IWA Waterways Magasine Spring 2012

SPRING 2012 | ISSUE 235

waterways KEEPING OUR WATERWAYS ALIVE

www.waterways.org.uk

Meet John Dodwell

CRT Campaign Update

The Magic of Fenland REMOTE WATERWAYS IN EASTERN ENGLAND WRG NEEDS YOU!

IWA AT WORK

THE MOORING DEBATE

Volunteer in 2012

News from the branches

On-line versus marina

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CONTENTS

Spring 2012

3.

AGENDA

Ten Good Reasons to be an IWA Member

The Column of the National Chairman

8.

IWA AT WORK

YOUR SUPPORT HELPS IWA TO:

What’s been happening around the branches

12. CANAL & RIVER TRUST – A CAMPAIGN UPDATE The Waterways Minister updates the Parliamentary Waterways Group

14. NEWS A round up of the main stories from IWA and beyond

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19. FREIGHT Commercial carrying developments around the network

22. MEET THE TRUSTEES We talk to John Dodwell about his hopes for the new Trust

24. THE MAGIC OF FENLAND Exploring a unique network of waterways in eastern England

32. WRG NEEDS YOU!

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Where to volunteer in 2012

36. THE MOORING DEBATE On-line versus marina

38. THE NEXT GENERATION Attracting young people to the world of the waterways

42. CUTTINGS What the media has been saying about waterway issues

COVER PICTURE Passing Fotheringhay church on the River Nene.

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KEITH GOSS

WATERWAYS EDITOR: Keith Goss Tel: 01283 742951 E-mail: k.goss@wwonline.co.uk ART EDITOR: Kerry Hogston ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER: Ian Sharpe Tel: 01283 742977 E-mail: ian.sharpe@wwonline.co.uk ADVERTISING DESIGN: Jill Brown, Clare Salisbury ADVERTISING PRODUCTION: Samantha Lloyd E-mail: s.lloyd@wwonline.co.uk EDITORIAL BOARD: Neil Edwards, Jo Gilbertson, Keith Goss, Clive Henderson, Peter Johns, Jim Shead REPROGRAPHICS: Waterways World Ltd, 151 Station Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1BG. Printed in England by Warners (Midlands) PLC, Bourne, Lincs Articles may be reproduced provided permission is obtained and acknowledgement made. ISSN 0969-0654 G

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• Campaign for properly funded waterways • Provide a voice for you • Help improve your local waterways • Defend the waterways from unwelcome development • Give practical financial and political support for waterways restoration • Provide expert advice for waterway managers and restoration groups • Organise restoration holidays for young people • Provide over 5,000 days of volunteer labour each year • Arrange affordable insurance for waterway organisations • Enable greater appreciation of the waterways through education and experience

MEMBERS’ SERVICES The following special offers are now available exclusively for IWA members: Channel Glaze - 10% discount on double glazing Cotswold Outdoor - 10% discount Europcar - Special hire rates to IWA members Lee Sanitation Ltd. - 10% on orders over £100 Midland Chandlers - 5% discount Narrowboat Services - 10% discount RoadPro - 5% discount UK Boat Hire - 15% discount UltimateBerths.com - Free Listing Willowbridge Marina - 10% discount on chandlery purchases and services in the yard Worcester Marine Windows Ltd - 5% discount

Please note: All discounts and offers are entirely at the organisers’ discretion.

To take advantage of these offers please go to: www.waterways.org.uk/support_us/members_ area/member_discounts_special_offers_public IWA has teamed up with both Navigators & General and River Canal Rescue to enable an insurance facility that is unique to the market, with the added benefit that every policy taken out and subsequently renewed helps IWA, and thus furthers our charitable work for the waterways.

These specialist inland waterway insurance policies are tailored to fit your needs, covering loss and damage to your vessel, protecting you against legal claims, paying for injury and damages caused to other property and providing the security of inclusive breakdown cover.

Obtaining a quote couldn’t be easier, simply fill in a few details on our online form, and one of Navigators & General team will call you back.

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Founded: 1946, Incorporated 1958 Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783453 E-mail: iwa@waterways.org.uk Web site: www.waterways.org.uk Chief Executive – Neil Edwards Company Secretary – Helen Elliott-Adams Campaign & Communications Manager – Jo Gilbertson G

Nothing printed in Waterways may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless stated, otherwise IWA accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. Although every care is taken with advertising matters no responsibility whatsoever can be accepted for any matter advertised.

Where a photo credit includes a note such as CC-BY-SA, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence; full details at www.creativecommons.org

The policy incorporates many features that are unique including: • Membership of River Canal Rescue • Dedicated insurance cover for owners who permanently live aboard their boats (additional cost) • Personal public liability • Marina benefits • Medical expenses cover • £3 million pounds third party cover The Inland Waterways Association is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

IWA ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES •Adult/single £30.00

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AGENDA

The Column of the National Chairman An exciting year ahead The Canal & River Trust launch should be one of the milestones of 2012. We have the name and the logo for the new charity with no hint of a boat or navigation in either, so let’s hope that what it says on the tin is not translated literally - thus forgetting the statutory obligations. At the time of writing we still await news of any funding settlement agreed between the CRT Transition Trustees and the Government and, as I have pointed out before, this will be crucial if this New Era is to be a long term success and provide security for the nation’s waterways. Aspects of the initial launch and structure may not be to everyone’s liking but I am sure that these can be recognised and put right at a later date if necessary. But the basic foundations and charitable objectives need to be fit for purpose.

I am confident that the transition trustees will have done their best in the time available to achieve a successful launch, even if the signs are that the target date may be missed. They need to be confident of the support of, and the engagement with, all waterway supporters and this will depend upon how well they have handled the crucial aspects I have mentioned. I hope that they are successful and can then rely upon future support and commitment, especially from IWA members.

We hope to build a special relationship with the CRT in the years ahead and I know that the input from our members, branches and regions in terms of feedback and information from the grass roots will help ensure that CRT is aware of the areas of mutual interest.

I have reservations that the appointments made to date in terms of trustees, partnership boards and chairs, council members and advisory groups show an apparent high level of ‘newness’ with no obvious previous depth of experience of the waterways. Whilst new faces, thinking and approaches are to be welcomed, these require an extensive learning and induction process before each reaches the level of basic understanding of waterway related issues needed to make an effective contribution.

Inevitably, much of the learning and induction has been led and carried out by people within British Waterways. In itself it can be good to explain to others what the operation does but it doesn’t always bring out the challenging questions of why we do it that way. Seasoned and long term supporters and users of the waterways had been led to expect a greater say in how their waterways were to be run under this new model but so far they have seen a very low incidence of names or faces they recognise or respect. Is that because such names have not put themselves forward? Have they not wanted to get involved? Have they tried to get involved but been put off by attitudes in some quarters that they are just boaters who always complain about things?

Have places been targeted for ‘newcomers’ at the expense of long term supporters? Whatever the reasons, the real concerns are that the essential changes in culture within BW and within traditional waterway supporters and the many and varied groups that they affiliate to might be delayed if there are not enough respected, knowledgeable voices working within and alongside the CRT at this exciting and challenging time. It needs to be demonstrated that this is not a rebranding of BW, as many sceptics believe, but is a new organisation, so please do your bit.

Other challenges of 2012 Few can be unaware of the intense activities that this Olympic year will bring to London and the other Games venues and to UK tourism. A valuable legacy for the waterways will remain in the form of cleaned and improved waterways and access around the Olympic Park site. Members have expressed some concerns about the restrictions to navigation and mooring around London during a twelve week period in the summer and we have taken these concerns up with British Waterways, as they now are, since they have determined the restrictions after taking into account the requirements of the security forces. We queried the inconsistency of restrictions on the River Lee, where prebooked passage had been negotiated with the security forces, and the Regent’s Canal where passage was to be prevented throughout by welded shut barriers. We also queried the period

of the restrictions being many weeks more than the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and were advised that these reflected the lock down periods of the Olympic village and venues, even though the affected waterways are some distance from these areas. It seems unjustified to have restricted waterways that are surrounded by roads, housing and offices that have no specific restrictions applied.

IWA’s Festivals team will be providing harbourmasters to the pre-booked mooring areas available during the games period as this is seen as a way of providing experienced volunteer resources to help CRT, a fellow waterway charity.

A side consequence of the Olympics is that London’s waterways have seen a focus of effort by BW to address the problems of overstaying boats on visitor mooring areas and boaters who claim to be continuous cruisers whilst failing to comply with the required terms of their licence. At a time of increased housing and commuting costs many people have seen living on a boat as a cheaper alternate to bricks and mortar without factoring in the costs of an appropriate mooring to facilitate this choice.

IWA supports residential boating in appropriate and approved long-term mooring locations. Whilst some might argue there is a shortage of suitable long terms moorings in the areas of demand, the problem of overstaying boats has been exacerbated by a lack of adequate enforcement activity by BW over many years. When action is taken it appears to be sudden and unexpected to those affected, particularly if they have taken advantage of the lack of regular enforcement for some time.

It would have been ideal if the problem of overstaying boats could have been solved before CRT was launched since it will be an inherited problem for them but I doubt that it will be.

It is important that enforcement is consistent throughout the waterway network and not just confined to key honeypot sites near major towns and cities. The enjoyment of the majority requires that restrictions on visitor moorings are followed by all boaters if visitors are to leave with a favourable experience that they will want to repeat. It would be sad if the pleasures of a relaxing leisure activity were to be spoilt by a selfish minority.

I am a supporter of those who continuously cruise, a right defended by IWA for many years as a 12 month licence should allow one to cruise for those 12 months, subject of course to routine and major planned maintenance works requirements and the unforeseen unscheduled emergency stoppage. It is a prerequisite of enjoying one’s licence that there is adequate depth and water supply to enjoy one’s cruising, continuous or otherwise, and I would like to compliment all navigation authorities for the way they have coped with limited rainfall in some areas in recent years with only minimal disruption to navigation in certain areas.

Elsewhere We continue to support the transfer of the Environment Agency navigations to the CRT and are seeking a solution from the EA to their closure of Welches Dam Lock in East Anglia, possibly involving volunteer input to remove a temporary restriction that seems to have become long term.

Please don’t forget the Inglesham Lock appeal to fund this year’s WRG work there to get a vital eastern front opened on the Cotswolds project.

Clive Henderson IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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IWA at Work News from around the branches

Deepcut Locks on the Basingstoke Canal. (Robin Smithett)

BRIGHT FUTURE FOR THE BASINGSTOKE CANAL 2012 looks very promising for the Basingstoke Canal. First restored and reopened in 1991, the canal has been plagued by poor maintenance and water shortages. This has been compounded by issues with the Environment Agency and Natural England concerning the SSSI status of much of the waterway. Local demand is huge with marina waiting lists on the neighbouring Wey. Through all the difficulties IWA has played a major role in ‘fighting the canal’s corner’, both in terms of campaigning carried out by its Guildford & Reading Branch, and providing volunteers through Waterway Recovery Group.

More recently there are more positive signs. There had been a pledge by the owners, Surrey & Hants County Councils to spend £1.6m from capital to make good some of the maintenence issues.

Recently, however, a new bridge in Woking threatened to blight the eastern end of the canal. This bridge was to connect the new World Wildlife building to the centre of Woking. The unsightly structure was to be named after the Surrey and England cricketers, the Bedser twins . The bridge was a very high, featureless concrete structure with enormous ramps defacing the canalside. After a local and national e- petition campaign , the latter strongly supported by IWA members, we not only have a lower bridge in keeping with its context , a wooden structure without the massive ramps, but also the promise of a new boat basin in Woking. Thanks are due to IWA members who supported the petition and Head Office who did a great deal of the member liaison work; and to Woking District Council, who did indeed listen.

The maintenance works are proceeding and the Basingstoke Canal is on schedule to reopen in April. There will be a boat rally over the weekend of the June 2012 Jubilee Bank Holiday - details from Verna Smith at verna.smith1@virginmedia.com.

As the main line to Waterloo runs close to the canal at numerous points, this could be a good place to moor and then visit the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. There will however be many local attractions. The county councils under prompting from IWA and the Surrey & Hants Canal Society are actively promoting the canal and seeking a heritage lottery grant to fix both maintenance and water supply problems.

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Artist’s impression of Bedser Bridge.

On the water supply issue there is a working group in which IWA has a leadership role. We will also address English Heritage concerns to ensure that additional water leads to additional boat movements. WRG has and will continue to be actively involved in what looks a bright future for the beautiful Basingstoke Canal. Guildford & Reading Branch has played a major role in protecting and promoting this priceless waterway in the south of England.

MILTON KEYNES CANAL CLEAN UP A total of 69 volunteers took part in the latest two-day clean up of the Grand Union Canal through Milton Keynes, from Fenny Lock to the Galleon, Wolverton, including 12 scouts from Trinity Scout Group and 18 scouts from 1st Linslade Scout Group of Leighton Buzzard. The event was again generously sponsored

by Wyvern Shipping Co of Linslade, Leighton Buzzard and was supported by British Waterways.

The clean up operation primarily involves a boat from the Milton Keynes Branch towing a BW hopper from the stern of which are deployed heavy duty grappling hooks. By this method the centre fairway is cleared. In addition, a BW flat is attached alongside a second boat and with this the offside of the canal is cleared using long handled nets to remove floating items like bottles and cans. Meanwhile grappling hooks thrown from the towpath are used to recover other items.

All the branch clean ups involve teams of litter pickers who are remarkably successful in filling plastic bags with all kinds of discarded items. Where possible, recovered items are recycled.

