorded the story of this lost campaign in almost report format using a timeline of important and relevant committee minutes, maps, newspaper cuttings and correspondence; some letters being from national waterway personalities such as Tom Rolt and Robert Aickman.

It rightly gives due credit by also recording the names of those heavily involved, led by Alwyn Davies, committee secretary, whose letter first inspired the campaign, and IWA Branch Midland’s chairman Roy Torrington.

Unfortunately only a few are alive today.

As it is economically privately published, the reproduction of some illustrations, particularly photographs, perhaps leaves a little to be desired. However, John has done a brilliant job in bringing to the attention of today’s readers an almost forgotten (although not by some of us) canal campaign.

It is indeed essential reading by anyone interested in early waterway campaigning and in particular those involved in present day restoration schemes. Let us hope that in picking up the baton from these pioneers that the current trust is successful in reopening the Derby Canal.

Saving The Derby Canal Mk.1 (The One That Got Away) by J L Wain is published by the author in A4 size softback format, priced £5.50. It is available direct from 23 Woodminton Drive, Chellaston, Derby DE 6RZ. Tel: 01332 702423 at £7 including postage.

A must for cat lovers and anyone who likes human interest stories One of the Avante fleet of classic narrowboats at Mercia Marina.

Avante narrowboat Cymbeline.

Make your own fender for that individual touch

A knotty solution to those Christmas gift problems

FOR a practical gift that boaters will not only enjoy making but will also bring an individual touch to their boat, the fender-making kit fromGet Knotted ticks all the boxes.

The kit (RRP £25 plus P&P) comprises a book which provides Colin Jones’ step-bystep guide through the process and a supply of rope enabling the reader to make their first side fender. The book also has instructions for other fenders and knots.

Sure to please friends and family, this gift will help them use traditional handcrafting methods to produce a unique piece of equipment for their boat.

Get Knotted is a family run business with more than 20 years of experience in producing rope goods and fenders, plus supplying decking and banister ropes.

Get Knotted is based by the side of the Grand Union Canal at Warwick Top Lock.

Accredited as a master craftsmen by the Waterways Craft Guild, owner Alan Ewins is also amember of the Guild of Knot Tyers.

With a rapidly expanding product and knowledge base, a range of ropes and fenders can be supplied by Get Knotted. They can be produced using either hitched or crowned methods of knotting with either natural fibre or synthetic core.

A range of mooring lines and nautical giftware is also available. A knotty solution to those Christmas gift problems. Distinctive fenders

by Get Knotted.

Left: Distinctive fenders by Get Knotted. ● For further information

call 01926 410588 or visit www.getknotted.co.uk

BETWEEN 2004 and 2006, David Thomas experienced a series of disasters, culminating in being told that he only had a short time left to live. Rather than sinking into despair, he decided to fulfil his lifelong dream of living on a canal boat.

Naturally, he had to take the love of his life with him – a white cat called Cookie. Would it work out? David didn’t know, but as he put it: “I wasn’t going anywhere without my beloved Cookie.”

Travels with Cookie, is an account of the time David spent on the water, cruising extensively to London, along the Thames, up to Wales, then tackling the wild and often desolate rivers of the North West. David learned about boating the hard way, mainly by having numerous – and often hair-raising – adventures. So did Cookie, who contrived to get lost, fall in the water, and generally use up most of her nine lives.

Finally David met Helen, a helicopter instructor, writer, and – most importantly – cat lover. They fell in love, and David’s life began to change yet again, leading to the eventual sale of LadyRiverMouse and the new life that followed.

David knows about boating, has an eye for detail, and is an astute observer of people.

This book will interest boaters, travellers, or simply those who enjoy reading about others’ adventures.

But this is more than just another travel book. It is a tale of bereavement and divorce, of terminal illness and despair, and finally of romance, a seemingly miraculous cure, and a new life. It will appeal to anyone who likes human interest stories. And of course – as Cookie would say – it is a must for cat lovers!

Travels With Cookie by David Thomas and Helen Krasner is obtainable from Amazon at £7.99 (paperback) or £3.60 (ebook).

Protection for your mobile phone Reviewer: Jason Carpenter

IT GOES without saying that one of the most expensive things you carry around with you on a daily basis is your mobile phone. Covers and screen protectors are available everywhere to fit all types of handsets but what has always frustrated me is the applying of screen protectors.

You know the type, flimsy pieces of plastic that no matter how careful you try to apply, you always end up with at least one bubble smiling back at you.

The Booq Glass + Case is a protector made from tempered glass and is a dream to apply. Once on the phone you don’t have any loss of image clarity, so much so that you don’t even realise it is there and being made of glass it doesn’t peel, lasting longer than other screen protectors.

Combined with the plastic cover (included) which protects the back and sides, you can feel safe that your phone will be protected.

Priced from £18; available from www.booq.co.uk

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BITS & BOBS SEASONED greetings! My mother was clever enough to prepare something that could be cooked ahead and baked off for Christmas Eve. Big baskets of garlic bread and a large salad accompanied this. Because Christmas Day was such a big feast that seemed to involve baking everything in sight and using all the cooker’s available burners and ovens, the principles of Christmas Eve were a simple supper and early to bed.

What better way to put the young’uns to sleep than a big plate of pasta. Parents could stay up, have another glass of wine and do ‘Santa things’. Stockings were stuffed, presents were laid out and the prep for the next day’s feast was completed.

Boating with a hearing loss

by Rexx & Phill

December top tip We found an ideal present to give to new boating friends, a first aid kit. We pack our ‘kits’ in a lightweight fishing tackle box; they are easy to store, light to carry and have lots of little drawers for odd bits. Our list of basics includes: a good pair of scissors, a small penknife, tweezers, a variety pack of plasters, antiseptic cream or spray, cotton balls, cotton buds, aspirin, hydrogen peroxide, aloe vera cream, eye-wash, a roll of surgical tape, some lengths of stretchy bandaging (works well for slings or sprains), safety pins, a needle and thread. We also have a

couple of cold packs that we use for longer term sprains or swelling.

In addition to the usual items which we mostly pick up at a pharmacy, we have a few ‘needs must’ items because they work; we keep personal hygiene pads in our kit which make great pads or pressure packs for abrasions and cuts. For ourselves we also keep a couple of tins of chicken soup in the galley because the hot soup and a cuppa usually address the emotions that go with any of our minor injuries (cuts, blisters, stubbed toes, and sprains). Ditto for a few bites of a chocolate bar.

Rexx’s Four-Layer Lasagne

Prep time 10 minutes, cook time 60 minutes total, serves 6 Sides Loaf of sourdough bread, butter, garlic salt, bag of mixed greens, salad dressing.

Main ● A box of lasagne sheets ● 500g beef mince ● 500g lamb mince ● 1 package of large spicy sausages, stripped from their casings ● ½ cup nicoise olives, chopped ● 1 tsp sugar ● 1 tbsp Italian spices ● 2 tbsp HP sauce ● ¼ cup red wine ● 2 large jars (4 cups) Marinara sauce ● 1 container cottage cheese or ricotta ● 1 ball mozzarella torn in shreds OR 500g gruyere cheese, grated Preheat the oven to 200ºC (400ºF) Mark 4.

Pre-steps: Bring a pan of water to the boil; add a sprinkling of salt and a splash of oil. Drop in the lasagne sheets and cook (5min). While it is boiling, slice the sourdough bread, smear with butter and garlic salt, wrap in aluminium foil and set aside. When the lasagne noodles are soft, remove to a bowl of cold water to cool and separate.

Meanwhile, in a deep-sided frying pan, fry the mince and sausage, add the olives, sugar, spices, HP sauce and wine. Add the Marinara sauce and simmer (10min) to blend. Place a ladle of sauce in the bottom of a casserole and cover with quarter of the lasagne sheets; spread these with half of the ricotta, and top with a ladle of

sauce. Add the second layer of quarter of the lasagne sheets; sprinkle over half of the mozzarella and top with a ladle of sauce. Add the third layer of lasagne sheets; spread with the remaining ricotta and top with a ladle of sauce. Add the fourth layer of lasagne sheets; top with the remaining sauce and mozzarella. Cover with aluminum foil and bake (one hour). Remove foil and continue to bake (10min) to brown the top. Remove the lasagne from the oven and pop in the bread to bake (10min) while the lasagne ‘rests’ (10min) before cutting into sections to serve. Use the last bit of time to make a simple salad by dropping a bag of mixed greens into a bowl and drizzling with your favourite dressing.

Phill’s take on Rexx’s Shepherd’s Pie with Cheesy Mash

Prep time 10 minutes, cook time 10 minutes, makes one large or two small.

The animal figures were my favourite part of the nativity scene (especially the sheep). When mother made her famous lasagne above, she always cooked extra mince and made me my own shepherd’s pie. It is a personal Christmas tradition of mine. I thought no one in the world had a ‘pie’ such as ours. It never occurred to me that my favourite dish might contain the relatives of my beloved sheep; I thought it was named for the shepherds who ate it while they were tending their flock. Phill bakes a narrowboat version in the tin I still have from childhood. ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

1 cup minced beef, cooked 1 cup minced lamb, cooked ½ cup cooked spicy sausage 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp butter 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, peel/mince 2 stalks celery, finely diced 1 small tin of cooked carrots 1 tin cooked corn or peas 2 cups milk (1 + 1) 1 cup shredded Cheddar 2 pkts instant mash 1 tbsp spicy mustard Salt & pepper to taste Galley gravy or Bisto gravy prepared per instructions with corn or pea water

Bring the oil and butter up to sizzle temperature in a frying pan; add the onion, garlic, and celery. Sauté until the vegetables are soft; add the mince and fry until crispy (15min). Stir in the butter, sprinkle the mixture with flour and stir again to incorporate. Add salt, pepper, HP sauce and milk; simmer to thicken (5min).

While the mince mixture is thickening, bring the peas and carrots to a boil in a pan of water; when these are hot, scoop them out and add them to the mixture (reserve the water for the instant mash). Prepare the instant mash according to the package instructions; add the mustard and a splash of milk along with the cheese and stir together to heat through. Dish the mince into bowls, top with mounds of mash. Pop the pies under the broiler for a few minutes to brown. Fare well holiday-makers.

In an article which first appeared in the Wendover Arm News, narrowboat owner Molly Berry shares her experience of coping with profound deafness.

I’M NOT one of those fascinating people who were born deaf and use sign language; no, I’m one of the millions of people who have gradually gone deaf. I have a cochlear implant, the best use of modern technology there is, with which I hear very well, except in very noisy places. I also wear a hearing aid in the other ear and I am a lip-reading tutor.

So, what problems might a hearing aid using boater have? Well, water and any electronics don’t mix. Then there is the noise of the engine, and hearing what is being shouted from the lock side.

All modern hearing aids, NHS or private ones, except the very smallest inthe-ear ones, have a variety of different programmes that can be set up. You can have a T-setting to use with hearing loops, in church and almost all public buildings, most shops, banks, cinemas and theatres.

