Spring 2018
Alf Saggs
Tubbs Hangs Up His Lock ‘andle Alfred Sidney Saggs (Tubbs) 09.01.1929–19.09.2017
Alf was cremated on Wednesday the 4th October, and was seen off this coil by fifty of his many friends and The Best Man on the Lee family. Alf’s cremation consisted of many contrasting pairs. I can remember Alf used to pit boys against girls, to see who could shut Pickett’s Lock gates (as it was then) the fastest. A great favourite among the many visiting school parties, I wonder if the Elf from Safety lets schools visit locks anymore? Fascinating to see an apparent licence dodging continuous cruiser (?), with a long pony tails and earrings sitting across the aisle, from the good and the great from (CRT) in the form of booted and suited John Guest. Nice to see CRT in attendance, for what must be their longest serving lockie (?). Very Catholic, and very Catholic mourners, both black and white. The IWA turned up in force, and the New Stort Boat Club Commodore, (a friend of Alf & Karen for many decades), to pay his last respects.
The service was led by none other than Bishop Michael Ward, who took pains to stress that Tubbs would want a service of smiles, not tears, reinforced by his musical choices. We came in to Cilla, singing - what else could it be - other than ‘Alfie’? Alf chose Nat King Cole and ‘Smile’ to see us on our way. It was a service of no room at the inn, with some needing to stand at the back. Alf was born in Tottenham, and claims never to have been on a boat in the over three decades he spent at Pickets. Clearly even as an ex bus driver he was not won’t to take a busman’s holiday. Alf was one of fourteen young Saggs, and is survived by just one sibling, a sister. Fourteen was not so uncommon a brood pre WW1, as the Bishop noted, it was a pre TV era. You could have guessed he was a lifelong fan of Spurs. If you had looked carefully among the floral tributes with a keen eye, you could have spotted a real Bounty Bar, left to nourish him on his last journey. Rest in peace Alf, and may your G*ds go with you.
OIL!!! The recent oil spillage onto the River Lea must be the worst our river has seen. The pollution is thick, black and 2
described as ‘acrid’. Boaters and animal welfare workers believe it could be waste engine oil. The river has been closed from Stonebridge to the Hertford Union, and boaters have been requested not to move their boats for fear of spreading the pollution. Environment Agency A piece of paper dipped into the officers have been working Lea at Homerton Bridge 24/7, along with CRT, and a specialist contractor, in an attempt to trace the source, and clear the pollution.
By Millfields Park South in Lower Clapton.
They are aware of concerns over health and safety, and advise river users and members of the public to contact Public Health England for help and information. CRT has been offering absorbent material to boat owners, to use near their boats. The pollution has touched a 7km stretch of the river, and boat traffic, debris and the wind have hampered the cleanup process. But as always, it’s the wildlife that suffers most. The Swan Sanctuary at Shepperton cares for the waterfowl, that all too frequently suffer from pollution on our River Lea. 3
Swans contaminated from the oil spill in the River Lea
“It’s very bad,” said volunteer Gill Walker. “Whatever this is – it’s certainly got a lot of diesel in it – it gets onto their skin, and it’s corrosive; and where they’re constantly preening, it’s getting into their digestive systems. They are constantly exposed to it. “It isn’t just what you see. The oil strips them of their natural waterproofing, which makes them waterlogged, and damages their insulation, so even in warmer temperatures they can suffer from hypothermia.” Rinsed off After Being Cleaned She added that the sanctuary had just released 40 swans who were rescued, following an oil spillage in the same part of the river over Christmas. Fortunately, however, the newly-opened nature reserve, Walthamstow Wetlands, close to the River Lea, seems to have avoided any contamination, but there have been sightings on site, Drying Off Under the Heat Lamps of birds suffering from exposure to the oil. These birds have become 4
contaminated prior to flying into the reserve. It is confirmed that there has been no sign of oil pollution within the Walthamstow Wetlands, other than on these few birds.