This was supported by a BW dredger which has resulted in several heavy objects being removed from the canal that would otherwise have been beyond the capability of volunteers.

David King, the Event Organiser, said “An important aspect of these dirty and energetic events is the opportunity to socialise in the evenings. We make our stops at strategic locations to enable evacuation to local hostelries. On both the Friday and Saturday evenings we enjoyed good food as well as good company in convivial surroundings.”

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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IWA at WORK RESTORING THE SUSSEX OUSE IWA Kent & East Sussex Branch (IWAKES) are working with the Sussex Ouse Restoration Trust (SORT) and have recently reported on the progress of the restoration of Isfield Lock on the River Ouse. The working parties had another good year where the targets set for progress at the site have once again been achieved. Restrictions on access to the site during the shooting season, the loss of daylight hours as they headed into winter and increasingly difficult working conditions as the weather got wetter meant that the volunteers were required to secure the site for the winter months ahead and wait until the first spring warmth heralds another chance to get on with the restoration.

The target for 2011 was to demolish the second section of the damaged west chamber wall and then rebuild it. That has been achieved. The work certainly presented more challenges than previously encountered, with three-quarters of the original chamber wall requiring demolition and rebuilding. In addition, new coping stones had to be made as the original stone ones had either been lost or were too badly damaged to be re-used.

Whilst this was going on another group of volunteers were busy exposing and cleaning the west wing wall and the wharf wall at the upstream end of the lock that originally served the paper mill that once stood there. This required the felling of a 70ft alder tree that had grown straight out of the wall and obviously prevented any restoration from progressing.

Although progress may seem slow to outsiders, real progress is being made at Isfield Lock. This progress is down to the regular group of volunteers from SORT and in particular Paul Morris and Ted Lintott, who between them make sure the work proceeds during all of the available working time.

The project at Isfield is entirely within the remit of Sussex Ouse Restoration Trust (and the local landowner). However, IWA, the Branch and Region, have given much support and have paid £2,000 for a dumper for use on the project. A £2,500 tax-efficient donation was made via IWA Head Office and insurance from IWA; the linked WRG accreditation and training is also a valuable contribution. The design of the repairs (including all site setting out) was the work of Roy Sutton (as IWA Honorary Consultant Engineer) for which he has Professional Indemnity cover from IWA. Kent & East Sussex Branch closely liaise with SORT on publicity and statutory issues such as Water Framework Directive, yet another example of the mutually supportive easy-going collaboration. The restoration Project Manager is Paul Morris who read an advert in the IWAKES Branch magazine asking for a volunteer project manager eight years ago. Without him the project would never have started.

ABOVE AND LEFT: Restoring the Sussex Ouse.

NEWS FROM NOTTS AND DERBYSHIRE Now protected - the line of the Derby Canal.

The Derby Canal now has Outline Planning Permission for the main 12-mile length of the canal, granted by all relevant local authorities. This means the canal line is now not only protected but also expected to become a canal navigation (by the local authorities). Funding and developers can therefore now be sought in the full knowledge that “planning authorities” are officially supportive of the restoration. The branch has presented a cheque to the Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society to help with the manufacture and installation of six interpretation boards which are now in place along the towpath at strategic parts of the canal. Ramblers, walkers, cyclists and others can now gain a better understanding of the history, wildlife and future plans for the canal.

Other branch activities include work on the “Local Plan” which is now encompassed in each Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF) and in the “Nottinghamshire and Nottingham Waste Core Strategy Preferred Approach” where waterborne freight should play a major role, taking congestion off the roads and transferring freight to the underused major river waterways network - a benefit to all.

ABOVE: The Trent barge Leicester Trader is under restoration.

(Michael Smith) Is your branch doing something that demonstrates the great work that our members do? If so let us know - send your story and pictures to iwa@jim-shead.com.

IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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Canal & River Trust - A Campaign Update Minister Updates All Party Parliamentary Waterways Group

T

he All Party Parliamentary Waterways Group, for which IWA provides administrative and secretarial support, held a hearing on 8th December last year to give the Waterways Minister, Richard Benyon MP, the opportunity to inform the Group of progress on the Canal & River Trust (CRT) coming into being in April and for Group Members to be able to question him. The hearing, chaired by the Rt Hon Alun Michael MP, was well attended by Group Members and waterways stakeholders.

The Minister reported that progress had been made on what both Government and the CRT Transition Trustees believed was the right model on governance for the CRT to begin life. There was now a target for 50% of the Council to be elected over time. On membership, the Trustees had decided that the charity should not have a membership for fund-raising purposes, believing that other means of raising funds and stimulating voluntary giving were more effective for fundraising than a formal membership.

He could not say what government funding was going to be for the CRT since negotiations had not yet finished. But he did reveal that the negotiations were complex, including the issues of adequate maintenance of the canal network, mitigation of possible future liabilities arising from environmental or other legislative requirements and the CRT’s pension arrangements; and he repeated that the Government was committed to a sustainable and prosperous future for the waterways, wanting to give the CRT the best possible start that it could. He expected to be able to make announcements shortly.

Waterways Classification Waterways classification had become an issue.The Minister specifically mentioned that IWA had raised concerns about the proposed amendments to the system for classifying waterways in the Transport Act 1968 because it was concerned that the CRT would seek to reclassify “cruising” waterways to “remainder” waterways. He gave an assurance that any application from the CRT to reclassify a waterway would be subject to a full cost benefit analysis and wide consultation with those likely to be affected as required by the Transport Act. In addition, he was sure that the

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Trustees would consult the charity’s Council and the relevant Waterways Partnership before embarking on such a significant course of action that would impact on a large number of its users. These mechanisms would help to ensure a robust and transparent process on a re-classification of any of the charity’s waterways.

In answer to questions from the Rt Hon Alun Michael and other MPs present, Richard Benyon said: I He did not want or expect to see closures of any waterways. That would not be constructive. The Government wanted to ensure that in the medium term there was scope for a reduction in the percentage of assets that were in poor and very poor condition. He added that the Government wanted the existing network to be both maintained and enhanced.

I On ownership, Alun Michael, whilst recognising what the Minister had said about fund raising, suggested that in his experience, part ownership of a charity under for example, co-operative arrangements, delivered local ownership and commitment.

Richard Benyon commented that he could see that possibility, locally and as a part of natural evolution.

Popular waterways: the River Lee (top) and Huddersfield Narrow Canal (above).

Finance Issues Some Transition Trustees were present, including the chairman, Tony Hales. They were invited to comment. Tony Hales said that the CRT would be reviewing its governance in three years and that would be the time to reflect on the suggestions made. On finance, he said that commercial activity would be the most significant contributor, outweighing the government contribution by some margin, and that the Trustees were comfortable about the future prospects for this commercial activity. The Trustees were also confident about the forecasts for the contribution for voluntary income and donations, which were expected to reach £6-8m after 10 years. There were also contributions to be made by other government departments, local government and bodies such as Transport for London and the Olympic Delivery Authority. It was a question of determining the benefits they receive from the network so that they recognised that a contribution was justified. However, he reiterated the view of the Trustees that the £39m per annum

Waterways Minister Richard Benyon.

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A Campaign Update offered by central government was not enough.

The finance package overall needed to be enough to secure the network’s assets in the long term and ensure that day-to-day maintenance was carried out together with network dredging; and to ensure that pensions were safeguarded. He recognised the duty of Trustees to be in a position to satisfy the Charity Commission that the Trust was sustainable.

Public Benefit Lynne Berry reported on public benefit. It had been evaluated at around £500 million but that didn’t fully reflect issues such as the social return and the well-being benefit etc. CRT Transition Trustees were currently developing a more detailed public benefit model to embrace these wider issues.

Richard Benyon offered to return to the Group to give a further report when the financial negotiations were concluded. That was welcomed by the Group. It is likely to take place early this year.

Alun Michael ended the hearing by saying that it was not unheard of for charities to go wrong, volunteer led or otherwise. It would not be an easy transition. It was going to be very challenging and there was profound interest from MPs on all sides of the House. The transition would be scrutinised with great interest.

IWA’s Viewpoint IWA view this to have been a very constructive hearing. It was helpful to hear that the Minister was considering the need for adequate maintenance of the canal network, mitigation of possible future liabilities arising from environmental or other legislative requirements and the CRT’s pension arrangements – all points of concern that IWA has raised with central government and that IWA members have taken up with their constituency MPs. It was also good to hear that Tony Hales wanted to see a financial arrangement that secured the network’s assets in the long term, day-to- day maintenance, and network dredging, recognising the need for Trustees to satisfy the Charity Commission on sustainability.

The Minister’s response to the IWA on waterways classification was also seen to be a helpful clarification.

IWA’s Campaigns team conclude that the delay in announcing the financial settlement, the acknowledgement from MPs of the broad influx of letters from concerned constituents on the subject of sustainable funding, and the CRT’s trustees looking in detail at the wider public benefits all point to a detailed and thorough negotiation on funding now taking place. The outcome is awaited with anticipation and great interest.

Government responds to Supplementary consultation on the Waterways Charity On 12th September last year, Government launched a supplementary consultation on the detail of the Order to transfer the functions of British Waterways (BW) in England and Wales to a new waterways charity, the Canal & River Trust (CRT).

The Waterways Minister announced on the 20th December the publication of the Government’s Response to this consultation, (available at http://www.defra. gov.uk/consult/closed/).

The consultation asked for views on the detail of certain aspects of the Transfer Order. The majority of responses to the consultation supported the overall direction of the Government’s proposals, and, subject to obtaining parliamentary approval in due course, the Government intends to proceed as follows: I It will remove the Ministerial power to direct disposal of property under the Local Government, Planning and Land Act 1980, since it will not be needed by the CRT; I It will not extend the provisions in the Transport Acts 1962 and 1968 on Employment to the CRT, on the basis that they have largely been replaced by more recent employment legislation;

I It will amend sections 104 and 105 of the Transport Act 1968 to give the CRT an enhanced ‘statutory proposer’ role in relation to ministerial orders on classification and maintenance of its waterways; I It will amend section 27 of the Transport Act 1962 to restrict the power of direction to circumstances in the interests of national defence; I It will not apply the House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975; Scottish Parliament (Disqualification) Order 2010; National Assembly for Wales (Disqualification) Order 2010 or the Northern Ireland Assembly Disqualification Act 1975 to the Trustees of the CRT, because this would not be appropriate for Trustees of a charitable body.

In addition, the Government intends, also subject to parliamentary approval, to apply the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to the CRT, in respect of all those statutory functions that the CRT will inherit from BW through the proposed Transfer Order. This limited application of the FOIA will have the effect of excluding from the provisions of

the Act those broader charitable functions carried out by the CRT. It will also exclude bodies that merge with the CRT, unless the FOIA already applies or is made to apply to them at the point of merger.

Recognising that, as concerns administrative burdens, this will initially put CRT in a potentially disadvantageous position with regard to other statutory navigation authorities, the Government will, within two years, launch a procedure, under s.5 of the FOIA, to consider extending the provisions of the Act to other statutory navigation authorities, with the intention of creating a level playing field.

In these circumstances, the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs) may be considered to apply to the CRT to the extent that the CRT is carrying out ‘functions of public administration’.

Ultimately, this will be a question for the courts to decide. In the meantime, The Minister has asked the CRT Trustees to make a public commitment to adopt a transparency policy that closely follows the provisions of the EIRs; we are seeking to capture this commitment in the funding agreement being negotiated between Defra and the CRT Trustees.

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waterways KEEPING OUR WATERWAYS ALIVE

INGLESHAM – one final fundraising push

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he Inglesham Lock Restoration Appeal in support of the Cotswolds and Wilts & Berks canals restoration schemes is progressing apace and IWA is looking for further donations to now help finalise the fundraising.

IWA and WRG have set an ambitious target to restore the lock by 2013.Three further WRG camps together with weekend digs are planned for this year.

Inglesham is strategically important as it is the eastern starting point for the Cotswolds restoration and provides additional focus for the Wilts & Berks canal restoration that spurs off it several miles west of the lock’s junction with the Thames.

The Cotswolds is one of only a few major funded projects that is currently making major progress, and IWA is keen to support this as one of the first of a series of appeals it wants to carry out in support of these schemes around the country.

IWA aims to provide a new landing stage, restore the lock chamber with the facility to deliver back pumping and clear the cut above the lock, whilst also ensuring that the balance of the work can be completed to have the lock operational as quickly as possible .

Speaking about the restoration appeal, Inglesham Appeal Chairman and IWA National Treasurer Les

Etheridge said: “We want to wrap up the fundraising this year if we possibly can, so that we can focus our attention on completing the practical restoration works unhindered. This then puts us in a position to support schemes in other parts of the country.

I would urge all waterway supporters to help us finish the fundraising for this scheme as quickly as possible.”

Please send a cheque made out to IWA to IWA Inglesham Appeal, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA.

CONCERN OVER OLYMPICS CLOSURE

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WA has written to the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, the Olympic Delivery Authority, LOCOG and Robin Evans at British Waterways to register its extreme concern at the closure of Commercial Road Lock on the Regent’s Canal for the duration of the Olympics.

IWA wishes to establish why, Limehouse Basin. (Loopzilla if boats are being allowed at flickr.com CC-BY-SA) (under tight control) to pass on the Lee right next to the Olympic site from Tottenham to Limehouse, access to Limehouse should be restricted to the route via the Thames and not allowed via the Regent’s Canal, which is over 1.5km from the Olympic site at its closest point.

