Aegre March 2007

AEGRE

March 2007

N o . 11 6

A special “Grantham on Water” trail-boat edition of the journal of the East Midlands Region of

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Aegre is published Š 2007 by the East Midlands Region Committee of the Inland Waterways Association.

Chairman WRG

John Baylis, 215 Clipstone Road West, Forest Town, Mansfield NG19 0HJ Tel: 01623 621208

Vice-Chairman & Treasurer

Dave Carnell, Conifer Cottage, North End, Goxhill DN19 7JX Tel: 01469 530138

Leicestershire Branch Chairman

Carol McDonald, 1 Goodheart Way, Leicester LE3 3RX Tel: 0116 282 5245

Lincolnshire Branch Chairman Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Branch Chairman South Yorkshire & Dukeries Branch Chairman Secretary

Dave Carnell. Contact address as above.

Region Planning Officer

Nancy Johnson, 37 Eastmoor, Cotgrave, NG12 3NU Tel: 0115 989 9612.

Mavis Paul, 116 Sandygate Road, Crosspool, Sheffield S10 5RZ Tel: 0114 268 3927 Graeme Wade, 9 Swan Drive, Sturton-by-Stow, Lincoln LN1 2EA Tel: 01427 787727.

Mike Snaith, Hawthorne Cottage, 70 Main Street, Gunthorpe, Nottingham NG14 7EU. David Johnson, 37 Eastmoor, Cotgrave, Nottingham NG12 3NU Tel: 0115 989 9612.

Ian McDonald, 1 Goodheart Way, Leicester LE3 3RX Tel: 0116 282 5245

Editor for Aegre:

Peter Hill, 7 Lock Keeper’s Way, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 0GQ Tel: 01507 602713. email: aegre@humbhony.demon.co.uk

Collation & despatch

N&D Branch Members.

Printing

This is the web version

Picture credits:

See page 22. Cover pictures: Wilderness and Sea-Otter being launched into the surroundings of Grantham, with thanks to the two firms involved.

Inland Waterways Association: Registered Office, 3 Norfolk Road, Rickmansworth WD3 1LT. Registered as a Charity No: 212342. Tel: 01923 711114. Fax: 01923 897000 Website: http://www.waterways.org.uk The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the East Midlands Region. They are published as being of interest to our members and other readers.

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AEGRE March 2007

Contents

No. 116

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Colophon

4

The editor’s Bow Button

6

Round the Region with the Chairman

8

Aegre times 2007

8

WRG camps in our region

9 10

Answers to the fun crossword 10 News from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Branch

12

News from Lincolnshire Branch

14

Narrow Boating in the Wash

15

Special Trail Boat Rally Supplement

16

Preparations at Grantham

19

NB Corvus handed over

20

Never tried trail boating?

22 22 23

Towpath Tidy week Picture Credits News from Leicestershire Branch

24

A Basset and a Boat to Burgundy

28

River Witham and the Great Northern Railway

32

News from South Yorkshire and the Dukeries

33

Picture puzzle - just for fun 11

34

Canal Societies and Trusts in the Region

35

Regional Diary Dates

Next issue to be published in early July 2007. Contributions to the editor by the end of May 2007 please.

The space on the right is for local contact information.

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The Editor’s Bow Button And there - I had planned a quiet time over the winter, doing odd maintenance jobs and even going to the theatre or a concert or some such. Then we had the alarming situation of the DEFRA cuts and the world-wide climate worries, etc., etc.

I'm not going to comment on these things here; others have already done that in national and local publications, and John has reviewed the situation in his notes later. Just one point however on the protests. I have seen a few of the replies by MPs to some of the letters written by our members and others, and I have to wonder whether our representatives in Westminster have a standard kit, issued to them on joining, of bland and meaningless reply letters to keep on their computers, and sent by a secretary using the "Mail Merge" button on their machine.

Looking forward more cheerfully, the plans for the 2007 Trail-boat festival are going well, with BW work-boats already on the canal as I write, and I have tried to give plenty of coverage to this major event for our region in a set of "pull-out supplement" pages. Apart from our usual reports from around the region, and diary dates for the future, can I ask members to give some thought to a few issues which normally get dismissed as "boring".

Perhaps they are, but important as well to your own IWA. There has been a request out for some time for your comments and feelings on the organisation and the ways it communicates with members. Questions have been raised about Region and Branch functions and effectiveness, and the value of regional magazines such as this one. I was surprised to learn that the cost of the "Waterways" magazine, a very professional looking affair sent to all members, was about ÂŁ36,000 a year while the total cost of regional magazines and newsletters was about ÂŁ25,000 a year with a quality described as "variable"! Unfortunately I don't see other regional journals (I do wonder why not) so I can't comment on their quality, but as this is an appropriate place for it, I quote the Association's options, for which they are asking reactions from you, the members: 1

2

Reduce the frequency of Waterways to two issues per annum (but it is seen as a benefit by many members, and may therefore be perceived as reduced value for membership subscription, and therefore lost members).

Reconsider the content (and style) of Waterways (but that might require new people to write the content).

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3

4

5

6

7 8

9

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Reduce the range of branch and region magazines to a much smaller number, produced to a higher standard – possible amalgamations to cross region boundaries, so that only the enthusiastic and skilled editors remained.

Invest greater resources in branch and region magazines to improve further their frequency and standard of presentation (but is there any benefit in better quality printing if they are so out-of-date? – and would only the good ones improve, so that it would be even more a matter of which branch a member belonged to as to whether they got a decent local publication?)

Stop all local and regional publications (unless locally self-financing), and spend the money to produce a printed magazine (whether or not like Waterways) to members every 8 weeks or so.

Invest greater resources in the web site, on the basis that it is the only medium with which we are likely to reach non-members in any great number, and therefore assist recruitment.

Invest greater resources in more electronic mailings of up-to-the minute news and reporting of IWA activities.

Ask people who receive printed Head Office Bulletin to pay for it (but that would reduce its circulation and create costs in accounting for the payment income and asking for more money every year, and might create some bad feeling from members without e-mail).

Actively participate in, or set up news groups for e-mail chat (but this would only reach a small minority who are, perhaps, already well catered for in other ways).

Members may also wish to consider whether there are sufficient means for individual members, branch officers, and corporate members to communicate to national officers, Council and elsewhere within the organisation. Prompted by the current structure review, some branches have expressed the opinion that communicating up the pyramidal structure is not easy.

Well, there it is - open for comments. Please respond if you possibly can

by April 30th 2007 by e-mail to: communications.review@waterways.org.uk, or by post to Head Office (address on our inside front cover) marked ‘Communications Review’. Equally, I am happy to collect and pass on comments - and I promise not to suppress any that say "region magazines are rubbish".

Just one technical input from me. Once upon a time the product of your local jobbing printer was not very exciting. Nowadays, with improvements in technology and the machinery, it is really not too difficult to find someone locally, even in smaller towns, who can produce excellent results, and we have seen this in some of the material sent in to 'Aegre' for review. The only enemy of a reasonable price for good quality is the short run.

