Knobsticks - Spring 2022

North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch

KNOBSTICKS

Spring 2022

A frosty start to a Cheshire Locks work-party

Photo: John Lawson

Editorial an article about the Leopard pub in Burslem as well as her usual Social Scene article. Jon has written about the rest of their trip on the BCN, and Sonning has started telling us about their 2020 trip around the Four Counties Ring.

Mention of our branch AGM reminds me that we really need some help on the branch committee, with several posts (Secretary, Sales Officer, Planning Officer and Caldon & Uttoxeter Work Party Organiser) still being vacant. If you don’t want to take on a specific role, then please consider volunteering to “just” be an ordinary committee member and helping out where you can. If you aren’t sure what is involved and would like to chat to an existing committee member first, then why not come along to our branch AGM and find out.

The poster above seems to me to be a great way to start this issue. Hopefully we are all starting to (cautiously) emerge from 2 years of hibernation under the threat of Covid-19.

I’ll close with a sunny picture (taken by John Lawson during Summer 2020) of artist Rob Poynton at work by our canal.

Roger Evans

You will see on pages 12 and 13 that our branch is also starting to arrange “inperson” events again. We will hold our branch AGM at Stoke Boat Club on March 11th, and our Annual Dinner on April 1st (having been delayed from the originally proposed date in January).

Cheshire Locks work-parties are back in full swing, and Burslem Port has just restarted its work-parties too. See the back cover for full details.

I feel that I must thank the Honeysett household for their great contribution to this magazine, as it would be looking rather thin otherwise! Sarah has written Page 2

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Deputy Chairman’s Report You will have noticed that our branch features in IWA members’ “Waterways” magazine this quarter, with a self-guided walk around the Denford and Hazelhurst area of the Caldon Canal. The walk will also be downloadable from the website, and I would encourage those of you not familiar with the area to make a visit over the spring/summer, especially as the towpath (and canal) will be closed in the vicinity of Hazelhurst Locks, probably from autumn 2022 to spring 2023, for the rebuild of Bridge 37.

It has been a fairly quiet winter for your branch committee, but I feel as though this may have been the lull before the storm with life returning more to normal on the waterways as spring approaches with no further Covid restrictions in place. We are planning some events this year, including hopefully a guided walk or two, and of course the re-arranged branch dinner on 1st April which I hope many of you will be able to attend (see details on page 13).

Before then, we will be holding the branch AGM in person on Friday 11th March, at Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club. As this will be the first time we’ve had an opportunity to all get together in person for over two years, we hope that many of you will be able to attend. The AGM will give a brief update on what we have been doing, and will be followed by some archive video film footage from Alan Chetwyn, which always makes for an entertaining evening.

Spring 2022

Ever since this bridge, which is at the bottom of the Hazelhurst lock flight, was demolished nearly two years ago after it became unsafe, we have been asking Canal & River Trust for assurances that it would be replaced in a sympathetic way. As it was a listed structure in a conservation area, this has been a long process for the Trust and has involved them working with the conservation officer at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council.

They have recently confirmed that the rebuild is due to commence later this year, and we have seen an artist’s impression of what the rebuilt bridge should look like. The bridge will be rebuilt in a traditional style, using as many of the existing bricks and stones as could be salvaged.

A navigation and towpath closure will be inevitable for most of the project, but we have been assured that diversions will be in place for the towpath. Your committee is reassured that the rebuilt bridge will be as close to the original as possible, bearing in mind modern building and health and safety constraints. We would like to congratulate CRT for what looks to be an excellent solution for this currently missing bit of waterway heritage.

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Deputy Chairman’s Report I was pleased to represent the branch at a meeting with the leaders of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council recently, along with Julie Arnold representing the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust, where we were encouraged to hear about their ambitions for canal locations in their area, particularly the end of the Leek Arm.

touch and let us know about things that you observe while you are out and about on the waterways this year.

