News

Following a Trustee meeting on Saturday 16th November 2019, Paul Rodgers was elected as the Association’s new National Chairman. He succeeds outgoing postholder, Ivor Caplan, who, a er two years at the helm, has decided to focus on areas of particular interest including heritage, navigation and planning.

Paul brings a wealth of business and volunteering expertise to the role and is currently chairman and founder of European payments communi , Vendorcom. He fi rst volunteered for IWA in 2014, when his wife persuaded him to go on a week-long Canal Camp with her and since then his involvement has grown.

Paul has big plans for IWA and says: “My aim as National Chairman is to continue to build on IWA’s reputation, developing well-thought-out, strategic and active campaigns that will result in the regeneration of the waterways to benefi t all users, infl uencers and stakeholders for the remainder of the 21st century – and beyond.”

Three deputies have also been named to work alongside Paul: Chris Howes, Rick Barnes and newly elected Trustee Dave Chapman.

See our interview with Paul Rodgers on page 18 for a more in-depth insight into his plans and aspirations.

Thank you to all IWA supporters who bought tickets in IWA’s Restoration Ra e. Prizes included £1,000 cash, Imray maps and guides worth £150, a Crick Boat Show festival bundle valued at £250, ABC Leisure day-boat hire, plus many more.

R Thompson, winner of a full set of Nicholson guides, said: “Having lived by a vibrant canal for over 40 years and having so enjoyed all aspects of narrowboats, I want to encourage restoration everywhere of this most precious part of our landscape.”

The ra e raised a profi t of over £8,000, which will all be spent on the provision of support to restoration trusts and societies across the country. One of the Restoration Hub’s fi rst projects this year will be the rewrite of Part 1 of IWA’s Practical Restoration Handbook, a resource valued by all Hub users.

Michael and Jo Morehouse, the husband-and-wife team featured in the Winter 2019 edition of Waterways magazine, are the fi rst Silver Propeller Challenge participants to tick o 20 locations. They have been vlogging (video blogging) about their experiences, and details of all the locations they visited can be found on social media through their @nbminiallist accounts.

The challenge encourages boaters to visit 20 or more lesserexplored waterways across the UK and it was with a visit to Standedge Tunnel that Michael and Jo fi nally made it to their 20th location. The couple have decided to keep on boating to try and bag even more locations and we should soon have some news on how participants can extend their achievement to gain a Gold and Platinum Propeller Challenge plaque respectively.

Two locations have been added to the challenge list this year (see page 30), and a new pack of information about each of the locations can be requested om waterways.org.uk/silverpropeller.

Our 2020 photography competition is now open for entries and this year photographers have four categories to choose between for their submissions: • Heritage & restoration: from old waterways signage and rope grooves caused by horse-drawn boats to the 500 miles of waterways that could be usefully restored. • Waterscape: enchanting views of navigable waterways. • Built environment: from beautiful old warehouses to wonderful new developments and creative, refreshing spaces to be. Let’s get a picture of our urban, waterside environments. • Active waterways: all that contributes to the vibrancy of our inland waterways from the family enjoying a boat trip, a couple walking the towpath hand in hand or the boater mooring up for the evening, to the wildlife that lives there.

Photography received in this way allows us to improve the effectiveness of what we do and ensures that as much of our income as possible is used to protect and restore our waterways rather than for the purchase or rental of imagery. Good photographs really bring our communications materials to life and increase support for the waterways overall.

To enter please send your photographs by email, dropbox link, WeTransfer or other preferred file sharing service to summer.howard@waterways.org.uk – please include the location/waterway along with the chosen category for each image. The deadline for entries is 31st July 2020 and photos should be at least 2100 pixels x 1500 pixels.

We have pulled together a new tool for campaigners hoping to lobby MPs with a river or canal in their constituency, which covers all waterways in England, Scotland and Wales. Our new IWA Directory of Parliamentary Constituencies with Waterways identifies over 400 constituencies that have navigable waterways and/or significant restoration projects within their boundaries. The database is fully searchable by MP name, constituency, waterway and IWA branch, enabling users to work out which MPs should be contacted for any particular stretch of waterway. This version includes all new and re-elected MPs following the recent general election. Interested campaigners can sign up to receive a copy of the new resource on IWA’s website. Go to waterways.org.uk/mps.

Right: Owen Paterson MP for North

A new resource to help influence planners and policy-makers by demonstrating the value of inland waterways across the UK has been launched. The review, commissioned from Birmingham City University and written by Nicki Schiessel Harvey, brings together previously written reports and studies in order to evidence the many benefits that a waterway can bring to an area.

This information about the real value of canals and rivers is crucial when speaking with local authorities and decision-makers who all too frequently overlook investment in the waterways, believing them to be peripheral to their local communities or simply assets that ‘someone else’ should deal with.