Best wishes to all, Peter.

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Round the Region with the Chairman First of all my congratulations to Royston Torrington on achieving his ninetieth birthday. Royston was a member of IWA Council from the 1960s up to the reorganization into Regions and Branches in 1974. Royston led for the IWA on campaigns for the Derby and Erewash canals, and for forty years has been Chairman and then President of the Erewash Canal Preservation & Development Association. He was not so successful with the Derby Canal but became a keen supporter of the first Cromford Canal Society, and for many years assisted the horse boat operation from Cromford Wharf to High Peak Junction. The ECP&DA hosted a get-together in Sandiacre Cottage of most of the remaining workers from the early restoration of the Erewash Canal.

The campaign against waterway funding cuts by Defra has made a substantial impression on government, and has involved the support of almost half of all the MPs in the House of Commons. Although it has not so far achieved a reversal of the funding cuts, it has at least stopped any further cuts.

Our National Chairman John Fletcher has appeared on television, national radio and in many newspapers, and David Stevenson and Roger Squires have appeared on national radio several times, including the event at Foxton at the end of November. Other events around the country achieved a great deal of publicity, with events in Birmingham, Manchester and elsewhere gaining national coverage. The campaign cruise on the Thames also achieved excellent publicity, but the Minister is still resisting, and unfortunately gives the impression that he thinks the waterways are only for boaters, who should expect to pay more. Fortunately our campaign is enjoying good support at both a national and local level from many other users who do not pay directly.

Again there was good reporting on TV and radio with IWA vice-president David Suchet appearing with others. I was pleased to see that Bob Laxton (MP for Derby South) and Tony Baldry (former waterway minister whom I met in the 1990s) both supported the cruise on the Thames. There was also a whole series of events around the country over the weekend March 3rd and 4th.

IWA commissioned a report on its internal organisation and effectiveness early in 2006; some suggested changes are still under consideration whilst most of the straightforward ones have already been implemented. The main contentious area is the perceived need to reduce the number of trustees (Council members) from 24 to about ten, which would not leave room for the region chairmen as at present. The Association is currently undertaking a Page 6

consultation on the region and branch structure and I feel that the region committee may well soon disappear. Unlike me, many feel that modern communication methods, particularly e-mail, have replaced the need for some face-to-face meetings. As a member of Sheffield Branch Committee in 1974 I was involved in the discussions which brought about regions and branches.

We suggested the creation of East Midlands Region to Council, and the idea was approved.

I think we made the right decision and that East Midlands Region has worked well. I will be disappointed to see regions go. The result of the increase in council members was because of Council’s decision to have more nationally elected members than region chairmen. Council has become too large and perhaps too introspective. The view during the 1980s was that regions were too large hence the creation of four new regions. I cannot see that the present thinking of recombining branches into larger areas or revising region boundaries will be effective.

Peter Hill has concentrated on the revision of publications in his editorial.

Since he took over last year Peter has done an excellent job and I think that Aegre is one of the top region magazines. Ian McDonald also does an excellent job with Winding Ways for Leicestershire Branch, which is possibly the top branch magazine. However it would be difficult for the other three branches in East Midlands to do a similar publication for their members. I think that, at least in the short term, we must continue with Aegre for all IWA members in the East Midlands Region. I am far from convinced that an electronic publication would be as accessible to, or as much appreciated by, the members as the present black & white version. Nor would much of the local material published in local magazines ever be published nationally or in time for the event. I hope that funding might well continue and an informal arrangement could be made for continued publication.

These are my views – it is important that you have your say too. The consultations are available at www.waterways.org.uk/Library/IWAConsultations - or ask Head Office if you would like printed copies posted to you.

John Baylis Page 7

Aegre, Aegir, Eagre, Haygir...

No, I’m not sure how you really ought to spell it either, but it is a fascinating phenomenon, and we are most grateful to the Environment Agency for their predictions for the coming year. These times are for Gainsborough, and are adjusted for the change from GMT to BST, but it can be up to thirty minutes earlier depending on possible strong winds, for example. Just to put it in context, the equinoxes are at March 21st and September 23rd, with a new moon on March 19th and a full moon on September 26th. We have included only the larger occurrences, as some are not really perceptible. Stockwith should be about 20 minutes earlier than Gainsborough, and Owston Ferry about 45 minutes earlier. For more details EA have a very useful leaflet giving some of the folklore and recommended viewing places, like Derrythorpe, Gainsborough itself, Morton, Stockwith, Owston and East Ferry, and Susworth. PH.

Date March 20th March 21st March 22nd April 18th April 19th August 30th August 31st September 1st September 28th September 29th September 30th October 27th October 28th

Time 19:09 19:50 20:33 19:47 20:32 08:12 08:50 09:30 07:44 08:25 09:07 07:20 07:05

Forecast Extra Large Extra Large Large Large Large Large Large Large Extra Large Extra Large Large Large Large

WRG camps in our region.

Do you fancy a bit of mud-plugging or tree-bashing with a good objective? The WRG are having several camps in our region this year, and support would be greatly appreciated. Here are the dates on the right, and no doubt John or any of our Region Committee would be pleased to advise on how best to help, or check www.wrg.org.uk, or write to the WRG at the same address as the IWA main office, see page 2.

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JUST FOR FUN PUZZLE SPOT 11 It is time to give the crossword a rest for the time being. It has been replaced by a photographic challenge on page 33 - well known locations with a distorted image. I have started with a couple of readily recognised sites; over the next few months these will become more difficult to identify. I hope you enjoy this feature, good luck. The answers are below, upside down. Play fair!

Here, to conclude the crossword series, are the answers to “Just for fun� number 10.

Malcolm Fielding.

ACROSS: 1 Corn; 3 Bath; 6 Barmy; 7 Acids; 10 Preston; 14 Salt; 15 Don; 16 Tugs; 19 Western; 22 Gates; 23 Sloop; 24 Dane; 25 Nest.

DOWN: 1 Coal; 2 Rimers; 4 Anchor; 5 Hide; 8 Ramsden; 9 Bristol; 11 Stort; 12 Old; 13 Run; 17 Severn; 18 Tralee; 20 Sand; 21 Rolt.

Knipton Feeder repairs

28 July to 4 August - Killamarsh on the Chesterfield 4 August to 11 August - Grantham 4 August to 11 August - Sleaford 11 August to 18 August - Sleaford again.

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News from Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Branch From Nancy Johnson I wish you all a happy New Year and hope that everyone enjoyed the festive season. By the time you read this I suppose most people will have forgotten what happened. We had a really good social evening at the Rushcliffe Arena on December 15th.

We were entertained by Mick & Carole Golds showing slides of how the restoration of the Erewash Canal was achieved during the 1970’s. Many thanks for all who brought food and raffle prizes to make the evening a great success. Your committee members also splashed out on a further Christmas “get together” at Tom Browns Restaurant in Gunthorpe. This was a working cum social gathering when we could all have a few bevvies and speak our minds.