December 2016: A family of swans have had to be rescued from the River Lea at Hackney Wick, after becoming covered in cooking oil. They were taken to the Swan Sanctuary in Shepperton, to be cleaned up and put on a vitamin-rich diet to aid their recovery. Cooking oil going into the River Lea, is not a rare event. Householders are being urged to refrain from pouring their old cooking oil down the sink. Cooking oil reaches our rivers when it’s been dumped down drains. People don’t realise, that this leads straight into our rivers; and in most cases, it’s impossible to trace the source of it. The contact number of the sanctuary is: 01932 240 790. Perhaps we should all make a note of it. 5
Notes from the Chairman I thought I would use this newsletter to give a wider overview of the Branch, and our activity over the last year. I want to start by thanking the committee who throughout 2017/2018 have worked tirelessly for the branch. You all know who they are, but thought it time you should know what they do for you and the Branch. Mike Jones has kept the branch informed with local and national news affecting our inland waterways, with regular branch bulletins, and updating our website, as well as ensuring we abide by the IWA rules at committee meetings. Mike may be moving away in the near future, and as such this would mean him giving up his position as secretary. If that is to be the case, I would like to publicly thank Mike in this newsletter, for his tremendous support, hard work and efforts in his role. John Shacklock was always going to be a hard act to follow, but I think you will all agree, that Mike has been simply superb. Thank You ! To Carole Beeton, for once again keeping a firm eye on our money as Branch Treasurer. In line with the wishes of the membership we have kept our reserves as low as is practicable, and invested and donated funds where possible. Banny has ensured the standard of speakers at monthly meetings has remained consistently high. For the Ware Festival, Banny is the one running around in the 6
background keeping everything ticking over, from advertising the event, helping with the boat handling, collecting food and materials, and clearing up after us all. Sometimes his efforts go unnoticed. Banny, once again, on behalf of the Branch, thank you for your tireless efforts. It is appreciated. To Mike Newman and George Cutting. Whilst their work at Ware Festival is well known, the two of them have also been at the centre of important debates with CRT when we need to be more forceful with the navigation authority. One example being the overhanging trees in Bishop Stortford where George has influenced change and action. Mike has attended public meetings and again put forward our concerns, particularly around mooring policy (or should I say unofficial mooring issues) as well as general maintenance issues on our stretch of the system, again with some tangible results. To Monica Hawes for her amazing support at running the volunteers at Ware which last year, I believe ran like clockwork, making it a truly volunteer run event. My thanks also to Mon for the production of the Branch newsletter. Terry – who has bounced back from some health related restrictions, to make an effective contribution to the branch throughout the year, particularly with liaison with partner agencies such as the Lea Valley Park Authority. Terry was also back in action at last year’s festival helping make the weekend a success. 7
Tony Plunkett has decided to stand down from the committee this year as finding the time to contribute to the branch has become difficult. That said, Tony still pulled out all the stops to support us at Ware Festival, with cooking at the BBQ, co-ordinating the Boat Parade and judging the boat handling. Tony, on behalf of the committee and membership, a massive thank you for all your help and assistance over the years. My thanks also go to Bob & Bunty who officially volunteer their services to make the branch function effectively. The committee is always seeking new blood so if anyone else wishes to join us, please do so. Only one person has been left out! My thanks, the Committee’s thanks, and I’m sure all Your thanks, go to Craig himself. He’s led us through some difficult times, and most of us aren’t aware of how much he does behind the scenes. As many of you know, I have found it increasingly difficult to find the time to devote as much time to the IWA in recent years and have offered to step down on a number of occasions to make room for new blood. It has been agreed that I will remain in post for one more year…on top of the 15 I have already done!...and make way for Mike Newman to take over as Chairman of the Branch at the AGM in March 2019. I will of course continue to stay on the committee to focus on the Ware Festival Arrangements…if you want me to ! 8