Do get in touch with me if you would like to know more about the various different ways in which you could get involved – it could be leading a guided walk, keeping us informed on issues affecting waterways heritage, helping on the sales I am conscious that much of what I am stand at events, or perhaps helping us reporting about this month is about my out with publicity and social media. local canal, the Caldon. We would Article (& photo below): Alison Smedley welcome more people getting involved to keep us informed about issues and concerns on the rest of the branch’s waterways. We are grateful to Kate Bonson of the Macclesfield Canal Society who keeps us informed about anything important on that canal, and of course for the Trent & Mersey Canal Society who likewise will always make sure we are aware of anything along our stretch of that canal. But we would welcome more people getting involved, either to join the committee or just to keep in Old bridge 37 (from lock-side)

The branch has welcomed CRT's proposed replacement to Bridge 37 on the Caldon Canal, as seen in the artist's impression above (of other side) Impression © CRT Page 4

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The Leopard, Burslem

Catastrophic Fire devastates Historic Potteries Pub Both Potteries and Waterways heritage suffered a significant blow on Saturday 22nd January 2022, when the historic Leopard Hotel in Burslem was gutted by fire. Although the façade appears to have survived, at the time of writing it is not known whether it is structurally stable or will need to be demolished. Much of the remainder of the building has been destroyed.

The Leopard’s key role in Inland Waterways history was as the location of a meeting in March 1765 between pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood and canal engineer James Brindley, to discuss plans for what would become the Trent and Mersey Canal. The venue proudly displayed the text of notes Wedgwood made afterwards on the wall of its restaurant (see photo, right).

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The Leopard, Burslem struggled somewhat in its later years.

The hotel portion closed in 1951 and fell into serious disrepair, being accessed only for occasional historical visits or ghost-hunts, although the pub and restaurant continued to be well-used into the 21st Century.

The Burslem local history society met there until relatively recently and I had it in mind as a possible location for our 2020 Annual Dinner (which didn’t happen due to Covid-19, of course), although it was looking rather more down-at-heel during my visit in 2019 than it had in the picture below, taken 10 years earlier.

In the summer of 2020 it closed and was put up for auction. The new owners apparently had plans to restore the pub and convert the hotel into apartments but someone else found another use for it in the meantime, as a cannabis farm was discovered there in late 2021.

A painting by local artist Christine Mallaband-Brown showing Wedgwood, Brindley, physician and philosopher Erasmus Darwin and Wedgwood’s business partner Thomas Bentley in The Leopard, hung in the huge function room at the rear.

Losing a building like The Leopard doesn’t delete a town like Burslem’s history, but it does make it harder for future generations to connect with and relate to it. We have to hope that the sadness and outrage from local people that followed the fire will drive appropriate restoration plans, though the tragedy is that such a fine old building with such an important place in our canal history was so neglected that this dreadful calamity could happen.

Article (& Photos): Sarah Honeysett

Top Left: Painting in the Function Room.

Bottom Left: Long closed Hotel portion.

Top Right: The Restaurant (with the Wedgwood quote on the wall).

Bottom Right: Outside of “The Leopard” A thriving and prestigious hotel until the seen illuminated as part of the “Light Second World War, The Leopard Night” festival in February 2019.

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The Leopard, Burslem

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Traversing the lesser-known BCN waterways

Part 2. Lime Park, Daw End Branch, to Horsley Fields Junction, Wolverhampton.

Sunday 27th June was an overcast day but, after a nice breakfast, we set off, with UPLANDER II heading north along the twisting Daw End Canal, crossing the bridge over the freight-only railway from Stourbridge North Jct. to the Water Orton and Castle Bromwich Junctions.

Our aim was to reach Catshill Junction by lunchtime (where the Wyrley & Essington Canal diverges to the west) and arrive at Chasewater Reservoir by mid-afternoon.

Catshill Junction; as in the previous day, towpath-users were most welcoming, with even the fishermen being delighted to see us as our boat cleared a path through the waterweed.

Passing Catshill Junction we moored by “The Anchor” but COVID 19 issues meant lunch wasn’t being served, so we had to make do with our own supplies.