You can have a setting to listen to music, one to reduce wind noise, and the most useful to a boater standing over a noisy engine is the directional setting, sometimes called ‘cut out background noise’. With this setting on, you will reduce the engine noise, but others will still raise their voices over the noise, so you should hear them quite well.

Normal listening tactics still apply, ask others to face you when they speak to you, we all hear much more when we can see the face of the person who is speaking. Ask them to get your attention before they speak; if you miss the beginning it is very difficult to tune in to what is being said.

They should speak clearly and not too fast, but keep it natural. You should ask a closed question when you are not sure what was said, a question with only a yes or no answer: “Did you say you found £10 in the boat?” “No, I said I found a dead mouse, the cat must have brought it in.”

Drying box

What about boating in the rain? I find a hat better than a hood for keeping dry; I get feedback with a hood. It is a good idea to have a drying box or pot on the boat to

Molly Berry with her narrowboat Helena.

PHOTO SUPPLIED

put your aids in overnight. If you should fall in, remove the battery, dry the aid with a soft cloth, particularly the battery contacts, and put it in the drying box, you might be lucky.

You can buy socks for aids, they come in various sizes and colours, they protect against dirt (for the man with oily hands from the engine), wind and moisture. You can also get them with strings so you can attach them to your clothing. This could be useful if you need to hang over the side to fish the dog out; the last thing you need is to have to try and retrieve your aids from the cut.

Last but not least, don’t be coy about your hearing loss, there are millions of us.

People generally want to be helpful, but they simply won’t know you struggle to hear if you don’t tell them; modern hearing aids are so unobtrusive, people very rarely notice them. The other thing of course is to join a lip-reading class.

Teaching your eyes to help your ears will ensure you get the very best you can from your hearing and aids.

● Do email me if you have any questions at classes@lipreading.org.uk I can give you details of lip-reading classes anywhere in the country and a lot of information on hearing loss.

The products mentioned are available from Action on Hearing Loss.

StaffordShire School kidStaketothewater PUPILS from St Peter’s Church of England Primary School in Hixon near Stafford had a history lesson with a difference after their teacher won a free boat trip on their local canal.

The day was all part of a competition run by the Canal & River Trust’s education team at the 2014 Education Show at Birmingham’s NEC. St Peter’s teacher, Laura Hopcroft, entered and was delighted to have been drawn out of the hat.

She said: “We’re studying the Victorians at the moment and so it’s great to bring the subject to life and encourage them to think about what their local canal would have been like at this time. It was a really fun way for the children to explore their local history, and the environment around them. I hope it’s something that they remember for a long time.”

As part of their prize, the 27 children from year groups one and two boarded a 70ft narrowboat at Norbury Junction and enjoyed a two-hour cruise along the canal. During the trip,

Pat Davies, education volunteer from the Canal & River Trust, and pupils from St Peter’s Church of England Primary School with their teacher Laura Hopcroft. PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST the trust’s local education team of Explorers from Stoke-on-Trent, taught the children about the history of the canal and helped them to spot wildlife as they chugged along at 4mph.

The trip followed a recent classroom activity in which volunteers helped the children to build their own canal and explained the importance of water safety.

● As well as in-school activities, Canal & River Explorers has a website full of fun games and activities for kids. The site also has a range of resources for schools, organised groups and families to use to get the most out of a visit to their local canal or river. For more information visit www.canalriverexplorers.org.uk Teachers or group leaders interested in arranging a waterside visit for 2015 or booking a water safety assembly this winter can do so by emailing education coordinator Sarah Cook sarah.cook@canalrivertrust.org.uk or call her on 07715 377788.

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Need a Surveyor or Boat Safety Examiner?

M cN eil M a rin e S U R V E Y IN G

! W ood G R P & Steel Cra ft ! P re P u rcha se Su rveys ! Su rveysforIn su ra n ce ! D a m a g e/D efectR eports ! Va lu a tion setc.

A rea s covered: A LL

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N a r ro w b o a t Su r veyo r

IAIN JO N ES

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& Bo a tSa f ety E xa m in er

BSS

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M arine Surveys and BSS Exam inations

Tel:

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em ail:

m ikeshaw @ live.co.uk A re a s Cove re d :

2, 5, 6, 9

Areas covered:5,6,9

To advertise on this page call Jason on 01507 529581

Boat Safety Examiner Boat Safety

Dip.S.C. SurAM IM a rEST AREAS CO VERED: 6, 10 • A Frie n d ly an d Pro fe s s io n alSe rvice • Fu lly Q u alifie d & In s u re d • Ultras o n ic Pre -pu rchas e & Hu llCo n d itio n Su rve ys • Fre e Bo atSafe ty Ce rtificate w ith e ve ry fu lls u rve y

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BOAT PAINTERS

CANALIA

CANOPIES STA F F O R D SH IR E CA N O P IES

B e spo ke c a no pie s fo r na rro w bo a ts a nd c ru ise rs, inc lu d ing c ra tc h c o ve rs,pra m ho o d s a nd to nne a u .

C a llTim or Lisa on 07761 432092 w w w .sta ffordshireca nopies.co.u k

COMMUNICATIONS ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT BOAT HANDLING COURSE

BOAT SAFETY COURSES

AUTO ELECTRIC SUPPLIES Everything you need for Wiring, Rewiring and Maintaining your Boat

CANOPIES BOAT SHARE

C H ES H IRE C AT T RAIN IN G

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BOAT PAINTERS

Canvasman - see some examples of our work on our main advert page 40. 01943 851444 www.canvasman.co.uk CA528805L

Cable, Switchgear, Fuseboxes etc. Free 100 page Catalogue available or buy Online!

Tel: 01584 819552 Fax: 01584 819355

www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk

ENGINES

Looking to buy or sell a boat share?

Visit our website www.boats2share.com for further details or call us on 01270 760 799 and find out today what Boats2Share.com can do for you.

BOATS WANTED The Boat Shop UK Leighton Buzzard. We buy boats in any condition, boats needing welding work, or refitting, cash available for the right boats. Ring 07971305880 / 07742260961 BO528579L

Try the narrowboat painting specialists on the North Oxford Canal

Online Boat Painting Quotes www.oxonboatpainting.co.uk Tel 07977 504766

Enter promotional code TT001 for discount

CANOPIES

CLASSIFIED 91

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ELECTRICIAN

HEATING

EQUIPMENT GENERATORS edgetechnology.co.uk Call : 01270 509 296

LPG

(

Petrol

FFRREEEE

Quote: ‘Towpath’ when ordering for a free Service kit

GEARBOXES

DIESEL FIRED HEATING ENGINEER Eberspacher, Webasto, Mikuni & Diesel Stove Installation, Service and Repair • Quality work at competitive rates • MIDLANDS AND NORTH WEST

Ed Shiers 07922 163072 www.fc-marine.co.uk ed@fc-marine.co.uk

INSULATION FOAM SPRAYING AND INJECTING. UK's number one spray foam company. 30 years experience. Call Brian on 08007 313497/07971 200559. Email Brian@cosyhomeuk.co.uk

CO527224L

INSURANCE

GRAPHICS

INSURANCE

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INSURANCE

MISCELLANEOUS

MOBILE MARINE ENGINEER

MAIL FORWARDING F a s t, R elia b le M o b ile S er vice F o r A L L Y o u r B o a tin g N eed s 15 years’experience,fully qualified, a service you can rely on FEEL FREE TO CALL TO DISCUSS AN Y N EEDS YOU M AY HAVE 0 7 9 6 20 240 9 2

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JOINERY

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MOBILE MARINE ENGINEER

SERVICES ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS FOR TRADITIONAL PROBLEMS-restoration and marinising, casting, machining and fabrication of one off parts to order. Gardner factory approved. Over 60 years of combined experience. Tel 01327 700219 www.vintagediesels.co.uk VI521741L

MOORINGS

BRONTE BOAT REPAIR SERVICES

From a wiring fault to a full engine/gearbox recondition we have a fully qualified engineer in the respective field.

• Heating systems • Generators • Bow thrusters • Gearboxes (hydraulic/mechanical) • Outboard motors • Wiring faults (including inverters) • Engines (modern/traditional) • Mobile welding services We are based in Hebden Bridge & Todmorden and provide our services around Lancashire Yorkshire and Greater Manchester areas.

Insurance approved (covering all aspects of work)

So if you require any of our services here or just need a little more information on the services we provide, then why not email or give us a call!

01706 815103

Lovelyrural setting inthe heartofthe Chilterns O nly ten m inutes fro m m a inline sta tio n a nd the M 1 a nd M 2 5

REPAIRS

! M a rin a w ith resid en tia l a n d n on -resid en tia l m oorin g s, la un d ry a n d show erb lock ! Covered d ry d ock f orb oa tsup to 72f tx 14f t ! 40tcra n e perm a n en tly on site cra n in g b oa tsf orsurvey, on oroff tra n sport, f orha rd -sta n d in g a n d repa irs. ! A ll steel w ork un d erta ken -b oa tb uild in g , over-pla tin g , stretchin g , f a b rica tion ! Hull pa in tin g -g ritb la stin g w ith epoxy or sta n d a rd b itum en system ! Superstructure pa in tin g a n d sig n w ritin g ! Da y Boa tHire ! Boa tSa les! Slipw a y ! Cha n d lery ! Pum p-out ! Ga s, Diesel, Solid Fuel ! En g in e Repa irs! W ood w ork ! Plum b in g ! Ga sIn sta lla tion sa n d Repa irs ! Electrica l In sta lla tion sa n d Repa irs

M id d x & H ertsBoa tServices, W in kw ell,Bou rn e En d ,H ertsH P 1 2R Z

01 4 4 2 8729 85

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STORAGE

TRANSPORT BY WATER

UPHOLSTERY

UPHOLSTERY

A45 SELF STORAGE 8ft, 10ft and 20ft secure lock up units available for short/long term let

www.A45selfstorage.co.uk Stephenson Close, Daventry NN11 8RF T:01327 877130 E:A45@icmgerson.com

TRANSPORT BY ROAD A.B. TUCKEY BOAT TRANSPORT SERVICE A reliable personal service provided by a family business, based on 3 generations of transport experience.

Narrowboats moved up to 70ft in length and 25 tonnes in weight.

Own 35 & 70 tonne crane.

Tel 01926 812134 Fax 01926 810354

Stockton, Warwickshire Website: www.abtuckey.co.uk email: Mark@abtuckey.co.uk

WINDOWS Channelglaze Ltd: See our main advertisement on page 43. Tel: 0121 706 5777 CH525662L

TRANSPORT BY WATER

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READERADVERTS Boats for sale

AQUAHOLIC semi trad 50ft, 2002,sleeps 4, Isuzi engine, diesel heating, cooker, fridge, shower, cassette toilet, recently repainted and blacked, new anodes, exc condition, many extras, much loved boat for sale as we are upsizing photos on request. £42,500. Tel. 07990 651896.

Cheshire.

