Chichester Ship Canal Trust Page

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Chichester Ship Canal Trust

The volunteers at the canal have been busy with the annual photography competition, taking part in Heritage Open Days, hosting Fringe events on the water, looking forward to an art exhibition at Pallant House Art Gallery, as well as learning more about the water voles and dragonflies on the canal. All this on top of the busy summer operational activity and keeping the canal accessible and open for everyone. We presented prizes to five worthy winners of our annual photo competition which closed at the end of August. With over 80 entries, Mark Stoneham (Canal Trustee and vice chair) said “It was particularly pleasing to see that many facets of our beautiful waterway were covered: people enjoying the facility, wildlife, sculptures, fish, paddleboarders, rowing boats to name but a few. Thank you to all contributors, and of course our sponsors”. Imber Court Photo Training, the competition main sponsor, judged the entries and it wasn’t easy choosing the winners. The winning image was by Gaye Clear with swans bathed in rising morning sun (see front cover). Selsey Press, Whitby’s in Chichester and the Canal Trust also donated competition prizes. The Trust was delighted to treat entrants from Apuldram Centre for Learning Disabilities to drinks and cake and thanked Mike Norris, support worker, for coordinating their entries. All entries are now being screened on the Heritage Centre TV, please do drop by and take a look. The wildlife along the canal is appreciated, not only by our photographers, but by all our visitors. This year we had a record number of nine cygnets, and there has been an amazing array of dragonflies this year. Our volunteers and members were able to join a Walk and Talk given by Dr Alison Barker, a dragonfly specialist. Alison was able to tell us a lot about the wildlife, the habitats and the types of dragonflies we would expect to see at different types of the year.

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We were also treated to a talk on water voles by Jane Reeves, a wetland specialist. Jane illustrated her talk with film clips, stuffed specimens and slides, to give an insight into the world of water voles. We learnt why they are endangered and what action is being taken, and what we could do. Finally, the annual bat survey (as part of the National Bat Monitoring Programme) took place in August, with Nik Knight the Hampshire Bat Recorder and volunteers. The conditions this year were perfect, dry, still and warm. The volunteers were rewarded with many sightings, at one spot they picked up 16 Daubenton's bats. We're looking forward to visiting the Pallant House Gallery Exhibition “Sussex Landscape: Chalk, Wood and Water” which will run from 12th November to 23rd April 2023. This exhibition will include the famous work by JMW Turner (1828) of Chichester Canal, loaned from The Tate. For more information, please visit https://pallant.org.uk/whats-on/sussex-landscape-chalk-wood-and-water/

The winning photos. 1st Prize winner’s photo, Gaye Clear, is also on our front cover.

Gaye Clear –“Swans bathed in rising morning sun” Dave Standley –“Taking a ride on a misty morning” Annette Radford –“Spring equinox” Meryn Woodland –