On December 16th we joined the Committee meeting of our Restoration Committee at Cotgrave Place Golf Club. This is the meeting that decides the merits of applications for funding.

In the afternoon we were guests of the Grantham Canal Partnership and the GCRS looking at the possible routes for the canal to re-enter the River Trent near Holme Pierrepont.

At our social evening on January 19th John Lower from the Chesterfield Canal Society delivered a most entertaining and informative presentation of slides describing the progress of the restoration on the Chesterfield Canal. This must surely be a “blue print” for every restoration society to see and to follow.

The Derby & Sandiacre Canal team are still working on Borrowash Early in November we were Bottom Lock, where work is still approached by John Hess of BBC East needed on the gate recesses. Derby Midlands Today. He had heard of the City Council has donated 600 whips cuts in budget due to be made to to plant in the hedgerow at Wilmot.

Environment Agency and British Work is also being done with the Waterways and wished to know our Derbyshire Wildlife Trust to make life views. We did better than just give our more comfortable for a family of views and ended up with quite a water voles along the Draycott Ditch. comprehensive programme to include A 30 year old book that was written myself, Dick Saint, one of members by a student has recently been from Colwick Marina, Ivor Caplan rediscovered. It may be possible to and Sir John Soulsbury all venting our update the book and to re-publish it. disgust at DEFRA’s inept handling of The website for the Derby & the situation.

Sandiacre Canal has changed Page 10

significantly over the last few weeks; perhaps it’s time for another look.

complex application forms and have a “nose” for funding sources.

Several vacancies for keen volunteers are advertised by the Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society; are you keen enough to give them a try?

Which one fits your CV best:Retired/Career Break Police Officer: - To write a Community Safety Design to ensure that we do not build into the restoration opportunities for offending and can address some of the problems that already exist on the route.

Retired/Career Break Teacher: To work with Local Education Authorities and to liaise with schools and colleges to present opportunities for students to engage in canal related projects.

Linear Park Ranger: - Volunteer to build relationships with other likeminded groups and to foster good relations with neighbourhoods and communities along the canal route.

Small Grants and Fund Raising Officer: - To work alongside the committee to search out and apply for funding. Should be able to complete

Forthcoming events for your diary for the Cromford Canal look interesting. A working party will be held on March 10th & 11th , phone 0115 963 5113 to join, and their AGM at Ironville Church Hall is on Monday March 26th .

Several members have had encouraging replies to letters from Members of Parliament, regarding the budget cut to British Waterways. I only hope that it is not all politicians’ jargon.

Although we seem to be having a boom time for canal restoration it would seem that the Government and British Waterways are determined to make boating an exclusive pastime and not to be included in their cry of “access for all”. We have the end of tax free diesel, electricity charges from 4.2 pence to 7.3 pence, pump-out charges from £6.30 to £12.10. And as this all goes on, my pension gets worth less by the day. Anyone want to buy a boat?

It must be true - I read it in "Metro" Quote: Barge sailors have the right to demand a drink from any pub in Ware, Hertfordshire, at any time of day or night. This right was granted by Charles II after bargees kept London supplied with food during the plague.

(Oct. 27, 2006) Has anyone tried it?

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News from the Lincolnshire Branch From Dave Carnell Lincolnshire Waterways Partnership. We are very pleased to note that Mary Powell of the Partnership has been made MBE. A well deserved award.

A funding bid of ÂŁ250,000 for improvements to the Fossdyke Lincoln moorings has been approved.

The works are to demolish an old facilities block in the BW yard, and build new amenities to include toilets, showers, laundry, refuse disposal and a boater-operated pump-out . There will also be a dedicated public access route through the depot with improved disabled access with low level ambient lighting.

At the Boston end of the Fenland Link most of the monies to recreate a connection between the tidal Boston Haven and the South Forty Foot Drain are confirmed. To qualify for this funding the project has to be completed by 2008.

At the other end of the Fenland Link major road works to the A1073 (Spalding to Peterborough) road are to go ahead, for completion this financial year. This road crosses the proposed route of the waterway. Due to the lead partner of the Link failing to identify this, works DO NOT make any provision for a bridge. To design such a crossing is time consuming and would mean the funding offer had expired. The words of the present Home Secretary spring to mind.

River Ancholme. The final stages of the extensive works on the tidal lock with the River Humber, at South Ferriby, are being carried out over the winter period. This will mean a prolonged closure of the navigation to allow new gate paddles to be fitted.

Renewing the original ground paddles is considered a major insurmountable Health and Safety issue. The official opening of the Brandy Wharf slipway and facilities block will take place this spring.

Louth Navigation Trust. The future of the Trust headquarters, at the restored navigation warehouse, have been under threat due to the owners, Groundwork Lincolnshire, demanding a commercial rent despite the Heritage funders having stipulated that their accommodation was to be free. A new executive officer has been appointed to G W L to put it back on a sound financial footing. He recognises the Trust's rights and is seeking legal advice to transfer the lease to the Trust, who are confident that rents from the upper occupied floors will make it commercially viable.

Sleaford Navigation Trust. With confirmation of funding for a new foot bridge, slipway and winding hole much time has been spent on planning the works. Lincolnshire Highways Technical Services are to manage the

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bridge project, including the diversion of a water and electricity supply. The Trust and Waterways Recovery Group will carry out the works on the slipway and winding hole. Proposals for these works have been discussed at meetings with the Town Council and District Council Planning Officer and formal applications are to be submitted shortly.

At a Christmas Arts and Crafts Fayre the Navigation House was visited by around two hundred people who examined “Roses and Castle” ware painted by Penny Carnell. The proposed bridge design drawing received many favourable comments.

Kyme Eau is the official name of the waterway entrance to the River Slea. For many years there has existed a small mooring association, who have leased the banks from the EA. During 2006 they lost the lease of one bank and the rent on the other was

increased several fold; this was then followed by an order to quit by the end of 2006.

IWA members affected by this sought our advice and contested the issue. It appears that once again the various factions of the EA do not talk to each other. New staff in their Estates Department are to meet with the users and agree the re-instatement of the other bank moorings and adjustment of fees.

Brayford Trust. The meeting of October 3rd 2006 appointed officers for a User Group. Due to no business being conducted by the Executive Board little else was discussed. The exception was that funding of £150,000 had been delayed due to concerns of the Swan Society over the effects of dredging and installation of new floating moorings on the wild life.

A date of November 15th was set when it was anticipated the Executive would have met. This was later cancelled due to one of the Executive Members not responding to the invitation. No future dates are known at the time of writing.

British Waterways User Group.

The annual group meeting was on the 21st November. Amongst items discussed were: Security lighting at Saxilby not working -

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(bulb replacement requires scaffolding and is in the work schedule.)

