IWA Lichfield Branch - Winter 2022

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Issue 38 Winter 2022 www.waterways.org.uk/lichfield

Lichfield Lines

Christmas gathering at Curborough (see Page 7)

The newsletter of IWA Lichfield Branch

The Inland Waterways Association is a membership charity that works to protect and restore the country's 7,000 miles of canals and navigable rivers.

The IWA may not agree with opinions expressed in this magazine but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy, or as an official pronouncement, unless specifically identified as such.

The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee.

Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342 Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk

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Branch Chairman’s Report - October 2020

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Chairman’s Report I hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year and are looking forward to things getting back to something like normal soon. I seem to recall saying something similar 12 months ago and that didn’t quite work out as hoped. Being the optimistic sort I’m sure it will happen this time around.

We decided to return to face to face meetings in September which, although the numbers were down on “pre-covid” meetings were enjoyed by all who attended. By the time you read this we will have had another one in January and will continue as long as the Covid situation does not force otherwise (see Forthcoming Events on Page 3).

Twenty-five of us enjoyed a Christmas meal at The Thyme Restaurant in Curborough in December. It was good to get together with so many people after missing out last Christmas (see page 7 for details and photos).

It was announced recently that the IWA Festival of Water will return to Burton upon Trent this year which is great news for the area. We last hosted the event in 2011 when it was the IWA “National”. This was the first event Sue and I got involved in, working on the sales stand selling books, clothing and lots more. If my memory is correct, it was a very hot weekend so let’s hope for some decent weather this time around too.

On a sadder note, I have to report the loss of two long standing Branch members. The first was Malcolm Braine, who passed away earlier last year. Malcolm joined the IWA in the very early years after a chance meeting with Tom Rolt whilst on holiday. He continued to be a member for the rest of his life and was awarded an Honorary Life Membership in 2017. Malcolm was a well-known local boat builder and restorer including doing Snowy Scene at restoration work on the historic Braunston—Sue Gurney narrowboat President. Malcolm started to be involved in IWA Work Parties and Protests in the 1950’s and was a founder member of the Staffs & Worcs Canal Society. The second was Jerry Sanders, partner of Helen Whitehouse, who passed away in

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November. His funeral was well attended by family and IWA members from far and wide. His obituary is on page 8.

Sue and I had another attempt at winter boating for two weeks in November/ December. This was not as successful as our October outing. After a short trip to Braunston Storm Arwen hit us and we didn’t move for three days. We were well sheltered in Braunston, but it was definitely not boating weather. After a return to the Marina to attend Jerry’s funeral the weather for the next week was appalling so the boat become a holiday cottage for the rest of our time. We did visit some interesting National Trust properties whilst going nowhere on the boat. That was probably the worst two weeks we have had in 15 years of winter boating. Better luck next time!

We hold our branch AGM at our March meeting and the Agenda can be found on Page 16. If anybody would like to volunteer to help on the committee or has anything they would like to bring up at the AGM please let me know.

During the original lockdowns when we were allowed up to six people in groups the Branch started regular “Strolls” in the area. Unfortunately, the leaders have had to withdraw from organising these and as they were very popular it would be great to restart them. If there is anybody out there who would be willing to organise short canal based walks preferably with a pub lunch at the end please get in touch. The strolls will compliment the excellent programme of longer walks organised by Clive Walker.

I look forward to seeing you at some of our forthcoming events.

All the Best

Pete Gurney 15th January 2022 Forthcoming Events

Wednesday 16th February 2022—Meeting—Burton’s C18th Waterways This time our speaker will be Branch member John Parry with a new version of his talk on Burton’s 18th Century waterways (including tipsy Romanovs). Since presenting the original talk on zoom last year John has done extensive research and unearthed a lot more information on the waterways.

Meet at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start at Martin Heath Hall, Christchurch Lane, Off Walsall Road, Lichfield WS13 8AY. Wednesday 16th March 2022—Meeting—AGM and Quiz In March we hold our Branch AGM and this year it will be followed by a waterways related quiz. The formalities of the AGM are soon over so come along and enjoy the quiz.