IWA has no problem with closing the Hertford Union Canal completely and blocking it physically, so everyone has to go via Commercial Road Lock, but considers that the entry to Limehouse Basin via Commercial Road Lock would be easy

14 News.indd 1

to police using whatever approach they are using at Tottenham. On behalf of London boaters and craft visiting especially for the Olympics, IWA wishes to understand “what’s the difference?”

Limehouse is 2.5km from the nearest point on the Olympic Park with a sizeable built up area in between, so there is no risk from vessels at Limehouse.

This would avoid the risk of encouraging unsuitable vessels to use the Thames and all of the associated navigational risks caused by attempting a downstream tidal passage.

IWA London Region officers had requested British Waterways to properly consult during the process and involve stakeholders in the discussions. Regrettably, despite these requests, the discussions and negotiations were conducted at arm’s length.

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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Spring 2012 | NEWS | FREIGHT | RESTORATION

CRT PARTNERS WORKSHOP

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here are over 100 waterway stakeholder organisations that operate as charitable trusts and societies on the waterways in the UK. In 2012 the Canal & River Trust will join the waterway charitable sector.

Many existing charities and groups will be interested in understanding the impact associated with this and the opportunities it may bring.

In order to provide a forum for debate, IWA is holding a special workshop, jointly organised with the trustees of the Canal & River Trust, and to which senior management within British Waterways will be contributing, to consider these issues, and is cordially inviting representatives

of all canal and river societies to join us at The Bond Conference Centre, Birmingham on Saturday, 18th February.

We are hoping the day will be an interactive and informal opportunity to share concerns, explore ideas and strengthen relationships.

To register your interest in this special workshop in Birmingham please email Gemma.Bolton@ waterways.org.uk.

Places are limited by venue size and will be allocated on a first-come basis.

Because of this, we would be grateful if organisations would nominate just one or two representatives, rather than request places for several members.

Canalway Cavalcade 2012

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analway Cavalcade is one of the most successful events on the waterways calendar. Not just any old boaters’ gathering or rally, it is a unique waterways and community festival staged in the impressive surroundings of Little Venice every spring since 1983.

This year’s event will take place from Saturday 5th to 7th May. There will be a range of entertainment for the entire family, with a boaters’ gathering, a pageant of boats, a procession of illuminated craft, trade shows and stalls, bands, Morris dancers, a real ale bar, plenty of good food… and much more besides.

Admission is free.

CRT Trustees Sought

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he Canal & River Trust is seeking to appoint a further three volunteers to join its board of trustees ahead of taking over from British Waterways.

The Canal & River Trust is looking for candidates with significant experience gained through operating at a senior level in a substantial enterprise, including the handling of senior management and governance issues and an understanding and empathy with the natural and built heritage of the waterways.

In addition, applicants are sought who have particular experience in finance (to chair the Trust’s Audit Committee), property investment and asset management (to chair the Trust’s Commercial Investment Committee) or senior leadership within organisations focussing on large-scale engineering, asset and environmental management.

The recruitment of the new trustees is being undertaken by a committee made up of two existing trustees and two independent people appointed by Defra. The appointments will be recommended for approval at the first meeting of the Canal & River Trust Council in March 2012.

Successful candidates will be appointed for three years with the expectation of renewal for a second three-year term. They are likely to need to devote approximately three days a month. The roles will not be remunerated, although legitimate travel and other expenses will be fully reimbursed.

Those interested in applying can find further details from search specialists Saxton Bampfylde Ltd, at www.saxbam.com/job quoting ref number QAWTA or by calling 020 7227 0890 (during office hours) or emailing QAWTA@saxbam.com.

Fire safety on boats

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ires aboard inland waterway craft occur on average at the rate of one a week throughout the year. The Boat Safety Scheme recommends that all boaters should be fully aware of the grave risks of fire and should adopt and rehearse a fire emergency plan. For full details on boat fire safety and routine safety checks visit www.boatsafetyscheme.com.

For more information on fire safety visit www.direct. gov.uk/firekills.

FIRE SAFE TY ON BOATS

In partnership with

IWA is seeking to recruit volunteers to help organise the 2012 Cavalcade. Vacant posts include: Catering Assistant Manager; Entertainments Assistant Manager; Public Address Manager & Commentators; Waterspace Assistant Manager; WoW Schools Project Manager.

Also required are volunteers of every kind during this exciting event so if you are bringing your boat, live in the vicinity or are visiting London and can spare a few hours you will be most welcome to join the team.

Applications and requests for full job specifications should be made to Jerry Sanders, 07788 204442/07970 835523, e-mail jerry.sanders@waterways.org.uk.

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waterways KEEPING OUR WATERWAYS ALIVE

Crick Grundy 1926-2011 – a true pioneer of the canals ajor Christopher (Crick) Grundy, who died on 4th November last year, was imbued with the spirit of the inland waterways from the earliest days.

Born in Colne, Lancashire in 1926, he was the eldest son of Reginald and Marjorie Grundy.

His parents’ first boating holiday – an unusual concept in those days – was in 1934 on the Shropshire Union Canal; Crick and his younger brother, Martin, first joined them on a cruise in 1938. Both were immediately captivated by the canals.

In 1945, Reginald bought a 30ft converted ex-ship’s cutter, then called Hobson’s Choice. Renamed Heron, the family took it on several cruises on the (then semi-derelict) Llangollen Canal. Famously, in 1947 and 1948, they met up with Tom and Angela Rolt on their narrowboat Cressy, and joined them in overcoming many obstacles and difficulties to successfully reach the head of navigation at Llangollen.

On several occasions in the 1950 and ’60s, whenever a canal was threatened with closure by the authorities, Crick Grundy had the habit of turning up either on Heron or by car with his portable boat, The Blue Bath, on the roof rack. These ‘tactical sorties’ aimed to prove that the particular waterway could be navigated. The survival of the Aylesbury and Stourbridge canals and the Dudley Tunnel are among his credits over this period, while Crick was also involved in the campaign to save the Basingstoke Canal.

His campaigning activity was particularly noteworthy, as it had to be fitted in with his professional career in the army. He joined IWA in 1946 - and was one of just a few founder members to be made honorary life members at the time of our 60th Anniversary in 2006. When he returned from the Korean conflict (in which he was awarded the MC) in 1952, he joined the committee of the Inland Waterways Association’s North-West Branch.

This was the start of many years service on IWA committees – including the National Council. He would become a good friend and confidant of both Robert Aickman and David Hutchings, and his calm and shrewd mind at times provided a useful counter-balance to their more volatile natures.

David Hutchings returned to his architectural practice after the recordbreaking restoration of the southern Stratford

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Canal. The National Trust, which remained in charge of the canal, appointed Crick Grundy as their manager in 1966 – coupling it with the curatorship of nearby Packwood House. It was a tricky and difficult job to take on. The restoration had been pushed forward at great speed for political reasons, leaving the reopened canal needing much more work to put it into a fully reliable, navigable state. Crick had to juggle a shortage of funds and never-ceasing demands for maintenance work; he would be out at all hours, and in all weathers, to deal with problems caused by what he called “the extraordinary efforts of the users”.

Crick’s most lasting contribution to the waterways was his work for the Upper Avon Navigation Trust. When David Hutchings took on the restoration of the navigation between Stratford and Evesham, Crick helped him in drawing up the plans (which were for a virtually new navigation) and, particularly, with the complex negotiations with landowners and the river board.

Much of his most vital work, like this, was behind the scenes. In the 1950s, he had worked with Aickman to draft the memorandum and articles that set the course for the IWA. The two then worked together to secure UANT its new Act of Parliament, which permitted it to run the navigation and raise tolls. Crick rightly remained proud of this achievement by a small, independent charitable trust.

Crick devoted much time in recent years to working on the conversion and fitting out of a 57ft Calder & Hebble keel, Draepwelle. He is survived by his wife, Hope, whom he met in 1966 when she was a member of the crew of the pair of hotel boats, Mabel and Forget Me Not, and by his daughter, Jemima.

David Bolton

Crick Boat Show Help!

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f you’ve ever wanted to get involved with a boat show here’s your chance. Waterways World, as organiser of the Crick Boat Show, is looking for about a dozen people to help with various tasks in the build up to the Show, the Show days themselves and the breakdown after the Show. Some of the tasks will require some heavy manual work (fence erecting, furniture shifting, pipe-laying etc), other tasks will be less physically demanding (show programme distribution, seminar theatre support).

We are mainly looking for volunteers but there is the possibility of several paid positions for the manual tasks.

The build up period starts in earnest on Monday 28th May with the Show starting on 2nd June and finishing on 5th June, with break-down largely completed by 7th June.

For anyone who volunteers for a minimum of two full working days we are offering a free family weekend ticket to the Show, plus free camping pitch or mooring slot for the duration of the Show, a meal allowance for the days worked, a fixed amount towards travel costs to reach Crick, PLUS a one year subscription to Waterways World.

If you are interested in offering your time to be involved with Crick, write to Sue Ruth at Waterways World, 151 Station Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffs DE14 1BG or email sue. ruth@wwonline.co.uk with a brief resume telling us about yourself and a note on the type of duties you are interested in.

Let us know if heavy manual work is an option or not, the number of days you would be willing to work and whether you would be available pre-Show, post-Show or during the Show.

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Spring 2012 | NEWS | FREIGHT | RESTORATION

Staveley Town Basin Completed

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he new Staveley Town Basin on the Chesterfield Canal has been completed, with contractors beginning to fill it with water on 9th December. The basin forms the centerpiece of an imaginative redevelopment of the canal in Staveley between Hall Lane Bridge and the Staveley Northern Loop Road Bridge, both of which have recently been built with full navigational height. It has involved Waterway Recovery Group and Chesterfield Canal Trust volunteers constructing over 600 yards of new wash wall beyond the former end of navigation close to Mill Green Bridge.

Approximately 210ft long and 147ft wide, the basin offers facilities to enable the economic development of the isolated section of the Chesterfield Canal in advance of full restoration.

The basin and lock area forms a new eastern terminus for the five miles of navigable canal from Chesterfield pending further restoration towards Renishaw and Killamarsh.

Once fully developed, the basin will provide secure moorings, slipway, craning area, car parking, cycle racks and showers. The area will be managed by a not-for-profit trading company and will provide ten small business start-up units targeted at waterway-related enterprises, plus a bunk house for volunteers working on the canal. There will also

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Staveley Town Lock.

be a row of cottages facing the lock which will be available for rent.

It is estimated that, once completed, the area will generate £80,000-£100,000 annually. This will prevent the maintenance costs of a fully-restored canal causing pressure on local council budgets.

Meanwhile, a low-level railway bridge just east of the basin has necessitated the construction of a ‘dropped pound’ formed by two new locks. Work on the first of these – Staveley Town Lock, No 5a, is now well underway, with the foundations, head walls and tail bridge in place. The bridge will be traditionally styled and will be known as Staveley Town Bridge, No 5a. Below the lock will be an events area, where a major trailboat festival will be staged at the end of June.

Ribble Link Access Campaign

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lthough British Waterways Wigan is taking bookings for this year, it has recently been telling applicants that any boats with a draft in excess of 24in may be excluded.

IWA has taken this issue up with BW as, although the skipper’s guide to the Link indicates that 24in is the maximum, many boats with drafts up to 36in have successfully navigated the Link in the past.

IWA understands that the issue surrounds siltation in the first pound after the rotating tidal gate. BW staff let boats proceed while the tide is still coming in thus giving more depth to the first pound. The designed depth over the lock cills is 4ft, therefore there is a presumption of plenty of leeway for boats with drafts above 24in.

Following IWA pressure, a hydrological survey was carried out which will now hopefully clarify the situation. BW, as a result of the new survey, confirm that the new maximum safe draft for boats will be 33in. BW has explained the reasoning as follows: “The level was set using

Chairs appointed for CRT Waterway Partnership

Waiting for the locks on the Ribble Link.

many criteria, however the main restricting factor has been the seasonal siltation that we remove at the start of each year. In theory it may well be possible to get a craft with a deeper draft through the link in April but there would be significant concerns about its ability to return by July; or even earlier if we have very heavy rainfall in spring”.

IWA will continue to monitor the situation locally.

he Canal & River Trust, has appointed chairs to a number of the Waterway Partnerships that will play a role in the management of canals and rivers across the network.

They are as follows: Manchester & Pennine Professor Walter Menzies, previously chief executive of the Mersey Basin Campaign; North Wales & Borders - Jim Forrester, currently director at Imperial War Museum North in Manchester; South Wales & Severn - Jack Hegarty, who has been managing director of Wychavon District Council since 2004; Kennet & Avon - Fleur de Rhe Philipe, a member of Wiltshire Council since 1997, currently serving as cabinet member for economic development and strategic planning; North West - Professor Steven Broomhead, currently professor of entrepreneurial education at Liverpool Hope University; West Midlands Peter Mathews CMG, a past chair of the Black Country Consortium; Museums - Laurence Newman, Chairman, Epsom & St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Chairs are now being sought for the remaining Waterway Partnerships in the North East, Central Shires, East Midlands, South East and London, and recruitment for the All Wales Partnership is continuing.

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waterways KEEPING OUR WATERWAYS ALIVE

Broads Dredging Grant

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he Norfolk and Suffolk Broads is to be given an £800,000 grant to help find new ways of removing sediment which builds up in the waterways. The money from the European Union will fund research into new methods of dredging sediment and recycling it.

In addition, the Broads Authority said the money would also help fund an extension to the sediment island at Duck Broad.