BIG NORTHWICH MOTOR FLAMINGO Lister HA2 extensively overhauled, rebottomed, all steel work completed, cabin fitout requires finishing, traditional BMC with Epping, central and underfloor heating supplied by Kabola E7 & Much Wenlock, Bompani cooker, domestic fridge, twin hot water tanks and immersion heater, £58,000. Tel. 07747 895627. Warks.

CABIN CRUISER 25ft, fibreglass, moored on Lake Windermere, fridge, hob, grill, oven, hot and cold, toilet, sleeps 3, £6999. Tel. 0751 4064583. Cumbria.

CLASSIC ENSIGN 1990, 32ft x 6ft 10”, Yanama inboard, 13hp, Z drive, h/c water, 2 burner grill, many extras, 3 way fridge, reluctant sale due to health, £6700 ono. Tel. 01427 717824. Lincs.

EX BCN restoration project, early 1900’s 60ft Gardner, 4 cyl, recent boat safety, lying South Staffs, £20,000. Tel. 07809 686839.

Staffs.

EX OIL RIG GRP LIFEBOAT in original livery, 24ft by 9ft, low hours, Lister LPW3 engine, only run for testing purposes, 18 inch prop, hydraulic steering, suitable for conversion to cruiser/small live aboard, exc cond, £11,500. Tel. 07950 047489. E Lancs.

HOUSE BOAT 57 x 12, fully fitted kitchen and bathroom with spa bath and pump out toilet plus small toilet in master bedroom, fully CE marked craft solid fuel Stove, cost new £120,000 we are asking £85,000. Tel. 07718 467684. Lancs.

MERCUTIO 46ft traditional steel narrowboat, beautifully finished, BMC 1.5 engine, 1500w inverter, LED lighting throughout, 3 new Leisure batteries, hull surveyed and blacked 2012, exterior repainted 2012, BSC till May 2016, Morso squirrel stove and Rinnai gas boiler, much loved home for sale. Tel. 07921 229726. London.

NARROWBOAT 45ft inspection launch, one off Bespoke build, with beautiful lines and features, full interior refurb 2014, blacked and anodes Dec 2013, BSC 2017, front & back deck covers, BMC 1.5, serviced and new cooling system, many more recent improvements, viewing recommended, £26,495 ono. Tel. 07730 126273. Derbys.

NARROWBOAT 57ft traditional style, 2004, 2-4 berth live aboard, Mitsubishi engine (heats water), PRM 260 gearbox, diesel tank holds 150 litre, water tank is stainless steel and holds 500 litres, newly fitted, brand new Villager stove and back boiler with heating system (Nov 2013), new inverter, will power washing machine, Thelford cassette toilet with sep shower, New World cooker, Lec fridge, oak wood interior, BSC June 2017, hull last blacked and out of water 2013 August when the boat was sandblasted, newly painted with 2k paint, new anodes were attached to hull and it was inspected and was fine, engine was serviced Mar 2014, licenced until Oct 2015, £33,995 ono. Tel. 07955 442552. Bucks.

SEMI TRAD NARROWBOAT 45ft, Builder Bourne Boat Company, 2009, only 350 hours on clock, exc cond, £43,000. Tel. 07979 102927. W Yorks.

SEMI-TRAD NARROWBOAT unfinished project, 59ft, painted spay formed battened out, wired, Beta 38 new engine, gearbox PRM mechanical type 120D2 built by J.D. Narrowboats, 6 windows, 8 port holes, front doors cut-out for winds, back door with hatch, two side doors with hatches, the boat is on dry land, never been in water, never been used, £25,000 ono. Tel. 07711 116868; 01142 342815. Yorks.

STEEL CANAL BOAT 11ft, Butty, workshop, storage shed, can be towed or pushed along, this is almost new (one of a kind) and very clean, currently on the Ashby Canal close to Bosworth, would make a great motorbike/quad/ mobility scooter carrier. Tel. 07902 543855 for details. Warks.

TEDDESLEY 37ft, 1970, 37ft, 6ft beam, 2 berth, Yanmar single cylinder, well maintained hull and engine, cruiser stern with pram hood and cratch, licenced until end Nov 2014, BSC Mar 15, rebottomed about 2009, blacked about 2011, steel hull with fibreglass roof, ply lined, new s/s water tank and gas bottle locker, fitted Greenwood stove, Belfast sink and Flavell 2-ring cooker, porta-potti, open plan and c/w all vintage furniture and fittings, 100w PV panel, £9000. Tel. 07949 965842. Macclesfield.

Selling your boat is FREE for private readers of Towpath talk

See coupon on page 94 for details CABIN CRUISER 25ft fibreglass, moored on Lake Windermere fridge, hob, grill, oven, hot and cold, toilet, sleeps 3, £6999. Tel. 075140 64583. Cumbria.

CANAL BOAT SHELL semi-trad, all steel, brand new, built by Soar Valley boat builders at start of 2014, inc doors, windows, engine, excellent starter project, £26,000.

Tel. 01299 269700. B'ham.

CRUISER STERN NARROWBOAT 45ft, new Beta 38+PRM, 120 gearbox, hull overplated and some rebottled, new diesel tank, weed hatch, maintenance free domestics, - ill health forces very reluctant sale! wonderful condition, £48,000 spent will accept £25,000 ono. Tel. Ron 07923 606564. Bucks.

LIVERPOOL CRUISER BOATS built 1991, one owner, all amenities including solar panels, washing machine, front and back covers, £25,000.

Tel. 07801 495606. Lancs.

NAUTICUS 27ft, 5-berth inboard engine, new, washroom, curtains, upholstery, complete refurb, BSC 2018, navigation licence, antifouled ready to go. Moored River Avon. £6950. ono Tel. 01564 793818. Warks.

QUARTER SHARE OF NARROWBOAT (NOT TIMESHARE) gives 12 weeks holiday per year on rotating basis, 6 berth traditional boat, £6000. ono Tel. 01527 457666; 07882 946598. Worcs.

TRAD JONATHAN WILSON 1989, boatman's cabin, gas free, diesel cooking/heating, full c of c, 8kw generator, 3kw pure sine inverter/charger, twin alternator from Lister JP2M with Blackstone gearbox, fridge, washing machine, cratch, 4 berth, s/fuel heating in main cabin, pump out, ideal liveaboard/leisure, £46,000 ono. Tel. Simon 07411 771773. W Mids.

Parts and spares

TRIANGULAR TILTING solar panel brackets, s/s with fixings to panel and boat, sold in pairs, laser cut high quality, 190mm high, Tel. 07894 856275. Derbys.

CROWTHER PROPELLER 18 x 12 r/h for 11⁄4” shaft with 1:12 taper, some surface marks but good undamaged profile, £200 ono. Tel. 07811 314112. Leics.

NARROWBOAT French@Peel, 45ft, built 1991, 2 cylinder Lister engine, solid fuel stove, gas c/h, 4 years BSC, 1 year BW licence, newly painted inside/out, moored Bunbury near Chester, £25,000.

Tel. 0784 2097255. Cheshire.

THE ADVENTURA 4 years health and safety, 3 berth, full cooker, 12v fridge/freezer, full elecs, battery management system, modern toilet, 2 seater sofa, 1.5 Isuzu engine, cruiser stern and pram hood, £13,000 ono. Tel. 07514 254620. Merseyside.

DIESEL FUEL TANK refurbished and clean inside, pressure tested, made to fit under cruiser stern deck. Tel. 07890 604121. Bucks.

NARROWBOAT 35ft long, c/w compliance, vgc, £10,000 ono Tel. 0121 5371871. B’ham.

NORMAN 20 exc cond, perfect starter, ready to use. Length: 20ft.

Beam: 7 ft. Year: 1982, 30hp Honda 4-stroke engine, elec start, v reliable, sleeps 2, new canopy, anti-fouled, BSC Sept 2015, 2 ring gas cooker, chemical toilet, moored at Sandford Lock, Tel. 07941 489533.

Chelmsford, Essex.

TUG STYLE BOAT 57ft Longhart Engineering, with cratch, built 2000, lined out, two stoves, gas cooker, lights, Perkins engine plus new PRM gearbox, new kitchen, bathroom and bedroom fittings, £25,000. 07909 725742. Staffs.

43FT SPRINGER NARROWBOAT 1989, Thornycroft diesel engine, hull survey 2008, BSC till Aug 2018, moored on Lancaster canal, £7500 ono. Tel. 07749 714344. Lancs.

ECOFAN REPLACEMENT MOTORS 800 & 802 solder terminals, new free shipping, simply text details. PayPal accepted.

Tel. Martin 07894 856275. Derbys.

ALUMINIUM SLIDE rectangular windows, brand new, 122 x 54.5cm, £150 the pair; used 'eye' shaped aluminium windows 84 x 38cm, £50 the pair. Tel. 07951 412199. Notts.

ANCHOR 15kg with rope and chain, £75. Tel. 07964 101998.

Northants.

DIESEL CAP stainless steel, vgc, £10 Tel. 07720 241788.

Leics.

HURTH GEARBOX HBW50-2P with backplate and drive plate, CBR & D22B8, £250; bell housing for BMC 1.5, £50 Tel. 07780 722541. Derbys.

LISTER SR3 with hydraulic gearbox and reduction box, good condition, can be seen running, £2000; Hurth gearbox 2:1 with backplate, £150. Tel. 07780 722541. Derbys.

STOVE CHIMNEY PIPE 1500mm X 100mm X 3mm, 2 years old, Tel. 077210 39763.

Notts.

BMC 1.5 DIESEL fuel pump, (cav), £450; Tiller 3ft brass and wood, £30; port hole (2), brass, 14 1/2", £60; Portaloo porta-potti 365, £30; gas oven, as new, £40.

Tel. 07527 726047. Shrops.

DANFORTH ANCHOR 14kg folding, off narrowboat, never used, £60 ono. Tel. 01949 843572. Notts.

GARDNER 3LW ENGINE injector pump, rebuilt, runs well, dry stored long term, £4995. Tel. 07929 574367. Staffs.

HONDA GENERATOR 2EUI LPG, excellent condition, £700.

Tel. 07565 938745. Warks.

NARROWBOAT ROOF BOX new, 4ft x 3ft, good quality build, can deliver. Tel. 01773 607049 for details.. Derbys.

OLD BOAT HOOK brass/bronze, 19cm long, 6cm hook, looks hand made, very heavy, suit working boat, £15. Tel. 01530 243043. Leics.

PROPELLER for sale less than half price, unused 3-bladed propeller, manufactured by superior supplier CJR, 20” x 15” RH, 1.5” Boss but c/w adaptor sleeve to suit 1.25” dia propeller shaft. Tel. 07973 763987. Oxon.

SATELLITE BOX full working order, buyer collects, £20. Tel. 01926 810757. Warks.

WALLAS CERAMIC HOB diesel, hob had little use, faulty, spares or repair, £25. Tel. 07908 279388. Staffs.

WASP W30 diesel filter and water separator, c/w stainless steel element, £20 ono. Tel. 079700 78668. Northants.

WINDOWS FOR NARROWBOATS 5 rectangular 36" x 21", 4 port holes 173⁄4" dia, 2 side hatch units 271⁄2" x 61⁄2", gold finish, good condition, £250. Tel. 07735 292590. N Somerset.