As the canal ran along the back of nearby housing, two small children on a trampoline waved and shouted, “Thank We had hoped that Aldridge Marina You for coming!”, another indication of would have pump-out facilities, but how few narrow-boats are seen. these weren’t available on Sunday as the office was closed. We pressed on through We passed Ogley Junction where the Aldridge’s industrial estates towards Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Society Page 8

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Traversing the lesser-known BCN waterways hope to see their waterway re-opened to Monday 28th June was again overcast and, setting off at 08.30, we passed Huddlesford Junction through beautifully clear waters of the Wyrley & Essington Canal, initially amid rural scenes, our aim to reach Horsley Fields Junction at Wolverhampton, 16 miles to the west and, hopefully, the Black Country Museum by the evening.

and, by 14.30, we reached Chasewater Reservoir.

Unfortunately, we saw no obviously safe moorings for narrow boats, so we returned to Catshill Junction, turning onto the “Curly Wyrley” for our quiet overnight mooring at Pelsall Common by 18.30.

However, the same water foliage that provides such health for aquatic life was slowing our progress – every hour, Sarah and I changed places at the tiller, as time and again we “coasted in neutral” to release weed around UPLANDER II’s rudder.

Passing through urban Bloxwich and turning north at Birchills Junction with the Walsall Canal by midday, we moored briefly at Sneyd Junction Wharf to dispose of rubbish but, by the time we reached Short Heath, UPLANDER II had slowed down badly; we moored at a tiny CRT wharf at Lane End Bridge, on the A462, and called River Canal Rescue.

Adjacent to us, The United Kingdom pub’s staff kindly allowed the RCR engineer, Steve, to park close to our boat. He removed a mass of fishing-line, rope, and reed-stalks from the propellorshaft and, at 16.00, we set off again through Wednesfield, finally arriving at the short stump of the Bentley Canal, within a huge new Retail Park by The

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Traversing the lesser-known BCN waterways Nickelodeon restaurant, finding space to moor next to Nb. GRACE as rain poured down; a meal and rest was greatly appreciated.

using our “Helping Hands” to remove huge quantities of weed from the rudder, it took an hour to reach Horsley Fields Junction as Nb. GRACE followed.

Our 4-day voyage had shown that any poor “image” of the three BCN canals we traversed is unfair. Lack of traffic and possibly warmer conditions due to climate-change created a problem with weed-growth, and CRT have a mammoth task to keep the BCN waterways rubbishfree, but do visit the Tame Valley, Rushall & Daw End, Wyrley & Essington and Walsall canals; our Midlands heritage needs boaters.

Tuesday 29th June, the rain had stopped and we set about completing the final mile of the “Curley Wyrley”. Regularly

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Jon Honeysett (Photos: Jon & Sarah Honeysett)

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Work at Ivyhouse Embankment on Caldon Canal Alan & Anne Chetwyn went to see the Caldon stoppage where CRT are carrying out a “full canal bed replacement on Ivy House Embankment to cure leakage”.

Special offers In-store bakery Food-to-go

Hot and cold drinks Groceries Newspapers Lotto Paypoint Payzone Free ATM Fresh fruit and veg Household and pet food A great range of beers, wines and spirits Open Mon-Sat 7am-9pm, Sun 7.30am-8pm

Less than 10 minutes from bridges 14 and 15 of the Caldon Canal

8-10 Diana Road, Birches Head, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 6RS. Tel 01782 263936 Visit our website www.londis.co.uk.

Find us on Facebook - Londis Birches Head Spring 2022

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Social Programme

North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch It has been another difficult winter for us all and, after a disappointing turnout for the Daniel Adamson presentation suggested Zoom-fatigue might be setting in for our members, we decided to abandon any further virtual speakers for the rest of this season. Hopefully, we can start next season’s socials in person with our proposed speakers from Waterway Recovery Group and Stafford Riverway Link.

It was a pity that the talk on The Danny wasn’t better attended as our speakers, Chris Ellams and Peter Johnson, delivered a really interesting and professional presentation, with a superb selection of archive photographs and early film. The restoration of this historic small ship really has been a triumph and is a credit to everyone involved. If there is sufficient interest within the branch, I would be happy to invite the Daniel Adamson Preservation Trust to a future “live” social, so that those who missed them in December could enjoy the show. The Danny team are also putting together a charity hire package so, if there is sufficient interest, we could possibly consider a branch outing one day.