The condition of the Public/Boater Toilets at Saxilby.

These are maintained by West Lindsey D.C. - (I have since contacted the Saxilby Parish Clerk who will progress the complaints re cleanliness, fitting of "engaged" bolts and mechanical door closers.)

To overcome the shortage of winter moorings caused by the EA's insistence on boats vacating Boston moorings it is proposed to offer the new Bardney and Fiskerton sites.

This was discussed and objections to such use of the Fiskerton nature reserve moorings were noted.

Maintenance works were delayed due to the crane boat requiring repair.

Winter working hours for lock keepers, 6 hours between 0700 and

1700 hrs to meet the tides, had been tested at West Stockwith. It was proposed to extend this to Torksey, commencing in the New Year.

Boston Lock Keeping. Richard Noble, Customer Operations Manager, apologised for misunderstandings that had arisen about booked passages through Grand Sluice. He asked that any further problems should be directed to BW Newark Office.

Volunteer safety was discussed with contributions from Steve Hayes, Dave Carnell (IWA) and Mike Bools (TBA), all being concerned at the inconsistency between BW regions.

Vince Moran of BW acknowledged there was more variation than is appropriate and was looking into ways of ensuring consistency.

Dave Carnell.

Narrow Boating in the Wash John and Chris Meredith are planning to take their tug-style narrow boat ‘Kano’ (60’ long) into the Wash mid-2007, intending to go from Boston to the Rivers Welland and Glen, and returning to Boston over a period of four to five days in the window 14 to 19 May, and Boston to Wisbech over one long day in the window 31 May to 05 June.

They have planned the details thoroughly including safety equipment such as 150N lifejackets, life-rings with a minimum of 10m of line, anchors, flares and VHF radio. The plan even covers insurance cover for a pilot.

‘Kano’ is also planning to attend the Sleaford Navigation Trust Festival at South Kyme and to navigate the Delphs and Becks off the Witham in the period after the festival. They would be interested to hear from any boaters in the area who might be able to meet them in any of the ports or mooring places.

John and Chris can be contacted on 01858 468434, but will be away for some of the time before their trip.

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Aegre 116 - Trail-boat Supplement

Most members will know that one of the major inland waterway events of the year will take place on the Grantham Canal this May. To bring everyone up-to-date with this, even if they live at the other end of the region, we have a special edition of Aegre, with this "pull-out supplement" on the event, and trailing in general. We are most grateful to all who have contributed, including Wilderness Boats of Corsham, Sea Otter Boats of Staveley, the Wilderness Boat Owners Club (WBOC) and the National Trailer and Towing Association (NTTA) as well as of course the members of the Grantham Canal Partnership and the team working on the event.

0115 953 1153, John Brydon on 01949 851711 would all be pleased to hear from you and suggest the best way you could help.

This really is a lovely part of the country, once you get away from the roar of the traffic on the A1. I would recommend a visit even if not bringing a boat or tent. Just one personal hint. The traffic in Grantham town is not a thing to be joyful about, particularly with a trailer, but all the sites of the rally are west of the A1 and in quiet countryside, and easily accessible from the A52 to the north and the A607 to the south.

If you are not familiar with the area, the Denton Slip can be found on As always, volunteers are needed your OS map at TK866343 and the to help with all aspects of the Rutland Arms pub at TK842351. Also preparations and on the week-end worth a visit is nearby Belvoir castle, itself, and I make no apology for normally open to visitors from 11 to repeating this request. If you feel you 5, but closed on Fridays and Mondays could help in any way please give one except Bank Holidays. For those into of the team a call. Dave Carnell on folk music, there is also an event the 01469 530138, Chris Tizzard on previous week-end, May 19-20.

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Preparations on the Grantham Canal

The announcement that our Trail Boat Festival is to be held on the Grantham Canal this year has provided a new impetus for all concerned and has resulted in several “Good News” items to report. This national event will be based at Woolsthorpe by Belvoir. The Waterways Recovery Group again made the Grantham Canal their venue for the annual Bonfire Bash and achieved the usual impressive results that we have come to expect from them. The logistics and organisation are always carried out with military precision.. The “Bit in the Middle” group then followed up with more work and celebrations on December 8th & 9th .

An award of £350,000 has been made by the East Midlands Development Agency. This was mainly due to the hard work and determination of Kevin Mann, the Regeneration Manager, and is to be used mainly for dredging and tree clearing on the stretch from the A1 near Grantham to the long pound below the “Dirty Duck” at Woolsthorpe. BW are carrying out works to the top sill of lock 18, dredging of the half mile pound rally site, repairs to Denton Wharf Bridge and then moving on to dredging and tree safety work in Harlaxton cutting.

The EMDA award was quickly followed by a further award of £9,500 from “Awards for All” that will

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secure the success of the Festival, although there is desperate need for workers and volunteers to help with various tasks on the day.

Tall plant at Denton

A number of boat/caravan entries have already been received with enquiries for trade and charity stand spaces. Entry forms are available from the Entries Officer, Conifer Cottage, Northend, Goxhill, North Lincs. Tel. 01469 530138, or the WBOC or Grantham Canal websites. Local communities are participating with entertainment, locally sourced food, angling and canoeing opportunities, and trips on a steam launch as part of the programme.

Present plans are that trail boats will be launched at Denton Slip and then move down to the long pound below, or north of, the Rutland Arms to moor. Caravans and campers will

be in the field on the other side of the canal and old railway embankment from the pub, and most activities, such as boat trips for visitors, will be on the pound above the lock and up to Harlaxton.

The Rutland Arms

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Further publicity was gained for the Canal when the historic working narrow boat 'Corvus' was delivered to St Hugh’s College at Grantham. British Waterways have loaned this vessel to the Grantham Canal Partnership and it will be used as a practical project for the school. ‘Corvus’ has recently been retired after 60 years in the East Midlands’ maintenance fleet and, whilst heavily rebuilt as a powered craft in the mid-1980s (?), is known to have started life as a Grand Union Canal Carrying Company ‘Star Class’ butty in 1935.

With the help of generous offers of transport and craneage, ‘Corvus’ was moved last autumn, to be overhauled by senior students prior to being returned to the water at Woolsthorpe in 2007/08, for use as a community / study centre, exhibition hall and GCRS meeting point. Offers from volunteers to work with the students on this exciting project will be very much appreciated Page 19

Never tried trail boating?

After talking to a number of enthusiastic owners of trailable narrow boats, your editor was enthused to the extent of looking into possibilities. He could in the past have been seen towing a Wayfarer and with a canoe and two kayaks on a roof rack, watching the fuel gauge moving worryingly anti-clockwise going along the autobahn, but larger vessels in the 1.5 tonne upwards category caused a bit of doubt. He was surprised to be told that with an ordinary (B+E) licence you can drive a combination with a total mass up to 8Âź tonnes (but still doubts it). Seeing the very large cranes involved in moving Corvus to the school at Grantham and the BW work-boats to the canal at Denton can easily make anyone believe that moving larger boats is an activity for millionaires.