Meet at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start at Martin Heath Hall, Christchurch Lane, Off Walsall Road, Lichfield WS13 8AY.

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Thursday 24th March 2022—Walk—Tatenhill and the Trent & Mersey Canal This is a 5½ mile figure-of-eight walk with 4 stiles, on footpaths, pavements, and the towpath. The route is lumpy in parts with several short ascents and descents, and parts of the route can be muddy and slippy after prolonged rainfall.

We first stroll through the picturesque village of Tatenhill, before proceeding on a quiet country road uphill to Callingwood Hall. From there we cross fields to bring us back down to the village. We then follow The Tatenhill Lock, Trent & Mersey Canal National Forest Way up and over Battlestead Hill to bring us back down to the canal level via a new housing estate. We walk along the Trent & Mersey Canal to Tatenhill lock from where we pick up a footpath to lead us back to the village, passing an interesting geological feature along the way.

You are invited to join us for refreshment afterwards in the pub.

Meet 10:15 for a 10:30 start on Thursday 24th March 2022 in the car park of The Horseshoe Inn, Main Steet, Tatenhill, Burton on Trent DE13 9SD. Contact Clive Walker on clive.walker@waterways.org.uk Wednesday 20th April 2022—Meeting In a big departure from our normal format of meetings April will see David Moore (not the same David Moore we had in January) give us a demonstration of boat signwriting. David is an experienced local signwriter and has already done work for several Branch members. Sounds really interesting.

Meet at 7:15pm for a 7:30pm start at Martin Heath Hall, Christchurch Lane, Off Walsall Road, Lichfield WS13 8AY Recent Activities Wednesday 17th November 2021—Meeting Our November meeting saw Branch member Neil Barnett give a fascinating talk on his crossing of the Mersey in his narrowboat plus an update on his previous talk on his trip down the Manchester Ship Canal. Great Stuff!

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Thursday 18th November 2021—Walk Twelve walkers assembled under an overcast sky in the car park of Ye Olde Red Lion Hotel, one of the oldest pubs in Leicestershire. Market Bosworth is an historic town in the county, that is most famously associated with a decisive battle fought nearby in 1485. Archaeologists have since proven that the current visitor site for the battlefield is in the wrong place, but that is a story for another occasion.

Unlike most of the walks to date, this one started on the top of a hill, by the market square, and descended to the canal before climbing back up to the starting point.

Passing Dixie Grammar School, we proceeded first down Back Lane and then onto a former golf course. The plans for this green-field site are under discussion, but in the meantime, a tractor-driver is taking great care to keep the grass at a manageable height. At the far end of the golf course, we passed first the grass runway of a private airfield, and then the Battlefield Heritage Railway over a fine brick bridge.

We joined the Ashby Canal at bridge 43 and followed the towpath in the direction of Shackerstone. After leaving at the next bridge, we had to walk in single file alongside Congerstone Road to enter a footpath that took us across the Battlefield Line for a second time, on this occasion across the track itself. At this point The Railway Children came to mind, and one member of our group decided to re-enact a well-known scene from the film, where Jenny Agutter flags down a steam train to warn of an obstruction on the line. To the

relief of our H&S officer, there was neither a steam train nor an obstruction within sight at the time.

After a tea break in the pristine village of Carlton we re-entered the old golf course. By chance, one of our attendees had played the course and knew precisely where the tees had been, and

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how many shots were required to reach the greens.

The path then climbed imperceptibly at first, and before we knew it, we were back at the pub, where we enjoyed refreshment.

Clive Walker 15th December 2021 Sunday 12th December 2021—Christmas Dinner Twenty five members attended the Branch Christmas Dinner at the Thyme Kitchen at Curborough. The food was excellent although the service was a bit haphazard at times.

They were short of staff due to Covid and they apologised that this unfortunately affected the service. This did have the advantage of giving everybody

plenty of time to chat and catch up with people we had not seen for a while, to toast the festive season and raise a glass to absent friends. The event was discussed at a subsequent committee meeting and we agreed that we would probably give the venue another try.