The project is expected to run until 2014.

Duck Broad.

CROMFORD AQUEDUCT REOPENED

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he restored historic cast-iron aqueduct carrying the Cromford Canal over the railway at Leawood was reopened on 28th November by Councillor Simon Spencer, Deputy Leader of Derbyshire County Council. Also present at the ceremony were representatives of the Friends of the Cromford Canal and Amber Valley Borough Council.

Repairs were carried out to the cast iron straps that held the structure together, the metal trough has been cleaned and painted with a protective paint system and the old timber towpath has been replaced with a new freestanding steel towpath, The aqueduct is the only surviving example of a suspension girder bridge in the UK, and needed repairs to address corrosion issues and to ensure its long-term stability.

The Leawood Aqueduct reopening party on 28th November.

The aqueduct’s status as a scheduled monument means that the council has a statutory duty to maintain it and all repairs have to be approved by English Heritage.

Sufficient funds were available to ensure that the restoration works allow for

Personnel Changes

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ollowing a reorganisation at IWA Head Office, partly necessitated by a need to reduce costs, the post of Operations & Information Systems Officer has been declared redundant, and David Forrester left the Association’s employment at the end of December.

IWA is grateful to David for the positive contribution he has made to the Association during his period of employment.

Meanwhile, Jerry Sanders has resigned as a trustee of IWA.

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However, he remains chairman of IWA’s Promotions & Communications Committee, as well as a member of IWA Festivals Committee, which is part of IWA’s trading subsidiary company Inland Waterways Enterprises Ltd. At the December meeting of IWA’s trustees, Gren Messham was appointed a member of IWA’s Finance Committee, and Gareth Jones and Alan Wiffen were appointed corresponding members.

navigation in the future, and the Friends of the Cromford Canal look forward to seeing boat traffic across the aqueduct in the years to come. There is also better access now for working parties on the canal south of the aqueduct.

IWA Public Relations & Communications Internship

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ublic relations and social media is of continuing importance to IWA and we need someone to help with the day-today duties of helping us manage and develop our local and national public relations and social networking channels.

The post will be ideally suited to someone with a public relations or journalism background who is looking to develop their experience.

For more information please see the internship specification – visit the IWA website.

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Spring 2012 | NEWS | FREIGHT | RESTORATION

FREIGHT FACILITIES GRANTS

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y way of Freight Facilities Grants, Government has over the years funded a number of projects for waterborne freight but in recent years revision of the scheme, certainly as far as England is concerned, has minimised the impact of modal shift. In Scotland the Waterborne Freight Grant and Mode Revenue Support have been subsumed by the Future Transport Fund, specifically geared towards environment improvement.

The movement of round timber from production areas in Scotland has in many places put a heavy burden on inadequate road links. The Timberlink project, collaboration between ports, British Waterways and forestry companies, provides a good example of effective use of FFGs to shift traffic to waterways.

The Kanutta (42.0 x 8.0 x 4.3, 1,450 dwt) has been moving timber through the Caledonian Canal from Loch Etive to Inverness and the Red Baroness (65.0 x 10.7 x 4.0, 1,450 dwt) has been well employed in coastal timber movements.

The Caledonian Canal provides an obvious shortcut between Scotland’s west and east coasts and the most recent of several attempts to use this more fully comes from the Great Glen Shipping Company which, with a Modal Shift Revenue Support grant, has acquired two former 1978 built Alderney Shipping vessels, the Isis and Burhou I (both 57.5 x 10.1 x 3.4, 953 dwt). The length of the latter has been reduced by 12m so that it can navigate the canal. Timber may well be the main cargo but a new deck-mounted deck excava-

The Kanutta carries timber thro

ugh the Caledonian Canal.

tor will facilitate handling of bulk cargoes, with winter suggesting that salt is likely to be important.

The Scottish Government welcomed this “exciting development…it will support our aim to reduce greenhouse

gas emissions by taking lorries off our roads…(and will) benefit the local communities, tourists and the freight industry.” It would seem that the Scottish Government has a more positive strategy than exists south of the border.

SAFEGUARDING WHARVES

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WA has always been of the view that, just as bus services require bus stops and rail networks need stations, so waterborne freight is dependent on the availability of sites at which cargo can be handled. It was of course for this reason that in 1997 the Government’s safeguarding direction and the commendable effort of the PLA ensured that the disappearance of wharves was slowed down and that some of those not in use were reactivated for cargo handling.

In July 2000 the responsibility for assessing planning applications was assumed by the Mayor of London. A revised list of safeguarded wharves appeared in 2005 and a further revision was initiated in 2010, and the report prepared by URS Scott Wilson was

made available for consultation late in 2011. This takes the form of longterm water freight trade forecasts in various commodity trades, rarely an accurate guide to reality and open to varied interpretation, in relation to wharf capacity in London’s different regions. While this may work reasonably well for the Thames wharves it does not provide an acceptable basis for providing the capacity which might encourage modal shift on to the canals.

Perhaps London needs to look to Leeds where the local authority, together with British Waterways, and encouraged by potential users, seems to be taking a more realistic and pragmatic approach to wharf safeguarding. The City is intent on maintaining existing wharves and

Leeds shows the way in safeguar ding it’s wharves.

has agreed on safeguarding sites suitable for waterborne freight. A site at Stourton has been identified for a new wharf and the City sees concrete batching and asphalt as possible waterside industries. Steel, timber and containers could also provide traffic.

There has already been a successful trial shipment of steel sections from a Trent wharf to Leeds.

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waterways KEEPING OUR WATERWAYS ALIVE

Freight traffic on the Paddington Arm.

The Westmill plant at Selby.

BARGES RETURN TO SELBY

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ollowing collaboration between the Commercial Boat Operators Association (CBOA), Hewitt Marine & Westmill Foods, the first consignment of rice was loaded on board Hewitt Marine’s Seagull on 5th December last year. This was destined for delivery to the Westmill waterside rice milling and packaging plant at Selby, Yorkshire on the River Ouse.

Some 285 tonnes were loaded at King George Dock in Hull but it is anticipated that in future this will be increased to 300 tonnes. Hewitt Marine expects to carry many more loads on behalf of Westmill, with each trip saving a minimum of 12 trucks making their way through the narrow, historic streets of Selby.

Westmill is no stranger to sustainable transport. Until four years ago, when problems caused modal shift back to road, the rice was delivered in LASH (lighter aboard ship) barges pushed by tugs belonging to Dean’s Tugs and Workboats Ltd, based at Hull.

IWA POLICY ON FREIGHT

F

rom its inception, the IWA has been concerned with the multi-functional use of the waterways including freight transport, and this was crystallised with the creation by Charles Hadfield in 1971 of the Inland Shipping Group, now the Inland Waterways Freight Group. IWA is formulating its current policy with respect to freight.

Where freight movement by water is sustainable in economic, environment and social terms, IWA will lobby waterway authorities to maintain the waterways to statutory standards and in a condition suitable for modern vessels. Furthermore, it will press them to market and facilitate opportunities for freight traffic.

Where there is significant freight potential, IWA supports the continuing enhancement of waterway capacity and facilities and will encourage Government and planning authorities to consider waterway freight transport in drawing up plans, and identifying and where appropriate protecting/safeguarding suitable locations for industry and freight interchanges.

IWA supports Government funding to encourage modal shift from roads to water and with like-minded lobby groups will seek to raise awareness of the opportunities for and advantages of waterborne freight. IWA recognises the benefit of freight traffic on smaller waterways in encouraging the retention of commercial craft of heritage interest and in maintaining channel cross-section.

Cory and London

T

he Cory company has a long association with the Thames and London and this was formalised in 2002 with a 30-year contract with the Western Riverside Waste Authority, the provision of a new materials recycling facility at Wandsworth and the construction of the Belvedere Riverside Energy from Waste plant where, through a new jetty, Cory Lighterage delivers over 600,000 tonnes of waste a year from Wandsworth and ships 170,000 tonnes of incinerator bottom ash to Tilbury. This gives an annual saving of 100,000 HGVs on London’s roads - is it too much to hope that at some time in the future a rationalisation of waste and recyclables collection and disposal could result in greater use of the Lee Navigation and the Paddington Arm?

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| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

News.indd Sec1:7

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20/01/2012 11:25

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IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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21 20/1/12 17:19:47

MEET THE

Trustees

Transition Trustee John Dodwell talks about his early days, the new Trust and his hopes for the future...

My Background

My first waterways recollection is of an old sailing dinghy which my father used at the Thames at Laleham. Later we hired boats on the Broads and bicycled along the Basingstoke Canal. I went angling by Chertsey Bridge and when I was 16 I spent a week canoeing on the Thames from Lechlade to Chertsey – you’ll note I went downstream! In the ’60s I was a regular volunteer on the Stourbridge Canal restoration. Later I was part of “Protest” canoe trips on the derelict Basingstoke, Kennet & Avon, Ashton and Lower Peak Forest canals. I was at “Operation Ashton”, Welshpool, Droitwich Dig and other celebrated restoration work parties. The Upper Avon restoration caught my attention – I can talk for hours about the building of George Billington Lock. By now, I’d been helping out on hotel boats and was hiring boats.

In the meantime, I’d taken a leading role in IWA’s campaign about the Transport Act 1968. I was IWA General Secretary from 1971-4 and campaigned successfully against the proposed hand over of BW to regional water authorities. After that, I went back to being a chartered accountant and went into corporate finance, specialising in raising money for small companies, including those in the property sector. I was chair or finance director of a number of companies, including some on the Stock Exchange’s AIM market. I was involved with charities, including their investment portfolios. I set up my own water freight advisory firm and became chair of the Commercial Boat Owners Association. In the last five years, I have also been a member of the Government’s Inland Waterways Advisory Council and of the British Waterways Advisory Forum. All three as a volunteer – the same as being a CRT Trustee.

About 10 years ago I bought a boat and I now own an old BCN tug built of riveted steel at Harris Bros yard at Bumblehole, Netherton. Helen is 51ft long and draws 3ft along her whole length – and yes, I do know the bottom is sometimes too near the top! For the technically minded, the engine is a three-cylinder Bolinder.

The New Trust Why did I want to be a Trustee? Well, I reckoned I could offer a combination of my long and deep waterways knowledge with my

22

“I see the waterways continuing to need a vigorous IWA. For a start, there are the waterways outside the Trust’s scope, including many meriting restoration” experiences in running businesses, including those in property; and I felt I was able to put forward a users’ viewpoint.

The setting up of Canal & River Trust gives waterways users the chance to influence how the waterways are run. Instead of BW executives reporting to the British Waterways Board who in turn report to Government, the Trust’s executives will report to the Trustees who are accountable to the Trust’s Council. That Council will consist of various types of users. But remember that as charity trustees are in law responsible for what a trust does, responsibility for the Trust’s actions is at the Trustee level. Users will also be involved with the 13 Waterway Partnerships around the country. The Trust has announced its plans to have special groups advising the management about navigation, heritage, angling, environment, freight, education/youth and volunteering.

There will also be a National Users Forum. The Trust will have a public annual meeting, as will the Waterway Partnerships.

On the all important money side, the Trust will get away from the near annual review with Government about how much the grant will be. Instead, the Trust will have a legally binding contract with Government lasting for at least 10 years about the sum Government will pay the Trust – that’s a huge improvement and will help with maintenance planning. The Government began by offering £39m a year for ten years; the Trustees said that wasn’t enough.

That £39m needs to be seen in the context of the total income.

The last BW accounts showed £159m annual income for the English and Welsh waterways arising from:

| IWA waterways - Winter Spring 2011 2012

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The Interview ◗ £34m from property rentals and wayleaves and premiums; ◗ £24m from utility income (eg cables in the towpath) and water sales ◗ £29m from boat licences, mooring permits and British Waterways Marinas’ gross income ◗ £10m maintenance and other income (mainly from local authorities) ◗ £12m contribution to other third party funded works (restoration/regeneration) ◗ £3m miscellaneous ◗ £47m Government grant.

So we can see that there was £100m of nonGovernment income (putting to one side the £12m third party works figure as it is roughly matched by the £15m third party works expenditure).

Of course, it’s glaring that the £47m Government figure is, if the Government has its way, going to go down by £8m to £39m. This £8m is 17% of the £47m. It’s 5% of the total £147m income (leaving aside that £12m third party money). But we know we need more.

Where does the property rental income come from? Over the years, BW has been able to make use of the waterside property it inherited largely from the canal companies and, at the last count, had an investment property portfolio valued at £380m.

This will form part of the Trust’s endowment fund – similar to what many charities have. The aim will be to keep this intact in a separate “pot”. The income will be transferred to a maintenance “pot” where, together with other income, it will contribute to maintenance. From time to time, individual assets in the investment “pot” may be sold but the sale proceeds will be used to buy new investments – not be used to prop up the maintenance “pot”.

The Future Change is in the air – and yet some things remain the same.

The long standing IWA slogan of “Waterways for All” will continue to strike a chord – indeed, that’s one of the main reasons for the Government’s long term support. It is estimated that some 13m people visit the waterways each year. The wider public benefits from the waterways through drainage, towpath use, urban and rural regeneration and industrial heritage, plus wildlife and plant habitat.

I’ve already mentioned the change in management accountability. Other changes have already begun. In the last three years, BW has really embraced the use of volunteers – not just on the towpath but in the office. Volunteer lockkeepers are on the increase – with over 50 locations targeted for 2012. Now, I know there have been teething troubles with volunteer work parties and if you’ve suffered, then tell IWA’s Vaughan Welch who can do a collation and talk to waterways management. And through the Waterway Partnerships and advisory groups, there is a new feel of openness. Gone are the days some of us remember when BW gave the impression they didn’t need help.

