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Towing Path Topics Newsletter of the Inland Waterways Association Lancashire & Cumbria Branch

January 2022

DISCLAIMER The views expressed in Towing Path Topics are not necessarily those of The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) or of its North West Region or of the Lancs and Cumbria Branch. They are, however published as being of interest to our members and readers. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless so stated. The Association accepts no liability for any matter in this newsletter. No reproduction is permitted without acknowledgment.

Cover: Leeds & Liverpool Canal near Church

Photograph acknowledgements: Pages 5,7,30,31 John Hewerdine Pages 8,10,12,13 Robin Yates Pages 28,29 Wendy Humphreys All others the editor

Abbreviations LCT.-.The Lancaster Canal Trust CRT.-.The Canal and River Trust LCRP.-.Lancaster Canal Regeneration Partnership L&L.-.The Leeds & Liverpool Canal

Copy date for next edition 15th April 2022 The editor retains the right to edit any article or letter submitted for publication. Editor: David Faulkner 22 Moorland Road, Langho, Blackburn BB6 8EX Tel. 01254 249265 Email david.faulkner@waterways.org.uk

Inland Waterways Association

Registered office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Registered as a charity (No. 212342) 2

Editor’s comment This is the month when I include the calling notice for the forthcoming branch AGM, see page 32. We hope it will be a ‘live’ meeting but at this stage who knows? We have already taken the precaution of transferring the January social meeting to Zoom No apologies for the rather depressing cover photograph of the consequences of the serious breach on the L&L Canal, see p14 for details. Unfortunately CRT have made such a good job of securing the site that I could not get a photograph of the breach itself. The poor condition of the western half of the L&L is a serious concern, see the Region Chairman's report on p6 and send any comments you might have either directly to him or via me. Someone who recently sailed the entire length of the canal said that East and West were like 2 different canals. The account of the LCT working party on p12 is rather longer than usual. I thought that you might enjoy reading Charles Mathews’ first report and appreciate the enthusiasm for volunteering from the ‘new boy’. A job well done in good company, volunteering at its best. The hunt for ‘Spectre’ on p24 is not a James Bond plot but the result of an enquiry via Head Office passed to this branch, as we cover Scotland. Wendy, our branch chair passed it on to Jonathan Mosse who set the internet humming. This is your newsletter so if you want rather more than just what interests me then please send me your articles, news, photographs, reminiscences, comments (good or bad).. Happy New Year David Faulkner

JANUARY SOCIAL MEETING NOW ON ZOOM Due to Covid restrictions the meeting on 26 January will now take place on Zoom See pages 38 & 39 for details. 3

Branch Chair’s Report Welcome to the chair’s report for Towing Path Topics, the year 2021 has gone by so quickly even though we have been limited in what we have been able to do; let’s hope 2022 will be better. As I write this report Christmas is approaching but by the time you receive the magazine it will be the new year, so I hope you all had a good Christmas and managed to spend some of it with family and friends and wish you all the best for the new year. This edition of the magazine will contain news and papers relating to the AGM in February and it will be good if we can get a good turnout for the AGM. Our new venue is easy to find, has plenty of parking nearby and a pleasant room and we are very happy with it. If you don’t usually attend meetings why not make a special effort for the AGM, we will get the business of the meeting over quickly and it will be followed by a nostalgia evening; an opportunity for us to chat and share our waterways memories. But please keep an eye on the website as we may have to change the AGM to an online meeting. We have enjoyed going back to live meetings and we have had some good speakers, we have also enjoyed seeing old friends and new and particularly enjoyed the opportunity to chat and catch up. Our last meeting this year was the Christmas meal, held at the Hoghton Arms and we enjoyed a lovely meal with even better company. I have continued to attend meetings, all online, saving lots of time on travel but still not quite as good as live meetings. I have attended meetings with Lancaster Canal Trust and with IWA Region as well as Canal and River Trust liaison meetings and the Lancaster Canal Regeneration Partnership.. I also attended 2 All Party Parliamentary Waterways Groups since the last Towing Path Topics. Those were held on zoom and the venue, (my dining room), wasn’t as exciting as the first one I attended at the House of Commons, but it was much more practical, and the subjects were equally as interesting. I also attended the IWA National AGM, again by zoom and that was a good opportunity to hear our new Chief Executive Phil Hornsey. The new chair of LCRP, Professor Christopher May has been appointed and has taken up some duties but isn’t properly in place until January. I have met him on zoom and live and am looking forward to working with him. 4

We as a branch have not carried out any activities since the last edition of the magazine although we have continued to hold our regular committee meetings, we even had one live meeting in September. I am hoping that we will be more active in 2022, so if anyone has any ideas of activities, we can get involved in please get in touch. At the moment we are hoping to hold another Youth Engagement Day in August and to go to Country Fest in June with our IWA gazebo. Volunteers to help us will be appreciated so keep an eye on the branch website or get in touch with me or another committee member to find out more. I will make my usual plea for more committee members, the more members we have the more we can do, if anyone is interested in joining the committee, please let me or one of the other committee members know. And my thanks of course to all of our branch committee without their help we would not be able to do so much.