So as a team, I hope you will agree we have been doing our best to keep the business of the branch going. National Issues Many of you will be aware that Ivor Caplan has now taken over as National Chairman and some of the branch have already had chance to meet him, even this last weekend we had representation at a London event so as to ensure the branch is tied in with national and regional issues. IWA are extremely disappointed that no agreement was reached to transfer EA waterways under the jurisdiction of CRT which would have an effect on our membership who use the River Thames above Teddington on a regular basis. The proposal is still under consideration and talks continue. IWA has its new logo which will sit alongside the organisations vision and objectives for the future of being here for the public benefit, to advocate the conservation, use, maintenance and development of our inland waterways and promote their use for commercial and recreational purposes. Regional Issues Good news, Paul Strudwick will remain as Regional Chairman for the next 3 years, meaning we retain his continuity of leadership, significant knowledge of our two navigations, and maintain our ability to influence the national debate with Paul’s strategic position within the IWA. Paul wants us to be more proactive on establishing small residential mooring sites to reduce overstaying boats in London Region, enhanced use of social media to highlight issues, campaigns, successes. Last year saw Carpenters Road Lock brought back into use on The Bow Back Rivers which some will know, we contributed funds towards this restoration project and being on our doorstep offers up additional navigations for us to use. IWA also made a donation of £1000 to the Chelmsford Branch to help purchase a 9
new outboard motor for their recently rebuilt Ex WRG Work Flat which will help maintain the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation. Local Branch Level This year has not seen any significant projects, the year before had exhausted plenty of our energy and funds to get the new wooden mooring beams in place at Ware, and purchase the new visitor sign at Ware Common Wharf. However, we have worked to overcome an issue of overhanging trees in Bishop Stortford where no-one seemed to want to take ownership for either the trees or the problem being caused to navigation. Trees are an incredibly sensitive matter, and one that we have to tread both carefully and legally to resolve. My thanks to George and the team for researching the matter thoroughly. This all ties in with building relationships as part of Destination Stortford. The proposal to change the bridge at Dicker Mill was subject to official objection by the branch as we were concerned at the proposals and if the new heights would restrict navigation. Planning was not approved. CRT are now actively recruiting Volunteer Mooring Rangers for The River Stort and the River Lee from Enfield to Ware, who will provide a welcoming information service to mooring customers, promote positive boater behaviour and record information about boats using visitor moorings. Ware Festival Last Year 60 boats, slightly down on boats, but visitor numbers to BBQ, parade, boat handling, quiz and Sunday service seemed to remain high. Whilst the festival followed the same successful format as previous years, we did have new boats, new stalls, new faces, whilst trying to maintain our success of previous years. New Visitor Centre was open, having celebrated its first 10
anniversary, and was busy over the weekend. Unfortunately the CRT Boat, JENA, broke down and could not be with us. Hoping they will be back this year. We again used the event to drive up Membership and we have had new people join the Branch over the last 6 months. It was another successful year for the festival. We are back on 6-8 July 2018, please book in for another fun packed weekend. So thank you to all the committee and all the membership for another successful year in the life of the IWA, Lee & Stort Branch. Heres’s to a bright and sunny future, well, anything has got to be better than the dreadful winter weather we have had. Take care out there on the waterways no matter if you are a boater, angler, walker or just an avid visitor to our wonderful branch. Craig. Well, to follow that…there is a very interesting article, featured in the March edition of ‘Waterways World’, giving a fly-on-the-wall look into the working of the Marine Policing Unit on the River Thames. Their reporter, camera in hand, happened upon Craig as he was on his way to the Little Venice Cavalcade, and they just got talking. The outcome of this for the reporter, was a Grand Tour of Marine Police premises, offering a never-seen-before inside view of what their job entails, with quotes from Craig along the way. It may be worth the £4.25 to purchase a copy.
...and don’t forget to make a note of Craig’s new e-mail address. 11
During the Branch AGM in March, Paul spoke about the Volunteer Day which took place recently in London. The idea behind the volunteer day, was to look at the part each branch can play in moving the Association forward. It became apparent that the reason no-one was keen to take on the Volunteer/Coordinator/Work Party Organisers role, is because it sounds too big a job. But it is, in fact, three small jobs – for three different people. What each Branch needs is: Someone to work with the committee, to list all the events and work parties the branch wants to do within the coming year. Work with HO to keep their records up to date. Work with other organisations to book spaces, and obtain any agreements necessary. Someone to keep a list of branch volunteers, what type of work they are happy doing, and before each event, request support from the relevant volunteers. Someone to arrange for all the necessary equipment to be taken to the site, and returned afterwards. A ‘volunteer’ is often thought of as someone who runs committees, and organises, and takes part in, work parties and events. We could also include artwork, model making, craft work for sale to raise funds, giving talks to outside groups. If you think you could do any of that – or anything else that’s suitable, speak to your committee. If your Branch can’t use your skill, maybe the Region can. .