Saturday 1st January 2022—Alvecote & Pooley Park It had been two years since Lichfield branch had been able to meet up on New Year’s Day for a stroll along the canal. The starting point was the car park of The Pretty Pigs, Alvecote, a long-fronted, three-storey roadside pub dating from 1828.

After first crossing the West Coast main line we joined the Coventry Canal at bridge 63 in Amington, from where we turned eastwards along the towpath. There is a 70’ winding hole not far from this point which enabled working boats to manoeuvre out of a colliery basin. The sides of the wharf are clearly visible amongst the trees, and we took a detour from the towpath to explore further. Visible in the undergrowth, but some way from the basin, is a square brick-lined hole with two opposing metal rings.

After searching around, we deduced that it might have been a sluice gate to empty a

Lichfield Branch dry dock facility. Any photographic records of this basin to confirm this assumption would be welcome!

Our route continued along the towpath, and then 25 metres up the spiral cinder path to The Golden Tower of Leaves, an eyecatching sculpture erected in 2011.

After the obligatory summit

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The strange object

The group at the top of the hill

photo, we descended to follow the miners’ path back to the main road, and on into the village of Alvecote, with its row of identically proportioned cottages.

From there it was a short walk back to the pub for refreshment.

Clive Walker 7th January 2022.

Ongoing—Vegetation Clearance The team have continued their sterling work through the winter with a break for Christmas and then another break after the rudder fell off the work boat. This was successfully retrieved from the Coventry Canal although the team had to stop work whilst a replacement boat was found. There are also plans to use a small CRT workboat to do some litter collection. This can run in parallel with the vegetation clearance and continue after the clearance has to end before the birds start nesting in March.

JERRY SANDERS 1938-2021 Everyone who knew Jerry Sanders recognised he was a one-off. His uniquely mischievous sense of humour, combined with idiosyncratic ideas and a determination to get things done, suggests they broke the mould after Jerry was formed. His friends loved him for his eccentricities and his sheer dogged determination to do things his way.

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When Jerry moved up to Staffordshire in 1994 he was already involved with waterways through boating and in volunteering with the Wilts & Berks Canal restoration. He soon joined IWA Lichfield Branch, becoming Secretary in 1995 and Vice-Chairman from 1997 to 2002. After looking after sales for a while in 2001-3 and membership in 2006 he returned to the Deputy Chairman role from 2006-8, before retiring to devote more time to what had become his main interest in IWA, the commercial side of Festivals.

Others will be able to more fully document Jerry’s major contribution over many years to the commercial success of IWA’s National Waterways Festivals and to Canalway Cavalcade. His first involvement with the trading side of Festivals was at Windmill End in 1996, becoming Commercial Director for this and numerous subsequent Nationals. As originally a Londoner, Jerry had a particular commitment to Cavalcade where he organised the commercial trade show and catering, and was also Chairman for three years. This event presents unique challenges of a constricted site and massive public attendances. That it adapted to ever more onerous Health & Safety and other changes, and not only survived but prospered, has been in no small part down to Jerry’s commitment to working constructively with the traders and others to keep the show on the road. Typically, he was working on Cavalcade right up to his final illness.

The work on each National and every Cavalcade never stopped, with planning for the next event following on from the previous one. But Jerry still found time to be a member and then become Chairman of IWA’s Promotions Committee (under its various names) from 2009 to 2016, and in that role attended Trustees’ meetings. In all these ways, Jerry was an enthusiastic promoter of the aims of IWA.

Jerry in happier times

Over many years Jerry was self-employed running a business importing high quality engineering tools, mainly from Japan. After visits there he formed a deep affection for Japanese people, culture and food.

But Jerry never allowed paying work to interfere with his hobbies, and he devoted untold hours of voluntary work to the waterways.

Another of Jerry’s passions

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was historic buildings, and after looking at several possibilities when he moved to Staffordshire he settled in Wharf House, overlooking the Trent & Mersey Canal and with a convenient mooring. Restoring and adapting his section of this imposing building with its Listed Building status was an ongoing challenge that he typically relished as he put his own distinctive ideas into its interior.

