Navvies 184

avvies N Volunteers restoring waterways No184 December2000-January2001

waterway recovery group

Contents Contributions... ...are always welcome, whether hand-written, typed, on 3½" disk (please include hard-copy) or by e-mail. Photos also welcome: slides or colour or b/w prints. Please state whether you want your prints back; I assume that you want slides returned. Computer scanned photos also acceptable, either on disk or as e-mail attachments, preferably JPG format. Send them to the editor Martin Ludgate, 35, Silvester Road, London SE22 9PB, or e-mail to editor@navvies.demon.co.uk. Press date for No 185: January 1st.

Subscriptions

In this issue:

Chairman Next year's Camps 4 London WRG and KESCRG 5 Camp reports Cotswold and Basingstole 6-9 BITM at Lichfield and the Wey & Arun 10-11 Feedback improving our camps 12 Logistics 13 Bankside Oh no, not another episode! 14-15 Directory of WRG and Canal Societies 16-17 Diary camps and working parties 18-20 Letters to the editor 21 WADS calling all thespians 22 Progress including Dig Deep & WCBS 23-27 WRGBC our own boat club 28-29 Bits & Pieces with books and sits. vac. 30-32 Noticeboard 33 Last Ditch a cartoon double-spread!

34-35 Backfill not another 'Pant' joke?

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And next time... ...reports from all the Christmas Canal Camps and working parties.

A year's subscription (6 issues) is available for a minimum of ÂŁ1.50 (please add a donation if pos- Plus - we hope - more news on the forthcoming sible) to Sue Watts, 15 Eleanor Road, Chorlton- Cleanup weekend, the 'return to Pant' dig, Cacum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9FZ. Cheques to nalway Cavalcade festival and the 2001 Training weekend. And whatever else you write!

"Waterway Recovery Group" please.

Visit our web site: http://www.wrg.org.uk/index.htm for all the latest news Cover photo: Thanks to a London WRG weekend in October, the trial length of Bentonite-lined canal at Lichfield that was almost completed during WRG Works is now even nearer to completion. Although at time of going to press, the Extraction Licence was still awaited, the autumn rains were doing their best to fill the canal. Below: The same rains weren't quite so beneficial to the Wey & Arun. Not only did London WRG and BITM have to use boats to get materials in and out, when it came to demolishing the old shed they chose to keep the roof in place so they could stay dry while they removed the walls... (photos by Martin Ludgate)

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"Canal Camps have an excellent safety record" ...as the Canal Camps booklet quite rightly says. And while we should never be complacent about site safety, we do have reason to be proud of our good record, which I believe is largely (and increasingly) down to good practices rather than good luck.

Editorial

However - and I bet you all guessed that there was a 'however' coming - such generalisations as the above rely to a certain extent on my personal impressions, from my experience in attending and helping to lead Canal Camps and working weekends, from taking part in the various WRG training exercises, from discussions at the WRG Board and Committee meetings, from reading other people's reports of working parties, from talking to other people, both within WRG and outside in the construction industries and so on.

...indeed someone has already suggested the Accidents Book should be accompanied by a 'Deliberates Book' for such things! Nor is it very helpful to try to blame it on the leader for working you too hard...

Would it be possible to get a slightly more objective view of the situation?

...and it helps if your description isn't open to humorous misinterpretation...

It so happened that we filled-up an Accidents Book recently. These books accompany the Camp Kits to all of the Canal Camps, and are used for writing down details of injuries on-site for possible future reference, and to satisfy the Law. A replacement book having been bought, the full-up one was produced at the last WRG Committee meeting; I asked to have a look at it.

It made interesting - nay, entertaining - reading: more so than one might expect for such a serious item...

"Leaned against Burco - put a plaster on it"

One can draw some conclusions from the types of injuries reported - such as that cement etc. in eyes is an important issue in terms of knowing about the danger, wearing protective equipment to try to prevent it happening, treating it in the correct way if it does happen and so on... but the 'Navvies' editorial is not the place for me to lecture the WRG organisation about the Canal Camps Safety Talk. Not that they need lecturing - as Marcus reports elsewhere, improvements to the Safety Talk including a video are in progress.

No - it's not the injuries themselves that caught my attention, but the way that they were reported by the person who was injured or by the Camp Leader, in the 'About the accident - what happened' column.

The majority are perfectly reasonable entries...

"Burned hand on hot exhaust of pump. Rinsed with large amount of clean cold water. Sought medical advice. Dressing applied at hospital." ...although one or two suggest a little clumsiness or cluelessness (or both) on the part of a few volunteers...

"Cut knee with saw while clearing trees" "Trapped finger in a chair" "Fell into concrete hole" ...but I'm afraid that if you manage to hurt yourself in a particularly dumb way, you'll just have to accept that it has to be recorded correctly in the Book. (I tripped over a First Aid Kit once!) Although you don't need to deliberately make yourself sound stupid...

"Making tea... missed... burned hand" ...or make it sound like maybe it wasn't an accident...

"Pushed over - fell backwards onto rock..."

"Other volunteer hit him with a spade..."

"Too much hard work. With an axe. Hence blister.

Hence plaster." ...or even to blame it on an inanimate object...

"Whilst clearing the inlet of the pump, a nasty rock cut my finger open"

What - on the Burco? Anyway, speaking of humour, I'm sorry to be a spoilsport but I don't think the Accidents Book is the place for it. Something like this...

"Got hit on wrist by levering-instrument after object being levered moved quicker than expected (honest!)"

"Whilst constructing a gabion basket I accidentally trapped Natalie's finger between two sides of the basket. Oops. I'mverysorry. Butit'llprobablyhappenagain." ...might amuse people reading it later. But not if they're somebody's lawyer or the Insurance Company. And the odd diversion into fantasy...

"Red mist descended in front of Camp Leader's eyes, causing leader to shovel violently in direction of Dave, resulting in small abrasions to knuckles of both hands..." ...probably wouldn't stand up in court either. While the following...

"Mandy's head nearly came off, so we put a plaster on it and it's much better, thank you." ...is really a matter for Logistics rather than the Accidents Book, given that the victim is 'Mandy the Mattock'.

Please take the Accidents Book seriously. Write the entries sensibly and comprehensibly in plain English, and resist the temptation to add jokes. It is quite possible that it might have to be produced as evidence in court, or to settle an insurance claim that could be disastrous for WRG if it went against us. Don't make it look like we're a bunch of jokers who lark around and don't take safety seriously, because it's not true.

You have plenty of good opportunities for writing light-hearted mickey-taking, daft jokes, wacky offbeat humour and the rest - six 36-page opportunities per year called 'Navvies', as it happens!

A final comment on the Accidents Book: it took us eight years to fill it up. That's an average of less than one entry for each camp that it's been to. And almost all are for very minor injuries. I stand by my comments at the start of this piece: Canal Camps have an excellent safety record.

Let's keep it that way.

Martin Ludgate

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Chairman

I also hope we get as good a mix of volunteers as we have had this year as every Camp I went on was a highly enjoyable affair.

"...Basically WRG had a bit of a hangover..."

As I say, we will circulate the Canal Camps brochure as soon as possible but as soon as we have the schedule it will appear on the web pages so keep a watch out for that. Speaking of things on the web, we have also decided to put backissues of 'Navvies' on the webpages.

Next year's Canal Camps - where are they?

Feedback - be more friendly to new recruits...

A traditional start - an apology! Normally about this time you would expect a copy of next years Camps Brochure to peruse while you digest your organic vegetarian simulated turkey. Well I’m afraid that we are running a little behind schedule so your personal copy of Canal Camps 2001 will be coming to you under separate cover sometime in the New Year.

Elsewhere in this issue you will find an article from Marcus Jones on the results of the Feedback survey. One point that did keep surfacing was that, initially, people found it very hard understanding what was going on and found many of the “old hands” rather distant. Now nearly everyone said that it was overcome within the first few days, but a common comment was “I wish people had been a bit more gregarious on that first day - it would have meant I would have got into the swing of things a bit earlier, stopped worrying and started to enjoy myself a lot quicker".

This was not so much a complaint against the leaders as they naturally introduce themselves, but more aimed at the experienced volunteer. Yes I know that you are meeting up with all your old friends and the Leader is asking you to sort out a dozen problems but please try and take the time to talk to new recruits and explain what is happening. Remember your first time on a Camp?

Exactly! It really does make a big difference to how much a person takes the plunge and as we all know, it is not until you’re totally immersed that you get to really enjoy it.

The reasoning behind this is two fold - firstly the fact that we are having to look at ever more technical (expensive!) projects means that it takes longer for us to arrange all the details and we would much rather delay the brochure than offer a “we hope this is what going to happen“ service.

Secondly the very enjoyable 'WRG Works!' celebrations for our 30th Birthday meant that we were all digging till much later in the “season” and so everything has been a bit delayed while we all rested up and girded our loins (or whatever was left of that pig roast anyway). Basically WRG had a bit of a hangover [or even a 'hang-Over'? ...Ed] after a birthday party and that means the 'morning after' is proving rather difficult - I’m sure you all sympathise...

So what can I tell you about next years Canal Camps schedule? Well the Droitwich has secured funding for the restoration of the Junction Locks (from the IWA no less) so look out for more on this exciting project in future editions of 'Navvies'. We have been asked to supply a lot of the volunteer effort for this so don’t be too surprised if you see a lot of camps this summer based in Worcestershire.

In addition a few old favourites seem highly likely Cotswold, Basingstoke, Mont, Lichfield, etc - and a few up-and-coming sites such as Sleaford and Wendover.

The considerable range of projects does mean that, whether you wish to be on a Camp that completes a small project or part of a team working on a larger, rolling project , we have a Canal Camp that is suited to you. I can also predict that because of the projects we have got lined up a greater emphasis on training and 'built heritage' will have to be in place or we are not going to complete the work.