I hope to see some of you at events and meetings and look forward to a more normal 2022 Take care everyone. Wendy Humphreys Cheers!

Ha! If this doesn’t get me fired nothing will! Ed 5

REPORT FROM THE NW REGIONAL CHAIRMAN

I hope that you were able to enjoy the waterways in the autumn in a way not really open to us for the best part of two years. It has been a traumatic time recently - and not all due to COVID 19. We had a NW Regional meeting in December at which a good number of issues were discussed. Amongst other issues, CRT asked us to consider what we could do to improve their Boater Approval Ratings. Accordingly, I have invited all our Branches to sound out their members and I am sure that you will have thoughts of your own. Please let your Branch Officers or me know if you do. There was considerable anger expressed by many members at the apparent decline in the appearance and facilities on the western part of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal - poor maintenance, damaged locks, weeds, branches, collapsing banks etc. Have you used the L & L recently? If so, do you share those concerns? I have pursued this with the CRT/NW Director as well as at the recent CRT Boaters’ Forum and I hope for some explanations and improvements in the near future. There are a number of quite major building developments on and around NW canals and some fear that these will cause difficulties for boaters and those who enjoy the waterside. Do maintain a watching brief in your local area and report back if you are affected. IWA Trustees have agreed to the setting up of a Regional Chairmen’s Working Group, solely for the purpose of keeping the Trustees in the picture with regard to Members’ views and their issues. Please feel free to contact me - or, of course, your Branch Officers - if there are matters for you to communicate. I was delighted and honoured to be re-elected as a National Trustee of the IWA at the AGM and I have also been appointed to the NW Advisory Board of CRT. It all very well and good holding these positions but, unless I am representing your views and concerns, they are just honorific. So, as above, please keep me in the loop! 6

I hope that you had a good Christmas and that prospects for the New Year prove to be a lot better than appears at the moment. As always, thank you all for your commitment and enthusiasm. Without you, nothing happens. Stay safe and take every care.

************************ Membership If you change any personal details, especially your address or phone number can you inform Head Office or if it’s easier, send an email to our branch membership secretary Janet Dunning at janet.dunning@waterways.org.uk That way we can ensure that we keep in touch.

An autumn scene on the L&L Canal at Whitlle Springs 7

Lancaster

Canal & River Trust, Cumbria County Council, IWA, Kendal Town Council, Lancs County Council, Lancaster Canal Trust South Lakeland District Council

Canal

Regeneration Partnership

The Sport England-funded section of the Towpath Trail has been completed and has brought the path up to a multiuser standard to popular acclaim The consultants who had been appointed to undertake a route feasibility study for the entire Lancaster Canal Towpath Trail have reported and their report will be considered in detail in January. The report takes into account partners’ ambitions and strategic connectivity of walking and cycling routes between the towpath trail and the wider network of routes in the area. 8

Funding has been secured for the surfacing of the towpath from Burton Road to Natland Road in Kendal and work will be completed in early 2022.

LCRP is working closely with Kendal Town Council to improve the currently unsightly beginning of the Towpath Trail at Canal Head in Kendal. It is believed that there are opportunities to raise the Towpath Trail’s profile through public realm improvements and increased signage and marketing of the route. In addition to the Towpath Trail project LCRP was involved with the National Lottery Heritage Fund funded programme, which had been an element of the Stainton Aqueduct restoration bid, and which came to an end in October. Over the two years it ran it had attracted some 40 new volunteers, through a variety of initiatives such as dry-stone walling courses, many of whom are now committed to continue volunteering on the canal. People from local communities had also taken part in a wide variety of organised activities including: • Contributing their stories to a new Lancaster Canal oral history archive; • Helping design and produce content for a series of stone and steel constructed interpretation panels, features and way markers to be installed shortly; • Attending numerous heritage and nature walks delivered by experts in the field; • Joining regular work parties clearing vegetation, rebuilding dry stone walls and general maintenance of the canal environment.

The Partnership has a new chairperson—Prof. Christopher May, to drive forward its ambitions locally, regionally and nationally. He takes up his role in January when the partners and other relevant stakeholders will come together for an externally facilitated discussion to develop a five-year vision for the partnership that will help focus its activity and attract new funding. It will focus the partnership’s goals on achievable solutions that link into wider infrastructure and active transport networks in the region. Robin Yates 9

Lancaster Canal Trust Report of the November working party at the Milness yard taken from Robin Yates’ December Bulletin**

Saturday saw a team make serious inroads into the overgrown yard. It is not surprising it was so badly overgrown really given that all our efforts over the summer had been focused on the First Furlong and ‘nature’ had taken the opportunity of recolonise the area! They strimmed the entire site and started work on the perimeter walls. Waterwitch was barely visible across the space before the team got going! The Sunday team continued this work and thanks to Chas “the new boy on the block” for the following report.