From the Region Spring 18
The long days of winter are nearly over and we can start thinking about getting out to enjoy the inland waterways, whether by walking, cycling, angling or boating. It is also time for me to put pen to paper and write a piece for your magazine. One of the problems I have is that I am writing this a month or so before you see it, so I have to get my crystal ball 12
out to try and make my ramblings topical, without knowing what the burning issues will be when you come to read them! Firstly, can I put in a plea for your help? With the Spring edition of Waterways we included a form for you to sign and return to the office in Chesham. This form is to allow the association to comply with the new General Data Protection Regulations being introduced by the Government in May. If you haven’t got round to sending it back please do so. If you need another copy please give the Chesham office a call, I am certain they will be only too pleased to send a new one. Going round the Region I am often asked what is the difference between IWA and CRT? For me there are clear differences: CRT is the navigation authority for less than 50% of the inland waterways of England and Wales. Its role is to keep those waterways, for which it is responsible, in the best possible condition. IWA is a membership, campaigning organisation that promotes, the conservation, use, maintenance and development of the inland waterways of the British Isles. We are, through our subsidiary Essex Waterways, also responsible for the maintenance of a waterway, and in my opinion, the Chelmer and Blackwater demonstrates how well a small band of dedicated professionals and volunteers can look-after a navigation. IWA’s and CRT’s interests often coincide, so we should work with them for the greater good of the waterways. But our interests are much wider. We champion the restoration and the maintenance, of all waterways and historic craft, and the buildings and structures alongside them. Through our restoration hub we offer local restoration trusts and societies, expertise and advice, as well as grants, and through Waterway Recovery Groups, training and organised restoration Canal Camps. If you want to know more how we support restoration it’s well worth having a look on the restoration pages on our website. The Canal and River Trust are rebranding and reorganising. They are reducing the number of their regions from 10 to 6. The 13
canals in London, and the rivers Lee & Stort will end up in a region that stretches from Bishop’s Stortford to Oxford. This seems to me to pose a threat to our good relationship at local level. There seems little commonality between the problems on the Oxford Canal, and Bishop’s Stortford. In London, they have told us they intend to implement a new strategy for controlling moorings in the near future. One has to be concerned that the implementation of this will be more difficult under the new organisation. We will need to keep a close eye on developments and I will keep you informed of what is happening. The results of the CRT license review consultation were published early in March. It seems to be a missed opportunity to solve some of the issues caused by the current licensing system, and in particular the effect of the continuous cruising option introduced by BW in 1995, as an alternative to having a home mooring, and the growth of widebeams using unsuitable waterways. Finally, can I remind you that IWA’s premier event, in London, Canalway Cavalcade at Little Venice, is over the weekend of the 5th to 7th May 2018. If you can’t come by boat, why not join us for a day, the nearest tube station is Paddington. It is a really great family day out. Paul Strudwick London Region Chair Person https://www.facebook.com/iwalondon/ and at paul@greenboater on twitter
A little bit of Branch history, now forgotten, is the Human Fruit Machine John Shacklock, resplendent in his red tails, bow tie and top hat, would clang away on his hand bell, while the three individuals would each stand on a dais and ‘spin’, while dipping into their bag of goodies to pull out, hopefully, their 3-in-a-row. 14
Terry has been lots of things in his life, but first and foremost, he is a countryman. From keeping a succession of small mammals, borrowed from the marshes along the river side, in a (dry) fish tank, in order to observe them, he went on to become Forest Keeper with the Corporation of London; then fishmonger; and also, boatman.
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A Little History of Heybridge
This article was first published in Chelmsford’s magazine in January 2011. It gives a fascinating insight into the history of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation, which is now run by the association, and the attitudes of people, in the mid twentieth century, to our European neighbours. I have recently been reading an old book I picked up at a second hand bookshop, called ‘Tideways & Byways in Essex & Suffolk’ by Archie White. The book was originally written in 1948 and gives fascinating insight to Old Essex. I thought members would be interested in this passage about Heybridge basin.
