Around 100 boats gathered on the short Erewash Canal for the festival. RUPERT SMEDLEY
NEWS FOCUS
EREWASH FESTIVAL PULLS IN THE CROWDS
The festivities continued after dark with decorated boats. JOHN BUTLER
Over 15,000 people and 100 boats celebrated the IWA Festival of Water on the Erewash Canal at Ilkeston
T
he event brought life to the beautiful cul-desac canal and showcased what IWA does best – promoting Britain’s waterways. The three-day festival over the August bank holiday weekend was opened by councillor Chris Corbett, deputy mayor of Erewash representing Erewash Borough Council. Boaters took the opportunity to cruise along the whole length of the 11.5-mile-long Erewash Canal, past the historic lock cottages at Sandiacre and under the spectacular 460m Bennerley Viaduct, to visit
the bustling Great Northern Basin at Langley Mill where it meets the partially restored Cromford Canal. Gallows Inn Fields hosted classic cars, craft stalls, birds of prey, children’s rides and Shrek the boat horse, all accompanied by live music from the marquee. Waterway Recovery Group also offered digger driving taster sessions, and WRG North West reported a brisk trade in second-hand books and boating items resulting in a donation of over £800 to two local canal organisations. Jane Elwell, IWA events chair, commented on the weekend: “We chose Ilkeston for the 2017 IWA Festival of
Water because it’s such an attractive yet underused part of the national canal network. Our volunteers also wanted to highlight the threat to the canal from the currently proposed HS2 route to Leeds.” A 16m-high viaduct at Long Eaton will overshadow the Erewash Canal, including the canal lock close to the East Midlands hub station, for the new high-speed railway line. A proposed diversion of the M1 motorway to accommodate the route may also have to cross the canal. IWA is working alongside local groups to mitigate the impact on the canal and its neighbouring communities.
Bennerley Viaduct – centre-stage for preservation at the festival this year. RUPERT SMEDLEY
Next year’s Festival of Water will take place on the River Great Ouse in Riverside Park in St Neots. See page 34 for our guide on how to get there. 12
| IWA Waterways
012 news focus AH.indd 12
Winter 2017 26/10/2017 13:58