On Sunday, November 14th, I joined the intrepid volunteers working on tidying up the Trust’s Millness Depot. Arriving a little late, I found Robin, David and Bob already hard at work clearing weeds, moss and brambles. The Saturday gang had done a tremendous job of clearing, cutting and raking the weeds and grass into piles and bags for us to deal with. The weather was a glorious, sunny, warm autumn day as we set about our tasks with aging enthusiasm. At this point, I made my first small error of the day. I volunteered to work alongside Robin on the brambles near the wall. These brambles were so large that normal thick gloves did not keep the barbs completely at bay. I got the last one out of my finger days later! Robin was determined to clear the vegetation from the bridge wall along to the juniper bushes and manfully took on the initial cutting stage whilst sitting down on the bank! Then the brambles were passed to me for cutting up into the old builder’s bags. Slowly the wall began to emerge and real progress was being made by all of us. Robin called coffee break which was welcomed by all. After a short spell of chatter, slurping and munching, we returned to our tasks.

Volunteering with the trust has many pleasant aspects, but none are better than the snack/lunch breaks when the chat revolves around the experiences of folk. This Sunday was no exception. In the warm sunshine and on makeshift seating using the trailer, we tucked into our drinks, sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and soup with glee. Conversation ranged far and wide which was very enlightening for me, the new boy, as the other 3 knew each other well. I found out that Bob was from the Hull area which I knew well as I attended university there for 4 years in the 60s. Happy memories were exchanged. David and Bob were beavering away on their own projects. David was tackling the weeds around the large tyres and stones close to the canal. Bob was unearthing the tarmac close to the store and the entrance gate. What a fantastic change they made. I wonder when some of these places had last seen the light of day! Slowly, but surely the old builder’s bags were being filled from the piles of chopped down vegetation waiting a decision of what to do with them! This was revealed to me later in the afternoon.

After lunch, Robin and I achieved our goal by reaching as far as the juniper bushes. The entanglement with brambles and nettles was very rewarding as the stonework was revealed. Slight hic-cup when a small, loose piece of stone struck Robin on the shoulder as he tugged at a resistant briar. I only uttered a small amount of sympathy as he was sitting down on the job at the time. It was around this time that another small consequence of working closely with the Trust Chairman and Bulletin editor was revealed. Chat about trust matters and a compliment to the editor on the excellence of the magazine brought forth the subtle remark, “Why don’t you write an article about your time here today?” The seed was sown with a smile and lots of positive encouragement, hence this effort. It was now the time to reveal what was going to happen to this pile of vegetable matter. Composting. A site was chosen after a 3-way debate between Robin, David and Bob. The NE corner of the plot was chosen, behind the tyres and close to the remaining bushes. The lads then set about the task of pulling and emptying the bags to make a wonderful vegetation habitat for the little beasts of the site. Very environmentally friendly gesture! Meanwhile, I was tidying up all the loose bits for the compost and tackling some stubborn ash roots with 12

the mattock. The roots were no match for me and “matty”. Robin then cemented in stone my involvement in article writing and canal volunteering when said chairman/editor proposed at 3.30pm to take us all to the Crooklands Arms for a pint! What a grand chappie Robin is. Tools were put away with haste, doors locked, boots exchanged for shoes and dirty coats for something a little more presentable. And off we set to the pub for a lovely pint and further chat about this and that.

Finally, I would like to say as “the new boy on the block”, what a lovely group of folk I have met on the work parties and Waterwitch days. You are all so interesting and different that it makes for a rich variety of experiences. I look forward to many more days of volunteering in both spheres of Canal Trust operation. A lesson I have learnt is that my muscles are getting older by the day and I must not listen to my brain telling me that I am only middle aged!! Remember the canal ebbs and flows with the elements at its own gentle pace. So must we. Charles Mathews

The other important achievement to report is the successful sealing of the stop planks at Stainton—Peter’s masterpiece! **To receive the monthly bulletin contact Robin Yates at robin@phonecoop.coop

Leeds & Liverpool Canal breach between Rishton & Church Original CRT Navigation Restriction Notice 10/10/21 A closure to navigation and towpath is required between Bridges 109 (New Barn Bridge) and 110 (Aspen Bridge) on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Rishton, while our engineers investigate significant leakage through the bed of the canal. Due to the volume of water loss, please be advised that water levels between Barrowford Bottom Lock (No.51) and Blackburn Top Lock (No.52) may be affected and lower than normal. We advise against unnecessary travel through this area until repairs have been completed.