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Finally, as of any-day-now, Jude and I will be moving to 3 Finwood Road, Rowington, Warwickshire. CV35 8DH. If you are wondering why it sounds familiar I could have described it as the house next to the Tom o' The Wood Pub, Bridge 63, near Lapworth on the Grand Union. (Please note that it is just a house purchase - there will not be any requirement to budget for new hats.)

Hope to see you all soon somewhere on the system.

Mike Palmer PS For all those restoration schemes not under British Waterways' caring and benevolent banner the Environment Agency has just published a Guidance Note called Navigation, Restoration and Environmental Appraisal. It gives examples of the sort of processes they want you to go through in order for them to be happy with your restoration proposals. It’s worth a look just for the dodgy old photos of us in action. Available from EA Regional offices.

London WRG and KESCRG joint weekend dig: Basingstoke Canal, 9-10 September Friday 8th As the Pacific Ocean descended on Woking, a random collection of dodgy-looking bearded types congregated in the local pub for the occasional sip of ale. The crowd gradually grew throughout the evening (as did the number of empty glasses) and full glasses were hidden beneath the table as part of a cunning plan to get more pints each time a new person arrived. This inevitably led to the usual intoxication, hindering the group’s ‘straight line concept’. ‘Convoluted’ paths were taken through the woods on the way back to the accommodation (Woodham Church Hall). Plans for the weekend’s work were, of course, discussed sensibly at some point in the evening….

Saturday 9th Aaaarrgh….morning arrived almost before bedtime.

Nevertheless, all were recovered in time to go on site. We split into 2 groups, 1 at lock 3 and the other at lock 10. Work at lock 3 was mainly landscaping (or moving mud around) and putting up signs and fencing, which was painted (along with Bubble’s nose and Liz’s face).

At lock 10 we dug more holes to find a leak and then puddled and shovelled and wheel barrowed some clay (just like in the old days). A few unfortunate incidents occurred, such as losing Roy’s hat down the culvert and running out of gas for the Burco, but the hat was retrieved and the gas was there all the time, so overall a successful day’s work was accomplished.

Groups London WRG and KESCRG on the Basingstoke Sunday 10th Breakfast was nice.

Site work continued from the day before. At lock 3, Rhys moved some concrete. Painting and gardening went on in a similar manner (or lack of manners) but there were fewer ‘tribal’ consequences, i.e. paint on fence, not face.

At lock 10, we found the hole (by draining the section and sending Clive into the mud). It was patched with puddle clay on both sides of the wall and then backfilled (yes, we dug a hole and then filled it in again). Lesley suggested a pygmy hippo would have been a useful addition to the kit for the purpose of puddling clay. Andy Koskoskosminski and I let some water back in, sadly forgetting that Clive was still standing on the wrong side of the wall….oops (sorry Clive).

All the work was successfully completed and as we said our goodbyes, we realised we’d probably all be Panting the following weekend, which was nice.

Nina Whiteman

Back at the accommodation, we had really nice food and then it was suggested that maybe a ‘quick pint’ might not be a bad thing. We had soon drunk all the beer in the pub and returned to the hall for fun and frolics in the pagoda thing in the garden, where many a happy hour was spent discussing intellectualities (such as what happened at the "We dug a hole and then filled it in again." Sealing-up leaks in the upper ‘National’). wing wall of Lock 10, St Johns. (Martin Ludgate)

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Camps Stroudwater:"Choppingbrambles with great gusto and blunt tools..."

Diary of a first-timer: Stroudwater Navigation October 21st-28th 2000 Saturday Arrive at grass-infested football hut, known locally as Whitminster Sports Pavilion. Volunteers include a suspiciously high number of 'real-ale types' (I intend to resist conversion), Duke of Edinburgh’s award people whose dedication to renovating canals is equal only to their determination to get their D of E books filled in, and some other mugs.

Scoff fish and chips, listen enthralled to safety talk and make way to local pub.

Sunday Shown pathway overgrown by brambles and willow trees. Apparently this is part of the Stroudwater Navigation but the local council filled it in, to make access to the rubbish tip or something.

Get to work chopping down brambles with great gusto and blunt tools. Back to football hut for splendid roast pork nosh. Hm! Doesn’t all that fresh air and hard work make you hungry!

Post dinner entertainment includes moving out of sports hut to superior accommodation in Scout facility in Selsley. We pack up, leaving hut far cleaner than when we arrived. Admire new surroundings and go to pub.

Monday Everyone suffering from tired muscles and stiff backs due to exertion the previous day, except for those who stood around the bonfire leaning on pitchforks.

Chop brambles less enthusiastically than the day before. Various neighbours and ramblers stop to tell us what a wonderful job we’re doing or to complain about a) bonfire smoke, b) destruction of natural wildlife habitats, c) how we have chopped down bramble bush behind their house that used to act as an excellent anti-burglar device, or d) how we have chopped down bramble bush behind their house which gave them a nice private garden into which any nosy-parker can now peer.

Go back to scout hut and begin Olympic Championship in shower hogging.

Go to pub and drink local brews with 'real-ale types'.

Tuesday Chop brambles. In an exciting diversion, four tons of stones are delivered to improve muddy pathway. Swap bramble chopping for stone raking.

Camp 21 on the Stroudwater: "We have cleared hundreds of yards..."

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Shower event now has refined rules: queue indicated by putting towels in line on floor. Some sneaky competitors start taking towels to site so they can rush out of minibus once home and be first. Trip to cinema for those inclined. Others go to local pub and discover amusing toy, a plastic fish mounted on a wooden plaque, which waves its head and tail, and sings 'Don’t worry be Happy' when you press a button.

Wednesday On site, reach slightly wet bit of canal, filled in by wildlife and years of neglect rather than the local council. Bramble chopping replaced by pollarding willow trees: note: only those three inches in diameter or smaller.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, bramble-weary volunteers set to work cleaning scout hut in honour of posh visitor, a speaker for a group which meets there regularly. Apparently the speaker came before, but had to be sent home as group staying in hut had left it in such a state. (Not WRG, of course.)

Leave place spotless. Return to find tables strewn everywhere and strangers wandering around looking for lost keys.

Thursday More pollarding, bramble chopping and standing about in front of a fire leaning on a pitchfork. We have cleared hundreds of yards of brambles and must have burnt tons of the stuff. Have also made the occupants of a nearby cottage very happy by providing them with a supply of three inch logs. Lets hope that funding comes through before everything grows back again. Spend evening at bowling alley - apparently considered a form of entertainment by some people.

Camps "...and standing around in front of a fire leaning on a fork" Friday Last working day: time to tidy up site and find tools lost in undergrowth, etc. Weary bunch that we are, more than happy to knock off early and take trip on Cotswold Canals Trust’s boat. See impressive restored locks.

Splendid roast beef dinner followed by exodus to pub to say goodbye to singing fish. Drive publicans mad by repeatedly activating singing fish and putting cigarettes in its mouth whilst it is singing.

Saturday Pack up, clear mud out of scout hut, count how many tools have been lost. Board severely delayed trains to get home the day before the worst storm since 1987. See you next time XXX Liz Bellchambers

Non bowlers take up option of being shown round workshop belonging to Neil of the Cotswold Canals Trust in which he makes computer generated signs. ...and burnt tons of the stuff" Photos by Sarah McGarel.

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Camps Basingstoke: Bushbaby strikes a blow for obscure camp reports...

The regular reader (whoever he is) may have noticed that there haven't been many letters to 'Navvies' complaining about obscure camp reports full of incomprehensible in-jokes lately.

Maybe it's because there has been a bit of a lack of obscure camp reports full of incomprehensible jokes lately?

In which case Helen 'Bushbaby' Gardner aims to put this deficiency right immediately, as she brings you...

Camp Report – Basingstoke Canal Week 2 ala Britney Spears....

This concrete mixing is killing me and I I must confess we need our tea (need our tea) If this kerb’s not straight Mole’ll lose his mind Don’t step on that brickie’s line Dig it Navvy one more time Oh Peter Redway the reason we dig is clear This pipework needs replacing Oh Peter Redway there’s nothing that we wouldn’t do We’ll send Ed in with the excavator Show us how you want it to be Tell us Peter ‘cos we need to know now oh because This concrete mixing is killing me and I I must confess we need our tea (need our tea) If this kerb’s not straight Mole’ll lose his mind Don’t step on that brickie’s line Dig it Navvy one more time I must confess (this concrete mixing) this concrete mixing (is killing me) is killing me now (I must confess) don’t you know this path’s nearly done and that kerb is alright

'Navvy One More Time'

and mind that brickie’s line dig it Navvy one more time

Oh Peter Redway How were we supposed to know that something wasn’t right?

The hollow in the lock side gave a small clue to what was out of sight Show us how deep you want the hole to be Tell us Peter ‘cos we need to know now oh because

(In case you're wondering, Britney Spears is a pop singer, not - as you may have imagined - some kind of vegetable like Broccoli Spears. The above lyrics are based on her song 'Baby One More Time', and if you would like to hear the original version, then you probably haven't heard her singing.)

Having read the above 'Camp Report' you might be worried for Helen's sanity. Well, it probably wasn't helped by spending most of the Camp inside a concrete pipe, grouting the joints! (Martin Ludgate)

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But seriously folks....

Camp 0018 was the second week on the Basingstoke Canal finishing off what KESCRG had started on camp 0013 rebuilding the collapsed bywash at Lock 3, and if you can comprehend the lyrics you'll have figured that we pretty much had to dig some holes, repair the pipework, fill the hole back in and reinstate the footpath. We did other things such as clean up the lock chamber, and paint some of the lock gates but we were a little limited on numbers so tried to concentrate on the main job.