Setting out from Wharf House, Jerry’s boating activities, first on ‘Rosie’ and later on ‘Josephine’, were often routed around Festivals and Cavalcade, with regular annual voyages down to London and back, sometimes via Crick, and often involving friends as crewmates. Early voyages were with Sandra and later ones with Helen, and we send condolences to them and to all who have loved Jerry and counted his friendship as a privilege. Jerry’s remaining family are scattered around the world. But he had an ‘adopted’ family locally, for whom he was like an eccentric but generous uncle.

Jerry was of the generation that saw National Service after the war, and he had a fund of amusing stories about his time in the army. Needless to say, he must have been impossible to regiment, so was put in charge of stores where his attention to detail and independent mindedness caused least disruption to collective discipline. Trying to drill Jerry must have been like herding cats, an animal he was devoted to and, with their independence, curiosity, mischievousness and affection, he most resembled. If he comes back it will undoubtedly be as a cat, or perhaps he was one in a previous life.

Reincarnation or not, Jerry was not very religious, but his humanity shone through everything he did. He will be sorely missed.

Jerry’s House

Phil Sharpe

Due to the sad passing of Jerry Sanders his house will soon be up for sale. It consists of the right hand third of Wharf House at Barton Turn on the Trent & Mersey Canal (pictured) and includes the garage and mooring. The building is Grade II listed and divided into three properties. If anybody is interested please contact Helen Whitehouse on 01543 491161 or helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk.

Boating Buddies You may have heard of the Canal & River Trust’s ‘Boating Buddies’ initiative. CRT have many staff who’ve never been on a canal boat, so two years ago they appealed for boaters to volunteer to take some of their employees out for the day to enable them

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to experience some boating first hand, and thus gain at least some appreciation of what it’s all about.

Unfortunately the arrival of the Covid virus put paid to it soon afterwards, but with the situation now easing, they have recently begun to resume it.

My wife and I were contacted by CRT last month asking if we were still interested, and a few weeks later we were joined by two young ladies from their Birmingham office, Sarah from customer services, and Georgina who looked after their social media. Both had been with CRT less than 12 months and were keen to have a day out on a boat.

So on a cool but thankfully dry October day, we took them from our marina at Kings Bromley to Fradley Junction to enable them to experience a little cruising, some locks to work through, and lunch at the café followed by a walk around the little nature reserve before re-tracing our outward journey. The idea was to show them that boating isn’t all about getting as far as you can in a day, but should be more of a relaxing experience stopping off and exploring some of the places you pass Neil, Christine and Sarah at through.

Fradley It was school half term week and the visitor moorings at Fradley were quite full, so at the junction we decided to reverse down Junction Lock and moor just below there, opposite the Laughing Duck café. There were quite

Georgina at the tiller

a few boats on the move so beforehand we moored on the bollards on the corner, the ones which are designated for when using the swing bridge (ones which are never used because boaters find it easier to stop in the adjacent narrow channel), in order to pop round the corner to assess the volume of approaching boat traffic before tackling the difficult manoeuvre of reversing into the lock.

A boater on a permanent mooring opposite us shouted that we weren’t allowed to moor there, and despite me telling him that we would only

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be stopped for a few minutes, he took our licence number and boat name and said that he was going to report us to CRT. Little did he know that his complaint would probably be received by Sarah, one of the ladies onboard our boat!

Once the way was clear I began reversing towards and then into the lock, watched by a collection of gongoozlers assembled on the bridge. They were intrigued to know why we were reversing through the lock but understood when I explained that the alternative would have been to continue the mile or so and 4 locks to the winding hole in Alrewas and back.

Both our guests thoroughly enjoyed the trip and it definitely gave them an insight into canal boating. They had a go at steering the boat, working the locks, and learnt a ‘new’ word (gongoozlers). Sarah in particular felt that when in future she receives Tom at the tiller of Josephine enquiries or complaints, she will now be more able to understand some of the issues that their customers are talking about.

Three days later I joined our very own Helen Whitehouse on her lovely boat Josephine, this time to ‘buddy’ Tom Freeland, CRT’s West Midlands Boating and Customer Services Manager. Tom had previously been on hire boat holidays and on occasions CRT work-boats, but as the instigator and organiser of the Boating Buddies scheme he felt he should experience it too.