Equipment

COMBINATION MICROWAVE Caple integrated, oven/grill, 600mm x 385mm, almost new, cost £200, sell for £75. Tel. 07769 665772. Leics.

E B E R S PA C H E R W AT E R HEATER for sale - brand new, in box, hydronic D5WSC, Tel. 0758 3040777. Staffs.

BUBBLE CORNER STOVE bought ex display and never fitted so in as new condition, lit half a dozen times in showroom only, £425; no offers. Tel. 07909 224541. Cambs.

FRIGIDAIRE FRIDGE/FREEZER 12v, 20" x 20" x 33", good order throughout, £95 ono; galvanised 4 leg Grapnell anchor, 25 kilo, £15.

Tel. 01827 767485; 07946 664749.

Staffs.

HONDA LPG EU INVERTER 20i, 2kw, just over 2 years old, very good condition, only selling as new boat, has one inbuilt, £790.

Tel. 07565 938745. B'ham.

ISOTHERM CR100 brand new with receipt and full warranty 12/24v integrated fridge with integral freezer, light grey colour, very genuine reason for sale. Contact me RRP £1089, bargain, only £850. ono Tel. 07739 334568 for more info &amp; fotos. Cheshire.

JABSCO MACERATOR TOILET electric, 12 mths' old, little used, £195. Tel. 07974 903330. Staffs.

MORSO 1410 SQUIRREL for sale, brand new, still boxed with full warranty, £525. can be delivered locally (Derby) for free. Tel. 07976 761812. Derbys.

MULTI-FUEL BURNER Aga top loader can heat water too, just needs fitting 2ft high, 1ft width box, shaped, Tel. 01263 587988.

London.

NATURESHEAD COMPOSTING TOILET brand new, unused, c/w all fittings and instructions, cost new £683.11, I am asking less than half price, yes - £300. Tel. 07752 948529. S Yorks.

STOVE wood/coal, bargain £145; generator Camp Mate 1000, £85; roof box, car/boot GRP, £75; Tel. Mike 07747 059511. Willington area.

PartsWanted SABB BITS wanted or part engines for cash, Tel. 01282-771874 eves. Cheshire.

WANTED FORD MODEL A or B4 cylinder engine produced in the 1930s-40s, often used for Marine adaptions, war time pumps, generators and lorries. Tel. 01189 810874. Berks.

Wanted

RENTING A BOAT TO LIVE ON, OR HIRING OUT YOUR OWN BOAT? Our important message to both groups is to do careful homework first and not to either hire out your boat or rent a boat that isn’t properly licensed for this use.

Please visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/boating/ a-boat-of-your-own to avoid any difficulties with the legal and safety issues involved.

ANYBODY WILLING TO RENT OUT their narrowboat for 3-4 months next Summer to retired x boaters with 15 years experience, now living in Spain, we have no pets.

Tel. 00 346 67285576.

Almeria, Spain.

WANTED: LIVEABOARD NARROWBOAT and female crew, good condition, retired, adventurous male seeking female companion for fun times, also need modern boat up to 57ft. www.camperlove.com Tel. 0746 2000003. S Humbs.

NARROWBOAT WANTED Anybody willing to rent out their narrow boat for 3-4 months next summer to retired ex-boaters with 15 years experience. Now living in Spain, we have no pets. Tel. 00 346 67285576. Almeria, Spain.

NARROWBOAT WANTED between 55 - 57ft, semi-trad or cruiser stern, Colecraft, Piper or Tyler Wilson, 4 berth, age not a problem, private buyer, cash waiting. Tel. 07825 368597. Cumbria.

SABB s/h engine parts wanted.

Tel. 01282-771874 (eves). Lancs.

Miscellaneous

BRITISH WATERWAYS BOOKLETS: Blue Cruising, c 1970s, (1) Llangollen Canal, (2) Oxford Canal, (11) Macclesfield Canal, (12) T&M Canal (P1), 913) T&M Canal, near mint condition, Offers. Tel. 07908 935231 afternoon/eves. Cheshire.

VOLKSWAGEN T4 Campervan, reluctant sale of my lovely 2004 Bilbos ‘Celeste’ model, exc cond inside and out, one owner from new, only done 59k miles, full VW main dealer s/h, ideal accompaniment to your boating adventures! Tel. 07753 660260.

Cambs.

WATERCRAFT MAGAZINES: 1100, excellent condition, £100 Tel. Pete 07837 849806.

Northants.

ALDE COMPACT 3000 boiler c/w programmer and flue, £300. ono; buyer collects Tel. 01926 810757.

Warks.

BED SETTEE 6matching drawers, black leather look, click clack, £75 for both; 4 aluminium win1 dows, top hoppers, 91 ⁄2 cm x 46cm, £15 each;Villager multi-fuel fire, needs spares and glass, fuel pipe inc, £120 ono. Tel. 07932 763736. Staffs.

BOWLER HAT size 6/7, £5; crochet cabin curtain frills, several lengths, £2 each; 10ft landline cable and plug in, £12; heavy duty fan heater, JCB, as new, £40; fog lamp, suitable for boating, WIPAC 5", £16.50. Tel. 078750 79821.

Northants.

DAWOO 17" FLAT SCREEN TV with stand, working order, buyer collects, £20. each; ono; buyer collects Tel. 01926 810757. Warks.

EPOXY 2 PACK for sale, surplus to requirements, top quality 4 x 4 ltr tins plus hardener, £47. per tin ono; possible delivery Midlands area Tel. 07580 117598. Staffs.

FRAMED ENGRAVINGS of locks, 100 year old, horse drawn narrowboats etc, will send out photos, £35. each Tel. 07958 175684. Notts.

NARROWBOAT PAINT Rapidpaint, PO red, u/c, Ferrari red, T/C Union green T/C, crushable primer, grey, all unused, 8 x 1 pits, £8 per tin. 01767 640938. Beds.

PRIVATE MOORINGS AVAILABLE on the beautiful Macclesfield Canal. Please contact us for more details. Tel. 01782 785695.

Cheshire.

SOLAR PANELS 2 x 110w, 6.2a, £100 each; spare Thetford cassette, £30; large Buckby can, traditionally painted, £80. Tel. 07795 964375. N Mids.

TOSHIBA DVD PLAYER 240v, working order, buyer collects, £10.

Tel. 01926 810757. Warks.

VAX VACUUM CLEANER like new, (blue), wrong item bought, cost £80 from Tesco 4 months ago, will sell for £35; also a juicer which cost £59.99, a few months ago, hardly used, a good brand make (SHEF), will sell for £25.

Tel. 07943 500745. Notts.

96 SAFETY/ON SCOTTISH WATERS with Hugh Dougherty

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Staying safe on your boat

At the time of year when everyone is trying to keep warm, Clive Penny of the Association of Boat Safety Examiners advises on fire safety.

WHAT can be done to minimise the risks to yourself and your crew? The Boat Safety Scheme has the following advice.

While fire is unlikely on a boat that is well maintained to minimum safety standards, it is a grave concern to boaters who can be caught unawares or in a situation where escape is difficult.

Fire prevention is always your primary protection from fire on boats, but a smoke alarm can be your next line of defence, particularly if you sleep aboard. Smoke from a boat fire will affect your ability to breathe, a sensation similar to drowning. With two to three breaths of toxic smoke you could be unconscious. A working smoke alarm of the right type can warn you very quickly of the danger and buy you precious seconds to escape.

Boats present a challenging environment for alarms particularly with high humidity, temperature extremes, the potential for jolts and the regular vibration from some boat engines.

So to give you the most confidence in its reliability, choose an alarm meeting BS EN 14604:2005. Check for a British Standard ‘Kitemark’ or a LPCB ‘Horseshoe’ mark showing that the claim of meeting a standard has been independently certified.

How many smoke alarms do you need?

The more suitable and routinely tested alarms you have installed the more confident you can be about the early detection of a developing fire and about hearing an alarm when this happens. If you have more than one alarm, consider linking alarms.

No areas of the boat to be protected should be further than 5m from an alarm. In the case of large vessels, such as some narrowboats, the dimensions of the vessel may mean a slower reaction time for a single alarm and so you may need to install multiple units for maximum protection.

Where to fit smoke alarms

The ideal place is along the centreline of the boat in the same cabin space where a heater or cooker is in use, but not too close to any appliance.

It also needs to be mounted on a wellinsulated part of the ceiling avoiding cold spots.

If you can, try to avoid putting it any closer than 300mm to any vertical surface.

If headroom is a problem and you really have no choice, mount it on a wall between 150-300mm below the ceiling height, but not directly above a ventilator or opening window.

Make sure it is easy to reach so you can test it routinely and so that you can press the hush button with ease.

Always put smoke alarms where you will be able to hear them, particularly when you’re asleep or when doors are closed. Try testing the alarm in place before you fix it in position.

Where not to put a smoke alarm

Don’t fix a smoke alarm: ● in the galley or bathroom, where it could be accidentally triggered by cooking fumes or steam; or, ● where you can’t hear it while you’re asleep; or, ● too close to a cooker or heater where the alarm will produce false alerts; or, ● flush to the ceiling and try to avoid positioning the alarm close to any roof ventilator.

Don’t forget! You must look after your smoke alarms.

On average, 90 of the 460 people killed in fires in homes each year had a smoke alarm that didn’t work – usually because the battery was flat or missing.

Press the test button on each alarm as part of your boarding routine, it only takes a couples of seconds. If you live aboard or stay on board, test all alarms every week.

If the alarm ever starts to ‘beep’ regularly, check out the reason as soon as possible.

Do not ignore any ‘replace by’ date.

The cost of a new alarm has to be considered against the cost of anyone on board not being woken soon enough in the event of a fire.

Twice a year, and after any redecoration or other work that has produced a dusty environment, open the case and gently vacuum the inside to remove dust from the sensor. If the case does not open, vacuum through the holes.

If at a regular check, the battery terminals show signs of damage and ‘furring up’, it is best to replace your smoke alarm with a whole new unit.

Remember

The burned out remains of a boat.

PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Don’t drown in toxic smoke, fit a smoke alarm if you stay aboard your boat.

Test the alarm routinely – when you return to the boat after a period away and weekly when you are staying aboard. Push the button, not your luck.

Keep your escape routes and exits clear, make sure exits are not locked on the outside (a particular problem with rear doors on traditional narrowboats).

Know what to do should fire break out, have a plan and make sure that everyone aboard also knows what to do.

Know where your fire extinguishers are and how to use them. But only use them if you feel it is safe to do so.

Remember the old fire service advice: “Get out, stay out, and call the fire brigade out” and of course know where you are. ● This article is just an overview of some of the advice available on the boat safety scheme website: www.boatsafetyscheme.org All of the articles from this series can be found on my website: www.canalelectrics.com Your local member of the Association of Boat Safety Examiners can be found at www.abse.org.uk and will be happy to answer any questions you may have and assist in any way they can.