And being a charity means the Trust can now seek donations and legacies and benefit from Gift-Aid; will qualify for business rates relief (worth about £1m pa); and will be effectively free of corporation tax etc.

Crusing the waterways aboard the old BCN tug Helen.

We now have the chance to act as an overall single waterways movement. No more of Us against a stingy Government who won’t pay enough. The answers are in our own hands. It will take time for this to filter through and there will be stubborn diehards on each side of the old fence – but that’s not the way forward.

Sitting on the sidelines being critical is the easy part - now we have the chance to be on the inside, influencing matters.

What does all this mean for IWA and its members?

As a Trustee, it’s not for me to suggest how IWA might develop. But then I’ve been an IWA member since 1961. IWA has done wonders for the waterways, over the last few years as well as before and so I am very interested in IWA’s future.

I don’t see IWA withering on the vine. The new Trust will not have local branches. It will be appealing for support from the wider public rather than the specialist waterway supporters - although I hope that, like me, you will become a formal Trust Supporter in due course.

I see the waterways continuing to need a vigorous IWA. For a start, there are the waterways outside the Trust’s scope, including many meriting restoration (and the sooner, the better). The Government contract will need renewing at the end of the ten years – and the right political background will be needed. IWA branches have a valuable role to play in planning matters; in social meetings; in providing volunteers; in spreading the message with rallies etc.

We have a good background for working together and taking the best out of BW and its management and the voluntary movement. The Droitwich Canals have recently been re-opened; lots of work is nearly completed at Bow Back Rivers; boat numbers are up by 10,000 to 35,000 over the last ten years; nonGovernment income is up from £60m to £100m pa over the same period; and, importantly, the percentage of major structures (embankments, aqueducts, cuttings, bridges, locks, culverts etc) in poor condition has fallen from 30% to 18% over ten years.

Impressive that may be, but there’s still room for improvement, especially dredging - as my Helen knows all too well!

Dare I finish by paraphrasing President Kennedy? “Ask not what the waterways can do for you. Ask what you can do for the waterways”. Well, all IWA members can look confidently in the mirror on that one!

IWA IWA waterways waterways -- Winter Spring 2012 2011 |

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The Magic of

Fenland

T

here’s nowhere quite like the Fenland waterways of eastern England. From the Great Ouse and its tributaries in the south of the region, to the Witham Navigable Drains further north, these remote rivers, dykes and channels - many built specifically for drainage purposes - offer unrivalled opportunities for recreation, whether it be navigation, bird-watching, angling or walking.

The Great Ouse One river is synonymous with the Fens - the Great Ouse. It made the marshy landscape, the hiding place of Hereward the Wake, the Anglo Saxon freedom fighter of the 11th

24

century. Engineers have worked for centuries to keep it on the straight and narrow - from the revered Cornelius Vermuyden in the 17th century to the Environment Agency’s flood relief engineers today. Though Hereward’s marshlands are now drained, and the pound sterling has replaced Ely eels as the local currency, this remains a unique waterland - a web of lodes and leams, sluices and drains, with Ely Cathedral, the ship of the Fens, sailing majestically above it all. This is a region of vast skies, fantastic sunsets and splendid isolation, these Cambridgeshire rivers being blissfully quiet for most of the year. You can enjoy boating as it used to be in bygone times.

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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The Magic of Fenland

Twenty Pence Bridge on the Old West River.

RIGHT: Canooeists on the Great Ouse at Bedford.

ABOVE: Godmanchester on the Great Ouse.

(Robin Smithett) LEFT: Leaving Hermitage Lock on the Great Ouse. (Robin Smithett)

Not that the Great Ouse traverses typical Fenland scenery throughout its length.

Currently navigable up to Kempston Mill, a couple of miles above Bedford, its upper reaches are characterised by gentle watermeadows and woodlands. Picturesque villages and elegant market towns provide frequent distractions: Hemingford Grey, Houghton, Godmanchester, St Neots and Huntingdon. None is finer than St Ives, with its 15th century arched bridge complete with tiny chapel and its large market square graced with a statue of Oliver Cromwell.

Fenland scenery begins in earnest at Earith, where the tidal New Bedford River heads off, straight as an arrow to the north east. Most pleasure boats continue along the winding Old West River - the original course of the Great Ouse - to Pope’s Corner, confluence with the

River Cam. Henceforth the river continues, wide, straight and deep, through Ely and Littleport, to Denver Sluice and beyond to a link with the Middle Level Navigations at Salters Lode (see page 28).

But don’t be tempted to rush the journey. Ely, in particular, is a delight - a fascinating little city of quaint shops, good pubs and tearooms and a waterfront to rival any on the Thames; plus of course its magnificent cathedral which dominates the Fens for miles around.

Enhancing the Great Ouse are several enchanting tributaries, each with their own character: the Cam leads to Cambridge and all its glories; Burwell, Reach and Wicken lodes offer short diversions from the Cam; and the Lark, Little Ouse and Wissey provide mile upon mile of lonely cruising or riverside walking beneath vast Fenland skies.

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FACTS & FIGURES Navigation Authorities: Environment Agency (Anglian Region) 08708 506506, www. visitgreatouse.co.uk; Conservators of the River Cam (Cam above Bottisham Lock) 01353 662203, www.camconservators.co.uk.

Walking: Although there is no towpath alongside much of the Great Ouse, the Ouse Valley Way is a network of footpaths following the route of the river from source to sea, including the navigable length. This is one of the longest river walks in Britain. www.ousevalleyway.org.uk.

Pick of the Pubs: The Samuel Pepys, Huntingdon; Old Ferry Boat, Holywell; Nelson’s Head, St Ives; Cutter Inn, Ely; Maid’s Head, Wicken; Fort St George, Cambridge.

Getting there: Access to the Great Ouse from the main network is via the River Nene and the Middle Level (see overleaf). All that will change with the completion of the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway, a new canal to connect the Great Ouse at Bedford with the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes. At such time the Great Ouse system is expected to become much busier - although the project is a long-term one.

Wicken Lode.

St Ives Bridge.

The River Nene The Nene is a quintessentially English river where time seems to have stood still. It traces a remote course across the Northamptonshire countryside, its banks lined with a succession of picturesque stone villages. Numerous solitary locks punctuate the journey and along the way you’ll encounter children fishing for newts and tadpoles beside ancient watermills, whilst families picnic in wildflower-strewn meadows. England’s green and pleasant land indeed!

But this is a river of contrasts too. There are outposts of industry at Northampton, Wellingborough and Peterborough, as well as a lively holiday complex at Billing. Medieval bridges and more modern locks come in varying shapes and sizes, although fortunately all but six of the once-feared manual guillotine lock-gates have now been converted to electrical operation.

Above all, the Nene remains a haven of tranquillity, where long lines of moored craft and lengthy lock-queues are thankfully rare.

Northampton is a fine county town which repays exploration and there is much of interest along the upper reaches, as the river meanders extravagantly across a widening flood plain. Several villages keep a respectful distance from the water, Woodford being the

26

best of them with its traditional stone cottages grouped around an expansive green.

But it is below Thrapston that the Nene attains new heights of scenic splendour.

Wadenhoe is delectable, a mix of picture-postcard stone and thatch cottages facing each other across a narrow, winding lane that leads to the renowned King’s Head.

Everyone stops at Oundle, a refined stonebuilt town famous for its public school.

Further downstream is Fotheringhay, forever associated with Mary Queen of Scots (she was imprisoned here and executed in 1587) and boasting a wonderful riverside church. Many observers regard this as the most beautiful village on the entire inland waterway network.

More typical Fenland scenery is on the menu as you journey downstream to Peterborough, a thriving city with a lengthy promenade equipped with a full range of facilities for boaters. However short your stay here, make sure you check out the cathedral with its imposing west front. Passing the entrance to Morton Leam - giving access via Stanground Sluice to the Middle Level - the Nene continues downstream to the tidal lock at Dog-in-a Doublet, which marks the end of the road for most boaters and walkers. Only those suitably prepared should attempt the tidal passage to the Wash.

RIGHT: Fothorignhay church on the Nene.

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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Water Newton Lock on the Nene.

Upper Barnwell Lock, River Nene.

IWA’S WELCHES DAM CAMPAIGN Welches Dam Lock - at 47ft one of the smallest on the waterway network - has been closed ‘by stealth’ by the Environment Agency over a number of years. EA has installed a ‘temporary’ coffer dam, ostensibly to prevent water seepage, but this has severed passage, the statutory right to which is enshrined by law.

For its part, EA is denying that it has a statutory responsibility to repair the lock.

Furthermore, it says that such repairs would be too costly in the current financial situation, given the limited use of the lock over the years.

The issue could be resolved by the completion of the final phase of the Fens Waterway Link (see page 30), but in the meantime a vital principle is at stake: how to force a navigation authority to carry out its legal responsibilities. Following consultation between IWA’s Navigation Committee and Peterborough Branch, preliminary legal soundings have been taken concerning a court case which could incur costs of over £100,000.

An alternative course of action could be to acquire a temporary lease for the waterway and utilise volunteers to restore the lock, possibly installing a larger structure than the present one.

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Boating on Well Creek, Middle Level Navigations.

FACTS & FIGURES Navigation Authority: Environment Agency (Anglian Region) 08708 506506, www.environment-agency.gov.uk/navigation.

Walking: The Nene Way is a well sign-posted 110-mile long-distance trail running from Badby in Northamptonshire to Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire. From time to time the route deviates away from the water, adding variety to the journey and providing extensive views across the valley.

Pick of the Pubs: King’s Head, Wadenhoe; Ship Inn, Oundle; Falcon Inn, Fotheringhay; The Crown, Elton; Queens Head, Nassington; The Haycock, Wansford.

Getting There: Access to the Nene from the Grand Union Canal is by way of the Northampton Arm, which descends through 17 narrow-beam locks and a couple of lift bridges to join the river at Northampton.

It is a matter of eternal regret that the locks of the Northampton Arm were built to narrow-beam dimensions, thus preventing wide-beam craft from travelling from the Grand Union Canal to the waterways of East Anglia.

28

The Middle Level Navigations This is a totally unique cruising area. It divides opinion - people either love it or hate it. But if you have a penchant for utter peace and tranquillity, vast Fenland skies and unpolluted air, then this network of waterways - primarily built for drainage and flood protection purposes - could be the place for you.

That said, many perceive the Middle Level as merely a link between the Great Ouse and the Nene, the normal route being via Well Creek, the Old River Nene, Whittlesey Dyke and King’s Dyke. An alternative route via Welches Dam Lock and the Forty Foot has been unavailable for some time, owing to the long-term closure of Welches Dam Lock (see page 27).

Perhaps the real joy of the Middle Level lies in exploring the periphery of the system, including the Twenty Foot and Sixteen Foot drains, Monks Lode, Great Raveley Drain and many more remote dykes and drains. Be sure to visit March, Ramsey and the twin ‘Dutchstyle’ villages of Upwell and Outwell during your travels.

FACTS & FIGURES Navigation Authority: Middle Level Commissioners 01354 653232 www.middlelevel. go.uk.

The tidal River Witham.

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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The Magic of Fenland

ABOVE: Torksey Lock. (Alison Alderton) RIGHT: Brayford Pool, Lincoln.

(Alison Alderton)

Walking: A number of footpaths follow the line of several of the Middle Level waterways, facilitating several circular walks. Simply check out the relevant OS maps (Landranger series 142 (Peterborough), 154 (Cambridge & Newmarket) and off you go!

Pick of the Pubs: Globe Inn, Upwell; Red Lion, March; Jolly Sailor, Ramsey.

Getting There: Access to the Middle Level Navigations is via the Nene and the Great Ouse.

Fossdyke Canal and River Witham The Fossdyke Canal runs from the River Trent at Torksey to Lincoln, from where the River Witham may be navigated to Boston, a distance of 43 miles; suitably-equipped seagoing craft may then continue onwards to the Wash.

Far removed from the mainstream boating areas of the Midlands, these waters are not to everyone’s taste, the scenery being predomi-

nantly flat and featureless. But they should not be overlooked, for arriving by boat in historic Lincoln is one of the great inland waterways experiences. Moor in Brayford Pool, visit the cathedral, enjoy shops and restaurants galore, then move on to Boston where you can explore the nooks and crannies of this fascinating old port to your heart’s content.

Such urban pleasure aside, the principal appeal of these Fenland waterways lies in their astonishingly remote nature - you certainly won’t be queuing for locks hereabouts. And if you fancy an encore, consider the Witham Navigable Drains: a further 40 miles or so of navigable waterways traversing an eerily quiet landscape.

IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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FACTS & FIGURES Navigation Authorities: British Waterways (Newark) 01636 704481, www.britishwaterways.co.uk; Witham Fourth District Internal Drainage Board 01205 310099, www.w4idb.co.uk.

Pick of the Pubs: White Swan, Torksey; Pyewipe, Lincoln; Tyrwhitt Arms, Short Ferry (near Bardney Lock); White Horse, Southrey; Malcom Arms, Anton’s Gowt.

Walking: A good path follows the Fossdyke Canal and River Witham all the way from Torksey to Boston. A number of intervening railway stations make shorter one-way walks possible.

Getting There: Access to the Fossdyke Canal is via the tidal Trent. Due care and attention is needed to arrive at Torksey Lock at the correct state of the tide. For advice contact BW (01636 704481).