As I mentioned in my last Social Scene article, I would very much like to hear from you if you have ideas for social events in future. This is your branch, so let me know if there is a topic you would like to learn more about, which we could include in next season’s schedule.

Sarah Honeysett

Friday 11th March – 7:45 for 8pm Annual General Meeting followed by films presented by Alan Chetwyn.

Covid-19: There may be clinically vulnerable people attending, so please consider doing a lateral flow test beforehand.

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Social Programme Friday 1st April 2022 – 7:30pm IWA ANNUAL DINNER at The Rising Sun, Scholar Green 112 Station Road, Scholar Green, ST7 3JT Bookings to be received by Sarah Honeysett by 19th March Cost: £22 per head Starters a) Winter vegetable soup b) Prawn cocktail c) Ham hock terrine Mains a) Roast topside of beef b) Coq au vin c) Fish pie All served with potatoes and seasonal vegetables Desserts a) Bakewell tart and custard b) Chocolate pudding and custard c) Cheshire farms ice-cream Admission to AGM/talks is FREE Donations to waterway causes welcome!

Refreshments available.

Non-IWA members are very welcome Venue (unless otherwise stated): Stoke on Trent Boat Club Endon Wharf, Post Lane, Endon STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST9 9DU For further information contact: Sarah Honeysett (01782 772295) socialsec.nssc@waterways.org.uk or visit the branch webpages at: www.waterways.org.uk Spring 2022

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Burslem Port A belated Happy New Year to you all. We achieved a great deal, somewhat against the odds, in 2021 but the future of our project is less secure as we look ahead.

the section from the footbridge to the warehouse. Amazingly, in the limited time, they managed to fit the edge boards, lay the waterproof membrane and also the two layers of white stone WORK PARTIES chippings, leaving just the topcoat to be I must pay tribute to our work parties for put down by Nick Townsend and Joe the superhuman efforts they made to from Naturescaping. The work involved prepare the site for the Heritage Open using the tracked barrow and several Day on Sunday 19th September. We hand barrows to bring the stone from were greatly assisted by Paul Bailey (who the stockpile at the bottom of Luke strimmed the worst of the vegetation), Street.

Beth Dawid and her Canal & River Trust Volunteers, and Dave Broome who Several members complained that their worked tirelessly to make the site safe arms were much longer when they left! for the public.

They were accommodated in the excellent community hub adjacent to St. The event itself was highly successful James Church in Newchapel - fittingly with over 100 members of the public the site of the grave of the great canal taking part who were treated to musical engineer, James Brindley. We were entertainment by the Boat Band and grateful for the help of Port Vale FC who Bakers Choir. They were able to sample made their showers available at the end charcoal bread which tasted better than of each day. it looked. Middleport Matters also attended and gave people the opportuni- Nick and Joe then took over and laid the ty to comment on the draft Middleport remainder of the path. It took them 29 Neighbourhood Plan. days working 8:30 am to 4 pm each day.

Fortunately, the weather was largely dry, The oatcake boat Que Sara Sara, which but the early onset of darkness limited moored at the end of the site, was so the hours available. The end product is a popular that they ran out of oatcakes! very fine pathway. For all the activities Their presence made the day for me, mentioned above, we were very grateful topping up my energy for the 4 guided for the organising skills, advice and walks that I led. Altogether, 40 visitors guidance of Laura Wigg-Bailey who ably signed up to be put on our mailing list. filled the gap left by Steve Wood’s departure. We are also grateful for the THE FOOTSTEPS PROJECT help of Ron and Debbie Garlick of Work began in earnest on the Footsteps Potteries Waste Ltd, owners of the wharf pathway in October. It began with a visit and warehouse, who supplied all the by volunteers of the Waterway Recovery aggregate at a very generous price.