All shipshape with the hull, boiler and engine mountings well restored. PHOTOS: HUGH DOUGHERTY

Just back at Summerlee from MacKay’s specialist boatyard in Arbroath.

Firequeen return to Summerlee after restoration BACK in the workshops at Coatbridge’s Summerlee Museum of Industrial life is steam launch Firequeen, which has returned home after extensive restoration of its wooden hull, at MacKay’s specialist boatyard in Arbroath.

The single-cylinder open launch was built in 1955 by Walkers Marine of

Ramsgate and was acquired from private ownership by Summerlee in 1989 where it operated on the Monkland Canal section within the museum as well as taking part of steam boat rallies on the Forth & Clyde Canal.

Work is now under way on the engine and boiler. Summerlee staff member

and volunteer, Stan Sutherland, said: “We are very pleased to have the superbly restored hull, complete with engine and boiler mountings, back with us, and we will work throughout the winter to overhaul the boiler and engine with a view to a return to steam and sailing in time for summer 2015, when Firequeen will mark its 60th anniversary.”

‘Neigh’ bother as Horsebox Cafe and gift shop opens for business VISITORS to The Kelpies are donning their nosebags and showing that they’ve ‘neigh bother’ when it comes to getting a real flavour of the iconic horse head sculptures that rear skywards above Scotland’s newest canal.

Visitors have been galloping to the Horsebox Cafe and Gift Shop, saddled up by Scottish Canals, as the first retail outlet at the Helix project, a £43-million project that has transformed 350 hectares of underused canalside land between Falkirk and Grangemouth.

Offering homemade soups, sandwiches, cakes and artisan ice cream from Falkirk’s Milk Barn, the Horsebox has tickled the palate of visitors since it opened in early October.

Cara Baillie, Scottish Canals products and services chief, said: “With the launch of the Horsebox Cafe and Gift Shop, we’re helping to enhance the visitor experience at The Kelpies by offering freshly made, healthy, locally sourced and natural products.”

The Kelpies have it licked! The horses enjoy the taste of a Milk Barn ice from the Horsebox Cafe. PHOTO: SCOTTISH CANALS

HELIX SCOOPS SALTIRE SOCIETY’S 2014 ENGINEERINGAWARD THE Helix, the 350-acre redevelopment project of formerly derelict, post-industrial land beside the Firth & Clyde Canal at Falkirk, has scooped the prestigious Saltire Society Scotland 2014 Engineering Award, which the society presents, in partnership with the Institution of Civil Engineers (Scotland).

Judges had no hesitation in choosing the ambitious project, which includes the landmark Kelpie horse head sculptures, a new, 1km section of the Firth & Clyde Canal, featuring one inland and one sea lock as well as lifting and fixed bridges, all within a public leisure area, provided with walking, riding and cycling paths.

Jim Tough, the Saltire Society chief executive, said: “The judging panel had no hesitation in choosing

Inside the award-winning Helix Park. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON The Helix for our top award. It beat off stiff opposition from other highquality nominations from across Scotland. The project, which was delivered by a variety of partners working effectively and cooperatively, has shown practical and bold engineering allied with making a real difference to the life of

the communities of which it is a vital part.”

The Helix is now regarded as one of Scotland’s ‘must-see’ tourist attractions, with more than 500,000 visitors making their way to the site since it opened in April 2014. Further developments, including the opening of a visitor centre are planned for 2015.

Broxburn’s brilliant bikes and boots boost TOWPATH users on bikes and in boots are enjoying an improved 1.1km length of path alongside the Union Canal at Broxburn, West Lothian, thanks to a £117,000 cash boost from Scottish Canals, Sustrans, the LandTrust and West Lothian Council.

Depute provost of West Lothian Council, Dave King, joined pupils from Broxburn Primary School to test out the new surface and declared himself delighted with the revamped towpath. He said: “This is a real boost for Broxburn and for all canal users. I’m delighted that the council and all the partners involved have pulled together to improve the towpath for the local community and for all enjoying the canal.”

Richard Millar, Scottish Canals commercial director said: “This length is part of our £1.3 million Scotland-wide programme of towpath improvements which have resulted in a 300% rise in towpath usage by all types of users.”

Further towpath improvements are planned along the Union, Forth & Clyde, Crinan and Caledonian Canals over the winter to further the number of walkers, runners, anglers and cyclists enjoying the canalside environment.

Provost Dave King joins representatives of the funding bodies and pupils from Broxburn Primary School to declare the revamped towpath open. PHOTO: SCOTTISH CANALS

ON SCOTTISH WATERS with Hugh Dougherty 97

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If it moves or shifts Steve knows about it

Hugh Dougherty meets Scottish Canals’ principal engineer.

MEET Steve Berry, principal engineer, mechanical and electrical, with Scottish Canals. If it moves, lifts or needs controlling, anywhere on the Scottish network, then Steve, who’s been in the post for four years, knows it inside out.

When I catch up with him, he’s hard at work supervising the lifting and repair of a swing bridge on the Forth & Clyde, just down from the Falkirk Wheel. It’s the sort of job that Steve and his two staff relish, with their knowledge, expertise and attention to detail, allowing the engineering teams to get the job done as quickly as possible, with as little disruption to canal users as possible, too, safely and on time.

“I love this job,” says Steve, who works all over Scotland from his office at Scottish Canals Glasgow HQ. “I’m the man responsible for everything from swing and lift bridges to locks, human power, hydraulic and computer and electronically controlled. I cover everything from the Falkirk Wheel, where I’m in charge of its annual refit, to the most remote lock, and I ensure that everything we do complies with national standards as well as our own requirements. There’s never a dull moment.”

Steve is acutely aware of the fact that everything he does is for canal users. “I came to this job from the post of ports engineer at Forth Ports and was Dundee Port engineer for 10 years before that,” says the 49-year-old Edinburgh Napier University engineering graduate. “In the

THE Falkirk Wheel closed from November 3 until Friday, November 28 to allow Scottish Canals’ staff and contractors to give the rotating boat lift its annual MoT. During the drain-down, lubrication and parts replacement work, the Falkirk Wheel visitors’ centre, cafe and gift shop remained open from Wednesday to Sunday, between 11am and 4pm.

Steve Berry, principal mechanical and electrical engineer, said: “The Falkirk Wheel is an incredible and unique feat of engineering as well as one of Scotland’s top tourist attractions.

“We’re working hard to ensure it’s in tip-top condition to welcome another 500,000 visitors next year. Many of the parts that make up the wheel are custom-built and maintenance isn’t always straightforward. There’s more to it than an oil change.”

The wheel will re-open in time for its transformation into its annual appearance as Santa’s Floating Grotto which runs from Saturday 13 to Wednesday, December 24, when a special barge will take children and their parents to Santa’s grotto.

It has moved! Steve Berry at the site of the swing bridge, which was lifted, as work goes on in the background. PHOTO: HUGH DOUGHERTY ports, I worked in enclosed sites, but, on the canals, we work in full view of the public and it’s important to keep everyone, boat users, walkers, cyclists, runners and anglers fully informed.

When we were working on the Falkirk Wheel, using specialist engineers at heights, we set up information boards to keep the public both reassured and informed. That’s an important part of the job.”

One of the past year’s big projects has been refurbishing and modernising the busy, main-road carrying Muirtown Bridge on the Caledonian Canal. “That means liaising with the council, Transport Scotland, neighbours and canal users as we try to keep disruption to a minimum. We also have two rail swing bridges at either end of the Cally,

at Banavie on the West Highland Line and at Clachnaharry on the Far North Line, so we liaise with Network Rail to keep everything running on rail and on water,” says Steve.

The principal engineer M&E, as the title’s known on the canals, is also aware that each one of Scotland’s canals is a listed monument in its own right, and that Historic Scotland has to be consulted when alterations are being made.

“I have enormous admiration for the engineers who built our canals,” smiles Steve. “They were real engineers and they inspire me to keep testing, improving and maintaining our locks, lifts, pumps and everything that keeps our canals working and safe. I owe both them, and our present-day users, nothing less.”

The wheel undergoing its annual maintenance programme. PHOTO: SCOTTISH CANALS

Plain sailing for museum’s traditional boat-building course

French connection: Charlene Grislain hard at work.

NINE trainees are halfway through a 12month, traditional boat building skills course at the Scottish Maritime Museum’s Irvine workshops, and museum bosses plan to have the course accredited by City & Guilds.

Museum director David Mann said that the course, which includes the long-forgotten skills of ‘lofting’ used by traditional boatyards and ship builders to draw out vessels on the floor of the drawing office loft before making parts, is unique in Scotland, offers the trainees a career, and ensures that traditional woodworking skills will not be lost.

David said: “Trainees have currently completed a skiff, which they’ve rowed successfully on the River Irvine. They’re working on a second skiff and they will also be restoring wooden yacht Vagrant, built in 1884 by William Fife at the Marquess of Ailsa’s Culzean ship yard, while the completion of a RYHA diesel engine certificate is an integral part of the course.”

Industry dialogue on Scotland’s marine tourism strategy SCOTLAND’S marine tourism is a significant contributor to the Scottish economy but with little previous strategic input it is still one of Scotland’s sleeping giants, producing £101 million from sailing tourism alone.

Therefore BMF Scotland, a group association of the British Marine Federation, has come together with other industry experts, user groups, public agencies and enterprise bodies to develop the Marine Tourism Strategy.

By 2020 they want Scotland to be distinguished as, “A marine tourism destination of first choice for high quality, value for money and memorable customer experience delivered by skilled and passionate people.”

The draft strategy was launched at Scotland’s Boat Show in October and the consultation process will run until January 2015. To have your say on ‘Awakening the Giant: A Strategic Plan for Scotland’s Marine Tourism Sector’ respond online at: www.surveymonkey.com/s/marinetourismstrat

The workshop with trainees and volunteers at work on a skiff.

PHOTOS: HUGH DOUGHERTY

Course leader Stevie Freil, said: “We plan to take on two trainees as apprentices to train further at the museum at the end of the course and to have a new trainee intake every year.

Our trainees are learning the basic, traditional woodworking skills needed for restoration and maintenance of historic vessels, both seagoing and for inland waterways and canals, and there is a great potential commercially and in the heritage, museum and preservation

Feel the quality: museum director David Mann inspects the first boat to be built by the trainees.

work for their skills.

“We may look at establishing a base at Bowling, where the Forth & Clyde Canals meet the River Clyde, to provide a service for canal boat owners and restorers once we have our C&G accreditation.”

Unusual among the trainees, who are mostly male, is 27-year-old Charlene Grislain from Lille, who is funded through the European Union’s Leonardo da Vinci programme. “I want

to learn how to build boats in the traditional way,” said Charlene. “I am learning a great deal here.”

A unique aspect of the programme is that trainees are learning alongside museum volunteers, several of whom have traditional woodworking and engineering expertise as a way of passing on skills as well as helping the museum to become a centre of excellence in teaching and preserving traditional boat building skills.

Students get chopping at historic stables project CANAL College trainees have got chopping at Craigmarloch Stables, near Kilsyth on the Forth & Clyde Canal, to strip away years of vegetation at the historic building. It once housed the horses that pulled barges along the towpath from Glasgow to Edinburgh.