My thanks to: Mole for being a fabulous, dazzling and glamorous assistant; Bubble for cooking for the first few days – ‘twas very scrummy; Ed for being terribly useful; Gav for bringing his CDs and doing 'Gav stuff'; Lew for being our responsible and useful adult; Chris for showing us how to really use a vibrator; Roldopho for keeping us on our toes; Dai for working so hard; Susan for her mean mixes and exceptional 'Twister' skills; Basil for feeding the troops and chasing the criminal; Felix for his impression of a fireman and for his fab name; Jo for keeping my assistant out of my hair and painting everything in sight; Jamie for going down the hole and laying perfect kerb stones; the editor for building the manhole cover and not bricking it over when I was down there; and finally Pete, Pablo and the other locals for providing interesting work, their support and constant supply of white spirit.

In the background the lockside is being reinstated over the repaired bywash; in the foreground is some of the junk that had accumulated in the lock since we restored it in 1988. (Martin Ludgate)

Camps "...concrete mixing is killing me...

I must confess we need our tea..."

You all worked really hard and made the camp good fun to lead – thanks. Sorry if I missed anyone out.

Helen Gardner Basingstoke on the Net: if you want to see Pete Redway's report on the Camp from Basingstoke Canal News plus some more photos, see web site http://www.basingstokecanal1.freeserve.co.uk/ wptynews.htm and follow the link at the foot of the page to 'Summer Camp 2000'.

In the unlikely event that you want to find out about Britney Spears, try http://www.britneysites.com/

The lockside reinstated with manhole for future access to the bywash, a kerb is being built ready to put the footpath back, so the temporary bridge in the background can be removed. (Martin Ludgate)

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Floods, Rationing, Wasps and a Fuel Crisis.

Groups

In September we visited the Wey and Arun Canal; despite the fuel crisis we had a good turnout.

WRG BITM on the Lichfield Canal...

John Ward’s car got flooded, so he could not collect the hall keys. Mike Paice was able to step in and get the keys instead, saving the day.

This weekend was arranged at short notice when the BITM visit to Sleaford had to be postponed.

Because of the fuel crisis, the supermarkets were rationing goods such as bread and milk, I had to make several trips to the supermarket, to ensure we had enough food for the weekend. The final trip being Friday night on route.

Food-a-plenty with a veritable harvest festival.

The Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Trust welcomed us in their usual style; it was as if they had been waiting years for our next visit, rather than only weeks.

Friday, it had been raining hard for several hours, and the News was reporting flooding.

But everyone had arrived safely, and we were kept late in the Foresters.

Jan Horton’s cakes were very much up to standard and very welcome.

Saturday AM, Graham Baird arrived at the hall, to report that the river had broken its banks down at Newbridge.

Lichfield in November

John’s organisation of the work on site was, as normal, brilliant (despite John losing both his helpers on Friday). We got stuck into piling at Darnford with a not very expert team; we improved as we went.

Playing with Dave Wedd’s new toy, a laser level, opened our eyes to the possibilities of achieving accuracy in many different operations without the disadvantage of needing skilled Dumpy Level operators.

The plant operators with us also had a grand time with Blue, Muriel and the other Tonka Toys. Their job was starting the profiling of the towpath near the new lift bridge on the same site.

The weather was kind, we had only a few leaders and generally, the work went with a swing. An excellent low key BITM weekend.

The food, organised by Di, helped by Graham was as good as home (don’t tell her I said that), but we had some difficulties naming the protein dish for Saturday dinner; some suggestions were: Shepherds Pie - Lamb mince etc.

Cottage Pie - Beef mince etc.

Gardeners Pie - Veggie mince etc.

Tony Hinsley

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The original plan was for a posse to go to Tickners Heath and collect various items of equipment, whilst everyone else made a start on site at Rowner lock. The plan changed, it was decided that we should first see if any work could be done.

Our Van arrived on site via the Farm entrance, without a problem, the rest of us had to cross the river Arun. True to form it had flooded across the field right up to the canal. The compound was flooded and it appeared as though there was no way to reach the lock. We made it through, by removing our wellies, socks and rolling up our trouser above the knees, we waded across the field and up to the lock. (A deep hole just past the end of the submerged bridge caught one or two people by surprise...)

The canal was cascading though the lock, the stop planks had all popped out and had floated away a few yards down stream - we recovered them from the water. The water was up to the top of the upper paddle holes; the top of the bottom stop plank grooves was a good two feet below water level.

Our main tasks for the weekend involved pumping out the chamber and doing various tasks within it. Clearly this was not possible. We put in place Plan B, which consisted of scrub bashing by boat and a bit of landscaping.

A team went off with John Cheesbrough and Graham Baird in the WACT Landrover, to get the boat, and we started to clear the field of bricks and rubble, to use as hard core, filling a hole near the end of the bridge. Having hooked debris from behind the bottom gates, I cranked the paddles using an adjustable spanner, Mattt assisted by spraying the mechanism with penetrating oil, then, once the water had levelled, we were able to open the gates.

Later on, we used an Acrow prop to hold open the gates. Vandals had cut the ropes that previously held the gates open, and it was important that they stayed open to prevent flooding.

The scaffolding below the gates had partially collapsed due to the force of water passing through the lock. Dave Wedd and Andrew Nice balanced precariously on the unstable structure and repaired it.

The scaffolding had been erected to enable a coping stone to be replaced between the bottom gates and the bridge. This task was halted on a previous weekend due to the discovery of a wasp nest under the adjacent stone.

Later on Sunday, I dealt with the nest (using the gas poker...)

Mid afternoon, I had to depart from site to attend a wedding reception; meanwhile the team continued scrub bashing, landscaping, erected scaffolding between the lock ladder and upper ground paddle holes. Andrew Nice organised this by building the sides of the scaffolding on land and lowering them over the side into the lock. The boat was used to fit the cross members and diagonals. Dave Wedd and Mike Paice practised their carpentry skill, repairing and straightening the stop planks. [Dave has since bought a power- plane!]

I returned Sunday lunchtime with the sandwiches. The wedding reception was fun, the morning after was not. (Graham had a skinfull, and had spent a good part of the morning reading Royal Doulton...)

The landscaping had been completed, Dave and Mike continued repairing the stop planks.

The scaffolding needed a few more cross members and planking, however, Mattt managed to drop the spanner into the lock. The water was well over five feet deep, so retrieving it was going to be difficult, especially as the seasearcher magnet had been broken earlier.

Groups ...and also on the Wey & Arun Canal Ian stripped to his underpants and bravely lowered himself into the water. He then performed a toe tip search of the bottom of the lock, where it had dropped in. He could only just reach the bottom, with the water right up to his neck. He found it and managed to grip it with his toes and bring it to the surface.

The other boat was fully employed as a platform for scrub bashing; the scrub bashers (Stella Wentworth, Anne Smart, Mark Gribble and many others taking turns) managed to clear a considerable length of over-hanging branches.

We finished the scaffolding, and started to clear up. By now the field had drained and the compound was dry. We moved the sand and ballast to high ground. The almost full sand bag had rotted, so we emptied the ballast bag on to a piece of scrap ply, and then transhipped the sand into the ballast bag. The boats were taken out of the water and returned to their homes.

I enjoyed the weekend, and I think every one else did as well. Despite everything being against us, we managed to advance the restoration of Rowner Lock considerably. Many thanks to everyone, and especially June Paice for doing the cooking and supplying all those cakes (yum yum).

Graham Hotham BITM stands for 'Bit in the Middle' but new volunteers from anywhere are welcome on WRG BITM weekends. See the 'Diary' pages of 'Navvies' for BITM dates and contact Graham Hotham 01252-656087 to book.

For advance bookings, or to subscribe to BITM's own newsletter, contact Dave Wedd, 7 Ringwood Road, Blackwater, CAMBERLEY, Surrey GU17 0EY. Pager: 07623-980564 Tel: 01252-874437 Fax: 0870-063-3713 Email: bookings@wrgBITM.org.uk Or see BITM's web site: http://www.angelos.demon.co.uk/Narrowboat/BITM/

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Feedback The 2000 feeedback survey: "What do you think of it so far?"

Canal Camps 2000 Feedback Last year you may remember that last year for the first time we conducted a formal feedback review of our Canal Camps. This brought about a number of changes to both our administrative procedures, and to the support and advice given to our camp leaders.

This year, following these changes, and the huge number of responses we had received, we decided to consult more widely. Everyone who had booked on to a Canal Camp during the first nine months of 2000 received a questionnaire that aimed to find out whether the changes that had been instituted were successful, as well as to help WRG ensure that you find Canal Camps as enjoyable as possible.

Once again, we had an overwhelming number of responses, and it is pleasing to see that there is a very high level of satisfaction, with some really nice comments. We were also very glad to see the large number of suggestions, all of which have now been carefully considered by the board and committee.

So what will you see different in 2001? No huge sweeping changes, but more a case of addressing those minor niggles that your responses highlighted:

· · · · · ·

we are stepping up our efforts to provide higher quality accommodation on all camps, with the very minimum of interruptions from other users – if you know of suitable places near any of our current projects, please get in touch our safety talk will be transformed, with much of the material being presented on a video, and will then be supplemented by the camp leader providing more specific information about the individual camp your week’s work will be put firmly in to the context of the future restoration plans for the canal right from the start, with perhaps a talk or visit to the canal given by local restoration experts wherever possible, toilets and handwashing facilities will be available on site all volunteers will be strongly encouraged to wear steel toe-capped footwear when on site – the gradual but continual shift in our work towards heavy construction requires this approach, and such footwear is now readily available at low prices in all footsizes as part of our continual efforts to improve our health and safety arrangements, we will be providing rescue throw bags in all our kit trailers, encouraging all our leaders and assistant leaders to have up-to-date first aid training, and reviewing the availability and provision of personal protective equipment

· ·

we will aim to further increase the availability of training, be it on a camp or as part of a dedicated training event …and when we’ve made the huge investment that training represents, we’ll then be looking at how best we can match our volunteers’ skills to the work, making Canal Camps yet more enjoyable and productive!

Many thanks to all those who replied to the survey. We hope that we have taken your comments on board in an appropriate way.

"Wherever possible toilet facilities will be available on-site" (Martin Ludgate)

page 12

Please remember that feedback is a continual process, and not just a once-a-year questionnaire: if you have any thoughts please raise them to your camp leader, to any member of the board, or to head office.