But a car designer once said that most cars are more pulling beasts than beasts of burden, so that if you have a heavy load to transport, better to pull it on wheels rather than carry it on your back - or roof rack. As a boat of a size to live in must be a substantial mass, why not trail it if you need to move overland from water to water?

To give those who may not have had a chance to try this and might want to think about it, here are a few bits of information collected with the help of many people, with grateful acknowledgements (but if it's wrong, blame the editor!)

Amongst the makers of trailable narrow boats are Wilderness of Corsham and Sea Otter of Staveley.

Wilderness specialise in GRP hulls, and Sea Otter in aluminium. Boats are two to four berth and typically 17 to 25 feet long (5.4m to 7.5m). Even in the smaller versions a set of equipment can be provided to the standards we would all expect in 2007.

For actually towing the boat on a trailer, it can get a bit complex. The towing weight quoted by Wilderness for a four berth Otter is 1700 kg., and for a Sea Otter on a trailer around 2200kg. It seems obvious that you need a fair amount of power to deal with this. Our picture on page 15 is a 27 foot Sea Otter NB behind a Toyota Amazon Land Cruiser using a trailer of a bit over one tonne. Similar vehicles such as Daihatsu, Isuzu, or Land Rover are suggested by Wilderness (pictures on pages 18 & 21). The various regulations for towing are now becoming more uniform across Europe at least, but seem to require a degree in mathematics and logic to understand them. However, with the usual proviso - don't quote this as an authority when you get stopped by the police - we will try to make sense of it, ignoring situations involving heavy goods vehicles.

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There is a magic figure called variously "maximum authorised mass (MAM)", "maximum permissible weight", or "gross vehicle weight".

This is vehicle plus load, and can be up to 3.5 tonnes for 'ordinary' cars with up to eight passenger seats. The same can apply to trailers, so that an unbraked two-wheel trailer with a smallish boat might have a MAM or gross weight of 750 kg. The trailer MAM must not exceed the unladen weight of the towing vehcle and the combination must not be more than 3.5 tonnes for a B licenced driver.

With me so far? There is also a longstanding recommendation that the trailer should not be more than 85% of the unladen weight of the car. Most family cars are around 1½ tonne and can trail 750 kg without a problem, but this is not enough for the boats we

are talking about.. For a bigger load we need a four-wheel braked trailer, which itself could be above a tonne.

For the greater mass above 3.5 tonnes you need a B+E licence, which came automatically with a normal B car licence until 1997, but now requires an extra practical test. Even with this, the current information seems to be that there is a legal upper limit of 7 tonnes for the combination. Anyone knowing better please say! There are rafts of other things about length, overhang and lights.

I took this mix of information around our local car dealers to see what they could suggest. Although they seemed mostly interested in paint colours and upholstery trim, a few knew about towing possibilities, and I got these figures for comparison:

Nissan Pathfinder YD25 Car MAM 2880kg Tow MAM 3000kg Volvo XC90 D5 2750kg 2250kg Toyota LC Amazon 4.2D 3260kg 3500kg Toyota RAV4 2190kg 2000kg Land Rover Discovery 3 3230kg 3500kg So what I had thought was not really feasible turned out to be within the bounds of (regulatory) possibility. Whether it turns out to be within the bounds of financial possibility is yet to be discovered. I won't disturb you by the quoted prices of these vehicles. Have fun at the rally! PH

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BW’s 2007 Towpath Tidy spring clean Week beginning 26th March This year British Waterways’ annual Towpath Tidy will take place in March with the majority of clean-up events being held during the week beginning 26th March. Waterway volunteers are invited to join BW office staff and maintenance teams to spring clean the waterways ahead of the main boating and visitor season.

In 2006 over a thousand people took part in Towpath Tidy events and successfully cleared 147 tonnes of rubbish from the waterways, including a staggering 337 shopping trolleys.

Robin Evans, BW chief executive, comments: “Each year Towpath Tidy improves the appearance of the network for everyone who enjoys the waterways,as well as bringing about important benefits for wildlife. In 2006 almost 500 members of BW office- based staff joined their maintenance colleagues and waterway visitors to give something back to their local canal or river. Towpath Tidy provides a fantastic boost on top of the £100 million that we invest annually in maintenance. This year we would like as many people as possible to take part in Towpath Tidy. It doesn’t matter if you can spare a couple of hours or a whole day. Everyone is welcome.”

A number of Towpath Tidy events are being run alongside other voluntary waterway group clean-ups. Details of when and where events are taking place are listed at www.waterscape.com/towpathtidy. Alternatively volunteers can call their local IWA Branch contact (page 2) or phone BW’s customer services on 01923 201120 to get contact details for their local event organiser.

Picture Credits We are most grateful to all of the following, who have contributed photographs or other illustrations to enhance this issue of Aegre: Members of WBOC; Ian Graham of Wilderness Boats; Anthony Thompson of Sea Otter Boats; Tony Pitman; John Lower; Peter Stone; John Baylis; Ian McDonald; Dave Carnell; Brian Dominic; Beryl McDowall; and Nancy Johnson.

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News from Leicestershire Branch From Carol McDonald Over 30 members and guests gathered for Leicester’s 2006 Christmas Social at the Dog and Gun in Syston. Fun commenced with a Happy Families ‘ice-breaker’ where each person was given a name and sent off round the room to find the other three family members. Forbidden to talk or make any kind of helpful noises we walked amongst each other miming our family traits in the hope of attracting others of our kind.

For the Festival of the River 2007 on June 2nd and 3rd booking forms will be sent out shortly. There have been regular meetings with the city council and things seem to be progressing. BW advise that their patrol boat will not be able to attend this year and neither will Cholmondesleigh, the two boats that have carried the opening party in recent years, so we are looking to find someone with a suitable craft with a large open deck for this ceremonial start to the event. If you can help, call Carol please.

At a meeting at County Hall, attended by several Melton & Oakham Committee members, Patrick Davies of Sustrans reported that the rebuilding of Junction Bridge at Syston was essential to extend the national cycle route north out of Leicester via Watermead. The stepped and narrow concrete structure has been a bottleneck for years, standing as it does at the confluence of several footpaths and the Leicester Navigation towpath. Samantha Ireson of Leics. County Council backed the rebuilding plan and informed the meeting that planning permission could be obtained during 2007. Patrick further cheered the MOWS contingent by saying that the costs would be included in Sustrans’ £13.7 million lottery bid. We were assured that something pleasing to the eye with navigable headroom would be the order of the day. This will be raised at the next SWVI (Soar Wreake Valley Initiative) meeting.