Update on 11/10/2021: Our teams have been working throughout the night to try and stabilise the significant leak between Bridges 109 & 110. Unfortunately, during the early hours of this morning the canal bank has breached. Dams are currently being installed onsite and our teams are organising a method of repair, including pumps to be able to pump water over the affected area to maintain a feed to the lower section of the canal. To help conserve water in the surrounding areas, the following Lock Flights are closed: Barrowford Locks, Blackburn Locks, Johnsons Hillock, Wigan Flight. 14

Update on 12/10/2021: The dams have been successfully installed on site to isolate the breach between Bridges109 &110. We have worked with fishery management specialists to carry out a fish rescue from the isolated de-watered section of the canal and the immediate flood area on the route to Hyndburn Brook. Our teams are working together to utilise the existing water resources. We have to be able to manage the levels along the canal and whilst water levels are taking a little longer to recover on the Blackburn side, we are pleased to see the water levels towards Burnley slowly returning to normal operating levels. Thanks for looking after We will be installing a pumping scheme to keep the water flowing along to the lower the fish

sections of the canal and hope to have this installed by next week. To keep a safe working environment, the towpath closure will extend from Bridge 109 to Bridge 112, Church Kirk Changeline. Once we have stabilised the water supply, we will be able to determine if we can open the closed lock flights to limited operation.

Note the pipeline in the background to transfer water round the breach. 1200 metres of pipe were needed

Update on 18/10/2021: Works to pump water to the Backburn section of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal over the breach between Bridges 110 &109, are underway. Whilst more equipment is needed, over the weekend we took delivery of 540m of pipe and partially laid onsite. More equipment will be arriving over the next 2 days, and we expect to be pumping water past the breach towards the end of this week. Additional pumps were also brought in over the weekend to help raise the section of canal towards Burnley. Once the water supply has been stabilised, we will be able to determine if we can open the closed lock flights to limited operation. Our teams continue to remove debris from site which will allow us to further investigate the area and help determine the repairs and timescale required

Update on 19/10/2021: We are pleased to advise that the water levels have stabilised on the Burnley stretch of the canal and the Barrowford Lock Flight has reopened . Update on 22/10/2021: Our teams have been working hard over the last few days to stabilise the water levels in the immediate area on both sides of the breach. In addition to Barrowford Locks re-opening earlier this week, using our emergency abstraction powers to pump water from Knuzden Brook, limited resources from Rishton Reservoir, and with a little help from the rain, we were able to raise the levels on the 6 mile stretch from Rishton to Blackburn to allow assisted passage through Blackburn Locks to all boats that wished to leave the affected section of the canal. All 1,200 metres of pipes have been laid out and are supported in place to enable us to pump water over the breach. A crane is onsite today to lift the pumps into the canal at Bridge 110 and are now providing a sustained and sufficient feed to the Blackburn section of the canal and beyond. 16

Whilst Blackburn Locks will remain closed to navigation, we are pleased to advise that Johnson’s Hillock and the Wigan Flight will be open daily from 8am tomorrow.

Update on 05/11/2021: Our teams have secured access to the site of the breach via our neighbouring landowners and have now started site compound preparation works, together with access to the works area. We aim to have access established over the next coming weeks with a trackway constructed over the neighbouring fields to the damaged section of the embankment. Update on 03/12/2021: Our teams have now established a working site compound adjacent to the site of breach between Bridges 109 and 110. together with access across the fields to the works area.

Works have commenced to break through the damaged embankment and to create access tracks for our contractors to construct more secure dams each side of the breach. This will allow our contractors to excavate the remainder of the damaged area in a safer and more secure environment. These should be in place by the end of this month. Outline designs for the repair are well developed and most structural works are currently in the detailed design stage in preparation to order materials ready for the new year. A further update will be provided Friday 7 January. The above navigation restriction notices from CRT have been edited to remove repetition . I have published them as a way of illustrating the amount of work involved in dealing with a serious breach. Apologies to those of you who already receive these CRT emails. Ed 17

Finsley Gate Wharf, Burnley A restaurant, bar and café have been opened in the former BWB maintenance yard on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. £3.20 for an Americano and a slice of cake struck me as very reasonable. (No, I’m not getting commission but there’s a thought... Ed)

Nice spot to watch the boats go by assuming there’s enough water.

Looking the other way from the photo on the previous page is the ‘straight mile’ across the Burnley Embankment which leads you to Thompson Park. (See what I’ve done there?) →

Below is an extract from the Autumn 1979 edition of TPT, a link with the previous pages.

it narrow boats were willing to compete even though they were offered a class of their own. It is significant that the smallest craft 'Nomad' took first place.

ver the wharf. An informal and enjoyable evening was held, draw.