Marcus Jones

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! Another year gone (almost) and another about to spring into existence – I have to say, for my part, I’m glad. Our thirtieth year proved rather hectic to say the least, as I’m sure many will agree, and was very inconvenient for the Great Logistics Upheaval (not that it was ever going to be ‘convenient’!) but hey-ho – choosers are the beggars and we didn’t really choose any of it, to be honest!

I have to say I’m not terribly inspired to write this time as there is little to report on the logistical front – nowt particularly new at least as much the same work goes on as ever behind the scenes and the “scenes” are still changing. That said, the people in my house (and its numerous visitors) are constantly bemused by the painted tools and strange objects that appear, not least of all the wrg stocks that currently reside in the front room here! Despite the fact there have been a few occasions where they would have been useful in the year just passed, I have a much more needy use here presently.

As for 2001, I suspect it will be packed with the joy and happiness that has filled so many years previously. No doubt there will be a fun-filled, joyful and smiley schedule mapped out, trying to get everything up and running to Logistics standards, and the vans and kits to the right places at the right times (but remember we only have four vans … L.E.T. can provide no fish and bread dividing type services in conjunction with wrg transport as our agreement does not cover it).

Logistics ...and next year's IWPS waterway walks progamme There will always be complaints and general displeasure from some camps (the people variety as opposed to the canal ones!!) but I have resigned myself to the fact that you can’t please some of the people any of the time. I would also like to reiterate a point Mick used to make and this seems a fitting part of the year to mention it so it may be pondered … for a while: please remember, if you are lucky enough to receive equipment from Logistics then you are lucky indeed … and believe me, you have been incredibly lucky!

I hope you all have (had?) a smashing Christmas and very giddy New Year whatever you choose to do.

Logistics – Sarcasm is just another service we offer.

Just Jen logistics.jen@cwcom.net P.S. No news on the trailer award as no-one has let me know/given me photos since I asked … maybe next time?

IWPS WATERWAY WALKS 2001

June 2nd Louth Canal

Once again, IWPS (the people who have restored Bugsworth Basing on the Peak Forest Canal) will be organising a series of walks all over the country, looking at various canals and other things of interest to waterway enthusiasts. .

An expedition of eastern promise.

Here is the programme for 2001:

Aug 4th Chester Canal Waterways around Cheshire's lost port.

Oct 6th/7th Weekend away: Monmouthshire / Brecknock and Abergavenny Canals Wales's most beautiful waterway.

Jan 1st Mow Cop Tramroads

Nov 24th Potteries Peramble

A new year's morning stroll from the Macclesfield Canal following the old tramroads.

Around the hidden parts of Staffordshire.

Feb 3rd Huddersfield Narrow Canal

All walks and dates may be subject to change without notice.

Last chance to see Stalybridge before the boats arrive.

For further information and to join the mailing list:-

April 7th Southern Stratford Canal A look at the canal that Hutch (re)built..

Walk co-ordinator: Pete Yearsley, 41, Tatton St, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 6AE. Phone c/o 0161-860-7405 (weekends only)

page 13

Bankside

Bankside Moorings

written written by by Bruce Bruce Tunnel Tunnel

The heavy rains that had fallen for most of the week - indeed for most of the autumn - showed no sign of abating. The Thames Berks and Andover Canal - the one that had been so short of water during its working life that some of the boats had been fitted with wheels to help them over the shallows - was brim-full for the first time ever, and there was a real danger of it bursting its banks and flooding if the newly built storm-water runoff weir at Wootton Mallett didn’t work properly.

But it would take more than a torrential downpour to dampen the spirits of the assembled huddle at the Spaglingworth Trailboat Slipway that memorable day...

“I have great pleasure in declaring the Spaglingworth Slipway open!” declared Henry Banks, chairman of the Thames, Berks and Andover Canal Society.

The audience of Canal Society members, a number of volunteers from the WRG Canal Camp, assorted dignitaries from the local authorities, BW, Environment Agency and English Nature, and various curious passers-by cheered and waved their umbrellas enthusiastically. To the accompaniment of clicking of cameras, the whirring of video equipment from the ‘Canal World’ TV crew and the patter of raindrops, Henry picked up his two-way radio, shook the rainwater out of the microphone and called-up Joe Wadworth.

“Waterways Seventeen calling Waterways Three Hundred and Forty Two. Ready when you are, Joe. Over.” page 14

“Waterways Three Hundred and Forty Two calling Waterways Seventeen. Message received and understood. Trailboat launch sequence commencing. Out.” WRG old-timer Joe Wadworth, who was standing next to Henry in his smartest boiler-suit and hard-hat, climbed into the driver’s seat of the shiny red Transit with the Canal Society tripboat ‘Zachariah Pinkerton II’ on a trailer behind it, and backed it carefully towards the slipway.

It was a very curious slipway.

Unlike most slipways, which sloped down to the canal so that the boat-trailer could be reversed into the water, this one sloped steeply upwards from the road to the bank of the canal - which was on an embankment - and came to an abrupt end in mid-air several feet above water level.

It was not obvious why it had been designed that way, nor how one was expected to use it to launch a boat. But Joe knew what he was doing - he reversed the trailer up the slope to the very brink of the canal and put the handbrake securely on. Henry then tied one end of a length of rope to the boat’s stern mooring-cleat and threw the other end of it across to the other side of the canal, where Austin ‘Oz’ Collingwood was waiting. Oz tied the rope to a bollard, and Joe then drove the van forward a few feet, so that the boat was dragged backwards along the trailer by the rope. Then he reversed back to the brink, and Oz took in the slack on the rope.

This process was repeated several times until the boat was teetering right on the back of the trailer, at which point Henry gave it a good shove and it landed in the canal with a resounding ‘kersplosh’, soaking most of the spectators who weren’t already wetthrough from the rain.

Quite how they would ever retrieve the boat and load it back onto the trailer, Henry had no idea - perhaps they would simply wait until the canal was restored and take it to another slipway elsewhere.

Anyway, Henry had more pressing things to worry about.

As the assembled VIPs were shepherded into the Hospitality Tent for the luxury buffet of leftover Canal Camp food and the numerous interminable speeches of praise and honours for the non-participants in the restoration, the WRGies who had built the slipway headed for the nearby pub for their own celebration.

But Henry didn’t join either group - he had been watching the rising water levels in the canal with increasing concern. It was dangerously near to overflowing and he needed to find out whether the new stormwater overflow could cope with all the excess water. He jumped into his old Sierra and was soon splashing through the puddles of the country lane that led to the Wootton Mallett Overflow weir, where a small team of WRGies led by ‘Gordon-I-brokemy-nose-three-times’ Drake had spent the week reconstructing the weir and were stationed there to make sure it got rid of the excess water satisfactorily.

Henry could see as soon as he arrived that the weir wasn’t exactly performing as expected, but he couldn’t see how it could possibly be expected to perform at all...

It was a very curious overflow weir. Unlike most such devices - which consist of a long weir crest behind which a funnel-shaped area of masonry slopes gently downwards and takes the water into either a culvert or an open channel leading to a nearby stream - this one sloped steeply upwards from the canal, rising up the side of the cutting that the canal ran through at this point.

It came to and abrupt end in mid-air at the top of the cutting side, beyond which the ground sloped gently away towards a distant stream.

However, despite the disadvantages of this design - and indeed of any design of overspill that requires water to flow uphill - Gordon and his team were making the best of a bad job, and actually succeeding in using it to get rid of surplus water. A ‘human chain’ of volunteers were stationed all the way up the overflow structure, and were filling buckets from the canal and passing them from hand to hand all the way to the top, then emptying the water out in the direction of the stream, and letting the empty buckets roll back down to the canal.

It was a rather labour-intensive way of doing a job that gravity alone could normally be relied on to do , but they seemed to be keeping pace with the rainwater running into the canal. And another group were wrestling with a fourinch pump and a number of three-inch and six-inch pipes, obviously intending to improve the efficiency of the operation.

Everything was under control, and there was nothing more for Henry to do.

Well actually, there was one thing. He would head for the nearest computer shop and buy a replacement for the ancient and increasingly unreliable word-processing machine that he had inherited from the previous chairman, before it caused him any more grief. It was bad enough having to write to the RSPCA to explain that the ‘Goat Handling Competition’ at last year’s festival had been a misprint. (Not to mention the IWALK sponsored walk for IWA funds that nearly ended up as an onanism marathon) But it was time to do something about it when his computer could no longer tell the difference between a slipway and a spillway... and neither - it appeared could his volunteers.

To be continued... page 15

Directory WRG and canal society working party contact details BARNSLEY, DEARNE & DOVE CANAL TRUST Spencer Collins 9 Thrush Street Walkley Sheffield S6 5BQ 0114 2853 044

DERBY & SANDIACRE CANAL SOCIETY Doug Flack 23 Thoresby Crescent Draycott Derby DE72 3PH 01332 874239

BIRMINGHAM CANAL NAVIGATIONS SOCIETY Jeff Barley 17 Sunniside Walsall Wood, W Midlands 01543 373284 Web site: http://www.bcnsociety.demon.co.uk

DIG DEEP INITIATIVE Alan Cavender 10 Vicarage Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 7DS 01628 629033

BUCKINGHAM CANAL SOC Steve Morley 33 Hambleton Grove Emerson valley Milton Keynes MK4 2JS 01908 520090 Web: http://www.olio.demon. co.uk/BCSoverview.html BUGSWORTH (IWPS) Ian Edgar Browside Farm Mudhurst Lane Lyme Handley Whaley Bridge High Peak SK23 7BT 01663 732493 Web site: http://www. blacksheep.org/canals/iwps.htm CHESTERFIELD CT Mick Hodgetts 31 Pottery Lane Whittington Moor, Chesterfield.