Group (WRG), the canal restoration branch of the Inland Waterways OTHER ACTIVITIES Association. This was planned when I Just before the path was completed, learnt that they were seeking a place for Laura and Gemma Chapman also their Autumn Camp. Although it did not organised a Nature Walk, in association work out quite as planned due to a with the Staffordshire Mammal Society. shortage of leaders, they managed a mini This attracted about a dozen people. camp of 3 days. They concentrated on They were able to record the existence of Page 14

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Burslem Port a higher number of animals than usual, showing a rare, good example of an inner-city habitat. This is useful information to incorporate in our future plans and ticks a number of essential boxes.

Whilst all this was going on, we began the wharf and warehouse feasibility project, funded by the Architectural Heritage Fund. This is looking at alternative uses for the former Shropshire Union warehouse and wharf.

Before Christmas, Wolstanton Architects’ Ellis Hillman presented their first draft plan which includes a turning bay and lay by for visiting boats and new uses for a remodelled warehouse. In January, the process continued with the visit of a valuer. Meanwhile, Patrick Moss of MNY Consultants, has been working to produce a Masterplan to guide the future development of the Burslem Port project.

Treasurer has also had to reduce his commitment due to a change in his personal circumstances.

This leaves just two original trustees, our founder David Dumbelton and me. I have decided that the Trust is not viable in these circumstances. Although we will continue to work towards finding a way forward, perhaps by amalgamating with another society, I have decided to retire as trustee and chairman at the end of April. This gives us a target date to work towards.

We will complete the interpretation aspect of the Footsteps project and continue to fulfil the requirements of the Architectural Heritage Fund with the warehouse project. The Masterplan will also be completed outlining a way forward for the Burslem Port Project. If you have any ideas or can volunteer to take on any task, however simple, please get in touch with me.

I would like to thank all those who have supported us via Potto Lotto. The sum Best wishes, raised so far is. £2,427. I hope you will Roger Savage continue to support us as we go forward.

One of our supporters won £25 this 2022 WORKING PARTIES week.

I've at last got round to fixing dates for our working parties for the first few FUTURE UNCERTAINTIES months of this year (See the list on the It is ironic that, whilst all this positive back cover — Ed). The February and activity has been taking place, we have March ones will be short from 10.30 lost most of our key trustees and active until 1. From then on hopefully from supporters. I recorded Steve Wood’s 10.30 until 2.30 with a break for lunch. I departure in the Winter edition of will let you know if there are any changes Knobsticks. Trustee Eifion Jones but hope you can make these dates as stepped down at about the same time, there's lots to do! due to his work and domicile moving to Wales. At the Heritage Open Day, two A big thank you in advance. Please let supporters said they hoped to join us, me know if you plan to come so that you but for various reasons associated with can be contacted if there are any lasttheir day jobs, this has not materialised. minute changes.

In November, our Company Secretary decided that he needed to devote his Cheers and good health time to other interests and, recently, our Dave Broome Spring 2022

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Cheshire Locks Thursday 18th November

An excellent turn out of seven volunteers set to work painting the balance beams on the top and tail gates on both lock chambers. They completed the strapping posts and had time to finish preparing and painting the remaining metalwork on the rails, bridge edges, paddle gear, ladders and gate fittings.

A rewarding day and a job well done.

Thursday 21st January

I ended my October report wondering (rather optimistically) as to whether we would have dry weather in November for our last scheduled Work Party of the year to complete the painting of the remaining wooden surfaces on Lock 45.

The day dawned cloudy but dry, preceded by a dry night and temperatures above the required minimum for our Sadolin paint. Could not have hoped for a better day, this was mid-November after all.

Having completed all tasks on Locks 44 and 45, we moved down the canal at Red Bull to Lock 46 for our first Work Party of 2022. The weather in January is always unpredictable, with a cold but dry day forecast and so it proved. Our dedicated group of eight enthusiastic volunteers set to work preparing the lock: scraping, wire brushing and sanding all the wooden and metal surfaces. The temperature was below the minimum required for the application of any paint but the day was very well spent and all the effort put in ensured that, on our next visit, the lock will be ready for painting.