We left Helen’s mooring outside Wharf House by Barton Turn Lock in a heavy downpour and headed towards Alrewas. Thankfully the rain soon abated and although rather windy, it remained dry thereafter and we were even blessed with a little sunshine. After so much recent rain we were a little concerned about the river section however it was fine, and after turning at the winding hole in Alrewas we moored up for a lovely sandwiches lunch, enhanced by Helen’s delectable cauliflower soup sprinkled with grated cheese, and a delicious cake which Tom had brought along.

Having Tom onboard gave Helen and I an ideal opportunity to ‘bend his ear’ about various boating issues, but we didn’t give him too much of a hard time and we all found the experience positive and very enjoyable. Helen and I are very like minded in that we love any excuse to go out on our boats and spend the day engaged in ‘boaty talk’!

We gather that the scheme has been quite successful and of great benefit to all parties, however in our area, unusually they actually have more Boating Buddy volunteers than

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staff to go on them. So if you are someone who has put their name forward but haven’t heard from the trust, this will be the reason. Tom says rest assured you won’t have been forgotten and that in due course you will be contacted sometime in the future.

Neil Barnett Planning Matters This report summarises the more important of about 45 planning matters dealt with between mid-October 2021 and mid-January 2022. Further details are available on request.

The Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal is affected by several proposals in the South Staffordshire Local Plan Review, Preferred Options consultation. We have objected to the northern part of a strategic housing site allocation in the Green Belt at Cross Green, which would border the canal, and asked that it be cut back. We have also commented that a previously designated housing site at Cherry Brook in Penkridge should be set back from the canal with a landscaped buffer zone; and that the travellers site at Brinsford should not be extended without major landscape screening from the canal. Removal from the Green Belt of the development areas of the West Midlands Interchange is proposed, but not the areas of green infrastructure and country parks promised adjacent to the canal. The Canal Network policy maintains support for the Hatherton Branch Canal restoration but to be effective it should retain the route protection policy and detailed route plans.

By the Trent & Mersey Canal at Burston a proposal for 15 holiday ‘lodges’ would create a swathe of development across an open and attractive landscape, blocking views of the village’s historic buildings and damaging the setting of the canal’s Conservation Area.

On the Coventry Canal at Hay End Lane, Fradley more housing is proposed on the single remaining field between housing sites that have either already been built, permitted or allocated. As development here now seems inevitable we have asked for a landscaped buffer zone to minimise impacts on the canal.

A railway bridge over the canal in Nuneaton is to be reconstructed but we have suggested that in order to Nuneaton retain its historic appearance, the original cast iron parapets Railway and supporting arched edge Bridge

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beams be reinstated instead of modern walkway guardrails.

At Gipsy Lane in Nuneaton the plans for 3 storey houses alongside the canal have been amended to 2 storeys, as we requested.

Alongside the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal at Tolsons Mill the proposed removal of trees and shrubs between the towpath and the mill will open up views of and from this historic building so we did not object, provided that the towpath hedge itself is retained and strengthened.

On the Ashby Canal at Elms Farm, south of the A5, the solar farm plans we objected to have been amended to omit some of the canalside fields and provide a 30m buffer in part, but the panels would still be close to the canal in 3 areas.

On the restoration route at the housing site in Oakthorpe, the proposed storm water and foul sewers intruding into the protected canal corridor have now been moved back, except for a manhole connection into the existing public sewer.

On the Cannock Extension Canal at Pelsall Stop, the Inspector’s Report has partly allowed the appeal to retain the restored stables and garage roofs, roof lights, gutters, name plate, security cameras, boundary wall, gates and fencing, and the earthworks, wall and railings at Friar Bridge. However, it upholds removal of the uPVC windows and door, stainless steel flues, external lighting, rear extension and block paving, all within 12 months, and requires domestic use to cease. It remains to be seen if this will result in the historic buildings becoming derelict again, or if the owner can agree on a style of wooden windows and door and some viable alternative use with Walsall Council.