Coun Jean Jones, North Lanarkshire Council depute provost, joined the trainees, Chris O’Connell, Scottish Canal heritage officer, John Malcolm, Historic Scotland’s senior heritage management officer, Alan Forrester Left: Hi ho! It’s off to work they go!

Depute provost Jean Jones and the trainees with the tools of the trade inside the stable building.

Scottish Waterways Trust volunteer co-ordinator and Carol Bell, the trust’s Canal College project coordinator, on Monday, October 6, to start taming the undergrowth.

The trainees will also help repair parts of the structure of the building and, thanks to Archaeology Scotland, start a programme of archaeological recording and scaled plans drawing, to help with future restoration.

Craigmarloch Stables are set back from the canal towpath, because the original building sank into a marsh beside the canal within a few years of the waterway opening.

The replacement structure dates from around 1820.

98 TOWPATH TREASURES

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Words: PHILLIPPA GREENWOOD Images: MARTINE O’CALLAGHAN

The Ice Cream Tug in Skipton Basin.

Small business boat In the footsteps of the old No. 1s

The Barge Gallery at Stratford-upon-Avon.

Towpath traders at a festival.

IN LANDLUBBING circles, the terms ‘kitchen sink business’ and ‘cottage industry’ are commonly used to describe small business ventures, but the canals have their own ideas.

The ‘narrowboat business’ is the small business where ‘small’ can describe both the working business and its actual premises.

Canal folk are easy liberal thinkers and their anything-goes culture is often the inspiration behind quirky entrepreneurism.

Ordinary narrowboats transform into floating teashops, fudge shops, ice-cream parlours, bars, craft workshops, B&Bs...

Away from the commercial freight carried on some of the big canals, there is a growing wave of small enterprises spreading across the narrow canals of Britain in the footsteps of the old number 1s (owner-operated working boats of the canal heyday).

You can go cheese tasting at the Cheese Boat, tuck into a snack on a cafe boat, enjoy a good read on the Book Barge, indulge in a real Devon cream tea on a floating tea room, and even buy your LED lighting from Baddie the Pirate.

Then there are candle makers, rag rug makers, artists, blacksmiths, fender merchants, the Jam Butty with jars of homemade jams, jellies and chutneys for sale, and even a tiny publishing company called coolcanals began on a boat. The internet revolution has brought

everyone from writers to online shopkeepers.

Old-fashioned values and dongles rub comfortably together as canals attract more and more visitors every year, all boosting confidence for new small floating businesses.

Food is a big success story for small businesses afloat. The trend of slow food is one thing, but on the canals it’s slow eating too (4mph top speed!). There are floating restaurants in the heart of Birmingham, Stratford,

London and rural places in between and beyond. The gastro experience stirs tranquil views with the gentle movement of water, and when diners grip on to their drinks as other diners arrive or leave, the ambience is complete.

The small business on a narrowboat is often a service to the vital tourist industry which helps keep our canals alive. Day trippers can buy something special to take home from the plethora of boats that sell canal

Coalboat Roach on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.

souvenirs painted with traditional roses and castles.

Holiday-makers can stay in cosy floating B&Bs or book into a family-run hotel boat. And people who live aboard narrowboats rely on the coal boat that stalwartly cruises the canals to deliver throughout the winter.

Narrowboats are 7ft wide, and anything from 20-70ft long. Not much in reality, but what they lack in physical space they make up for in charm.

TOWPATH TREASURES/ANGLING 99

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The Towpath Angler

Our monthly look at the angling scene I HAVE referred a number of times recently to the Canal & River Trust’s national survey of its angling club customers. It was highly successful giving a detailed insight into club/angler perceptions of the trust.

Some of these outcomes were included in evidence given to the Parliamentary All Party Group looking at CRT’s progress to date and identification of priorities for the future. Also, very importantly, many of the survey outcomes will form the basis of the fisheries and angling action plans which are now in their formative stages and which, ultimately, will be rolled out to each waterway unit. At that stage it is going to take a lot of collaboration to ensure that the plans are appropriate to the waterway and that they are implemented correctly and sympathetically.

This leads me on to an issue which regularly comes up at club and regional meetings particularly in relation to local CRT user forum meetings. Anglers are all too often conspicuous by their absence at the user forums citing reasons such as agendas containing only boating items and anglers always being outnumbered.

Personally I have little sympathy with these complaints simply because historically anglers/clubs rarely submit items for inclusion on the agendas and then turn up even more infrequently to discuss them.

That said I see where they’re coming from.

I am hopeful that as the fisheries and angling action plans are rolled out that this will lead to such items being automatically included on agendas. It may help if agendas were better structured in order to ensure that the waterway manager has ample time to update his users, seek their views on future initiatives and policy where appropriate and also allow each user activity the same opportunity to put items to the meeting.

At the meetings I attend, this tends not to happen. Indeed too much time is given to minutia which really should be handled via a phone call to the waterway office. As a result the meetings conclude sometimes having achieved very little which is a shame.

I do believe that many of the attendees would welcome the opportunity to participate in a meeting where certain strategic outcomes are required.

Adapted extract from Britain’s Canals, A National Treasure in 100 Must-See Objects by Phillippa Greenwood and Martine O’Callaghan – published by Coolcanals July 2012.

www.coolcanals.com

Trading boats line the towpath.

Competitions calendar

Of late the majority of my meetings have had a competitions theme. However, a common topic in other meetings has been non-native species and the measures that we must take to minimise the spread of

David Kent

these ‘nasties’. Guidance to anglers, and other users, with regard to cleaning, drying of tackle etc., will very likely become the norm. Other more operational activities such as water transfers also need to be closely monitored.

Just a quick update about competitions.

We have mapped out the 2015 calendar which again will include the Stillwater Championship and the Canal Pairs both run jointly by CRT and Angling Trust. In 2015, of course, the Canal Pairs event will take the form of qualifiers staged in each waterway unit with a Grand Final in October. Angling Trust’s Division 1 Championship is scheduled for mid-August on the big Gloucester Canal. There is likely to be close on 50 teams taking part in this event.

I have had little information recently about how our canals are fishing, probably because the majority of activity, no doubt due to the prolonged summer, has been on rivers. Generally our rivers have had their best year for some time with some significant catches both in terms of quantity and quality. As we move into the more traditional peak time for canals let us hope that we enjoy similar sport.

My own form continues to be like the proverbial fiddler’s elbow. I had a fabulous day including a brown envelope, at a stillwater in Worcestershire a couple of weeks ago but since then I have done very little. Really pleasing though was a short session at a local stillwater last week with my 10-year-old grandson who I take fishing as often as time allows. He caught his first double-figure carp plus four others up to around 8lb all on the pole. Needless to say we both went home very happy.

Good luck.

Don’t return to past dredging disasters – call The Cheese Boat at an event.

FACT FILE Roving Canal Traders Association Many small business boat owners are members of the Roving Canal Traders Association whose aim is to “promote and enhance our unique trading community”. www.rcta.org.uk Floating markets Floating markets have recently become a feature at festivals and in cities including Birmingham and London. Find out more: Roving Canal Traders Association www.rcta.org.uk Festivals Trading boats can also be seen at waterways festivals and events throughout the year. Some festivals and events where you’ll find trading boats: Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally www.braunstonmarina.co.uk

Crick Boat Show www.crickboatshow.com Stoke Bruerne www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/thecanal-museum/stoke-bruerne Audlem Festival www.audlemaset.org IWA Canalway Cavalcade www.waterways.org.uk Middlewich FAB Festival www.midfest.org.uk Location On canals throughout Britain. The canals are open all day every day – just find your local canal.

How to get there By train National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950 By bus Traveline 0871 200 2233 On foot Canal towpaths are now easy

routes to cycle and walk, many being part of Sustrans National Cycle Network or long-distance walking trails. www.sustrans.org.uk www.ldwa.org.uk Moorings There are plenty of visitor moorings available along Britain’s canals Local Tourist info Canal & River Trust/Glandwr Cymru Use the Canal & River Trust website to find specific local information. www.canalrivertrust.org.uk Listings of hotel boats, floating restaurants, cafe boats, artists and other trading boats on Britain’s canals can be found in the coolcanals online directory. www.coolcanals.com

ENVIRONMENTALLY damaging dredging schemes must not be prioritised over other proven flood-prevention measures, the Angling Trust and the Blueprint for Water Coalition recently warned the Government.

The organisations fear that this could trigger a return to the policies of the 1960s and 70s, and turn many rivers into straightened flood channels in order for Government to be seen to be ‘doing something’.

A report, Dredging up Trouble, which was published by the Blueprint for Water partners, stresses that alternatives must be properly considered to avoid a repeat

of the widespread damage that was done to fisheries and fish habitat from dredging policies of the past.

The report identifies 10 priority areas which would inevitably lose out if new funding is ring-fenced for dredging alone.

These include protecting life and public health, natural flood management options and sustainable drainage systems.

In February the Angling Trust, RSPB and other Blueprint for Water partners backed publication of Floods and Dredging – A Reality Check, which illustrated the folly of relying on dredging alone to reduce flood risk.

Multiple rod licence review launched THE Angling Trust has begun discussions with the Environment Agency on the controversial issue of the coarse angling licence for the use of multiple rods.

Many carp and specimen anglers feel aggrieved at having to buy two separate rod licences, the strength of feeling on this subject

having been illustrated in the Angling Trust’s recent survey.

While AT has been encouraged by the willingness of Sarah Chare, the EA’s new head of fisheries, to consider this and other possible reforms of the rod licence regime, any changes could not be

implemented until April 2016 at the earliest.

Other issues will include the possibility of abolishing the junior licence in order to encourage more youngsters to take up fishing and introducing a 365 day rolling licence rather than the current March 31 end date.

100 WET WEB/NEWS

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The Wet Web Helen Gazeley goes online shopping for those who prefer practical presents.

THERE are those who find functional Christmas presents something of an insult – as in, “Don’t I do enough work around here without you giving me a (blank left for your own particular bugbear).”

However, while my husband considers the gift of, say, socks to be the ultimate insult (I won’t do that again), I’d welcome them with open arms, as it would release me from the horror of shopping for them. I feel the same about kitchen and house equipment too. So, offered with some trepidation, here’s a round-up of practical equipment for the more pragmatic recipient.

With limited cupboard space in mind, Stellar offers a fivepiece baking set: roaster, sheet, tray, 12-bun muffin pan and cooling tray. They nest together, inside the roaster, designed so that the non-stick cooking surfaces don’t get scratched.

They have a lifetime guarantee and a five-year non-stick guarantee. Also part of the Stellar Eazistore range are its nesting sets of saucepans, frying pans, and cooking pots. The Stellar website gives details of stockists www.stellarcookware. co.uk.

Still deep in the kitchen cupboard, Beka offers a different space-saving approach with its

Beka Connect pans make storage easier.

Above: Stellar’s Eazistore saucepans nest within each other.

Below: The Tefal Ingenio range doubles as baking tins.