John Lawson Page 16

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The Boating Adventures of Sonning Bear

Three Bears and Four Counties Part One

anniversary of Hanley Bear joining our “hug”. The direct route home would have been up the Cheshire Locks to Kidsgrove As my human guardian Grizzly has but instead we turned along the very already written about our trips to short Wardle Canal, through the lock Manchester and Birmingham in his and onto the Middlewich Arm of the Knobsticks articles, this month I have Shropshire Union Canal, before coming decided to tell you about a journey we to a halt. made in 2020, around the Four Counties Ring.

Uppie spent most of that year being looked after by Mr Steve the boatpainter, firstly at Northwich on the River Weaver and then at his new dry dock in Middlewich. By September, despite trouble with floods and moving yards, Uppie was completely repainted and was ready to go on journeys again. We started on September 17th, a celebration day for us bears because it's the Spring 2022

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The Boating Adventures of Sonning Bear Polar and Grizzly then stopped to visit friends who live by the canal and they got hard stares from us bears when they got back, as they had enjoyed tea, crumpets and jam but had not brought any back for us.

“Don't be cross, little bears” said Polar.

“When we stop tonight, we're going to have a nice dinner with you all for Hanley's Hug Day - he's asked for veggie curry with naan bread and Titanic beer, to celebrate Stoke City winning their League Cup game against Wolves.” It’s very strange, being high up above Hanley cheered. He's only supposed to houses, cars and people when you are on sip the bubbles on top of Grizzly's beer, a boat! but he managed to sneak some beer too.

In the morning, dressed in our boating hats, we settled into our seat in the cratch. We saw lots of new sights, like a building that had once been stables for boat horses.

After lunch, we reached Barbridge Junction, where we joined the main line of the Shroppie. If we had turned right, it would have taken us towards Chester, but Grizzly turned left, towards Nantwich.

We had porridge for breakfast the next morning, as Grizzly said we had a busy day coming up. “We've got some flights of locks to work up through today” he explained. “There are two nearby at Hack Green, then fifteen at Audlem and five more at Adderley - and they're all going up!”.

Grizzly worked the Hack Green locks and the first two locks at Audlem. Polar and Grizzly usually like to stop here, at the Shroppie Fly pub (see first picture on the next page — Ed), but we weren't going to do any pub visits on this trip When we reached Nantwich we saw a due to the nasty virus, so Polar and super statue of a boat horse and then Grizzly swapped over and Polar started crossed an aqueduct over the main road. working the locks.

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The Boating Adventures of Sonning Bear open, but we still got bumped around quite a lot and were very glad to get to the top.

The first one was quite tricky for Grizzly to get us into, because there was a fierce by-wash coming in alongside the bottom gates. By-washes take excess water around the side of a lock from the pound above it and, if a lock higher up is being emptied, you can suddenly get a great deal of water flooding down them. You should never let human cubs play in them because they can very quickly go from tiny little streams with almost no water in, to torrents that would sweep even a grown-up off their feet.

We stopped for lunch, then Polar and Grizzly swapped over again, and Grizzly worked us up the Adderley Locks, while Polar steered Uppie. We found some nice moorings at the top, where we could stop overnight. We had more locks to do the next day, after cruising through Market Drayton. Grizzly told Hanley that one day, when things were safer, he would take him to visit the Joules Brewery there.

There is a very pretty row of wharf-side cottages here, so Polar took us for a look around, while it was quiet (also see the “group photo” at the end of this article — Ed).

A little further on, we reached the Tyrley Locks. There are five of these, climbing up through a narrow sandstone gorge.

It's a very pretty sight, but the by-washes can be extra fierce! Polar was watching them carefully, then signalling to Grizzly when the flow was slightly less. We watched for her signal and shouted, “Go, Grizzly, go!” when the lock gates were Spring 2022

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The Boating Adventures of Sonning Bear Then we had to go through Woodseaves Cutting. Uppie had to go extra slowly here because there have been landslips and rock falls. We were scared small bears going through there and were glad to be out in the open again!

That made us think about our tea!