With the Lichfield Canal restoration at Cricket Lane secured by Persimmon’s agreement to provide the canal bridge, the Outline application has now been passed, conditional on those highway works. But meanwhile the dispute with Taylor Wimpey over their Falkland Road site drainage proposals remains and we have supported LHCRT in seeking its resolution.

Design work on Phase 1 of HS2 High Speed Rail continues and I have attended a number of meetings about details of the design and landscaping of the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal Viaduct, as well as one-to-one meetings with HS2 engineers about the Fradley viaduct and Great Haywood (Phase 2a) viaduct.

I have also produced an appraisal of the Integrated Rail Plan, which sets out the Government’s decisions on HS2 Phase 2b, Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Midlands Rail Hub proposals for new high speed lines, and for electrification and upgrades to existing routes. The report for the HS2 Waterways Working Group considers the likely impacts on waterways from the various decisions and proposals, which include abandoning part of the planned Eastern Leg of Phase 2b and some of the Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals in favour of improvements to existing lines.

The IRP confirms the intention to proceed with HS2 Phase 2b West from Crewe to

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Manchester “on the route as previously planned”, through a Hybrid Bill in Parliament to be deposited in 2022. This will have major impacts on the environment of the Middlewich Branch and the Trent & Mersey Canal north of Middlewich. The Golborne Link to the West Coast Main Line near Wigan which crosses the Bridgewater and Manchester Ship canals is being reviewed, but a possible extension further north could affect the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.

The HS2 Phase 2b Eastern leg from Birmingham, originally planned via Sheffield to Leeds, is to be cut back to a junction with the existing railway at East Midlands Parkway, so the crossing point of the River Soar will move. It will still cross the Coventry Canal at Polesworth and the Ashby Canal at Measham where the uncertainty about its impact on the housing site which was set to fund the canal’s restoration is not yet resolved. The Toton to Leeds section is to be abandoned in favour of electrification of the Midland Main Line and upgrades to the East Coast Main Line, which will save the Erewash Canal from major impacts. It will also avoid crossings of and disruption to Cranfleet Cut, the Nottingham Canal, the Chesterfield Canal at Norwood, the Sheffield & South Yorkshire Navigation and several crossings of the Aire & Calder Navigation. However, the ‘safeguarding’ orders on the route are being retained so it still blights plans and funding for the Chesterfield Canal restoration at Staveley.

The much publicised Northern Powerhouse Rail proposals for a new high speed Transpennine Line (or HS3) from Manchester to Leeds via Bradford, but for which no detailed route plans ever existed, are replaced by electrification, track widening and upgrades to the existing Manchester-Leeds route via Huddersfield, with a new high speed section proposed from Manchester to Marsden, just east of Standedge tunnels.

This may affect the Ashton and Huddersfield Narrow canals but again no detailed route plans have yet been produced. There was a relief line from Stalybridge to Standedge to the east of the canal closed in the 1960s and partly built over which could be reinstated, but reopening the two original rail tunnels at Standedge would affect the current operational safety measures for the canal tunnel.

The NPR proposal for a new Liverpool to Manchester route includes a high speed line connection to HS2 Phase 2b West, passing through Warrington and affecting the St Helens (Sankey) Canal restoration.

In summary, whilst many waterways in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire will not now be affected, it is disappointing that the blight on the Chesterfield Canal restoration at Staveley has not been lifted and the threat to the Ashby Canal restoration at Measham remains. In the west, concerns remain about the impacts on the Middlewich Branch and on the Trent & Mersey Canal, and there are new concerns about the Sankey Canal restoration. Other waterways impacts are possible when more details become available of the proposed sections of track widening.

Phil Sharpe, Planning Officer

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IWA LICHFIELD BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING WEDNESDAY 16th March 2022, at 7.30 PM AGENDA Apologies for absence Approval of the minutes of the 2021 AGM and any matters arising from these minutes Report from the Branch Chairman Financial Report from the Treasurer Elections to the Committee Members completing 3 years in post and eligible for re-election.

Phil Sharpe Members co-opted since last AGM and willing to stand for election.