(with whom

organised

Williams appropriately from the pulpit of ‘ Z i g e u n e r ’ . We

offered

Alliance a

problem of not having

more than 12 passengers per boat!

animent to the hymns. guests with the band playing but not as

the procession set off

side by side would never negotiate the narrows and told us so with much gesticulation!!

Mayor of Burnley future.

harf. We h

also

hopes to raise£5000 for Burnley Hospitals. David Smith

Ribble Link

a few miles below the dock gates. short length

The Wonders of the Internet from Christine Cameron of the LCA I received a request to find the location of the narrowboat ‘Spectre’ from a previous owner. In 1987, the enquirer and his father fitted out a Gary Gorton 57 foot steel shell. In 1999 his father passed away and the boat was sold. The enquirer was aware that the boat had moved to the Scottish Canals in 2017 and in spite of spending some time searching for her whereabouts, the Spectre had apparently vanished, as ghostly spectres have a habit of doing. The enquiry was passed to the Lowland Canal Association (LCA), a mixed bag of super sleuths, boaters and other ne’er do wells. After a brainstorming exercise and numerous messages along the water telegraph, the mysterious Spectre was found well and hearty, still on the Forth and Clyde Canal in the marina at Kirkintilloch. She had indeed come up to the Lowland Canals in 2017. Her first few years were spent on a residential mooring in Applecross basin. The couple who then owned her sold her on to new owners after 18months and moved to warmer climes on the Iberian Peninsula. Spectre then moved to the Kirkintilloch basin where she has remained ever since. She is on a leisure mooring and her present owners use her as a retreat from the stresses of demanding jobs. There is a story that when she moved to Kirkintilloch her owners took part in a TV programme about owning a Chateau in France and doing it up. In the Chateau grounds there was a lake with a narrowboat which the owners rented out. During lockdown, the present owners of the Spectre were part of the programme along with the couple in France. They were able to make new replacement blinds as well as a self-irrigating planter for the roof of Spectre. Present and previous owners are now able to swap Spectre stories. The photo is Spectre as she is today, with self-irrigating planter . 24

Some of the rally plaques we have for sale on our sales stand at social meetings or contact the editor for a direct sale. No reasonable offer refused.. 25

All Party Parliamentary Waterways Group These meetings are hosted by IWA and chaired by the MP Michael Fabricant. All MPs are invited to attend and also some IWA members and other waterways people. . In hosting these meetings IWA is reaching out to a wide audience to promote the waterways and of course this will improve the prestige of IWA. The first meeting I attended as your branch chair was held in the House of Commons and was well attended, the location was prestigious, and I enjoyed the trip to London as well as meeting with waterways people. However that was just before Covid put an end to such things and since then there have been 2 meetings held by zoom which I have attended. Meetings by zoom may not have quite the same excitement as attending the House of Commons but they are much easier to attend, more people can be invited and I assume costs are not as high. The subjects covered and the speakers invited are of course just as interesting as they would be in a live meeting. It is to the credit of IWA that these meetings have continued during the pandemic. . The focus of the first Zoom meeting on the 14 th September was moving freight on the waterways. The speakers included David Lowe who spoke to our branch meeting in September and John Pomfret. They spoke about the benefits of moving more freight on to the waterways, including environmental benefits; boats last longer than lorries and use less fuel per ton of goods carried and there is also the potential for using more green fuel. Properly managed there should be little or no impact on leisure boating and there is the opportunity for some quick wins. There is a need for investment and a change in mindset but it can be done. We also had speakers from Strathclyde University, Dr Terzier and Dr Tezdogan who talked about decarbonising the waterways.

The 2nd meeting was on the 23rd of November and the subject was the possibility of using waterways for water transfer. There are some water authorities who are looking into this and there is great potential. When moving water from one area to another why build an underground pipeline with all the associated environmental and infrastructure costs when there are opportunities to move water by using existing waterways. There will be infrastructure costs associated with that of course and problems to be overcome but again it can be done. To find out more look at www.ofwat.gov.uk/RAPID. I very much enjoyed attending the 2 APPWG meetings and it was pleasing to see so many people who are interested in the waterways. I hope to attend future meetings. Wendy Humphreys Planning Report Unfortunately our recently appointed Planning Officer has had to resign from the committee for personal reasons. This a shame as he was just starting to get to know us and used to working with us. So we now need a new planning officer! The role requires someone who can check local planning applications for us where they have the potential to impact on the waterways; to report his or her findings to the committee and where appropriate, to respond to applications. In the absence of a planning officer I have been keeping an eye on applications and have responded to some. Members of the committee have helped as well and offered to continue doing so but we really need a dedicated planning officer. So if you have a little time to spare and want to help us why not get in touch and we can talk more about the role. Wendy

First live social event this year On Wednesday 29th of September our branch held our first live social meeting since our AGM in February 2020. Our guest speaker was David Lowe from the Commercial Boat Owners Association and he talked to us about how he became interested in canals and canal boats; how he developed his business and the friends he made along the way as well as some of the boats he had owned. The talk featured Apollo, his first boat which he still owns. David had lots of interesting photographs from the time spanning his career. We had 17 people there, all members of IWA and they all enjoyed the evening. We have seen some but not all of the members over the last 19 months— at various zoom meetings and one or two outside events and many of them had joined in our zoom webinars, but it was so good to see people getting together and socialising once more.