Land & Water have finished dredging to a depth of 1.5 metres (where necessary) between North Lock and the nine arch railway viaduct above Freeman’s Meadow Lock. This includes a large area below the Freeman’s Lock across to the Walkers Stadium that means we now have an excellent winding hole at the top of the Mile Straight. The canal at Soar Lane Bridge on Frog Island has been cleared out and the old diversionary piling and timbers replaced with spanking new ones although the purpose of this has long been removed (Stevenson’s railway bridge). This makes me think they hadn’t thought it through!

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A BASSET AND A BOAT TO BURGUNDY David & Viv Pickup and Basil the basset hound.

A year or so ago when I relinquished the task of AEGRE editor I was allowed to go on the condition I would contribute a short article on our voyage into France when we returned. So now we’re all back safe and sound, I’ll have a go at telling everyone why they should, at least once, forgo the pleasures of the British inland waterways and try the continental ones.

We loved almost every minute of our four and a half months voyage. We had our problems but they were addressed quickly and successfully and the delights of cruising through the canals and rivers of Belgium and France more than made up for the occasional hiccup. We sailed from Lowestoft, having taken CONSTELLATION II (C2), a twin engined Ocean 37 GRP cruiser, from Farndon to Suffolk on the back of Mark Ainsworth’s lorry.

We stayed a few days at Shotley and then crossed the Thames estuary to Ramsgate. We were stuck in Ramsgate for a bit longer than we would have liked due to a combination of bad weather and dirty fuel tanks. However both of these were overcome and by early June we were in Calais only to discover our next problem: the canal from Calais/Dunkirk to Paris was closed at St Omer for a month. A list of closures is available but we didn’t check this as we should have done which is why we were caught out. (Editor's note: Try www.vnf.fr and www.opvn.be. Look for chômages.)

The subsequent re-think of our projected itinerary took us into Belgium for three weeks through Veurne, Bruges, Ghent and Tournai, returning to France at Valenciennes. From there we had a leisurely cruise through the World War 1 battlefields down the beautiful St Quentin Canal. This included being towed through the 5 mile long Riqueval Tunnel by an electric tug. Next was the River Oise Navigation which took us through Compiègne, Creil and Pontoise to the River Seine. We had a week in Paris in the Bassin de l’Arsenal by the Place de la Bastille where the temperatures on board C2 reached nearly 40 C. From Paris we continued up the Seine past Fontainebleau to the delightful medieval village of Moret-sur-Loing. Then it was along the Seine again to Montereau where we turned up the River Yonne to Sens and Auxerre.

We had a spot of maintenance (propeller shaft glands re-packing) done at the English-owned boatyard at Migennes.

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Our last month was spent exploring the northern half of the Nivernais Canal, said by many to be the prettiest canal in France. We certainly, on present experience, would subscribe to that view as the Nivernais winds its way through the Yonne Valley sailing through the most gorgeous medieval towns and villages and passing by innumerable vineyards. At the town of Clamecy we turned round and made our way back to Migennes where we’ve left C2 for the winter. Altogether we did some 900 miles and passed through over 200 locks.

The variety of scenery and type of waterways is what makes a voyage into Europe so memorable. It was the experience of the different styles of lock, however, which has become one of our most enduring recollections. On the large commercial waterways of the North and on the Seine we were sharing locks with 1500 ton barges, on one occasion with three of them. On the St Quentin Canal all the locks were automatic; by some mysterious process they were always ready for us when we arrived although none of them is manned.

On the Yonne many of the locks have sloping sides which offer a whole new challenge, especially if you have twin screws and rudders. In one lock I was so nervous about hitting the sides with the rudder/propellor that the force of the water turned us round in the lock and we sailed out of it backwards, much to the amusement of the ĂŠclusier.

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What memories remain most prominent during our cruise? The wine is superb, although the price of a (metric) pint of beer in Paris (£6.50) made the eyes water a bit, the food magnificent and the scenery fantastic. VNF (Voies Navigables de France – the equivalent of British Waterways) were excellent in all departments with friendly lock-keepers and very efficient service on the few occasions we needed some assistance. On the Yonne/Nivernais many of the lock-keepers supplement their incomes by selling wine, fruit, souvenirs or local produce. At one lock the éclusier presented all the female crew members with small bunches of wild flowers. The other memory is how quiet the waterways are away from the main commercial ones. On the Nivernais the only traffic are the hire boats and private pleasure craft, very few of which are French owned. (I feel that once the French realise what a tremendous asset they have in their waterways this situation could change). I was also surprised to see how many people, mainly Brits, lived aboard their craft permanently.

What advice would I offer to anyone contemplating such a trip? Firstly select your type of boat carefully. We were surprised to see the number of narrow boats on the French waterways but I think they are underpowered and a bit vulnerable on the larger rivers and canals. Also they don’t seem to look quite right. Dutch barges, and their French equivalent, the péniches, are big and powerful enough for the waterways and, if necessary, a short sea passage, but their size makes them difficult to moor especially in the new marinas which are appearing on the system. GRP cruisers are fine if you have enough fenders but steel is an attractive alternative. Twin engines have many advantages in safety and manoeuvrability but they are a bit vulnerable when mooring by shallow river banks. Viv and I haven’t quite decided what type of boat we would choose in the long term – by the end of next season we may have come to a decision.

Also remember ‘red diesel’ in France is not for pleasure craft use – this might have a bearing on the Page 26

most appropriate choice for type of boat. Fuelling is a bit of a problem, as fuelling points for pleasure craft are few and far between. Take jerry cans and refuel when you can; on one occasion we used a tanker barge on the Seine!

My second piece of advice is plan your trip carefully, both in the context of the qualifications and other paperwork you need as well as your route.

Having said that. Viv and I had all the qualifications required and C2 had all her documentation, yet we were never asked for anything other than the boat’s registration document. However, the authorities can check everything should they wish and it is rumoured the Dutch and the Germans are much more rigorous than the French when it comes to bureaucratic requirements. The most rigorous inspection was of Basil’s Pet Passport before we boarded the ferry to Dover on our return.

There are many publications. easily acquired in the UK, which help you plan your journey. The most useful we found were the Navicarte series of waterway guides which are the French equivalent of the Nicholson guides. If you can buy them either directly or indirectly in France, do so as they are much cheaper than in Britain. They are written in three languages (French, English & German) and contain all the relevant information although, like the Nicholson etc. guides, they do go out of date. Remember the Burgundy canals are the prettiest but are the most heavily locked so progress will be very slow even though locks are either manned or automatic. It’s also worth taking into account the fact that France closes down for lunch.

A few other thoughts – take cash cards and credit cards. We took travellers cheques which were a pain to change, especially in the smaller towns.

Eventually we gave up on them. And try to learn some French. Viv speaks the language and not only was it most useful when using the VHF to talk to the locks, but also the French appreciate it and we made many friends amongst the French people as a result.

Finally – if you feel even only slightly adventurous give it a go. You don’t need to sail your boat across; it can go on the ferry and be launched in Calais or Dunkirk. Cruising the continental waterways is a whole different experience. There are plenty of moorings, virtually no vandalism, extremely friendly and helpful people, and the wine, food and scenery of one of the most beautiful parts of the world.