Derbyshire S41 9BH 01246 454163 CHICHESTER CS John Cooper Jaspers, Coney Road East Wittering, Chichester West Sussex PO21 8DA 01243 671051 COTSWOLD CT Neil Ritchie The Chapel House Sandford Rd Churchdown Gloucestershire GL3 2HD 01452 854057 e-mail: NeilSigns@aol.com Web site: http://www. cotswoldcanals.mcmail.com

page 16

DORSET & SOMERSET CANAL STUDY GROUP Derrick Hunt 43 Greenland Mills Bradford on Avon Wilts BA15 1BL 01225 863066 e-mail: derrick@carlingcott7. freeserve.co.uk DROITWICH CANALS TRUST Vaughan Welch 29 Dice Pleck Northfield Birmingham B31 3XW 0121 477 9782 EREWASH CANAL P&DA Mick Golds 73 Sudbury Avenue Larklands Ilkeston Derbys DE7 5EA Notts (0115) 9328042 FOXTON INCLINED PLANE TRUST c/o Mike Beech Foxton Canal Museum Middle Lock Gumley Road Foxton Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 7RA 0116 279 2657 GRAND WESTERN CANAL TRUST Denis Dodd Wharf Cottage Nynehead Wellington Somerset TA21 0BU 01823 661653

GRANTHAM CANAL RESTORATION SOC Colin Bryan 113 Hoe View Road Cropwell Bishop Nottingham NG12 3DJ 01159 892248 HEREFS & GLOUCS CT c/o The Lock Cottage Over Gloucester GL2 8DB 01452 332900 Web site: http://www.h-gcanal.org.uk KENT & EAST SUSSEX CANAL REST. GROUP Ken Parish Eastwood Farmhouse Ulcombe Road Ulcombe, Maidstone Kent. ME17 1ET 01622 858329 e-mail: ParishK@btinternet.com LAPAL CANAL TRUST PO Box 5236, Halesowen W Midlands B63 3NN Web site: http:// www.lapal.org.uk LICHFIELD & HATHERTON CANALS REST'N TRUST John Horton, 32 London Road, Lichfield Staffs WS14 9EJ. 01543 262466 or Denis Cooper Gorsey Lane Farm Gorsey Lane Little Wyrley, Pelsall Walsall WS3 5AJ 01543 374370 Web site: http:// www.alma.co.uk/bps/lah NEATH & TENNANT CS Malcolm Smith 37, Blaen Cwm, Llansamlet Swansea. SA7 9NL Swansea (01792) 74991 Web site: www.compulink .co.uk/~bwthyn.ncan/htm NWPG Graham Hawkes 27 Lawrence Rd, Tilehurst, Reading Berks RG30 6BH 0118 941 0586 E-mail: graham.hawkes@talk21.com POCKLINGTON C.A.S. Paul Waddington Church House, Main St. Hemingborough Selby N. Yorks YO8 7QE 01757 638027 (eves) 01405 763985 (days) Web site: http:// www.pocklington. gov.uk/PCAS/default.asp

SCARS (SANKEY CANAL) Colin Greenall 16 Bleak Hill Road Eccleston St. Helens Merseyside WA10 4RW 01744 731746 Web site: http://www. scars.org.uk/index.html SHROPSHIRE UNION CS Geoff Munro 198, Oldbury Road Rowley Regis, Warley West Midlands B65 0NW 0121-561 5747 Web site: http://www. shropshireunion.freeserve.co.uk/ SLEAFORD NAV SOC Steve Hayes 10 Chelmer Clo, N Hykeham Lincs LN8 8TH 01522-689460 SOMERSET COAL CS Bob Parnell 34 Wedgewood Road Twerton Bath BA2 1NX 01225-428055 Web site: http://homepages. enterprise.net/rtj/SCC2.html SWANSEA CANAL SOC Clive Reed 34 Ynysmeudwy Road Ynysmeudwy Pontardawe Swansea. SA8 4QD 01792 864637 SURREY & HANTS CS Peter Redway 1 Redway Cottages St. John's Lye, Woking.

GU21 1SL 01483 721710 Web site: http://www.basingstokecanal1 .freeserve.co.uk/ THAMES & MEDWAY CANAL ASSOCIATION Jennifer Watts 108 Old Road East Gravesend DA12 1PF WENDOVER ARM TRUST Roger Leishman 7 Hall Park, Berkhamsted Herts HP4 2NU 01442 874536 WEY & ARUN CT John Ward 32 Badgers Hollow Peperharrow Road Godalming Surrey GU7 2PX 01483-527124 07971 336535 (mobile) Web site: http://www.weyandarun.co.uk

WILTS & BERKS C.A.G. Peter Smith 76 Dunnington Road Wootton Bassett Wilts SN4 7EL 01793 852883 e-mail: pasmith@redhotant.com Web site: http:// web.ukonline.co.uk/Members /dg.small/index.htm

WRG EAST MIDLANDS John Baylis (see below) WRG BITM & DIARY David Wedd 7 Ringwood Road Blackwater, Camberley Surrey GU17 0EY 01252 874437 e-mail: Dave@BITM.freeserve.co.uk Web site: http:// www.angelos.demon.co.uk/ Narrowboat/BITM

WOODEN CANAL BOATS SOCIETY 5 Oaken Clough Terrace WRG NA (1) Limehurst Ashton under Lyne OL7 9NY Ian Nelson 6 Lahn Drive Droitwich Spa 0161-330-2315 Worcs WR9 8TQ. 01905 798 676 IWA IPSWICH 0973 640611 (mobile) Colin Turner e-mail: Cornerways ian.nelson@wrgna.co.uk Elm Lane Web site: http://www.

Copdock wrgna.co.uk Ipswich IP8 3ET WRG NA (2) 01473-730586 Spencer Collins Web site: http://www.

9 Thrush Street, Walkley purbrook.demon.co.uk/iwa/ Sheffield S6 5BQ 0114 2853 044 WRG: GENERAL e-mail: ENQUIRIES PO Box 114, Rickmansworth spencer.collins@wrgna.co.uk Herts WD3 1ZY LONDON WRG 019232 711114 Tim Lewis e-mail: 6 Downs Road, Enfield wrg@waterways.org.uk Middlesex EN1 IPA Web site: 020 8367 6227 http://www.wrg.org.uk Web site: http://www. danevans.co.uk/lwrg/ WRG NORTH WEST MANCHESTER Malcolm Bridge (see below) LONDON WRG: ENQUIRIES Lesley McFadyen (as per Martin Ludgate below) WRG NW - LIVERPOOL Roger Evans ESSEX WRG 10 Long Lane, Middlewich John Gale, 12 Wakefield Ave, Cheshire CW10 0BL Billericay, Essex CM12 9DN 01606 834471 01277 654683 WRG NW - ENQUIRIES/ WRG MONTGOMERY PAPERCHASES Alan Jervis David McCarthy Woodstock, 14 Crumpsall La. Dacre House Farm Dacre Manchester. M8 5FB Harrogate 0161-740 2179 HG3 4ES Web site: 07968-586326 http://www.downstream. e-mail: aj@jervis.org.uk mcmail.com/wrgnw.htm

WRG BOAT CLUB Sue Burchett 152 Great Knollys St Reading RG1 7HB 01189 503268 Fax. 07970 099052 e-mail: Sue@navvy.freeserve.co.uk IWA/WRG STAMP BANK Steve & Mandy Morley 33 Hambleton Grove Emerson valley Milton Keynes MK4 2JS 01908 520090 'NAVVIES' EDITOR Martin Ludgate 35 Silvester Rd East Dulwich London SE22 9PB 020 8693 3266 0777 947 8629 (mobile) e-mail: editor@navvies.demon.co.uk WRG PLANT Malcolm Bridge (see below) OR John Palmer 53 Southwood Road Stockport, Cheshire CANAL CAMPS MOBILES (A) 07850 422156 (B) 07850 422157 WRG LOGISTICS Lou Kellett Ashlawn, Melling Carnforth Lancashire LA6 2RE. 015242 21518 e-mail: loukellett@mithras.fsnet.co.uk WRG DIRECTORS TREASURER Roger Day 5 Merton Road Slough Berks SL1 1QW CHAIRMAN Mike Palmer 29 Cecil Road, Selly Park Birmingham B29 7QG 0121-472 2882 e-mail: Mike.Palmer@bbc.co.uk

Updating this Directory: please help!

We do our best to keep the 'Navvies' directory up to date. However, we rely on people to tell us that they have moved house, or that their canal society has a new Work Party Organiser, or that their web site or e-mail address has changed.

This edition includes a number of updates including the deletion of several entries for groups that (as far as we are aware) no longer run volunteer working parties - in some cases because their canal is finished! Apologies if we have wrongly deleted your canal society's entry or failed to pick up on any other changes. Please send any updates to the editor: they will appear in the 'Noticeboard' in issue 185, and be included in the next full Directory in issue 187.

SECRETARY Chris Davey 5 Heathfield Close, Midhurst W Sussex GU29 9PS 01730 814670 e-mail chris@c-hdavey.demon.co.uk CANAL CAMP BOOKINGS c/o Ian Wingfield PO Box 114, Rickmansworth Herts WD3 1ZY 019232 711114 e-mail: wrg@waterways.org.uk Web site: http://www.wrg.org.uk WRGPRINT John & Tess Hawkins 4 Links Way, Croxley Grn, Rickmansworth WD3 3RQ 01923 448559 TRANSPORT MANAGER Roger Burchett (See Sue Burchett above) PUBLICITY & CENTRALLY BOOKED WEEKENDS Helen Davey 5 Heathfield Close, Midhurst W Sussex GU29 9PS 01730 814670 SITES GROUP Judith Moore 99 Shrubland St, Leamington Spa CV31 2AR 01926 332745 e-mail: judith_moore@uk.ibm.com DRIVER AUTHORISATION Malcolm Bridge 3 Heather Bank, Littleborough Lancashire OL15 0JQ 01706 378582 IWA CHAIRMAN Richard Drake c/o IWA, PO Box 114 Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY 0151 608 4562 OTHER DIRECTORS Neil Edwards 16 Tyneham Close Aylesbury HP21 9XA e-mail neil@waterways.org.uk Ray Carter 56 Oakdene Drive, Tolworth Surbiton, Surrey KT5 9NH Jonathan Smith 23 Hardings, Chalgrove Oxford OX44 7TJ 01865 891 370 John Baylis 215 Clipstone Rd West, Forest Town, Mansfield, Notts NG19 0HJ 01623 633895

page 17

Diary Canal Camp and weekend working party dates

Canal Camps cost £35 per week unless otherwise stated.