One member expressed his thanks for the way the branch and Head Office had kept things going for members during the pandemic and others agreed with him. The meeting was held at our new venue and we took lots of Covid precautions including a well ventilated room, not sure how that will go down in January, please bring coats! (No problem, now on Zoom Ed)

←Ruth in charge of our Covidsecure sales

Our speaker for the October meeting was Carrie House. This was Carrie’s swan song as her time as project officer for the Heritage Lottery-funded Community Engagement Project was about to finish. Carrie described the various initiatives that she had started including the dry stone walling course, Explorer Scouts clearing vegetation (complete with special badge) and much more. In November Jonathan Smith gave his personal view of the Waterway Recovery Group based on his many years of active volunteering and the various posts he has held. A recurring theme was how WRG has steadily become more professional in its approach to restoration not least in health and safety. Some of the photographs of the early days were hair-raising, especially as we know some of the activities we now regard as foolhardy were never recorded. (Although to be fair the safety record has been very good.) See pages 38 & 39 for details of forthcoming social meetings and webinars. At the time of writing the omicron variant has forced us to hold the January meeting as a webinar, who knows about the rest? 29

And in December we had our Christmas meal at the Hoghton Arms , very good food and excellent company. Just before Omicron got going in earnest. Well done Wendy for organising it. We were provided with crackers containing party hats and the obligatory terrible jokes. They did not contain the usual little plastic bits and pieces. Instead, in order to reduce plastic pollution (it said), they included a voucher for £5 off a meal at that pub in January. That struck me as a good idea but cute marketing by Marston’s brewery or what?! As my punishment for page 5 I’ve included this shot of your editor with Dot Hewerdine & Audrey Smith

Philip Garside in deep conversation with Derek Humphreys Mrs G in the background.

IWA LANCASHIRE & CUMBRIA BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The AGM of the IWA Lancashire and Cumbria Branch is to be held at Primrose Gardens, Fleet Street, Chorley PR7 2EE On Wednesday 23rd February 2022 starting at 7:30 pm AGENDA 1: Apologies for absence 2: Present 3: Approval of minutes of the AGM held on 25th February 2021 4: Matters Arising 5: Region Chair’s Report 6: Chair’s Report 7: Treasurer’s Report 8: Election/re-election to the Committee: Under the 3 year rule there are 3 members due for re-election ***************** Applications to join the committee are welcomed Nomination Form – Lancashire & Cumbria Branch Volunteer/ Nominee…………………………………………………….Please print Signed…………………………………………….Date…………………… Address……………………………………………………………………... ……………………………………………………………………………….. ……………………………………………………………………………….. Telephone Numbers: Home………………………………. Mobile………………………………………………………………….. Email……………………………………………………………………

Volunteers / Nominees must be an IWA member of this branch and be in good standing. Please return this form before Monday 14th February 2022 to: Maralyn Nott, Sunnycroft Cottage, Dowbridge, Kirkham, PR4 3 RD or by email to lancsandcumbria@waterways.org.uk or present to the above at the start of the AGM Under the bylaws volunteering/nominations can be accepted from the floor at the AGM 32

UNAUDITED BALANCE SHEET AT 31 DECEMBER 2021 2020 £6,138.46 (£2,314.54)

General Accumulated Funds st

Balance at 1 January

£3,823.92

Surplus (deficit)

£158.69

Balance at 31st December

£3,823.92

Represented by: £3,802.82 Barclays community account £21.10 £3,823.92

2021

£3,982.61 £3,906.81

Cash Total funds

£75.80 £3,982.61

Income & expenditure account for year ended 31 st December Income £47.00 Raffles and sales at branch social £119.00 meetings 0 £187.01 £14.00 £83.00 0

Events & fund raising Donations Sale of IWA goods Sale of plaques From HO for membership recruitment

£331.01

£80.00

Total income Expenditure Social meeting expenses - speakers + room hire

0 £23.02 0 £120.00 £100.00 £362.02

£94.10

£44.00

Annual subscriptions to local canal societies

£44.00

£2,500 £7.32 £11.59

Donations to LCRP Officers’ expenses (postage) 2019 Trailboat Festival Engraving of regional trophies Sales costs: L&L plaques & postage Total expenditure