FENS WATERWAYS LINK New lock opened 2009

The Fens Waterways Link is the biggest waterway enhancement project in Europe. Linking Lincolnshire and the River Witham with Cambridgeshire and the River Great Ouse, the ambitious six-phase scheme will comprise some 50 miles of new navigations and will open up access to a further 145 miles of waterways, connecting the cathedral cities of Lincoln, Peterborough and Ely with the market towns of Boston, Spalding, Crowland and Ramsey. New locks will be built, drains made navigable and canals cut.

Amidst great celebrations, Phase 1 was brought to a successful conclusion in March 2009 with the official opening of Boston Lock, connecting the Haven at Boston with the South Forty Foot Drain.

Phases 2 and 3 of the project involve the connection of the South Forty Foot Drain with the River Glen at Guthrams Gowt, and with the Glen above Surfleet Seas End Sluice along Vernatt’s Drain. This will run parallel to the River Welland to beyond Platt’s Bridge, where a new channel will be built to join the River Welland above Fulney Lock.

Final stages of the scheme will see a link provided between the Welland and the Nene at Peterborough. Thereafter, the proposal is to complete a route from Peterborough to Earith without boaters having to use the tidal Great Ouse at Salters Lode. The plan is to use the Forty Foot Drain from Horseway Lock to the Old Bedford River, which would then be made navigable from Welches Dam to Earith - although Welches Dam is currently, and controversially, closed (see page 27).

For further details of the Fens Waterways Link visit www.fenswaterways.com.

in.

BELOW: Vernatt’s Dra

ABOVE: The opening of

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Boston Lock, 2009.

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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Billing Lock on the River Nene - Britain’s loveliest waterway?

(Robin Smithett)

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WRG Needs You… in

L

2012!

ooking for an exciting and interesting way to make a difference in preserving the UK’s industrial heritage?

Whether you are a complete beginner to canal restoration or have tried your hand at restoration before, we would love to hear from you….

The Inland Waterways Association’s Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) runs over 25 week-long Working Holidays, called ‘Canal Camps’, every year throughout England and Wales. Whether you fancy rebuilding a lock, digging out a canal channel, or clearing vegetation from a towpath we will have something to suit you.

Canal Camps are a great experience for anyone who loves being outdoors and enjoys meeting new people from different backgrounds and of different ages. Each camp costs only £56 per week – this includes food and accommodation. Our Canal Camps are open to anyone aged between 18 and 70.

Volunteers come from all walks of life … so why don’t you join us on a canal camp and try something completely different in 2012!

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Canal Camps 2012 Midlands Cromford Canal Cost: £56 Location: Derbyshire Dates: 4th-11th August; 11th-18th August Activities: demolition, construction, stone walling, bricklaying The Cromford Canal is a waterway being reborn in the heart of the Peak District.

Volunteers will be working on the Derwentside Spill Weir – demolishing the existing structure and constructing a new weir. There will also be the chance to work on the Gauging Narrows at Sawmills, continuing rebuilding work on the stone walls started in 2011.

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WRG Needs You...in 2012!

Uttoxeter Canal Cost: £56 Location: Staffordshire Dates: 26th December - 1st January 2013 Activities: scrub bashing, bonfires Our 2012 festive camp will be working on the Uttoxeter Canal clearing vegetation around Bridge 70, so there will be plenty of scrub bashing, bonfire and other winter activities … a perfect way to work off your Christmas dinner!

Chesterfield Canal Cost: £56/*£72 Location: Derbyshire Dates: 31st March – 9th April*; 18th-25th August; 25th August-1st September Activities: lock construction, brick and block laying In 2012 WRG volunteers will be returning to help construct the new Staveley Town Lock. The new lock is an important step in the restoration project, enabling the canal to get under a railway line a few hundred metres further on. Volunteers may also get involved in the construction of a small footbridge and wharf wall. There will be plenty of work to keep both experienced WRGies and newcomers entertained.

Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal Cost: £56 Location: Gloucestershire Dates: 6th-13th April Activities: machine operation, towpath construction, piling In 2000, WRG helped to restore Over Basin and this Easter volunteers will restore the next stretch of the canal (approximately 275 metres) north of the basin. Work will include excavators and dumpers removing silt from the canal, as well as the construction of a new towpath.

Cotswold Canals – Inglesham Lock Cost: £56 Location: Cotswolds Dates: 11th-18th August; 18th-25th August; 25th August – 1st September Activities: bricklaying, lock restoration, dam construction, demolition IWA is in the process of raising £125,000 to enable volunteers to restore and re-commission this iconic structure just off the Thames at Lechlade.

In 2012 volunteers will construct a dam to enable access to the lock chamber, as well as repairing the stop plank grooves, and continuing to repair the wing walls. If you enjoy learning new skills then this could be the camp for you!

South West & South Wales Monmouthshire Canal Cost: £56 Location: South Wales Dates: 30th June – 7th July; 7th-14th July Activities: heritage construction skills, vegetation clearance

North West & Welsh Borders

The ‘Mon & Brec’ is a popular location for volunteers – this year there will be plenty of activities throughout the camps from the reconstruction and repair of Tredegar Lock, to vegetation clearance of the canal corridor from Drapers Lock.

Take a week out and get outdoors and dirty on the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal.

Volunteers will be working at Nob End, repointing one of the locks and assisting in the building of a picnic area, as well as helping with the demolition of an old works building.

Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Cost: £56 Location: Lancashire Dates: 14th-21st July Activities: lock restoration, demolition

Lancaster Canal Cost: £56 Location: Lancashire Dates: 21st-28th July; 28th July-4th August Activities: channel construction, vegetation clearance, stonework restoration WRG volunteers will be spending two weeks reprofiling and relining a 225 metre section of the canal at Stainton. Work could include vegetation clearance, stonework restoration and earth moving so there will be the chance to operate excavators and dumpers! Book now and join us in the beautiful setting of the Lancaster Canal this summer.

IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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20/1/12 2:47:39 pm

WRG Needs You...in 2012!

Montgomery Canal Cost: £56 Location: Shropshire Dates: 4th-11th August; 11th-18th August; 18th25th August; 25th August-1st September Activities: channel construction, blocklaying, landscaping, machine operation Escape with us to the stunning countryside of the Welsh Borders. In 2011 volunteers trialled experimental approaches to restoring rural waterways and this year we hope volunteers will be able to construct an 80-metre channel – by installing a liner system of geotextiles and bentonite matting, followed by blocks. This is a fantastic opportunity for volunteers to assist in restoring a length of the Montgomery Canal, helping to ensure its future.

South East Wendover Arm, Grand Union Canal Cost: £56 Location: Hertfordshire Dates: 14th-21st July Activities: bricklaying, waterway archaeology In 2011 volunteers exposed the Wendover Arm’s derelict Whitehouse’s Pumping Station and in 2012 WRGies will rebuild the station’s wharf wall and culverts, as well as excavating the coal storage areas.

Wey & Arun Canal Cost: £56 Location: Surrey Dates: 30th June–7th July Activities: improvement works, construction of a boat house, slipway and landing stages Spend a week helping to restore a section of the canal at Dunsfold between Tickners Heath and Compasses Bridge Cross. Volunteers will be involved the construction of a boat house, slipway and landing stage.

Basingstoke Canal Cost: £56 Location: Surrey Dates: 21st-28th July Activities: canal maintenance, landing stage construction This year volunteers will be involved in a multitude of tasks including the building of landing stages, towpath repairs, vegetation clearance and other remedial works to locks on the Deepcut Flight. This camp will give volunteers the chance to try their hand at lots of different tasks and there may also be the opportunity to operate excavators and dumpers.

Tell me more Accommodation Our standard accommodation is best described as basic – usually in village halls, scout huts or community centres unless otherwise stated.

Kit List You will be sent through a full list of what to bring, the essentials being a sleeping bag and camping mat; waterproofs; old work clothes; steel-toe capped boots or wellies… and most importantly a sense of humour! We will supply any other safety equipment required, including a hard hat.

The working day Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation Cost: £56 Location: Essex Dates: 11th–18th February; 28th July -4th August; 4th-11th August; 27th October–3rd November Activities: bank protection, brickwork, towpath construction Why not join the Essex Waterways team in 2012 and help maintain this beautiful waterway. Get stuck into works including bank protection, painting, towpath improvements, scrub clearance and waterside repairs. In summer volunteers will also spend two weeks carrying out major repairs to Rushes Weir.

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Our week-long working holidays usually start around 4pm on the first Saturday and finish around lunchtime on the following Saturday. The working day runs from 9am to 5pm (depending on the weather!) with plenty of tea-breaks and lunch on site. A cooked breakfast and a substantial, home cooked evening meal will also be provided.

Duke of Edinburgh Award WRG welcomes participants completing the residential aspect of their Duke of Edinburgh Award. All volunteers participating in the scheme must attend the camp for the full seven days to be eligible for the award.

COME AND JOIN US! For more details on the above canal camps or to book please go to www. wrg.org.uk or call 01494 783 453 ext 604. To request a Canal Camps Brochure 2012 (available NOW!) please contact Jenny Black at IWA Head Office on either 01494 783 453 ext 604 or email enquiries@wrg.org.uk.

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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20/1/12 2:48:11 pm

CRICK BOAT SHOW & Waterways Festival

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crick.indd 1 1 p35_iwa.indd

www.crickmarina.com

World

www.waterwaysworld.com

21/12/11 pm 20/1/124:53:11 11:04:46

The Mooring Debate: On-line

VERSUS

A

fter months, or even years, of planning, you’ve finally taken the plunge and bought a boat of your own; or maybe you’ve just upgraded to the craft of your dreams. The next decision, and almost as important in its way, is where do you moor it. Location, location, location comes into play. Do you choose rural or urban, close to your home or hundreds of miles away so you can enjoy a different area during your precious holiday?

Perhaps the main question, however, is online or marina. Both options have their pros and cons.

On-line Moorings On-line moorings sometimes comprise nothing more than a length of offside bank with, if you’re lucky, a water point as the only facility on offer. Nevertheless, they are the chosen option for many who prefer to keep their boat in an informal, often rural location. British Waterways customers would currently pay some £65 to £125 per metre per year for an on-line mooring at most points around the system. If you should happen to live by a canal, you may be able to moor your boat at the end of the garden but it is still legally in BW’s water so a proportion of the local mooring charge is payable.

36

Marina

Formerly, BW published rates for new moorings at the many locations it managed but, in 2007, it decided to seek closed bids when vacancies occurred. Early results were mixed, with some bids being higher than previous charges whilst some were lower. It has now changed from closed tenders to eBaystyle auctions with guide and reserve prices.

The Rise...and Rise...of the Marina A few years back, moorings were in such short supply that prospective buyers were often advised to find a mooring before they bought a craft. Then came the ‘marina boom’.

There were of course, already a number of long-established medium-to-large marinas around the system, such as those at Braunston, Cholmondeston and Whilton. Then for many years almost no new marinas were built, due to a succession of barriers faced by would-be developers, including a hostile planning regime pre-disposed to demanding expensive environmental impact studies.

The Yacht Harbour Association was among the organisations that campaigned for change and it helped persuade British Waterways to become involved. Overcoming its previous antipathy, BW became enthused and eventually set up its own marinas unit - BWML - which now operates 20 marinas

TOP: Braunston Marina.

MIDDLE: Whilton Marina.

ABOVE: Small in beautiful; mooring basin at Bottisham, River Cam. (Robin Smithett)

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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The Mooring Debate

On-line moorings on the Shropshire Union Canal. (Graham Booth)

Acknowledgement Thanks to Graham Booth for supplying much information used within this feature.

across the UK, from the Brecon Beacons in Wales to Hull Marina in East Yorkshire, from Glasson Marina in Lancashire to Limehouse Basin in London’s Docklands.

There are those, including Tim Coghlan of Braunston Marina, who feel that the pendulum has swung too far the other way, and that there is little if any control over where new marinas are built. The result, according to Mr Coghlan, is that boating is becoming more and more concentrated in relatively few ‘honeypot’ areas.

The Trent & Mersey Canal would seem to be a classic example: a number of big new marinas, including Mercia Marina, the largest of them all - have been created within a relatively short length of canal. Severe congestion is the inevitable result in peak season, with 14-boat lock queues trying the patience of all concerned. Pity the first-time hirer, who picks up a boat from Stone or Great Haywood, and finds himself embroiled in such a situation.

The upsurge in marina development had taken off a few years back, when the economy was booming, narrowboat-ownership was burgeoning and all was right with the world. Then came the global financial crisis, recession, doom and gloom...

The inland waterways industry suffered along with everyone else; boat-buying declined, a number of boat-builders went to the wall and several of the brand spanking new marinas were left with empty berths aplenty. And yet, remarkably, marina development continues. Relatively recent additions to the system include new marinas at Audlem on the Shropshire Union Canal,

Church Minshull on the Middlewich Branch, and Aston on the Trent & Mersey Canal south of Stone. Castle Marinas now operate in six locations around the system, and Caen Hill Marina opened on the Kennet & Avon Canal last October. Shortly before this issue of Waterways went to press, planning permission was granted for a new marina at Cropredy on the South Oxford Canal, although proposals to develop large marinas elsewhere in the Midlands are facing stiff opposition from protest groups.