None Any other candidates Any resolutions requested by members of the Branch (provided the Branch Chairman was notified in writing of the item at least 6 weeks prior to the AGM) * Any Other Business Notes: Candidates for election to the committee must be current members of the Lichfield Branch and should indicate their willingness to stand.

The Branch committee officers (Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer) are elected by the committee from its members at their first meeting after the AGM. Current members of the Committee are: Pete Gurney (Chairman and Acting Secretary), Sue Gurney (Treasurer), Phil Sharpe, Derek Beardsmore, Neil Barnett, Adrian Wedgwood. *Please put any resolutions in writing and address them to the Chairman at 5 Bracken Close, Stafford, ST16 1SG or by email to Lichfield@waterways.org.uk by 2nd February 2022.

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Editorial Notice Lichfield Lines is the newsletter of IWA Lichfield Branch, it is produced 4 times a year to keep members informed about our forthcoming public meetings, walks, work parties and other activities, to provide reports on recent meetings and events, and to include articles of general interest to our members.

The editor, Peter Gurney, welcomes articles, letters or photographs of waterway activities in our Branch area which can be emailed to pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk (Please note there is a 35MB limit for emails with attachments sent via this address).

The copy date for the next newsletter will be 15th April 2022, for publication in May. Advertising Lichfield Lines is posted or emailed to about 350 Branch members. It can also be read and downloaded by anyone from the Branch website pages.

If you would like to publicise your waterway related business to our members, and others that read the newsletter online, we can offer advertising space at the following rates: Full Page - £20 inc VAT per issue

Half Page - £10 inc VAT per issue

Please contact the editor to discuss artwork and layout.

By advertising you will help to sponsor IWA's charitable activities and reach potential customers who are all committed to the waterways.

The IWA has a range of corporate members some of whom offer discounts to members. The discount details can be found on the IWA website at https://waterways.org.uk/support/ways-to-give/corporate-membership Corporate members in our area are— Lichfield Cruising Club 2000 Ltd Stafford Boat Club Ltd Truman Enterprise Narrowboat Trust Ashby Canal Trust Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust Canal Transport Services Ltd Waterways World Ltd Midland Chandlers Norton Canes Boat Services Ltd Lakeland Leisure Estates Ltd

Longwood Boat Club Ashby Canal Association Tamworth Cruising Club Ash Tree Boat Club Countywide Cruisers (Brewood) Ltd Elite Furnishings Birmingham and Midland Marine Services River Canal Rescue Ltd Hargreaves Narrowboat Trust Stafford Riverway Link

Please mention the IWA when contacting any of these Corporate Members.

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Your Committee Chairman and Acting Secretary Tel: 01785 255101 Email: pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk

Pete Gurney

Treasurer Tel: 01785 255101 Email: sue.gurney@waterways.org.uk

Sue Gurney

Planning Tel: 01889 583330 Email: phil.sharpe@waterways.org.uk

Phil Sharpe

Newsletter and Website Editor Tel: 01785 255101 Email: pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk

Pete Gurney

Volunteer Coordinator & Membership Tel: 07808 846434 or 07481259955 Email: neil.barnett@waterways.org.uk

Neil Barnett

Navigation Officer Tel: 07847 470112 Email: derek.beardsmore@waterways.org.uk

Derek Beardsmore

Publicity—Press & Magazines Tel: 07808 846434 or 07481 259955 Email: neil.barnett@waterways.org.uk

Neil Barnett

Social Secretary

Position vacant

Minutes Secretary Tel: 01283 713125 Email: adrian.wedgwood@waterways.org.uk

Adrian Wedgwood

Ex Officio: Region Chairman also Branch Sales and External Talks (noncommittee posts) Tel : 01543 491161 Email: helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk

Helen Whitehouse

Non-committee posts Walks Coordinator Tel: 07866 201873 Email: clive.walker@waterways.org.uk

Clive Walker

Social Media Editor Email: Richard.curtis@waterways.org.uk

Richard Curtis

Branch Contact Address Email: lichfield@waterways.org.uk

IWA Lichfield Branch 5 Bracken Close Stafford ST16 1SG

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