0 £7.92 £9.40 £14.00

£2.64 £2,645.55 -(£2,314.55)

Surplus or (loss) of income over expenditure 33

£33.91 £203.33 £158.69

IWA – Lancashire and Cumbria Branch Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held by Zoom on Thursday 25th February 2021

1. Apologies: West Kilbride Museum Trust, Sir Robert Atkins, Madeline Dean, Alan Green 2. Present: Wendy Humphreys, Audrey Smith, Janet and Tony Dunning, David Faulkner, Ian Treanor, Maralyn and Jim Nott, Roger Stocker, Paul Rodgers, Russell Moorhouse, Gill and Richard Smith, Bill Knox, Roger and Mrs M Calvert, David Harris, Graham Wright, Mike and Sandra Moon, Malcolm Sterratt, Philip and Clare Garside, Dave Hargreaves, Richard Davies, Stephen Landles, Sandra Purves, John and Dorothy Hewerdine, Jo Allan, Derek Humphreys

3. Minutes of the AGM held on 27 th February 2020 in the St Chad’s Parish Centre, Whittle-le-Woods, Chorley: The minutes were accepted as a true record. Proposed by Tony Dunning, seconded by Jim Nott and agreed without dissent. 4. Matters arising: There were no matters arising. 5. Paul Rodgers: The National Chairman reflected on the last year and the way IWA has adapted to the changed circumstances, thinking about how to do things differently. Paul has been involved in local meetings across the country and met more people through Zoom than would have been possible in person. Although many activities are on hold, a lot is going on and the IWA is focusing on the future, where change can happen and how better to support branches and volunteers with fund raising, finance and campaigns. There is a need to improve communication and for better involvement in decision making and he wants to inspire more people to get involved. He is looking for cross branch/region cooperation – one IWA. He hopes that this 75th anniversary year will be special and asked for ideas. The next meeting of the APPG for the Waterways is next Tuesday, March 2nd. The IWA is looking for new trustees. 6. Region Chair’s report: Sir Robert Atkins was not able to attend the meeting so Tony Dunning read his report. See appendix 1. 34

7: Chairman’s report: See appendix 2 8: Treasurer’s report: See appendix 3. With regard to footnote 2, David explained that the committee can no longer afford to contribute to the support of the LCRP officer and has been looking to IWA HO or local members of LCRP for support. Stephen Landles asked if the branch had a reserve policy to which David replied that it did not but any organisation would want to have reserves to cover normal expenditure. £1000 had been earmarked for mooring rings in Chorley but there has been no progress on those and there are no strings attached to that money. The accounts were accepted, proposed by Audrey Smith and seconded by Tony Dunning and agreed without dissent. 9: Election/re-election to the committee: Under the three year rule Tony Dunning, Jim Nott and Maralyn Nott were due for re-election and were happy to stand again. Janet Dunning and Alan Green had been nominated to stand for the committee and this was accepted with thanks. Proposed by Wendy Humphreys and seconded by John Hewerdine and agreed without dissent.

There being no further business the Chairman closed the meeting at 20.24. Following the meeting Audrey Smith showed three photos from the past and challenged us to identify the year and place they were taken, leading us down memory lane. Wendy had reminded us of the next two webinars, on Scottish canals and sustainable propulsion. She also reminded us that David welcomes any contributions to TPT. Below is a brief summary of appendices 1,2 &3. If you would like to see the full text please contact the editor (see page 2) App 1 Report of Region Chair Sir Robert thanked Wendy and her fellow branch officers for their efforts during the year. Congratulations to the branch for responding so well to the pandemic and keeping in touch with members and others.

A new IWA CEO, Phil Hornsey had been appointed. The national chairman, Paul Rodgers and the Trustees will be developing a new system of governance for the IWA; in order to get closer to the membership to create a more effective and efficient representative and lobbying organisation for the future. We all need to develop closer relationships with other groups that use the waterways and with politicians at all levels, from parish councillors upwards.

App 2 Branch Chair’s report It had been a year dominated by the pandemic. After the social meetings in January and February all other face to face activities had been cancelled. A switch to Zoom meetings and webinars had been successful, attracting more branch members (and others) than attended ‘live’ meetings. Thanks to Head Office and others for training and help in organising webinars plus IWA TV on which you can see recordings. I attended Zoom meetings of the branch committee, NW region committee, LCT, LCRP, CRT users forum.

‘Kennet’ had been awarded the Marsh award following our nomination last year, Audrey and I presented it at the L&LCS AGM in March. Thanks to Sir Robert and to all of the committee and welcome to Ian Treanor as the LCT representative. Thanks to Audrey Smith for managing the L&L plaques. Sad news during the year was the death of Mildred Sadler. We have various ideas for events in 2021 but It was not worth planning anything in detail at this stage. App3 Treasurer’s report The annual accounts were included in the January 2021 TPT. See page 33 for this year’s accounts, the figures for last year are in the LH column.