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River Witham and the Great Northern Railway Following recent openings of the Water Rail Way alongside the River Witham it seemed appropriate to do an in-depth article on the railway line itself that accompanied the Foss Dyke and River Witham for most of their length. On my trip down the River Witham I met Alan Stennett, the well known Lincolnshire author and broadcaster, at Kirkstead Station House and I am indebted to him and his wife for the following article.

“Woodhall Junction was built by the Great Northern Railway in 1848 as one of the stations on the Lincolnshire Loop Line. This linked Peterborough to Gainsborough by way of Spalding, Boston and Lincoln, and was the company's original main line to the north, before the “Towns Line” through Grantham, Newark and Retford was opened a few years later. The station was first called Kirkstead, after the older settlement to the South East but was re-named Woodhall Junction in 1922 when the railway was promoting Woodhall Spa as a tourist destination. Woodhall hardly existed in 1848, although the mineral waters that were to make it famous were discovered some years earlier, by an over-optimistic entrepreneur hoping to establish a coal mine.

The station was built on land bought from George Wilson and Richard Marshall and the construction was probably carried out by the well known railway contractors Peto and Betts, who also built much of the loop line itself.

The rather grand Italianate style of the main buildings was typical of several of the stations along the route – another example can be seen at Tattershall, the next stop towards Boston – and was adopted as part of an overall architectural strategy which included the London terminus of the line, Kings Cross.

The Lincolnshire Loop Line was opened to traffic in October 1848, and rapidly became part of the local transport system as well as a link in a major route to the North. Queen Victoria passed through on at least one occasion, but something about the trip failed to amuse her - she refused to leave her carriage at Lincoln to meet a party of local dignitaries.

The station at Kirkstead became a junction in August 1855, when the Horncastle Railway Company opened its seven mile line from Horncastle.

Initial plans proposed a single intermediate station at Roughton, but by the time the line was built Woodhall Spa had grown enough to justify a small wooden platform and some basic facilities for travellers. The Spa station was substantially improved in the late part of the 19th. Century, even boasting a book Page 28

stall and through carriages from London for the wealthy patrons in search of the waters and the healthy exercise offered by the woods and sporting opportunities.

Proposals to link the Horncastle Branch with that from Firsby to Spilsby, on the other side of the Wolds, came to nothing, but an additional rail link, from a junction just south of Kirkstead to another near Firsby, increased traffic through Kirkstead station. This line, opened in 1913, became known as the New Line, and many seaside excursions to Skegness and Mablethorpe took this route.

Kirkstead was renamed Woodhall Junction in 1922, as part of a promotional exercise to attract visitors to the spa, and the name was retained by the London & North Eastern Railway, which took over the GNR and the Horncastle company in 1923. The new company continued to use the junction as an important rail-head for the area, with a significant slice of the traffic generated by large numbers of fishing specials which ran from Sheffield and the Midlands for matches on the River Witham. Business was also brisk during the annual Horncastle Horse Fair and at weekends during the holiday season, when 30 or 40 extra trains would sometimes pass through on their way to or from the coast. To look after the local and through traffic more than two dozen staff were employed at the junction, including clerks, porters, shunters, goods yard staff, crossing keepers, signalmen, and lorry drivers.

Business declined on all the lines in Lincolnshire during the 1930s, as competition from road transport became more intense, although all the lines in the area played a vital part in the war effort, moving bombs, fuel and other stores to the many RAF bases and army camps in the surrounding countryside.

Many railwaymen were called up into the forces, but local women stepped into the breach, taking over many jobs, such as portering and track maintenance, that were previously regarded as men’s tasks.

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After the war, in 1947, the LNER became part of the newly nationalised British Rail, but even that drastic step could not stop the decline. Passenger services on the Horncastle Branch ended in 1955; the unusual two-coach passenger set that had served the local travellers for more than twenty years was taken away, to be scrapped a few years later. The line from Woodhall Junction to Boston was the next to go, swept away in 1963 as the Beeching cuts began to take effect. The remaining passenger services in the area survived until 1970, when the last passengers rode between Lincoln and Coningsby. Ironically, the last working train was not until the following year, because the goods traffic on the Horncastle branch had continued after closure to passengers, and a small goods train, often a shunting engine with a single wagon and a guards van, ran between Lincoln and Horncastle until April 5th 1971 when the contract ended and the line, with Woodhall Junction, was closed.

Most of the station infrastructure was demolished after closure, leaving only two goods sheds, the cattle dock and platforms, the main brick-built offices and the station master’s house. We purchased the house and offices in 1992, and are doing our best to restore it in a manner that suits the period and function of the buildings without trying to live in a museum. We have had an enormous amount of help and information from ex-staff and customers of the railway, and the results of some of our research can be seen on display in the “Waiting Room”. If you have any further information on the people who worked here, the business that was done or the trains that ran, we would be delighted to add that to the collection.”

Sue and Alan Stennett The Stennetts have given an excellent description of the railway generally and Kirkstead Station in particular but other artefacts can still be seen, as much of the railway route was on top of the flood banks and the remains of some bridges can be seen passing over the drains. Below Lincoln there is Washingborough Station and the bridge and viaduct at Bardney, followed by the original station signs at Southrey and the large signal box at Stixwould opposite Metheringham Delph. After Kirkstead the line moves slightly inland through Tattershall Station and returns to the river with the remains of the bridge at Dogdyke. About a mile above Langrick Bridge are the remains of an old wooden building in the trees with two pipes dipping into the river. Was this the water pump for supplying railway engines, the water being pumped about a mile to the filling point at Langrick Station? The building structure certainly looks like railway architecture.

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The remains of the railway bridge can be seen at the tail of Anton’s Gowt Lock and the very good stone structure of the lock asks the question "was the lock rebuilt by the railway company?" I have not had the opportunity to do any research on this - your comments would be welcome.

The railway station in Lincoln was St. Marks, nearly alongside Brayford Pool, and now the site of the bus station. From Lincoln to Saxilby the railway route is still extant and carries the present route from Lincoln through Gainsborough to Retford, crossing the River Trent at the large two-span bridge between Stoney Bight and Turn Post Corner upstream of Gainsborough. We travelled on a special train from Sleaford to York on February 2, using the old line from Lincoln to Gainsborough (Lea Road), across the Trent and then on the old Great Northern line crossing the Chesterfield Canal at Misterton and on to Doncaster and York.