‘Here are lock gates and a canal, willow-lined as in Holland. Looking up at the sky likely as not you will see the long pennant of a Dutchman streaming from a masthead, for eel boats come over from the Low Countries. It is an interesting sight to see them unload. The hatches are taken off, exposing a well, filled with thousands of eels. Long-handled forks with seven or eight long, curved, blunt-ended ‘tines’ are used to bring the eels out. Huge scales are set-up on deck, weighted on one side, with a deep iron pail suspended on the other. Twisting and squirming, the eels are forked from the hold into the pail, some falling on deck where, wriggling like adders, they try to find a way to the sea through the closed scuppers. The moment the pail is filled and weighed (for all is hurry and bustle), over it goes, shooting the eels helter-skelter down a canvas funnel to a punt-like box floating alongside. The lid is clamped down and padlocked, and 16
the little craft, perforated with many small holes, is moored at some convenient place in the canal. In this way eels are kept alive in perfect condition for almost any length of time until they are required for the market. Business being over, the Dutchmen clomp ashore, leaving their wooden shoes outside the doors of the ‘Jolly Sailor’ or the ‘Ship’ (for a Dutchman never enters a house wearing his sabots), there to enjoy a glass of good English beer, a treat indeed, and one no doubt long looked forward to after the ‘beir’ they have to put up with in their native country.’ Permission has been given by the publisher to copy this extract. Paul Strudwick.
London Volunteer Day 2018 On Saturday 10th March, twenty members from all the London branches met at St Luke's Community Centre in Central Street at the back of Old Street in London. The idea was to get together to look at how IWA's long term vision can support the work being done by each Branch in the Region. I also hoped that everyone who was there would take back to their branch some ideas on how we can be more effective in campaigning for the waterways in the London Region. The morning sessions were a presentation of IWA’s vision and how we, at Branch and Region level, can help support that vision. This was followed by a chance for those attending to grill Ivor 17
Caplan the new National Chairman, and me, on our ideas for the future of the Association. Some of the subjects covered included: how do we differentiate the Association from CRT, how do we turn what we do, to selling what we do to potential members so they want to join us, how do we get young people to join the association. We then broke for lunch prepared for us by the Community Centre and this was a chance to meet up with old friends and meet new people from other branches. Refreshed and invigorated we were broken up into small groups to look at what branches are doing, across the region, and what we could do in the future to support the associations work: by Speaking the waterways, Protecting the waterways, Restoring the waterways, Inspiring people about the waterways. If we don’t do it who else will do it for the waterways in the London Region? We then looked at the barriers that stopped us doing what we wanted to, in each branch. Everyone agreed that what they really needed, was a Volunteer Coordinator/ Work Party Organiser. They could not find anyone to take on this BIG scary job. Like all good meetings, we found we had been too ambitious when setting the agenda and the final session on planning the year ahead was rushed. However, I think everyone enjoyed the day. It gave us all food for thought, and I hope inspired those who came, to think about how we can more effectively campaign for the waterways in the London Region. Thanks to everyone who gave up their Saturday to attend and Judith Pope for organising the day. Paul Strudwick. 18
Rammey Marsh lock, at last, has all four paddles working again. There never was a problem at Rammey Marsh, but their paddles were chained up, and kept just open in order to support Enfield lock, which did have a problem. That situation had been on-going for something in the region of five years, but now it’s finally been resolved. Force of habit can be a frighteningly powerful thing, so for those of us who use the Rammey lock: Remember To Close The Paddles Afterwards!
Once again, as in recent years, Steve, from Stanstead Abbotts Marina, will be bringing his Chandlery to the library car park, for the duration of the Ware Festival in July. This stall has proven to be a popular port of call over the weekend, for boaters and non-boaters alike.
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Committee Members Chairman Craig Haslam h: m: 07956 848 025 e: craighaslam5@gmail.com Secretary, Membership Secretary Mike Jones h: 01992 584 310 m: 07976 517 749 e: mike.jones10@ntlworld.com
Treasurer Carole Beeton h: 01992 468 435 m: 07905 701 948 e: robandcarole@msn.com
Joint Events Officers Banny Banyard Terry Stembridge h: 01279 771 552 h: 01992 575 702 m: 07860 669 279 m: 07709 205 498 e: banny@tesco.net e: terrystembridge32@hotmail.com Magazine Editor Monica Hawes m: 07943 169 800 e: monicaforboats@hotmail.com Mike Newman George Cutting m: 07887 540 398 m: 07721 654 410 h: e: georgecutting@btinternet.com e: mike.newman2@btinternet.com The IWA may not agree with opinions expressed in this newsletter, but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy, or an official announcement unless otherwise stated. IWA accepts no liability for any matter in this newsletter. The IWA is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no 612245. Registered charity no 212342. Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, HP5 1WA. Tel: 01494 783 453. Web: www.waterways.org.uk