Bookings for WRG Canal Camps (those identified by a camp number e.g. 'Camp 0102') should go to WRG Canal Camps, PO Box 114, Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY. Tel: 01923 711114 e-mail: wrg@waterways.org.uk

Dec 23-Jan 1 SHCS

Xmas Camp on Basingstoke Canal Clive Alderman 07973-877380 Scrub bashing. Leaders: Garry & Clive Alderman. Cooks: Maureen Amos & Karen Alderman.

Dec 26-Jan 2 Camp 0022

Wilts & Berks Christmas Camp Rachael Banyard 01249-892289 The official WRG Xmas camp. Foxham: lift bridge construction, and stump pulling, dredging, towpath clearance and repair. Leaders: Rachael Banyard & Di Smurthwaite. Accom: Foxham Reading Rooms.

Please book via WRG Canal Camps Bookings at Rickmansworth (see above)

Jan 1 Mon Navvies

Press date for issue 185

Martin Ludgate

020-8693-3266

Jan 6/7

wrgNW

Barnsley Canal Elsecar

David McCarthy

0161-740-2179

Jan 6/7

Essex WRG

Wilts & Berks Canal Dauntsey Lock hedgelaying

John Gale

01277-654683

Jan 13/14 NWPG

Basingstoke Canal Dig Deep project at Woodham

Graham Hawkes

0118-941-0586

Jan 13/14 KESCRG

Thames & Severn Canal Answerphone Dig Deep project at Golden Valley

Jan 20/21 wrgBITM

Wilts & Berks Canal Dave Wedd 01252-874437 Foxham & Dauntsey, stump pulling and scrub clearance.

Jan 20/21 London WRG Basingstoke Canal Dig Deep project at Woodham

Tim Lewis

01622-858329

020-8367-6227

Jan 20/21 wrgNW

‘Paper Chase’ waste paper David McCarthy collection (Sat) & Plant maintenance (Sun)

0161-740-2179

Feb 3/4

KESCRG

Basingstoke Canal Dig Deep project at Woodham

Answerphone

01622-858329

Feb 3/4

Essex WRG

Buckingham Arm Stump pulling

John Gale

01277-654683

Feb 4 Sun wrgNW

Sankey Canal David McCarthy 0161-740-2179 excavation of Newton Common Lock (Sunday only, provisional)

Feb 10/11 NWPG

Thames & Severn Canal Graham Hawkes Dig Deep project at Golden Valley

0118-941-0586

Feb 10/11 London WRG Wilts & Berks Canal Tim Lewis Dig Deep project at Summit Lock

020-8367-6227

Feb 10/11 wrgNA

Lichfield Canal Piling and earth moving.

Ian Nelson

01905-798676

Feb 17-24 Camp 0101

Venue to be decided

Feb 23 Fri Dig Deep

Dig Deep committee meeting Venue: ‘Mad Hatter’ pub.

Bill Nicholson

01844-343369

Feb 24/25 wrgBITM

Wendover Arm Dave Wedd Scrub-bashing. (to be confirmed)

page 18

01252-874437

Feb 24/25 wrgNW

‘Paper Chase’ waste paper David McCarthy collection (Sat) & Plant maintenance (Sun)

0161-740-2179

Mar 1 Thu Navvies

Press date for issue 186

Martin Ludgate

020-8693-3266

Mar 3/4

KESCRG

To be arranged

Answerphone

01622-858329

Mar 3/4

London WRG Thames & Severn Canal Tim Lewis 020-8367-6227 Dig Deep project at Golden Valley. Joint dig with Essex WRG.

Mar 3/4

wrgNW

To be arranged

Mar 3/4

Essex WRG

Thames & Severn Canal John Gale 01277-654683 Dig Deep project at Golden Valley. Joint dig with London WRG.

David McCarthy

0161-740-2179

Mar 10/11 NWPG

Wilts & Berks Canal Graham Hawkes Dig Deep project at Summit Lock

0118-941-0586

Mar 24/25 WRG & IWA

National Clean-Up weekend Ashton Canal, Manchester

0121-477-9782

Mar 24/25 wrgBITM

Basingstoke Canal Dave Wedd Dig Deep project, backpumping at Woodham

01252-874437

Mar 31/Apr 1wrgNW

‘Paper Chase’ waste paper David McCarthy collection (Sat) & Plant maintenance (Sun)

0161-740-2179

Apr 7/8

NWPG

Basingstoke Canal Dig Deep project at Woodham

0118-941-0586

Apr 7/8

KESCRG

Wilts & Berks Canal Answerphone Dig Deep project at Summit Lock

01622-858329

Apr 7/8

wrgNW

To be arranged

David McCarthy

0161-740-2179

Apr 7/8

Essex WRG

Lichfield & Hatherton Canals

John Gale

01277-654683

Apr 21/22

wrgBITM

Thames & Severn Canal Dave Wedd Dig Deep project at Golden Valley.

Apr 22/23

London WRG Basingstoke Canal Dig Deep project at Woodham

Vaughan Welch

Graham Hawkes

01252-874437

Tim Lewis

020-8367-6227

May 1 Tue Navvies

Press date for issue 187

Martin Ludgate

020-8693-3266

May 5/6/7

NWPG

Wey & Arun Canal

Graham Hawkes

0118-941-0586

May 5/6/7

KESCRG

Little Venice, London Answerphone 01622-858329 Site Services camp for IWA Canalway Cavalcade: more info next time.

May 5/6/7

wrgNW

To be arranged David McCarthy 0161-740-2179 Possible Irish dig to coincide with the World Canal Conference, dates to be confirmed.

May 5/6/7

Essex WRG

Hereford & Gloucester Canal

May 12/13 wrgNW

John Gale

‘Paper Chase’ waste paper David McCarthy collection (Sat) & Plant maintenance (Sun)

May 19/20 London WRG Thames & Severn Canal Tim Lewis Dig Deep project at Golden Valley May 26-28 wrgBITM

01277-654683 0161-740-2179 020-8367-6227

Tring Canal Festival Dave Wedd 01252-874437 Wendover Arm. Site Services and BITM Sales Stand. Official Opening of Little Tring Bridge. Bulbourne open days.

Please send updates to Diary compiler: Dave Wedd, 7 Ringwood Rd, Blackwater, Camberley, Surrey GU17 0EY. Tel 01252 874437. e-mail: Dave@BITM.freeserve.co.uk. Fax: 0870-063-3713 page 19

Diary Canal society regular working parties These working parties take place regularly on a weekly/monthly basis

Mobile groups' social evenings (please phone to confirm before turning up) London WRG: 7:30pm on Wed 10 days before each dig. Please check withTim Lewis 020-8367 6227 as we're in the process of finding a pub in London that sells real beer, doesn't have loud music and won't throw us out.

NWPG: 9:00pm on 3rd Tue of month at the Hope Tap, West end of Friar St. Reading.

Graham Hawkes 0118 941 0586

1st & 3rd Sunday of month BCG Elsecar Spencer Collins 3rd Sunday of month BCNS Jeff Barley 2nd Sunday & following Wed. BCS Cosgrove Athina Beckett Anytime inc. weekdays BCT Aqueduct section Gerald Fry Every Sunday ChCT Various sites Mick Hodgetts 2nd & 4th Saturdays CCT Thames End George Smith 4th Mon of month, 6pm CMT London Canal Mus. Martin Sach Every Saturday DCT Droitwich Canal Jon Axe 1st weekend of month D&SCS Various sites Doug Flack 1st & 3rd Sundays GCRS Grantham Canal Colin Bryan 2nd Sat of month GWCT Nynehead Lift Denis Dodd Tuesdays H&GCT Oxenhall Brian Fox Wed/Thu/Fri H&GCT Over Paul Brown 2nd & 4th Sundays H&GCT Over Paul Brown Every Sunday if required IWPS Bugsworth Basin Ian Edgar 1st Saturday & 3rd Wed. IWA Ipswich Stowmarket Navigtn. Colin Turner 2nd weekend of month IWA SBC Maesbury, Mont.