Marina Comforts Leaving aside the politics of excessive development, no-one would deny that off-line marinas are able to offer a comprehensive range of services in an entirely secure environment. The largest - such as the 585berth Mercia Marina at Willington near Burton upon Trent - sometimes resemble a small holiday village, with waterside lodges available for sale or rent, gift shops, pubs and tearooms on site. Amenities may include full boat length jetties, several facilities blocks, chandlery outlets, CCTV cameras, Wi-Fi etc. If all that sounds a little too ‘industrial’ in scale, there are plenty of smaller marinas all around the network that still offer a good range of services in a more bucolic environment.

And the price of all this? A berth in a Midlands marina or basin ranges from around £110 to £140 per metre per year. Sites in and around London are likely to charge considerably more than this. But it is very much a buyer’s market at the moment - with plenty of empty berths to be found in most areas - so it certainly pays to shop around.

IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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20/1/12 3:20:47 pm

THE NEXT GENERATION We look at attempts to attract young people to the world of the waterways

Waste Not, Want Not… another way of engaging with the local community

I

n 2004 I had just joined the National Festival committee and it was suggested to me by the late Barry Green (then Personnel Director) that it would be a “good idea” to run an art competition for schools as a way of involving the local community in Burton upon Trent.

As someone working in a very large school at the time – I was well aware that such approaches usually ended up in the bin! We were living in different times – educational criteria and national curriculum targets ensured that only projects meeting specific aims would be given even a cursory glance.

How then could we turn an “art competition” into something that would tick all the boxes? As I was currently involved in implementing Personal, Social, Health Education and Citizenship in my own school – I scoured the criteria and there it was: concern for the environment, respect for local community and other similar targets – and so the ‘Art is Rubbish’ project was born.

The task was to create a thing of beauty from waste materials with a waterways theme.

Based around the idea that schools can discuss the impact of waste upon the environment in a meaningful way with all ages including very young pupils and of course the importance of recycling, the project took off.

That first year in Burton upon Trent we had 11 schools take part. They produced some wonderful collages and sculptures which were put on display in the local sports centre.

The Mayor came and presented prizes (every school received something) and the children talked about what they had done to “collect the waste” and make their exhibit.

Similar projects have now been organised every year since then – wherever we have held a National Festival. Local publicity has been gained for the schools along with some very good prizes donated by the navigation authorities, local authorities, recycling companies and others. We even had Anglian TV come and film the children in 2007. As a community project – drawing people into the idea of waterways and their impact upon them – it has been very successful. Schools have taken their classes out for a walk alongside

38

their local waterway and for some children it was the first time they had been there.

Since 2007 Beryl Chapman has been the Schools Project Co-ordinator and has detailed below how she organised her project at Burton upon Trent in 2011. However, this was the most successful year yet – and the pictures demonstrate how much work went into the entries.

We are currently organising a similar project for the Northwich River Weaver Festival in June 2012 and several schools have already signed up with hopefully more to follow. This is our way of saying to the local population: we are not just boating enthusiasts, we care about the waterways and their future so it is important to us that young people get involved. After all, they will need to take over from us as time goes on.

For further information on how to set up such a project, email: gillian.bolt@ waterways.org.uk.

ABOVE, BELOW AND RIGHT: ‘Art is Rubbish’ entries down the years.

‘Art is Rubbish’ at Burton in 2011 Primary schools in Burton upon Trent took the ‘Art is Rubbish’ theme to heart in 2011 and produced some of the best entries ever. Schools were contacted by letter during the first week of the spring term inviting them to take part in the project during the summer term. They were very soon emailing and phoning to sign up and very soon more than a dozen schools were on board.

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

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The Next Generation

‘Art is Rubbish’ participants at Shobnall Fields, 2011.

I soon learned that about half of the schools were working together with teachers from one of the local senior schools. They were keen to make a series of related sculptures and finally decided upon their theme of waterway features each one linked to Burton upon Trent. A map of the area was made into a jigsaw puzzle with each school incorporating their piece into the finished article.

While the teachers and children were busy cutting and sticking over the next few months, I arranged a date and venue for the prize-giving; the mayor and other guests were invited and the search for prizes begun.

Several local organisations and businesses made generous donations even in these difficult economic times.

On the day before the awards were to be presented, we received the entries at the Shobnall Leisure Centre in Burton. We were amazed at the quality of them all, not to mention the ingenuity and creativity of some of the ideas.

The next day a group of children from each school together with their teachers arrived to see their art work displayed along with all the others. They were not disappointed! Everyone agreed all the collages and sculptures made an impressive sight. Then the Mayor of East Staffordshire, Councillor Patricia Ackroyd, spent time touring the room commenting on all the work and listening to the children as they described how they made their entries.

Each school won a cash prize, vouchers and goodies from local organisations with the overall winner receiving a class visit to the National Forest Adventure Farm. Each school was also presented with a framed certificate of participation in the project to display in school.

A few weeks later at the Waterways Festival at Shobnall Fields it was most rewarding to meet and talk to parents, children and staff who had come along to see the display in the IWA marquee. It was clear that the children had learned a lot more about recycling, their local environment and history of the area through their participation in the ‘Art is Rubbish’ project.

Beryl Chapman National Festival Schools Project Co-ordinator

Child-friendly Hire Boat on the Oxford

E

xpanding hire company Oxfordshire Narrowboats launched an interesting innovation last summer – a hire craft and day boat specially designed for families with children.

Based on the Muddy Waters children’s books, the 69ft hire craft includes a special playroom with bean bags, play tables and storage space at child height, a TV you can plug a Playstation into – and CCTV so the adults can keep an eye on what the children are up to. Next to it is the children’s bedroom with four fixed bunks, plus an en-suite with a child-height sink.

There’s also a day boat, Jolly Boatman, with a similar childfriendly appearance and room for ten people on board. Both boats are based at Lower Heyford on the South Oxford Canal.

The Muddy Waters series of books, created by local author Dan Clacher, is rather like Thomas the Tank Engine for canals – a series of cheerful narrowboat-based characters with big eyes on the front doors and a smile on the bow. The ten books, from Jolly Boatman’s Lesson and Hamish and the Falkirk Wheel to Owen’s Dancing Dragon, are available from canalside shops and from www.iwashop.com.

Not enjoying being NEET

N

ot in Employment, Education or Training could sound a great way to spend your days. Lounging around maybe, in front of the TV, with a can or two and a bucket of popcorn with like-situated friends.

However, the true picture is rather different. I attended a conference about NEET training in the North West during December and met several organisations which are trying to help these young people, some of whom have extremely difficult home circumstances and very little adult support to change their lives. Whilst the trainers who provide education and work experience for these young people are doing their level best, once the course finishes there is very little “out there” in the wider community as far as jobs and further meaningful training for them. As a result some of them simply go round and round on the NEET training treadmill.

The Waterways Action Squad, based at Ellesmere Port and featured previously in these pages, are now working on volunteer projects to try and develop more confidence and self-esteem among these young people, and IWA is supporting them in every way we can. We will report on future projects as they progress.

Gillian Bolt

IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

The Next Generation.indd 2

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20/1/12 2:56:53 pm

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www.waterwaysworld.com 20/1/12 11:08:42

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Phone Stourport for details IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

p41_iwa.indd 1

41 20/1/12 11:32:44

THE MERRY WAVES OF WINDSOR The last quarter of 2011 saw a most welcome revival of public interest in the generation of power by water. I am sure that any thinking person would agree that the generation of power through the use of fossil fuels cannot go on indefinitely, but some of the alternatives seem worryingly intrusive. Even Stoke Bruerne is threatened by the construction of a nearby windfarm with enormous whooshing turbines, which will certainly not add to the tranquillity of the scene. All the more pleasing therefore to read in several national journals, notably The Daily Telegraph and The Daily Mail, that a new, small-scale hydro-electric plant is about to be commissioned by HRH The Queen to provide power for Windsor Castle and the adjoining royal estate. “Lowered into Romney

Weir by crane after months of preparation, the pair of 40-ton steel ‘screws’ will provide almost all the electricity needs of the royal estate” said The Mail. Members might care to be reminded that this most sensible use of our natural rivers was an early plank in IWA’s political platform, emanating mainly from Tom Rolt, but even 65 years ago in IWA’s infancy it was not a new idea. Fred Thacker noted that electricity was being generated at Goring Mill over a century ago in his monumental history of the Thames. Still, it’s good to know that eventually these ideas catch on. Mind you, Prince Philip has “been typically forthright in his scepticism”, but as a director of the power company concerned said, “I hear from the Royal Household that he asks about the progress

PEOPLE POWER SINKS MARINA Still in the Thames Valley, a not-unconnected tale emerged concerning the weir at Northmoor, above Oxford in the BBC Local News. For while lock keepers are being turfed out of their cottages in order to save a notional £384,000, the Environment Agency is proposing to automate the old paddle and rimer weir at a cost of £2.5 million. According to the BBC: “The EA said it needed to mechanise the weir because it was no longer safe for its employees to use. But campaigners said the money could be better spent elsewhere. Mike Hill, one of the campaigners, said there was no evidence that a mechanised weir would protect homes from flooding better than a manual weir. He said the current system could last another 40 years without modification. He added: ‘One wonders what the real reason is behind this move by the EA. They’ve talked about health and safety and yet we have a lock keeper that’s retired after 30 years of service on that part of the River Thames, who has got no health and safety issues at all, no injuries’. The area manager for the EA, Innes Jones, said that paddle and rimer weirs used heavy pieces of wood that were three times the weight that it was legal for an employer to make someone lift.” It could be that the Health & Safety is being used as a cover. Paddle and rimer weirs are ancient devices, dating back probably to Anglo-Saxon times, and are potentially dangerous structures when a considerable fall of water is concerned. However, the fall at Northmoor is not great and it is difficult to believe that either the paddles or rimer posts can weigh that much. On the other hand I would not care to go out on any weir in the dark to draw wooden paddles. The article concludes with the statement from Mr Jones: “During the serious floods in 2007, it took two specially-trained members of staff several hours to fully open the Northmoor weir… those kinds of delays could put houses at risk of flooding. The new mechanised system would be push-button operated and useable by a wider number of EA staff.”

42

of this system often and he is truly supportive and very interested in the technical details”. These details were illustrated in The Mail and showed a system based on an Archimedean screw, such as was once used, in the reverse direction, to pump out lock chambers and coffer dams.

Fishermen will doubtless be glad to learn that “alongside the screws is a £100,000 fish tube-which enables salmon, trout and eels to by pass the system safely” and, should these funny creatures be unable to understand the Environment Agency’s directional notices, “Rubber bumpers will be installed on the screw’s metal blades to prevent harm to fish”. Oh! I almost forgot.

The Mail’s headline could have won the prize for the most excruciating Pun of the Year: “Merry waves of Windsor”.

Water flows downhill!

Last year’s drought was picked up by the media. While matters seem to be worst in the furthest eastern reaches of the country, the Midlands have not been immune, as users of the Grand Union, Leicester Section will know. The news as reported by the Leicester Daily Mercury showed that 18th Century technology remains as baffling as ever to 21st Century reporters. “An underground water tunnel is being used to transfer water from the River Tove in Northamptonshire, to the canal. The water is then pumped up through a series of locks, to the stretch of the canal in south Leicestershire.” Fine and dandy, but what on earth is this Enid Blytonesque “underground water tunnel”? In my, albeit limited, experience, most tunnels are underground. The water is pumped directly out of the River Tove below Stoke Bruerne locks, which admittedly crosses the Grand Union Canal by means of an inverted siphon, but what is this tunnel? I can only suppose that the paper means Blisworth, Crick and Husbands Bosworth Tunnels. Anyway Jeff Whyatt,

the local Waterways Manager did his best to explain to the paper what it was all about, but the paper still got it muddled. “When locks are opened, water is moved up the canal” wrote the reporter. I suppose these days basic physics is no longer taught in schools, but surely people understand that water flows downhill?

The paper went on to tell us that “boats that need more than 2ft 4in of water to float have been banned from the 11 mile section between Kibworth and King’s Lock in Aylestone.

For boats that are still able to travel, use of locks on this stretch have also been restricted to between 10am and 2pm.”

The article concluded with a charming picture of Tony and Mary Matts of Foxton Boat Services who “were concerned at the water levels” posing on the bridge at the bottom of Foxton Locks. On the other side of the Midlands the Stourbridge News reported that “Waterways engineers were keeping a close eye on Stourbridge’s canals after vandalism and summer weather left water levels low.”

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

Cuttings.indd 1

20/1/12 2:58:35 pm

Cuttings Please Send all your waterway cuttings to David Blagrove at IWA Head Office, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA

Waterway CUTTINGS DAVID BLAGROVE TAKES A LIGHTHEARTED LOOK AT WHAT THE PAPERS HAVE HAD TO SAY Whitchurch Lock - one of a number of Thames Lock houses placed on the rental market.

Demise of resident lock-keepers The Thames has been much in the news during the last quarter.

The long-threatened removal of resident lock keepers has begun, in spite of previous assurances. The Reading Chronicle noted in October last, “River users and homeowners in flood risk areas will be put in danger if the Environment Agency does away with resident lock keepers along the Thames, warns an experienced worker. Mike Eagles, 65, who retires as the Goring lock keeper at the end of the month after 27 years, when his cottage will be let to private tenants, said: “I would urge them to change their mind.”

Like Mr Eagles, his colleague at Whitchurch Lock (above) will not be replaced when he retires next March, and a similar fate awaits

Blakes Lock in Reading and six others in Oxfordshire and Surrey, which are already vacant or will become so shortly.” The case for the lock keepers was duly put by the GMB Union, who re-iterated the points already made and said that “the agency’s “reckless” plans could cause devastation in Reading and surrounding villages if there was a repeat of the heavy rainfall of 2003 and 2007”.

