IWA's digital future

Soon you will be able to easily access and update your membership details, and see other information, such as previous event bookings, donations and shop purchases, through our new website.

Whether you are using your desktop computer, smart phone or tablet, you will be able to log in and manage your information. Everyone will have their own personal account area, including members, joint members, volunteers and more.

IWA’s new website is due to launch in this spring, and you’ll be able to find it at the same web address (URL): waterways.org.uk. The site will draw attention to our campaigns and events, feature a simplified navigation and a much-improved search function. You can read more about why we are changing our website in our Winter 2019 edition of Waterways magazine.

Once the website has launched, we will be in touch with more information to help get you started with the website and your new account area. You may receive a link by email if we have an up to date address for you, or instructions through the post.

You can help by checking that we have the correct email address for you, particularly if it’s been a while since you’ve heard from us. Email us at membership@waterways.org.uk or phone 01494 783453.

Don’t worry if you don’t have a computer or prefer not to use the internet. We want to make it as easy as possible for our members to manage their information but there is no requirement for you to use the new website. It will still be possible to manage your membership by contacting the membership team by phone, post or email.

The new website will be much easier to navigate and use with a mobile phone, particularly if you want to log in and renew your membership, edit any of your contact details or preferences or book an event.

This is important as over half of our website users now access the site using a mobile phone or tablet, and at the moment these users spend less time on the website and visit less pages.

Supporters using mobile devices are currently 50% more likely to exit the website when they get to a payment page on our existing website, compared to those using a desktop device. The new site will improve the experience for mobile users in this area and make it easier for people to support us.

You will have complete control over your information through the new website. You will be able to: • Update your contact preferences – choose how you hear om us. For example you will be able to opt in or out of email updates om us about events happening near you, appeals or campaign updates.

• See your event bookings - whether it’s a working holiday, IWA Festival of Water or our AGM. You will be able to book onto events like these and see them all in one place.

• See your volunteer information – if you volunteer with us, you will be able to see work parties and other events that you have booked onto and record your volunteer hours. If you are interested in volunteering with us, you will be able to fi nd opportunities to suit you.

• Subscribe to email updates – choose what you receive om us by email.

You will be able to opt in to receive things like our monthly email Bulletin or working holiday updates, or change your subscription preferences.

• Renew your membership and see past transactions – easily renew your membership by credit card or

Direct Debit, and view your previous membership renewals. You will also be able to see things like your Navvies subscription, past donations and things you buy om our new online shop. • Change details like your address or phone number – plus your email address, name, local branch and more.

The 9-mile long North Walsham & Dilham Canal stretches through north east Norfolk, and is the area’s only ‘cut and fill’ canal; as such, it holds a special place in the hearts of the dedicated enthusiasts who are working to restore it.

The canal, which runs from the River Ant just upstream of Wayford Bridge to Antingham Ponds situated further north near North Walsham, was opened in 1826 and has six locks along its length. It was designed by John Millington of Hammersmith and was cut over the course of just 18 months, by engineer Thomas Hughes.

The waterway was designed for small, 20-ton wherries, and was initially planned as a route to transport coal, but this never really took off and it was corn, flour, timber, cattle cake and animal feed that became the principal trades. Phosphates were also carried to the Antingham Bone Mills.

Use of the canal for trade was short lived due to the building of the East Norfolk Railway between 1874 and 1877. Thoughts quickly turned to pleasure-boating, with a forward-thinking miller and corn merchant named Edward Press seeing its potential as early as 1874. Mr Press bought five wherries and fitted them out to take passengers. Twelve years later there was a wider scheme to attract more pleasure-boaters to the canal, but by 1893 the canal had become disused above Swafield Locks. During 1927 the top reaches were dewatered and returned to farmland, and in 1934, the last motor wherry, Ella, left Bacton Wood Mill with a load of barley and, over the following years, the canal became dormant.

In the 1960s, the stretch of canal from Bacton Wood Mill to just above Royston Bridge was dewatered, possibly to aid the lowering and strengthening of Royston Bridge, which was seeing heavy traffic from the Bacton Gas Terminal.

Thoughts of restoration started in 1953 when the waterway was visited by IWA founder, Robert Aickman. IWA was involved in early work with the East Anglian Waterways Association, which in turn was instrumental in setting up the North Walsham & Dilham Canal Trust in 2008. The aim of the trust is to progress restoration at a more local level.

Over the course of the past ten or so years, detailed studies of the canal have been carried out in partnership with the waterway’s owners (there are four different private owners along its length). One lock at Bacton Wood has been completely rebuilt including replacement lock gates. In addition, the mill pond at Ebridge has been cleared, Royston and Ebridge spillways have been renovated, the channel has been de-silted, and the banks have been strengthened. Over 2⅓ miles of the canal bank and 1 mile of the canal have been opened up for the public use. Pleasure cruises have been running for the past few years on a solar-powered motor wherry called Ella II in memory of the last boat to work the canal.

NWDCT is now a registered charity and is working on the restoration of Ebridge Lock, including the installation of new lock gates. Work on the structure began in summer 2019 with help from the Waterway Recovery Group.

WRG Canal Camp volunteers previously carried out extensive restoration work on the 200-year-old spillway in summer 2017. Damaged areas were carefully removed, the weir was levelled to a new grade and a base was laid ready for the brickwork to be replaced using traditional materials. WRG volunteers helped lay over 1,400 bricks during the two weeklong working holidays.

The 2019 Ebridge Lock project, estimated to cost up to £35,000, was made possible thanks to a £26,000 EU LEADER grant to NWDCT. This funding covered the cost of manufacturing the top lock gates and stop planks, which block off the lock and enable repairs to be carried out. Volunteers from NWDCT are carrying out the practical restoration of the lock. For more information visit nwdct.org.

above: WRG volunteers

Left: Traditional

beLow: Swans on Ebridge spillway.

FOR THE WIDEST CHOICE of canal holidays visit www.abcboathire.com. You can choose from 14 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 3330590 (local rate) for a brochure.

Visit the Inland Waterways Association Bookshop for some great gift ideas including canal guides and practical books. Call 01494 783453 or visit www.iwashop.com

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