Barry Tuffin 2nd weekend of month K&ACT John Rolls 1st Sunday of month LHCRT Lichfield John Horton 3rd Sunday of month LHCRT Hatherton Denis Cooper 2nd & last Sundays PCAS Paul Waddington 2nd Sunday of Month SCARS Sankey Canal Colin Greenall 1st Sunday of Month SCCS Combe Hay Locks Bob Parnell Most weekends SHCS Basingstoke Peter Redway 3rd Sunday of month TMCA David Rouse Approx 15th of month WACT Mid-Week group Colin Gibbs Every Sunday & Thursday WACT Devils Hole Lock Eric Walker Thursdays fortnightly WACT Maintenance Unit Peter Wilding or for general information on Wey & Arun contact their office on 01403-752403 1st weekend of month WAT Little Tring Roger Leishman Every weekend W&BCAG Peter Smith Every Sunday W&BCC Dauntsey / Foxham Rachael Banyard

0114-285-3044 01543-373284 01908-661217 01288-353273 01246-454163 01285-861639 020-7625-7376 0121-608 0296 01332-874239 0115-989-2248 01823-661653 01432-358628 01386-443826 01386-443826 01663-732493 01473-730586 01691-670826/49 01189-666316 01543 262466 01543-374370 01757-638027 01744-731746 01225-428055 01483-721710 01474-362861 020-82417736 023-9246-3025 01483-422519 01442-874536 01793-852883 01249-892289

Please send any amendments, additions and deletions to Dave Wedd (address on previous page)

Abbreviations used in Diary BCG BCNS BCS BCT ChCT CCT CMT DCT D&SCS GCRS GWCT H&GCT IWA SBC IWPS

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Barnsley Canal Group Birmingham Canal Navigations Soc. Buckingham Canal Society Bude Canal Trust Chesterfield Canal Trust Cotswolds Canals Trust Canal Museum Trust (London) Droitwich Canals Trust Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society Grantham Canal Restoration Society Grand Western Canal Trust Hereford & Gloucester Canal Trust IWA Shrewsbury & Border Counties Inland Waterways Protection Society

K&ACT Kennet & Avon Canal Trust KESCRG Kent & E Sussex Canal Rest. Group LHCRT Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust LWRG London Waterway Recovery Group NWPG Newbury Working Party Group PCAS Pocklington Canal Amenity Society SCARS Sankey Canal Restoration Society SCCS Somersetshire Coal Canal Society SHCS Surrey & Hants Canal Society TMCA Thames & Medway Canal Association W&BCAG Wilts & Berks Canal Amenity Group W&BCC Wilts & Berks Canal Company WACT Wey & Arun Canal Trust WAT Wendover Arm Trust

Dear Martin Having read a report of the WRG camp in Sleaford in Issue 182 of Navvies, I felt I needed to write to you to set the record straight. Please don’t think that the Sleaford Navigation Trust have no sense of humour and are a miserable collection of pedantic nit-pickers but we were rather upset by the account Rachael Banyard gave of our hospitality.

Unfortunately WRG members did have to sleep in the Rugby Club changing rooms for one night because of a prior social booking but after that they had the opportunity to move into the club room for the rest of the week, not just for the final night as Rachael states. A member of the Rugby Club brought in a television for the group to use in the club room from Sunday evening onwards.

The group were issued their own key and pass number to the club and had access to all areas except behind the bar and in the office. The Club is remote and security is an issue. There have been break ins and it is standard practice to lock the changing rooms. There are men’s and ladies’ toilets available both upstairs and downstairs.

We agree that it would have been torture indeed for WRG to spend a week by a locked bar so, to counter this, at the start of the week members of the group were asked to choose their “beverages” and a supply was put in the fridge. An honesty box system operated with no problem.

I feel sure that Rachael had no wish to cause distress to members of the Rugby Club or of the Trust but unfortunately what was probably a light-hearted account has led to problems. Our relationship with the Rugby Club could well have been damaged were it not for some excellent liaison work by Norman Osborne.

Sadly, the account of the facilities contributed to the cancellation by BITM of a November workcamp although we are hoping to arrange another date next year. If it really was so bad surely Rachael would not have volunteered to lead another camp next year too!

Letters What's the difference between MKP and GCW? Please pass on my thanks to all the navvies who supported the camps and weekends, London WRG, NWPG, KESCRG and BITM, with special thanks to all team leaders.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Redway Chairman, Surrey & Hants. Canal Society

Martin, Following the minor GCW misunderstanding at the last Over weekend... I felt that I was forced to change my car (...well ...ok ...there were a few other more pressing reasons for changing it apart from the 'lets mistake a Black Rover 400 for a Red Ford Transit'... after all... anyone could make that mistake!????).

Anyway, please would you make every effort to ensure that WRG does not now acquire a van of registration WYB...

Yours,

Rick Barnes

WewereveryappreciativeoftheworkcompletedbyWRG and look forward to seeing them again next year. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to make our point.

Yours sincerely

Chris Hayes Chairman, Sleaford Navigation Trust

Dear Martin, Basingstoke Canal Camps and weekend groups

Above: misunderstanding at Over: "just pile the catering kit by GCW". Below: seen at Waltham Abbey: an opportunity for more confusion? (Martin Ludgate)

The continuing support for the Basingstoke Canal projects by weekend groups and summer work camps has achieved all the targets I had hoped for.

The Matching Funding contribution work for the Lottery Grants is on schedule. The Pump site and access has been prepared and a water pipe provided from Scotland Bridge Road.

Other works carried out by the summer camps included major repairs at Lock 3; this followed subsidence after installation of a new weir last year. Towpath works and drainage system renovation were also completed.

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W.A.D.S. Can you help with the WRG Show at Milton Keynes?

WADS: WRG Amateur Dramatic Society Following our notable success at reducing the entire history of canals into exactly 30mins, and the audience at last year’s ‘National’ to hysteria, after much persuasion and gin, it is likely that the mad fools at next year’s IWA National Waterways Festival over the August Bank Holiday in Milton Keynes will want something similar. (In fact, Ents 2 would particularly like similar precision-timing which won him a pint, as Ents 1 said we’d overrun by at least 15 minutes.)

This would only be so that I had a list of phone numbers, and interests, you would not be saying that you’d definitely want the leading role! (Not yet anyway, because we haven’t written the script yet...)

I would then aim to be able to have at least one full rehearsal, more depending on the sort of entertainment and time available. I hope none of you reading this are worrying that this will in any way diminish the unique style of WADS, (and I’m not aiming for the West End yet!) but I think that it is worthwhile having a small amount of early planning and a slightly smaller amount of last minute/second panic! So please let me know if you’re interested, either next time you see me, or e-mail drliz@drs.org.uk, phone 01844 351549 or 07711 955 973. I look forward to hearing from all of you.

Love n hugs, “Dr. Liz” Williamson.

So I’m after volunteers!!!

Anyone who has been involved in the entertainments in the last 2 years may just have noticed a somewhat panic stricken Doctor, chivvying people on to stage whilst simultaneously trying to get Martin to produce the final script before the interval. Some of you may have enjoyed this, but I feel the need to follow my own advice and reduce my blood pressure, so I would like to have a little bit more organisation this year!

(OK, so any at all would be a start).

So my plan is to compile a list of anyone in WRG or loosely associated with it who would like to take part in any way next year whether that be would be Sean Connery’s and Sandra Bullock’s or people who just wouldn’t mind being a stage hands on the night, or Gofer’s for a slightly-less-stressed-thanlast-year stage manager.

Technical experts, singers, dancers, scenery painters, Could you give WADS a hand? Or even three? Martin the Martian at etc. also welcome.

Waltham Abbey. (Lesley McFadyen)

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Dig Deep Update The Dig Deep initiative is a scheme involving four mobile working party groups – KESCRG, WRG BITM, London WRG and NWPG – operating mainly in the South of England. The idea is that by adopting certain projects on various canals, we can co-ordinate our efforts and give a joint commitment to a certain number of working parties on each project, which will help enable the local canal societies to commit the necessary resources to the projects.

My last update in June talked about four new projects for 2001. Knowing that it would be impossible for us to support all four, it was with relief that when it came to a decision one had been withdrawn. So, following site visits we have decided to support three new projects as follows: Basingstoke Canal: Work for back pump scheme on St Johns flight of locks. We will first finish work at Woodham before moving on. The scheme will be smaller scale (size of pipe etc.) than the current project at Woodham but will still enable greater use of the canal. 9 weekends have been committed plus possibly a camp. Accommodation to be at Woodham or West Byfleet – preferably the latter in view of the deteriorating state of the ale at The Bleak House!

Progress Dig Deep on the Cotswolds, Wilts & Berks and Basingstoke Wilts & Berks Canal: Since the last report the site and project have changed. We have been asked, and have agreed to, help with rebuilding Summit Lock at Wootton Bassett. This was felt to be more appropriate to our available skills than building a brick arch bridge from scratch. Permission and funds are said to be in place and NWPG (why are they always the first on new sites?) will start work on 9 December. Reports on the site and accommodation will follow.

The withdrawn scheme was to be for construction of three lock water control structures above Loxwood on the Wey and Arun Canal. This will now be a WACT project but John Ward is seeking help from visiting groups from next Easter onwards.

On the Dig Deep 2000 Rowner to Malham section, work has been completed with the exception that the removal of the site compound and some scaffolding awaits some dry weather! We’ll see if we get any frosts this winter

Thames & Severn Canal: Repair and reconstruction of Valley Lock at Chalford. Surely one the most scenic settings for a working party. Unfortunately for LWRG the canalside pub that used to stand next to the bridge has long been converted Details of all Dig Deep dates are given in the to a dwelling. The New Red Lion a little further Navvies Diary.

Bill NIcholson down looks interesting. NWPG started work at this site in early November, joined by employees of the Environment Agency trying to fill the breach in the canal above the lock which was discharging large quantities of water into the adjacent river. This, in turn, was filling up the back gardens of houses downstream to the consternation of the residents. Access will be almost of Wey & Arun proportions in that the lanes to the site can barely accommodate a transit size vehicle let alone anything larger. Accommodation will be about 6 miles down canal at the well appointed Selsley Scout Hut which surely must have one of the finest Dig Deep on the Wey & Arun: the tail of the completed Rowner Lock, with the views from any work party hall. last of the surplus materials being taken out by boat (the fields were too wet 9 weekends and a one week for vehicle access), necessitating some clearance of overhanging vegetacamp have been allocated. tion so that the boat could get through to Newbridge. (Lesley McFadyen)

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Progress The Wooden Canal Boat Society plans to rebuild 'Hazel' The Wooden Canal Boat Society Hazel’s last Trip.

Over the weekend of 29th/30th July 2000 the 86 year old wooden narrow boat “Hazel” was taken on what is expected to be her last trip before she is lifted out of the water to have most of her planks renewed.

“Hazel” is the last complete example of a ‘Runcom wooden header’ narrow boat afloat on the canal system. These deep 6-plank boats, built by Simpson & Davies at their boatyard by the big pool in Runcorn, were once a common sight on waterways in the North West.

Originally named “Mull”, this boat was built for Salt Union in 1914. In 1929 she was purchased

by Agnes Beech who renamed her ‘Hazel’ and used the boat mostly for carrying coal from pits near Leigh to her coal yard near Acton Bridge.