Of course, the EA said that it was all the Government’s fault. It hopes “to plug some of its £800,000 funding gap left by a reduction in Government cash with £416,000 from renting out the lock keeper cottages”. The Agency’s spokesman went on to say that the empty posts will be covered by seasonal staff and its 36 other lock and weir keepers, and … the changes have had no detrimental impact on four locks in Oxfordshire and Surrey which have already been vacated. “I understand that one of these cottages has been empty for several years now with no apparent income from letting. But, let the EA have the final word: “Spokesman Dave Ferguson said: “There is no evidence to suggest that this move will have any impact on health and safety performance.

People using the river are responsible for their own safety and in any emergency they should contact the emergency services. That is what we train our staff to do”.

AICKMAN-ESQUE Two final, and slightly offbeat, items would surely have gladdened the heart of the late Robert Aickman, who was ever on the look-out for unusual uses for the waterways. One comes again from the everuseful BBC website, this time from the Staffordshire area.

Sarah Henshaw of Lichfield, a bookseller, has evidently found a novel (yes, I know, puns are not only the province of pop journalism) way of promoting her business. According to the Beeb: “The 28-year-old travelled 1,000 miles through 700 locks on The Book Barge over six months. Miss Henshaw and her shop have now returned to the barge’s permanent mooring in Barton Marina. The former journalist

opened her bookshop in 2009 when she moved back to Staffordshire after spending several years working in London… Earlier this year she decided to embark on her trip to encourage people to support independent booksellers. ‘The last few years have seen a huge decline in the number of nonchain retailers in the wake of massive discounting trends by supermarkets and online stores,’ she said. At the start of May she set off on her voyage travelling along the canals of England and Wales and calling in at various towns and cities along the way including Birmingham, Stratfordupon-Avon, Oxford, London, Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, Worcester, Llangollen,

Lib Dem councillor Peter Thornton in Birmingham.

Manchester, Skipton, Leeds and Nottingham”.

Meanwhile, the Lib Dem News told us that Councillor Peter Thornton from South Lakeland attended that party’s Conference in Birmingham last autumn and took the opportunity of going there aboard their boat,

which is normally moored at Great Haywood. “When they arrived they had some serious discussions with Special Branch but eventually persuaded them that they were not a threat and they were allowed to moor behind the ICC.” Our founder would doubtless have been delighted.

IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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20/1/12 11:19:04

GRP Cruisers welcome

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No 1 For Shared Ownership

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Come and see how owning a share in a luxury narrowboat or cruiser is a great way to get afloat.

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01270 628076

SPECIAL OFFERS

Many of our ex display and chandlery items now on clearance Including Engima 600 Cookers……now £400 each Elsan Blue 4 x 4 ltr………..now £38 For a full list of all our clearance items and special offers please call for more details.

Fuel declaration charge at Kings Lock - no split enforced, it’s your declaration to declare what you think fit

The Overplate Centre

All overplating and stretch work undertaken

Moorings Available 58p per foot, per week + VAT

Book now

for winter moorings and maintenance packages

Bottom Blacking £10.29 per foot inc VAT

Tel: 01606 737564 • www.kingslock.co.uk

Kings Lock Chandlery, Booth Lane, Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 0JJ IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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CLASSIFIED DIRECTORY BOAT BUILDING

BOAT STOVES

COMMUNICATIONS Boost your mobile broadband signal The Original and Best Established 1998 Beware of Imitations

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For the boat you want call Paul on 01623 835777; Mobile: 07754 483949 Email: widdowsonboats@aol.co.uk Web: www.paulwiddowsonjnr.moonfruit.com

Quality tuition for the leisure and professional boater since 1994

www.waterways.org.uk

Training from Novice to Boatmaster

BOAT HIRE FOR THE WIDEST CHOICE of canal holidays visit www.ukboathire.com You can choose from 11 different start locations and more than 200 boats. We operate Viking Afloat, Alvechurch Waterways Holidays, Red Line Boats and Wessex Narrowboats. So go online today or call 0330 3330591 (local rate) for a brochure.

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Training Centre

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Books and Guides from

CHANDLERY

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World

The Stone Boat Building Chandlery For an extensive range of traditional narrowboat and sailing fittings.

• Calor Gas • Outdoor Clothing • Windows • • Chimneys • Vents • Fridges & Freezers • • Water Pumps • & much more!

Newcastle Road, Stone, Staffs.

Tel: 01785 812688 | Fax: 01785 811317 Email: stonechandlery@aol.com Website: www.stoneboatbuilding.co.uk

A perfect gift !

Order from the Inland Waterways Association Bookshop Call 01494 783453 www.iwashop.com EQUIPMENT Marine Lamps, Solar Panels & more...

NEW! Magnetic mounted Solar Panels with builtin regulator/ control units – can be attached to a steel roof without the need to drill holes. Simple installation. Marine Lamps, Solar Panels & more…

We offer lock free cruising on our well appointed 2-7 berth narrowboats.

Boatyard services include: Diesel • Gas • Solid Fuel Pump-out • Moorings For a free colour brochure Tel/fax: 01772 769183 Website: www.arlen-hireboats.co.uk

or call in and see us at Ashton Basin, Tulketh Brow, Preston, PR2 2SD

46

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012

IWA Classies Spring12.indd 46

www.waterways.org.uk

Tel: 01832 270215 Email: w.raynor@btinternet.com Web: www.narrowboat-services.co.uk

PLEASE MENTION IWA WHEN RESPONDING TO ADVERTISEMENTS

20/1/12 11:05:49

To advertise here please contact Ian Sharpe

☎ 01283 742977  ian.sharpe@wwonline.co.uk

Correspond to: Ian Sharpe, IWA Waterways, 151 Station Street, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire DE14 1BG | Next issue deadline: 12th April 2012

HOLIDAYS

MOORINGS

Hotel Boat Holidays

A holiday aboard our hotel boat Tranquil Rose offers you fully serviced accommodation with good food freshly prepared each day.

We cruise the Thames, the Wey, the Kennet & Avon Canal, and the Grand Union Canal into the heart of London at Little Venice.

For more information on possibly the most relaxing of holidays contact: Thames & Chilterns Holiday Cruises www.tranquilrose.co.uk Telephone: 07966 248 079

SERVICES HANBURY WHARF ENGINEERING SERVICES – FOR ALL YOUR MAINTENANCE NEEDS. • On-Site Crane • Blacking • Engine Servicing • Mechanical Repairs • Electrical Installations and Repairs • Charging Problems • Steelwork Repairs • Anodes • Plumbing and Heating • Solid Fuel Stove Guards. Call 01905 771018 for a quote or visit Hanbury Wharf, home of The New & Used Boat Co.

Moorings available Visitors welcome Breathtaking waterside destination and ideally located peaceful haven in the heart of the Midlands. For moorers’ there is everything you could want: full length boat jetties, 16amp electricity and water, workshop, drydock, wide open water space and 4 STAR graded facility blocks.

Call 01283 703 332 for a mooring pack or email info@merciamarina.co.uk www.merciamarina.co.uk

Luxury waterside holiday Lodges Enjoy the waterside view from a bespoke luxury lodge at Mercia Marina. Holiday homes available to purchase or holiday let.

5 YEARS FREE MOORING for boat owners!

Call now for a brochure or book your holiday online at www.merciamarinalodges.co.uk 01283 703332 / info@merciamarina.co.uk

INSULATION

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Prices held for 2012 - Moorings available now

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Aston Marina, Lichfield Road, Stone, Staffordshire, ST15 8QU

REACH THE IWA’S MEMBERSHIP EFFECTIVE, AFFORDABLE ADVERTISING Call 01283 742965

SERVICES

INSURANCE

SURVEYORS

TRADITIONAL PAINTING SERVICES, NARROWBOATS PAINTED TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD, 18 years experience, many spent working for Phil Speight / Craftmaster. For a competitive quote call John Sanderson on 01384 485564. www.narrowboatpainting.co.uk

P;J8 $

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The Yacht Designers & Surveyors Association 01730 710 425 info@ybdsa.co.uk www.ydsa.co.uk

TRANSPORT BY WATER 11/10/10

3683_ClassifiedIWA.indd 1

12:50:36

INSURANCE

WANTED RECORD COLLECTIONS WANTED – Jazz, Rock, Folk, Classical etc. Call Chris McGranaghan - 07795 548242 or Email me at: cmcgrn@btinternet.com Lineage adverts cost £1.38 per word (inc. VAT), minimum 12 words. Box adverts start from as little as £33 per issue (plus VAT)*. A copy of our terms and conditions is available on request. (*4 series booking)

IWA Classies Spring12.indd 47

IWA waterways - Spring 2012 |

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‘Established 1979’ t: 0121 706 5777 www.channelglaze.com

L TD

Tel: 0116 279 3034, Email: info@debdalewharf.co.uk www.debdalewharf.co.uk

Books and Guides from

Waterways PUBLICATIONS

World

Discover the quality, functionality & robustness of Channelglaze Ltd windows for your pride and joy...

“

We are more than happy with the finished result. The windows are well made, well finished and expertly fitted. This has made our boat now look stunning.

“

Near Kibworth, Leicestershire LE8 0XA ■ Now available, secure hard standing for any size narrowboat.

■ 0.39 per foot, per week plus VAT. ■ Lift-out and movement via our 40 tonne travel hoist.

■ Storage or DIY fitout.

■ Summer cruising and winter storage available, no BWB licence needed whilst boat is ashore.

■ All positions have water and electricity available.

■ Plus we have steel fabrications, gas, electrics and painting experts on site.

■ Water moorings also available ■ See our website for further details Enquiries to Mike or Carol

We would have no hesitation in recommending your company to any other boaters out there, who are looking for a company that believes and practices in customer service and satisfaction.

Rob & Sue Kealey N/B “Tangled Up In Blue” 10th October 2011

To see more of our customer testimionials go to www.channelglaze.com

Order from the Inland Waterways Association Bookshop

Call 01494 783453 www.iwashop.com

Books and Guides from A perfect gift !

WATERWAYS ADVERTISING Spring 2012 Waterways is distributed free to all members of the Association with a readership of over 20,000. Advertising in Waterways offers a precisely targeted medium for businesses in all fields connected with inland waterways, such as boating, hiring, insurance, building, publishing, catering, chandlery or brokerage.

To advertise in IWA Waterways please contact Ian Sharpe, Advertising Manager, 151 Station Street, Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 1BG. 01283 742 965 or ian.sharpe@wwonline.co.uk

48 p048_iwa.indd 1

Index to Advertisers AB Tuckey .................................................10 ABC Leisure Group ....................................21 ABNB ..........................................................1 Axiom Propellers .........................................4 B.C. Boat Management Ltd .......................45 Blisworth Tunnel Narrowboats.....................4 Boatshed Grand Union ................................6 Braunston Marina Ltd ................................11 BWML .........................................................5 Calcutt Boats ............................................21 Canal Boat Cruises ....................................48 Canal Cruising Co ......................................10 Channelglaze ............................................48

Clements Millard .......................................21 Colecraft Boats ...........................................4 Debdale Wharf Marina ..............................48 Fox’s Boats ..................................................4 InterVac ....................................................48 JL Pinder .....................................................1 Kings Lock Chandlery ..........................11, 45 Lee Sanitation .............................................4 Limekiln Ltd ..............................................41 Maestermyn Group ...................................10 Midland Chandlers Ltd ........................... OBC Morris Lubricants...................................... IBC Peninne Cruisers .........................................6

PRM Newage.............................................41 Rose Narrowboats .......................................6 Roydon Mill Marina....................................10 Shoreline (UK) Ltd .......................................6 Swanley Bridge Marina ..............................45 The New & Used Boat Co ............................7 Video Active .............................................21 Websters Insulation Ltd .............................21 Wharf House Narrowboats Ltd ....................6 Whilton Marina ........................................ IFC Worcester Marine Windows Ltd ..................6

| IWA waterways - Spring 2012 20/1/12 17:21:47

Morris IWA Waterways Full Page Ad - 170111:Layout 1

18/1/11

16:45

Page 1

CANAL BOAT PRODUCTS FROM A NAMEYOU CAN TRUST Morris Lubricants has been blending engine oils for over 140 years. We have a range of oils specially designed for canal boats. That’s why when you choose to put Morris Lubricants in your boat, you can do so with peace of mind.

These specialist oils get to work quickly at the heart of the engine, even at low temperatures, whatever the conditions. The special formula canal boat range prevents bore glazing and bore polishing, protects components from wear and corrosion and provides improved cold start.

There’s also a great range of products for all your marine needs, like anti-freeze that works at temperatures as low as -34ºC, biodegradable marine two stroke lubricant, and water resistant grease.

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No.1 For Brokerage and Sales ‘’Probably the most experienced Brokerage on the System’’

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www.whiltonmarina.co.uk sales@whiltonmarina.co.uk 20/1/12 14:10:17

Extended & Completely refurbished with all new displays

Available for all IWA Members * only available on production of a valid membership card (no further discounts apply)

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Online product catalogue at Compliant to BS8511:2010

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A warm welcome awaits you at one of our stores...

Parkgate Lock, Teddesley Road, Penkridge, Staffs, ST19 5RH. London Road, Braunston, Northants, NN11 7HB. The Wharf, Preston Brook, Cheshire, WA4 4BA. Mercia Marina, Findern Lane, Willington, Derbyshire, DE65 6DW.

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