The crossing of the River Witham at Kirkstead was originally described as being a ferry, but on an early photograph the “ferry” looks more like a floating centre section of the bridge which had long ramps down to water level. The ferry/swing bridge was to allow the passage of sailing boats without lowering the mast. The swing bridge in the photograph replaced the original bridge in 1899 and looks to be of railway design. The crossing gates on the east side served both the railway and the bridge and can be seen on the picture in front of the station house. These are still there but the bridge operator's little cabin has gone. The swing bridge was demolished in 1969 following the construction of the new concrete viaduct. The photograph above was taken from where the old road crossed the end of the platforms by the crossing gates. John Baylis

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News from South Yorkshire and Dukeries Branch From Mavis Paul Our meeting held on December 5th was the Christmas Social, where a game of Boatle started the proceedings followed by excellent pie and peas provided at a small cost

by Carol Peace of Strawberry Island Boat Club. We then joined with the club for their quiz. It was an excellent social occasion enabling everyone to chat.

local branch. This doesn’t automatically rule out the possibility of having a speaker at a meeting in the future.

The April meeting will be on Wednesday 18th April, and in June on Wednesday 20th. This will be the usual BBQ followed by the quiz.

Please telephone me (see page 2) if you are going to attend so we can With the success of the Christmas provide enough food. I do hope some of you will come along and try the social, and the problem of finding quiz and get to know the S Y & D speakers who are willing to commit themselves to giving a talk six months committee members. in advance and the limited attendance Another date for your diary is the of both IWA and Boat Club members, canal cleanup on Sunday April 15th. the committee have decided to alter We join with Abbeydale Rotary Club the format of the socials. They will for this. It would be lovely to see still be at Strawberry Island Boat club, on the 3rd Wednesday of April, some IWA members apart from Brian June, October and December starting and Betty and the committee. Please let me know if you are going to attend as always at 8.00 pm, but instead of as BW provide pies and peas and it is having speakers we will join in with always useful to know how many to the boat club quiz starting at around 9.00 pm. The quiz is just for fun and cater for. you don’t have to be the "Brain of Britain" to win; come along and try it Mavis Paul out and meet other members of the

Land Surveyors and Canals A talk on the work of the Fairbank Family of Sheffield by Adrian Padfield, including the Dearne & Dove Canal. In the Large Room, Central Library, Shambles Street, Barnsley. South Yorkshire Industrial History Society.

Monday 26th March, 7.00 . £1 charge for non-members of the SYIHSoc. Page 32

For the answers see page 9, upside down.

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Canal Societies in the EM Region Barnsley, Dearne & Dove Canal Trust Chesterfield Canal Trust Ltd Derby & Sandiacre Canal Trust Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society Erewash Canal P & D Association Foxton Inclined Plane Trust Friends of the Cromford Canal Grantham Canal Restoration Society Louth Navigation Trust Melton & Oakham Waterways Society Old Union Canals Society Sleaford Navigation Trust Trent and Mersey Canal Society

Milton View, 39 Hill St., Elsecar, Barnsley S74 8EN Tel: 01226 287571. www.bddct.org.uk Keith Ayling, 16 Pinchfield Lane, Wickersley, Rotherham S66 1FD Tel: 01709 700223 www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk C/o Jeffery Jones Partnership, 43 St Peter’s Churchyard, Derby DE1 1NN Tel: 01332 576037 Lesley Reaney, 318 Osmaston Park Road, Allenton, Derby DE24 8FB Tel: 01332 601699 www.derbycanal.org.uk Howard Smith, 1 Millfield, Kimberley, Nottingham NG16 2LJ Tel: 0115 9384129 Foxton Canal Museum, Middle Lock, Gumley Road, Market Harborough LE16 7RA Tel: 0116 2792657 www.fipt.org.uk Mike Kelley, 50 Beech Avenue, Alfreton, Derby DE55 7EW Tel: 01773 833425 www.cromfordcanal.org.uk Chris Tizzard, Tel: 0115 953 1153 www.granthamcanal.com John Stanbridge, Navigation Warehouse, Riverhead, Louth LN11 0DA Tel: 01507 610539 www.louthcanal.org.uk Richard Booth, Sysonby Knoll, Asfordby Road, Melton Mowbray LE13 0AH Tel: 01664 563563 http://beehive.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/default.asp?W CI=SiteHome&ID=6595 36 The Ridings, Desborough, Kettering NN14 2LP Tel: 07010 705103. www.fipt.org.uk/Local.htm Steve Hayes, 10 Chelmer Close, N Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 8TH Tel: 01522 689460 www.sleafordnavigation.co.uk 1 Pinfold Cottages, Back Lane, Little Haywood, Stafford ST 18 0UL. Tel: 01889 882770 www.trentandmersey.btinternet.co.uk

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Regional Diary Dates 2007 All members of any branch, visitors, and non-members are all welcome to attend South Yorkshire and the Dukeries Branch Usual Venue Strawberry Island Boat Club, Milethorn Lane, off Wheatley Hall Rd., Doncaster. For details call Mavis on 0114 268 3927 Apr. 15th

Canal clean-up with Abbeydale Rotary. Call Mavis to book pie and peas.

Apr. 18th

Quiz and social with the Boat Club. 8 pm.

June 20th

Quiz and social with the Boat Club. 8 pm.

Oct. 17th

Quiz and social with the Boat Club. 8 pm.

Leicestershire Branch

Usual Venue Oadby Tennis Club, close to Leicester Racecourse. For details call Beryl on 07710 029247 Mar. 8th

7.30 p.m. Geoff Purseglove on progress and opportunity on the Ashby Canal.

June 2nd-3rd Festival of the River at Mile Straight Nottinghamshire & Derbyshire Branch Usual Venue Rushcliffe Arena, Rugby Road, West Bridgford at 7.45 p.m.

For more details call Linda on 01949 860867 Mar. 16th

Mike Lucas on 25 years of the Mikron Theatre

June 15th

A walk on the Derby & Sandiacre Canal.

Oct. 19th

Details later.

Nov. 16th

Mick Golds on the Lancaster, Ribble Link and Weaver.

Dec. 21st

Christmas Social, plus a talk by John Wilkinson.

Lincolnshire Branch

May 5th-7th

South Kyme Boaters’ Gathering. Note new date.

May 26-28th Supporting IWA National Trailboat Festival on Grantham Canal. See back cover and supplement for details.

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GRANTHAM ON WATER The IWA’s National Trailboat Festival 2007

Woolsthorpe-by-Belvoir, Lincolnshire Spring Bank Holiday weekend, 26 - 28th May - where the waterway and local communities will come together Celebrate the re-opening of 4½ miles of the beautiful Grantham Canal and lend your support to the campaign for further restoration Bring your boat, display stand, caravan, tent and friends for a thoroughly enjoyable time Trailboats, Tripboats, Displays, Society and Trade Stands, WoW Real Ale at the canal-side Rutland Arms (‘Dirty Duck’) Quality catering by local farmers and cooks Music, Evening Entertainment and much, much more

Festival Admission Free – 10.00 am to 6.00 p.m.

‘Park & Ride’ Shuttle from below Belvoir Castle Boat, Stand, Camping enquiries: Dave Carnell 01469 530138 All other enquiries: Chris Tizzard 0115 9531153

Why not make a weekend of it … and visit Belvoir Castle, as well as GRANTHAM ON WATER

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