Luckily, there was an Uppie-sized space on the visitor moorings at Norbury Junction where we could stop for the night.

Before we reached Norbury Junction, we had another cutting to go through. We had been near here before, as the snowdrop woods near Loynton Moss are on the banks up above the canal, but we hadn't seen the funny bridge with the telegraph pole on that visit!

“And we've got no more locks until we get to the little stop-lock onto the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal” said Grizzly. [He must have forgotten about the lock at Wheaton Aston! - Ed] We think he was relieved, because some of Mr Steve's nice paintwork had already picked up some scratches thanks to those nasty by-washes!

And I’ll tell you about the rest of our journey in my next article. Hugs to you all until then!

Article: Sonning Bear Photos: Sarah Honeysett

Then we went past the wharf of what had been an old chocolate factory.

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Spring 2022

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The Swan Inn Stafford Street, Stone Two minutes from bridge 93 at Star Lock

Serving 10 Real Ales & Scrumpy Cider Bar Snacks available Beer Garden Page 22

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North Staffordshire & South Cheshire contacts President: Chris Skelhorne Vice President Roger Savage roger.st21@gmail.com Deputy Chair Alison Smedley 01538 385388 allie.smedley@waterways.org.uk Treasurer Alan Chetwyn (No Email)

01782 279277

Secretary VACANT Contact Alison Smedley

Newsletter Editor Roger Evans 01606 834471 newsletter.nssc@waterways.org.uk 10 Long Lane, Middlewich, Cheshire, CW10 0BL Planning VACANT Contact Alison Smedley Membership Officer Mary Smith membership.nssc@waterways.org.uk Navigation Officer Jon Honeysett 01782 772295 navigation.nssc@waterways.org.uk Burslem Port Work Party Dave Broome 07974 966253 dave.broome45@gmail.com

Sales Officer VACANT Contact Alison Smedley

Caldon + Uttoxeter Work Parties VACANT Contact Alison Smedley

Social Secretary Sarah Honeysett 01782 772295 socialsec.nssc@waterways.org.uk

Cheshire Locks Work Party John Lawson 07940 878923 john.lawson@waterways.org.uk

Publicity Officer Sarah Honeysett 01782 772295 publicity.nssc@waterways.org.uk

Other committee members:

Web and Social Media Officer: Peter Smedley 01538 385388 webmaster.nssc@waterways.org.uk

West Midlands Region Chairman Helen Whitehouse 01543 491161 westmidlands@waterways.org.uk

Julie Arnold

The Branch committee meets at 7:30 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday of March, June, September & December at Stoke Boat Club, Endon Wharf, Post Lane, Endon, Stoke-on-Trent, ST9 9DU. All Branch members are invited to attend.

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association, the West Midlands Region, or our Branch.

They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers. © The Inland Waterways Association - Registered as a charity no. 212342 www.waterways.org.uk/staffscheshire Spring 2022 Page 23

Join Us on a Canal Work Party

Our Branch runs 3 work parties each month, helping to maintain and restore our local canals :-

• Cheshire Locks (Trent & Mersey Canal, Kidsgrove to Wheelock)

(jointly organised with the Trent and Mersey Canal Society) 3rd Thursday of each month (except December), 10am to 3pm.

Contact: John Lawson Phone: 07940 878923 Email: john.lawson@waterways.org.uk

• Uttoxeter Canal (Bridge 70, near Denstone — or near Alton)

(working in partnership with Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust) This work party has not yet resumed on a regular basis, however events are being arranged as required.

If you would like to be involved, contact Alison Smedley

• Burslem Port, Stoke-on-Trent

(working in partnership with Burslem Port Project) Fridays: March 18th, April 8th and 22nd, May 6th and 20th, June 3rd and 17th. 10:30am to 2:30pm (1:30 in March) Contact: Dave Broome Phone: 07974 966253 Email: dave.broome45@gmail.com ——————————–————-—————————-————— See the IWA website www.waterways.org.uk under “Events” for dates.

Volunteers are advised to wear stout shoes and old clothes, and to bring waterproofs (and a packed lunch and drink if staying all day) Page 24

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