Above: Stellar Eazistore range includes bakeware that fits within a roasting tin.

The Art of Conversation – the game for people who don’t like them.

The Gtech Multi has a full range of accessories for vacuuming.

Connect range of lightweight, non-stick frying and sauté pans with detachable handles. They can be found online at Cooks Paraphernalia www.cooks paraphernalia.co.uk.

Detachable handles also feature in the colourful Ceramica four-piece nesting pans and Tefal’s Ingenio Range of three nesting non-stick pans. With both, the handles are used only to move them and not while cooking, opening up a bit of space on the hob and making them easily transferable to the fridge. The Ingenio range also doubles as cake tins and has lids that are bought separately. Both are available from Lakeland www.lakeland.co.uk.

Off to a different cupboard now, for the Multi, the recently released sibling to Gtech’s AirRAM cordless vacuumcleaner (mentioned here in October 2012). The Multi www.gtechonline.co.uk supplies all the attachments you’d want

for upholstery, nooks and crannies; uses rechargeable technology, so saving battery use; and some might feel it’s all you needed in a small space, depending on your flooring. It certainly requires little storage space itself.

Of course, cupboards can harbour things other than useful equipment and, though hardly glamorous, Insect Clean Spider Free www.spidercontrol.eu could be ideal for the arachnophobe of the family.

Containing lavandin oil, it’s a pleasant-smelling spray suitable for most surfaces (not coated steel, to which it doesn’t bind) to repel spiders (but not kill them), lasting three to six months before requiring a respray.

If such useful presents require an injection of conviviality, then Wadworth offers five-litre mini-casks (that’s 8.8 pints to proper beer-drinkers) delivered straight to you, in five of its best-selling ales, including 6X and Swordfish. Order online at http://shop.wadworth.co.uk And if the amber nectar hasn’t loosened tongues, here’s an unusual game to get a party

The Ceramica milk pan is one of the four pieces with detachable handles. going. In any group there’s always someone with a horror of competition, so lure them in with The Art of Conversation.

There are no right or wrong answers. Using a range of questions, pitched at three levels from children to adult, this award-winning game garners good reviews on Amazon www.amazon.co.uk and could be just the thing to get conversation flowing between generations and disparate members of a festive gathering.

Wadworth delivers its aluminium five-litre casks direct to your door.

➔ Formoreinformation Do you have a favourite website?

Email Helen at helengazeley@aol.com

A pathetic waste of money GOODNESS me! Poor Stillwater really got worked up regarding overstaying at ‘visitor moorings’ and the Canal & River Trust’s apparent reluctance to do something about this scourge (Issue 106, August).

First he quotes the NABO survey in which 91% of respondents were unhappy with the overstaying situation, as if this reinforces the factual position.

No, Stillwater, if this figure is true and I have not seen the report, the figure simply represents the opinion of those respondents and not the facts.

How can anyone cruising the canals continuously have any accurate idea of the true situation over the network. Likewise a weekend cruiser out of a marina would be just as ill-informed.

My guess is that an assumption is made by boaters wishing to stop at a particular busy spot that some of the boaters there must have overstayed their welcome and need to be sorted out by the diligent CRT man on the towpath.

As a permanent cruiser, we do come short on occasion when no mooring is free just where we would like one. That does not send us howling for action from a team of CRT enforcers.

By the way, could Stillwater please define the term ‘visitor mooring’ as opposed to any other

mooring on the towpath and also confirm that the complaint is limited to such visitor moorings.

Another practical aspect. How would Stillwater like to set the mooring times, from the half hour I have seen at Stone to the general 14 days on open moorings, considering that the load on all moorings is a function of seasons, holidays and specific events.

Does Stillwater really want a patrol officer to fine a boat overstaying a 48-hour restriction when there are no other boats in sight and when the reason behind time restrictions is to afford other boats a place to pull in?

I have already bent Richard Parry’s ear on a number of aspects that do need more attention, but let’s be fair, there is an evident endeavour by the CRT to improve things within the financial constraints imposed.

So to use one of Stillwater’s own words in the issue raised, I do not want to see the pathetic waste of my money on an army of enforcers employed by the CRT to prowl the towpaths for the odd boater who overstays his welcome, especially based on illdefined and unscientific restrictions.

Brian Broad Nb Intibane

A friendly ‘can do’ attitude from the feet on the ground I SPENT a very enjoyable week cruising down to Sharpness from Worcester and back. I must say that the lock and bridge keepers on the Severn and the Gloucester & Sharpness do a fantastic job.

These guys (and gal) go out of their way to provide a top service ensuring smooth passage, keeping boaters informed and generally being pleasant and helpful. It is particularly nice to experience this friendly ‘can-do’ attitude from the feet on the ground, which is in contrast to a lot of the feeling toward the Canal & River Trust from certain sections of the boating community (and rightly so on some counts).

I had a conversation with one particular CRT worker operating Llanthony Bridge in Gloucester

and he was telling me of the work that they do besides opening and closing bridges and locks; ‘policing’ holiday boaters among other things.

It struck me that we could use a few more dedicated lock keepers on certain parts of the system to advise first timers during the busy season and maintain smooth operation on busy stretches.

No doubt this would also improve relations between the liveaboard community and the holiday-makers. My thanks to the lock and bridge keepers and keep up the top work – you really are saving CRT’s reputation at present (at least in my view).

Name supplied nb October

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TALKBACK

Your chance to write to us on any Towpath topic:

Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk

Taking our – and our dogs’ – lives in our hands

★ Silky Star Letter ★ TOWPATH TALK has joined forces with Silky Marine Products to celebrate the great letters and pictures we receive from our readers with a star prize each month.

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Silky Marine Products are specifically formulated to work in sequence to remove dirt and residue specific to the boating environment, and include the widely regarded classic Silky Cream Cleaner.

When a boat’s surfaces have been cleaned to a high standard using the Silky cleaning range, the valet and polish products bring out the shine which is then sealed for the season with the unique polymer technology of Silky Protect.

Available to the public through www.silkyproducts.com and selected retail outlets, Silky Products have been manufactured in Slaithwaite near Huddersfield for more than 40 years.

A capital welcome for visiting boaters WE READ with interest Mike Garland’s letter (Talkback, Issue 108, October) and while all the comments about the shortage of visitor moorings in London, not to mention the wood smoke and generator running, are true, don’t say that the capital is a no-go area.

There is too much to miss by not visiting via the Paddington Arm of the GU and the Regent’s Canal and visiting Limehouse, Three Mills at Bow and of course enjoying a cruise on the Thames tideway through London.

We have moored on the Paddington Arm since 1999, in a boat club (non-residential) which has been in existence since 1938.

Our club, West London, and our nearest neighbour, St Pancras Cruising Club on the Regent’s Canal, are happy to welcome visiting boaters who either need to leave their boat or are just passing through. This is under the ‘umbrella’ of the Association of Waterways Cruising Clubs and for non-members a charge would be levied.

If you prefer to moor in Little Venice, be prepared to breast-up; this has been so for a number of years and the mooring spaces have to be shared as it is always busy.

There is a Canal & River Trust warden on duty there, and notices to move on are issued, as there is in Paddington Basin where you are allowed to moor for seven days for free. Of course it is popular but you are in central London; overstay and it is £25 per day same as anywhere else on the system.

The local residents in Little Venice are more than happy to enjoy and support the colourful Canalway Cavalcade in May when visiting boats arrive for this London IWArun festival and there is plenty of room for all.

We all know there is a serious problem that has been growing worse over recent years, but the CRT cannot fix it overnight.

Considering the exorbitant property prices in London, it is not surprising that people are living on boats.

Currently a new one-bed flat in Islington is on the market at £750,000, two-bed £1.2 million, and we didn’t ask the price of a threebed one, available in 2016 (if you are tempted). Attractive, trendy and canalside, they must be ‘affordable’ for someone, though certainly not us or the boaters who live around here.

Frank and Sue May Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire

Only one instance of an overgrown mooring WITH reference to Stillwater’s article (Issue 108, October ) when he reported that “more than one manager refers to boaters as whingers”, reading some of the letters I can quite see why they may well do so.

In reply to Paul Cantillion’s letter in the same issue, I can report that in some three months’ cruising this year, I have experienced but one instance of an overgrown mooring and that was soon dealt with using the pair of shears carried on board.

Interestingly, I have just returned from my eighth volunteer work party

this year and you could count the total number of boaters attending on the fingers of one hand. When we have finally been trained and accredited, no doubt we will be able to tackle the offending offside vegetation.

Finally, how about the Canal & River Trust saving some money by only cutting towpath vegetation at recognised mooring sites. The remaining lengths could be maintained by walkers, anglers and cyclists if they so wished – just a thought.

I READ with interest and, slightly gleefully, the article on the speeding cyclists (News, Issue 109, November).

The towpaths of London must be a nightmare with these ignoramuses, and it’s not just London, it is going on all over the canals. At last someone has written about this subject which gets my heckles up.

My husband and I have a narrowboat but have only used it for holidays until this year. We were moored up the Caldon and when we would be going away for our annual fortnight’s break, our first day would take us as far as Eturia, Hanley, so we would moor on the towpath on the Trent & Mersey for the

night ready to set off first thing.

We have two dogs that are always on leads when on a busy towpath.

Especially in the mornings, we take our dogs’ lives in our hands as the bikes whizz past without a by your leave, excuse me or anything. One cyclist nodded his head as I had just stepped off my boat, but he wasn’t going to slow down or stop. It got so bad I would not moor anywhere on that towpath area if my life depended on it.

A friend of ours was walking her small dog along the same area and a cyclist came up behind without any warning or bell and stopped just in front of her and warned that the dog might get

I’M WRITING in response to last month’s front page article ‘London boaters petition CRT over speeding towpath cyclists’ (News, Issue 109, November). It’s never nice to hear about runins people have had with inconsiderate cyclists on the capital’s towpaths, and the incidents you reported are certainly something we want to stop.

We’ve introduced new traffic calming measures and are researching more. We’ve increased signage, we’re tackling blind spots and have begun work to direct cyclists to alternative routes away from the towpath.

We’ll continue to do more of this work in the future. This is alongside trying to improve cyclists’ awareness through our Share the Space campaign, events and the work of our volunteer towpath rangers.

We’ll also be publishing a new towpath policy shortly

Lynne Smyth-Pigot By emailt

following a national consultation, which will set out what we, and others, can do to ensure towpaths are shared safely.

We have looked at introducing speed limits; however, these would be nigh-on impossible to enforce. We do not have the means, or the powers (this resides with the police), to monitor and enforce against speeding cyclists. That is why we look at alternatives.

The canals are here for everyone to enjoy, including cyclists, providing they cycle responsibly, respecting other users. We want to work with the likes of Laura who has launched the petition on change.org to find more solutions to the peak hour congestion in London. There is more work for us to do, but we agree with her that there is a middle ground that will benefit all.

Rosie Tharp Canal & River Trust

Shovelling up the mess I AM fed up with people walking the towpath with a shovel. They just pick up the mess and either throw it into the hedge, field or embankment or worse still in the water.