BRANCH COMMITTEE Chairman

Vice-chairman Secretary Treasurer & Newsletter editor Membership secretary & webmaster

Wendy Humphreys Darwen Tony Dunning Egremont

07763 561572 01254 703553 07730 113894 01946 820875

Maralyn Nott Kirkham David Faulkner Langho

07912 249265 01254 249265

Janet Dunning Egremont Vacant

01946 820875

01257 274440

Sales

Audrey Smith Wheelton Vacant

Social secretary

See chairman

Lancaster Canal Regeneration P’ship

Wendy Humphreys

Leeds and Liverpool Canal Lancaster Canal Trust

Audrey Smith

Environment & Planning Publicity

Committee members

Region Chairman (ex officio)

Ian Treanor Darwen Jim Nott Malcolm Sterratt

Sir Robert Atkins

Email addresses are firstname.surname@waterways.org.uk You can write to us c/o the editor see page 2 Committee positions are confirmed at the first committee meeting after the AGM 37

Lancashire and Cumbria Branch Social Meetings January to April 2022 Our meetings are now held on Wednesdays in the meeting room at Primrose Gardens which is an extra care facility in Chorley, The address is Primrose Gardens, Fleet Street, Chorley, PR7 2EE There is car parking at Fleet St car park which is a directly across the road from the Primrose Gardens and is free after 6.00pm. Post code PR7 2EE. The car park at the venue is for residents only but we can use it to drop off and pick up. The room will be open from 7.00pm and the meetings will start at 7.30. Members should enter the building via the main entrance and are welcome to wait in the lobby if they are a little early.

We will provide tea/coffee and biscuits. Date

Topic

Speaker

Wed 26 Jan

Questions to the IWA National Chair on Zoom

Wed 23 Feb

AGM Followed by a nostalgia evening led by Audrey Smith

Wed 30 March Wed 27 April

IWA Campaigns The L&L Canal between Wigan and Liverpool – construction of the Douglas Navigation, conversion to a canal and later use as a WWII stop-line.

Paul Rodgers who replaces Chris Hudson

Alison Smedley Campaigns manager Bill Froggatt Bill is a Canal and River Trust Heritage Advisor, we have heard him before , his talks are always interesting.

NB The January meeting will now be a webinar due to concerns about the coronavirus. Paul has kindly stepped in and will talk for about 30 minutes looking back on 2021 and forward to 2022. There will then be about 30 minutes for questions—your opportunity to raise anything with the man at the top. (We can go on longer if you wish). We will notify you by email of any other programme changes.. 38

WEBINARS In addition to the live talks we will be having Zoom talks, these will be on Wednesday evenings at 7.30 and we hope that members who are not usually able to attend our live meetings will join us at these. Of course as with our live meetings these Zoom meetings are open to all. To receive an invitation you need to ensure that we have your email address. If we do not already have it send it to Head office or to Wendy to pass on delwendwhm@btinternet.com or you can register via the IWA website, look for our branch events.

Date 12 Jan

Topic Community Moorings Scotland – An Alternative Mooring Strategy

Speaker Dr Alastair Martin treasurer of Community Moorings Scotland, you have read about it in Waterways Autumn 2021, this is your chance to hear more and to ask questions.

9 Feb

Canal Lifts—canal engineers have long sought an alternative to locks to save water and to speed traffic. Peter’s illustrated talk is largely based on his visits to most of the inclined planes and lifts in Europe

Peter Brown was the member of the Council of CRT nominated by the Railway & Canal Historical Society (2012– 19) and is the author of 'The Shropshire Union Canal: from the Mersey to the Midlands and Mid-Wales' which won the Association for Industrial Archaeology’s ‘Book of the Year’ award in 2019

16 Mar

50 years of involvement with the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and looking back over the past 25 years of the L&LCS

Mike Clarke President of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal Society

Diary dates Date

Event

Page

Wednesday 12 Jan ‘22

Branch Zoom meeting 7.30pm Scotland community moorings

Wednesday 26 January

Branch social meeting 7.30pm NOW ZOOM Paul Rodgers

Wednesday 9 February

Branch Zoom meeting 7.30pm Canal lifts

Wednesday 23 February

Branch social meeting 7.30pm AGM

Wednesday 16 March

Branch Zoom meeting 7.30pm L&L Canal & L&LCS

Wednesday 30 March Wednesday 27 April

Branch social meeting 7.30pm IWA Campaigns

Branch social meeting 7.30pm History of L&L Canal Wigan-Liverpool

Any changes and new events will be in the branch news on the IWA website ( waterways.org.uk ) and we will send you an email if we have your email address.