The report was commissioned by Ivor Caplan, who explains, “As budgets are stretched and funding is being cut, it is all the more important to have clear information at your fingertips when speaking to members of the local council or developers who are looking to impact on inland waterways. This report shows how the value of waterways moves well beyond just economics; it looks at how we show the oftenhidden value of health, well-being, community, local pride, heritage and so much more.”

IWA is working to ensure that inland waterways are given the full support they deserve and are appreciated for all their far-reaching benefits. The report summarises a range of existing and planned research into themes relevant to the waterways, such as heritage, green infrastructure, health and wellbeing, and economic development and regeneration, in order to review what we know and where we need more evidence.

Nicki Schiessel Harvey is a senior lecturer in built environment at Birmingham City University. She has a particular research interest in how different aspects of the built, natural and social environment are assessed and valued when making funding and support decisions. It was this expertise that led IWA to commission the report, which it is hoped will assist our branches and canal restoration societies when they are dealing with planning officials. Since publishing the review, Nicki has become a Trustee of IWA.

The report is available online at: waterways.org.uk/ iwa_publications/pdfs/valueinlandwaterways.

Eight-year-old Lottie Clarke, who lives near Lock 14 on the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal, has won an IWA volunteer award in recognition of her contribution to help clean up the waterway, turning up in all weathers and completing more than 50 hours with a volunteer team from IWA Northampton Branch.

Lottie received the John Faulkner Award, created by the branch to recognise someone who has made an important contribution to its work. The award was launched in the name of a long-standing member who left a substantial legacy to the branch in 2016. Lottie is the third – and youngest – recipient of the award.

The branch also celebrated the delivery of 11,000 volunteer hours in 2019 worked at the side of the Grand Union Canal tidying up, removing rubbish, clearing vegetation, planting bulbs, maintaining planters at the locks, filling in potholes and so much more. The total time is the equivalent of 1,500 working days or nearly seven people working full-time. It is the commitment and dedication of these volunteers that help to make IWA Northampton Arm such a success story.

The 2020 Annual Restoration Conference, jointly organised by IWA and Canal & River Trust, is taking place on Saturday 21st March at South Wolverhampton & Bilston Academy. This year’s theme is ‘building resilience and creating connections’.

We have attracted speakers from both within and beyond IWA and CRT to provide a lively programme of keynote sessions and breakout seminars. The conference will bring a focus to governance, volunteer recruitment and diversity within the sector, as well as funding, waterways operation, community engagement and planning. Attendees should gain fantastic insight into the important topics facing restorations today, and have time for plenty of networking.

The conference is free to waterway restoration society members, volunteers and staff (refreshments and lunch are included), and booking is essential.

Find out more and reserve your place at waterways.org.uk/events_ festivals/workshop_courses. Last year’s Restoration

A hidden gem of the Stockport Branch of the Ashton Canal was recently uncovered by volunteers from the Manchester & Stockport Canal Society helped by WRG North West.

Working near the junction with the Ashton Canal, a heavily overgrown section of the derelict canal was cleared. Joined by the local area officer of Manchester City Council (which owns this stretch of the canal line), workers revealed a long-neglected garden, complete with ornamental mini-obelisks laid out when landscaping was completed in the 1970s, following the infilling of the canal.

Close by, IWA Manchester Branch volunteers continued their programme of improving the Ashton Canal towpath. “We just need the Stockport Branch back in water to complete the job,” said WRG North West volunteer John Foley, after working on the site.

IWA’s Chief Executive, Neil Edwards, has announced his retirement following a career spanning more than 24 years with the Association.

Credited with the creation of Canal Camps, Neil Edwards. Waterway Recovery Group’s week-long working holiday format, Neil has spent many years supporting the charity both as a volunteer and as a member of staff. He first volunteered with London WRG in 1979, joined IWA as an employee in 1995 and led the organisation during the dramatic Save our System campaign, taking on the direct management of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, and through all of the discussions for the establishment and launch of Canal & River Trust. Since Neil began working for the charity nearly 25 years ago, over 210 miles of waterway have been reopened.

He advised trustees of his intention to retire in September 2019 and will step down as Chief Executive in the summer. In the meantime he will work closely on the appointment of a successor with a period of handover. Neil’s extensive waterways knowledge and expertise will not be lost to the Association, as he will continue to volunteer on the board of Essex Waterways Limited, and will be retained by the Association to oversee the insurance arrangements for IWA’s non-profit corporate members – a service which delivers enormous value to the restoration sector in particular.

Paul Rodgers emphasises the value delivered by Neil during his time with the Association: “Under Neil’s leadership, IWA has developed an established reputation as champion and advocate of the restoration movement, and he has demonstrated an unswerving commitment to developing and improving the nation’s canals and rivers and IWA’s status as ‘voice of the waterways’.

“Neil is a well-respected and admired waterways campaigner and will be very much missed by colleagues throughout the sector. We have been fortunate to have him as our Chief Executive and when he retires he will be leaving the Association in an excellent position to further support the regeneration of our waterways and meet the challenges of the future. We all wish Neil a long and happy retirement.”