We travelled along the Shropshire Union recently from Coole Lane to Barbridge and we saw a woman commit both of these offences. Can anything be done about this?

Fed up (name and address supplied) By email

Vandalism to blame for worn stone I AM sorry to have to inform you and Phillippa Greenwood that Graham’s stone has not decayed with time, but was seriously vandalised early in its life (Towpath Treasure, Issue 107, September).

Following this, a fund was started at the 2004 Burton IWA National Festival to replace it some 10 years ago.

Again things didn’t go to plan and I understand that the replacement stone was felt to be unsuitable.

Brian Holt Nb Harnser

Contractors working on the River Ouse towpath improvements near Museum Gardens in York. PHOTO: KEITH CHAPMAN

Praise for York riverside project LE’S hope the contractors don’t have to deal with flooding while working to complete the new towpath which will give boaters visiting York something to look forward to next year.

Well done to City of York Council for being part of the

work on this new walkway.

Everyone I am sure will benefit, especially our cruising skippers and crew, and of course those involved in this project should be applauded.

Keith Chapman York

Review of Gloucester & Sharpness grass cutting

Phil Reilly By email

3. QUEUES AT LOCKS. It amazes me that people stand around rather than helping at locks. Often an extra pair of hands will speed up the transition. It is an excellent opportunity to meet and chat to fellow travellers and pass the time of day, and maybe learn something interesting ie. nearest shop, good pubs on the route or just something of general knowledge.

If people are in that much of a hurry and rush around and do not interact with anyone, then maybe they should stay on our motorway system that would probably suit their needs.

Then that would leave the beautiful life on the canals to the majority of serious boaters who enjoy the ‘Good Life’ of peace and downshift.

Mrs J Jones By email

Seeking solution to peak hour congestion

Leave the quiet life to the serious boaters I REGRET to report that I have seen a decline in courtesy and etiquette on the canals this year, especially with boat owners and not hire boats.

1. PASSING MOORED BOATS. No one moored up likes their boat rocking.

Why then do boaters pass at more than tickover, pretending to be oblivious to the effect of their wake?

2. START/FINISH TIME. A boat passed us at 5.30am. Boating should be a tranquil and stressfree life. Stop being so ambitious with routes and think of the impact on others. On one occasion, near Aynho Wharf, a boat passed us after dark with no headlights on. A solution would be for the CRT to lock some locks overnight. This is done in the North, why not on the Oxford or Grand Union.

killed next time! I notified the Canal & River Trust about this threat, but unless there is a better approach to this escalating problem it’s only going to get worse.

This problem needs to be highlighted in national papers so all cyclists who read the papers are notified of their selfishness and rudeness. British Waterways used to issue cyclists with a permit to be able to cycle the towpaths, but it was FREE... And how many cyclists even know about it? Not many.

One of many disgruntled boaters and dog walkers

This photo was taken in April 2000 before the stone was damaged. PHOTO: BRIAN HOLT Martine O’Callaghan replies: Thanks to Brian Holt for pointing out that the stone was in fact badly vandalised many years ago and attempts have been made to replace it.

We were aware of the vandalism when we wrote about the Graham Palmer stone as one of our 100 Treasures of Britain’s canals. However, as our coolcanals motto is “working in partnership to help promote heritage and tourism on Britain’s canals”, Phillippa chose not to highlight the vandalism in her writing about Graham Palmer, just to pick up on the fact that the stone is worn, and will continue to wear, with age...

In our guide writing, we try not to highlight vandalism, rubbish, shopping trollies etc. which can be an issue on the canals, but are not of course the best way to attract more leisure and tourism!

IN RESPONSE to Mr Paul Cantillion’s letter ‘A boater’s nightmare...’

(Talkback, Issue 108, October), all of our grass cutting is based on a set of Towpath Management Guidelines that were developed through internal and public consultation.

There is huge variation in towpaths across our network and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal towpath is being cut to the same specification that was put in place in 2007.

However, we found that our contractor, Fountains, was cutting above and beyond the agreed specification and when this was corrected last year, it may have led to the perceived drop in standards.

To reach a happy medium, this year additional cutting is being carried out to reduce the fringe from Purton to Patch Bridge to increase the width of the towpath.

A full review is already being carried out to look at how we can improve the grass cutting along this canal. In addition, following feedback from our boating customers, we are looking to reduce the fringe along the canal and create more informal mooring sites.

We would welcome any feedback from boaters about suitable locations for these additional moorings. Incidentally, we have a waterway forum in Gloucester scheduled for Thursday, November 30, where we would be glad to talk about this further.

Nick Leech Contract delivery manager, Canal & River Trust

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Brum’s Bike Boat set to become part of canalside network after move

By Peter Underwood

A 1930s butty, which has become well known as the Bike Boat after two years moored at Cambrian Wharf in Birmingham, has moved to an even

more central location and is poised to become part of a city centre network of cycling hubs.

Operated by the charity, Cycle Chain, the boat has developed a regular clientele offering cycle repairs,

The Toll House at the top of Farmers Locks – it could become another cycle hub.

TowpATh TiTTEr

CONTINUING our light-hearted look at life on the cut. Thanks to the team at ABNB Ltd boat brokerage for snapping this picture in their office at Crick.

reconditioned bikes and bikes for hire.

It is also a popular venue among disabled charities as it trains disabled people in cycle repair work.

Cycle Chain finance director Mark Duce said: “The move to our new site, directly below the Sea Life Centre and next to Brindley Place, not only means more people will be passing by on this busy canal junction but also puts us closer to the substantial businesses in Brindley Place which are very interested in getting more of their staff using cycles to get to work.”

His charity is also in talks with the Canal and River Trust and the National Trust over the redevelopment of the Grade II* listed Roundhouse – about 200 metres away on the Birmingham Main Line – as an urban outdoors hub.

The horseshoe-shaped Roundhouse, built by Birmingham Corporation as a mineral and coal wharf in the 1870s, could be redeveloped to include a cycle store and workshop with facilities for local people and commuters.

This made Liz Greenhough from nb Skylark smile:

Henri, the ABNB meeter and greeter, says you can only have a Towpath Talk if you give me a biscuit!

I have heard about giving residents the boot, this des res was one of a pair near Lowsonford at Lock 28 on the Stratford-on-Avon Canal.

A Christmas cringe

In this month’s extracts from her online blog, Amy Whitewick gets into the festive spirit.

Extreme measures

ONE word. You know exactly what I’m going to say: Christmas.

Being the first one with our new girl, we’ve decided, as tradition suggests, to get a Christmas tree for her.

I’m usually the one who savours the task of buying the biggest tree possible and stands back to watch a lot of huffing and puffing as it is wedged every angle under the sun to get it through the house door. The usual result is the bottom being cut off so the tree doesn’t form an arch under the ceiling. (My motto is if you bought it, flaunt it).

This year, dad decided it was his turn to choose a tree for our girl. Mum and I left him to the responsibilities of shoving the monstrous fir through the tiny front doors, and came back from a brief walk to discover that his ‘measure twice cut once’ policy

had blown away in the wind with the sawdust chippings.

Our mouths dropped open as dad put his chainsaw down on the bow. There was no sign of the tree, all bar a 1ft green thing shoved into a pot that cringed at its own baldness. The tree and I stared at each other for a moment. My eyes wandered over its bristly green branches.

Gingerly, I added a bauble or two and a bit of fluff, and, hey presto! It looked Christmassy enough. It’s certainly better than nothing.

I whipped it from the gas hatch and smuggled it out of sight and inside before any of our neighbours could get any competitive ideas. So far, I believe we have the biggest tree in the marina, but don’t tell anyone. We might have to take it home, being such an embarrassment. I have heard rumours of mistletoe

having been strung across neighbouring boat doorways in a seasonal ploy. I’m not falling for that one. I choose friends wisely in December.

As for mistletoe at the marina entrance, I’m all for it. I’d like to see a narrowboat attempt a kiss with our Brobdingnagian girl without being flattened like a piece of tin against the banks of the canal. I think she might pass on meeting a Dutch barge, though.

Tiny turkey

As all the TV adverts say, getting a kitchen delivered for Christmas is fabulous (so you can wreck it cooking the turkey and throw wine over unwanted guests), so we’ve also opted for this policy, with our girl’s new kitchen due very shortly.

We might have to skip the cooking the turkey part though, as we no longer have an oven. If anyone has yet bred a turkey smaller than a chihuahua, and it can fit in a microwave, you’ll be

The Bike Boat takes up its new position beneath the Birmingham Sea Life Centre.

PHOTOS: PETER UNDERWOOD

Mark says that, even if that plan comes off, the Bike Boat will stay where it is. “There is even a chance that the old Toll House at Cambrian Wharf, beside the top lock of the Farmers flight, could become another hub for cyclists as we build a network through the city centre,” he added.

Redevelopment of the old Fiddle and Bone pub, situated alongside the Roundhouse on the canal, is already under way. Sherborne Wharf is moving out of its central Birmingham premises and plans to reopen the once-popular pub as well as providing diesel, pumpout, chandlery and other services on the canalside.

The sign says it all on this pic on the Rochdale Canal from Ken Lowe:

If you have a suitable photo or anecdote we can share with our readers, please send it to Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR or email: editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk

And is there room for a widebeam here?

instantly added to the Christmas card list. And maybe invited for a sandwich (saves on cooking all the trimmings and other things).

We’re a little worried, as we saw our neighbours with a whole trussed chicken on their worktop recently.

That’s some competition.

Mention the words ‘new kitchen’ out loud in the marina, and you find yourself with everyone who hears, round like a shot asking if they can come on Christmas Day. It’s a good job Santa doesn’t have to ask everyone (we’ve put ‘Santa stop here’ signs on the roof of our girl, just in case. Being 55ft long, she’s just a touch too short, so we’ve clearly marked the end of the runway with glow-in-the-dark mooring rope bands. I’d hate Rudolph to miss and end up in the drink). How Santa will fit down the stove flue, I’ll leave that to your children’s imagination.

Our friend Engineer Dave relished the words ‘new kitchen’, and came to help rip out the old one. Carrying off a slab of granite weighing more than the Tintagel coastline was a trial, and thanks to the aid of another new friend (Super Chris) and some 10 points Strictly skills, it was carted

And don’t forget you can also follow us on Twitter @towpathtalk and on Facebook

Bauble and all – the one-foot green thing which passes for a Christmas tree. PHOTO:AMY WHITEWICK off in a jiffy, our girl rising to the surface like a blue whale with a sigh.

Somehow, everything inside now seems decidedly wonky.

I’m adding a spirit level to my Christmas list. And some crispy new oil filters for our girl’s dirty bits. And a 10ft barge pole (no,

honest, it’s not to keep our boaty neighbours away). And a new toilet seat that actually fits. We do this thing called hovering which is a bit uncomfortable, so it would be a wonderful gift for life. A toilet seat isn’t just for Christmas, you know.

Joyeux Noel!

● Read Amy’s blog at http://weboughtafatboat.blogspot.com

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