In 1948 “Hazel” became a trip boat and in 1951 she was converted by Mr & Mrs Dean into a luxurious travelling home powered by a vintage petrol engine.

During the 1950s “Hazel” cruised widely and attended some of the campaigning boat rallies that helped to secure the survival of the canal network.

A series of owners used “Hazel” as a residential or pleasure boat until in 1988 Pete & Claire Stone donated her to the Wooden Canal Craft Trust.

(W.C.C.T.) Since then the boat has been carefully looked after while awaiting her turn for restoration.

The old W.C.C.T. has been re-organised as the Wooden Canal Boat Society (W.C.B.S.). This charity exists to collect; conserve and restore wooden canal boats, then put them to work serving todays community.

The last trip was arranged as the annual gathering of “Hazel”s sponsors and people who have been associated with the boat over the years.

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Towed by the W.C.B.S. motor boat “Forget me Not”, “Hazel” left her current home, Portland Basin Museum in Ashton under Lyne, and travelled up the Peak Forest Canal to the bottom of Marple Locks on 29th July. On the following day the pair made the return trip to Portland Basin.

Guests included former “Hazel” residents Colin & Shiela Scrivener, Maxine Bailey, ‘Legs” Leighton and Paula Holland as well as Beth Allen, President of the Tangent Club and representatives from Macclesfield Mind and the Marple Lions club and other sponsors.

“Hazel”s sponsorship scheme enables individuals or organlsations to support the boat’s long term running costs for one or more days each year.

At 28 pounds to adopt her for one day this is a way of providing support to this important boat that is within reach of most people. While takeup is growing, there is still a long way to go before all 365 days are booked and the boat’s future is completely secure.

W.C.B.S. volunteers are currently working at Stalybridge preparing a site beside the ‘Huddersfield Narrow Canal to receive “Hazel”.

Sometime hi the next few months “Hazel” will be taken to Stalybridge for work to began. As she is restored, work will continue around her to create a heritage boatyard where more boats can be restored and the public can learn about wooden boatbuilding on the canals.

When she is eventually re-launched “Hazel” will be put to work providing opportunities for people recovering from depression and other stress related illness to spend time on the canal.

The old boat will be serving today’s ‘pressurecooker society’ by giving its victims the chance to experience the therapeutic qualities of canal travel.

The Wooden Canal Boat Society needs help not only with the “Hazel” project but also with maintaining its 5 other historic boats. At present the group particularly needs to hear from people who are able to contribute Business, Organisational and Fund Raising skills.

Anyone who would like to help or needs more information about the WCBS or the ‘Hazel’ sponsorship scheme should contact Wooden Canal Boat Society, 5, Oaken Clough Terrace, Ashton under Lyne, 0L7 9NY. Tel 0161 330 2315

Below: 'Hazel', the last surviving 'Runcorn woddenheader' narrow boat makes her final journey along the Peak Forest Canal before being lifted out of the water for rebuilding. (see story opposite; photo by Chris Leah, WCBS) Bottom: Lichfield Canal: Lock 25 at Tamworth Road is now complete and work has moved down to lock 26, as seen here on a London WRG weekend. Our excavator 'Blue' is seen exposing what is left of the nearside lower wing wall, while just visible behind the machine, LHCRT volunteers are rebuilding the offside wall. (Martin Ludgate)

Progress ...in pictures. Well, if you don't send me any words in...

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Progress ...then I'll just have to bore you with my photographs.

Left: Work continues on the large spillweir on the Droitwich Junction Canal during the 'Droitwich Bonfire Bash' weekend. Above: Two weeks later a small group from London WRG and KESCRG almost completed the weir wall, and made a start on reinstating the missing parts of the spillweir surface. Below: Wey & Arun Canal: extension of the Loxwood Link navigable length gets under way with the construction of the new Drungewick Lane road bridge - mainly by contractors but with some work

by WACT volunters. Below left: Lichfield canal: brick-cleaning made easy with a purpose-built brick-cleaning table! Photos by Martin Ludgate.

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A canal that hasn't seen much volunteer work for a while is the Huddersfield - mainly because the National Lottery Millennium Fund (plus matching funding) is paying for the completion of the restoration by contractors. One of the major jobs is the reinstatement of the formerly filled-in and built-on section in Stalybridge. Above: the recently excavated section of canal is seen in the background, with the final coping stone of a reinstated roadbridge being fitted in the foreground. Below: Lock 7W, one of several locks to be rebuilt on this length, is seen from the other side of the same bridge with gates installed and work nearing completion. Our 2001 Cleanup aims to bring the Ashton up to scratch ready for the influx of boats when the Huddersfield opens this Spring. (Martin Ludgate)

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WRG BC News from WRG's own Boat Club...

WRG Boat Club First let's hear from Sadie the Secretary...

Here is the ‘BBC News’: Congratulations to members Cath and Pete for their ‘brilliant’ success with the illuminated boat at Waltham Abbey. Very well done - we are dead proud of you.

The Bring-a-boat dig on the Wendover was fun despite the awful weather. As Bill Crockett said to a visitor (from BW, doing a ‘day in the life of a volunteer’ study - Gawd what next?!) “We can put up with the work and the weather, it’s the catering that gets us down.” That man likes to live dangerously.

The catering was done by the famous/notorious Three Witches from Salford, and he made the remark for their benefit. Just lucky that all the food wasn’t served from cauldrons I say.

After supper on the Saturday night the collection of boats brought was assembled and inspected - well, all the portable ones, and a good varied selection they were too. Some dead classy; others most inventive!

Unfortunately boats of the floating licensed sort were thin on the canal so the planned cruise was abandoned without much regret as the weather was foul.

Then the WRG Boat Club AGM for 2000 was held.

Apologies had been received from -Sheelah Lockwood, Anne Ridley, Vaughan Welch, the MacDonalds, Jeffries, Byes, Beards, Sharmans and Old Uncle Tom Cobbley.

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed variously to be correct or missing (for those that couldn’t recollect them) The Treasurer reported that we have some money so discussion followed about what we can do with it.

It was agreed that we fund BITM’s refurbishment of their display boards.

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A Sinking Fund was suggested, and most members were apprehensive as sinking was not a thing they had planned on doing. After it was explained more fully it seemed like a good idea after all. It also seemed a good idea to get a higher interest on some of our cache.

A clubhouse was another rather unrealistic idea, but it now seems that AWCC think it is at the secretary’s mooring. Some club members are all for this and insist that she gets in a suitable supply of booze; she protests that she ‘knows -a -nothin’.

As things are going OK it was agreed to keep subscriptions at the same bargain level. (so come on and PAY UP if you haven’t renewed yet).

The Secretary reported that membership, standing at 43, was up this year (-4 +8).

We now are in the Midlands AWCC area and Claire will cover most meetings and get others to do so when she can’t.

It was agreed to continue with three main officers and as there was no arm wrestling or other form of competition for the posts it was settled that Lynn carries on as Chairman / Club Commode Door, Sadie sticks to being secretary, and doing all the work,(so they think) and Ann will take over as treasurer once we finally get our accounts sorted from BITMs. There was a lot of chat about next year’s ‘Bring a boat’. Not many canal-going ones made it this year.

Should we change the time of year? Should it be in another area? Perhaps it should be more central? Would another branch of Navvies like to host it? Would they want to? Will they fight over the chance? Will Dick Barton escape? Can I stand all the excitement and uncertainty?

The meeting ended with members rushing to- order clothing with the club logo on - purchase club burgees (a bargain at £10) - mob the treasurer in order to pay their subs!

Or did I imagine that bit?

There was a sort of tombola going on where people kept winning beverages of some kind. Some stayed to ‘socialise’ some went to be sociable elsewhere.

I wonder how it all ended?

XXX Sadie

Now let's hear from the 'Commode Door'...

Congratulations to Peter Richards on winning the Lucas Pacemaker Plate for the best-illuminated boat at Waltham Abbey National Waterways Festival. This year the theme was “Gunpowder, Treason and Plot”.

Hundreds gathered on the bridge over the Lee and Stort Navigation and along the towpath to watch the impressive procession. In the distance the chimes of Big Ben could be heard getting closer, then the Houses of Parliament floated nearer and November the 5th in large letters signified Guy Fawkes Night. The lighting effect gave the impression that the building was on fire. In the gloom several characters were lurking, was that Guy Fawkes in the front well deck, or was that him creeping along the gunwales of Jay II. The crowd cheered as the tower cleared the bridge.

WRG BC ...including the Bring-a-boat Dig, the AGM and the 'National'

Peter, with the help from Bob Dewey and Kath Horrocks, had spent the previous day, as well as several days on the way to the festival, making the impressive building from cardboard and fairy lights purchased en route. Those black cloaks and tall Puritan style hats looked suspiciously like 20th Century bin liners. With help from you know who at the Beeb for the sound effects, the effect was complete and the judges rightly voted members of the WRG Boat Club the winners.

Well-done Peter.

The Slack and Offley Trophy was taken away by our club two years ago at Salford Quays for the highest number of boats attending, so members start thinking of how we can win in 2002 (I’m suggesting every other year as we don’t want to be too good).

Lynne Cater Commode Door WRG B.C.

Above: the winners receive their Lucas Pacemaker Plate award for the Illuminated Boats at Waltham Abbey. Below: the winning entry by Peter Richards's 'Jay II'. Photos by Lynne Cater

WRG Boat Club members: Does your boat need new fenders? |f so, see the 'Bits and Pieces' page for how to buy new fenders from 'Fenderman' and help WRG at the same time.

Any other chandlery companies - or anyone else for that matter - who feel generous enough to want to donate part of their profits to WRG, please get in touch and we'll make sure we mention your products in 'Navvies'. ...Ed

page 29

Bits & Pieces Get your 'WRGometer' figures in now...

Remember the WRGometer?

That's right - our attempt to add-up the total number of person-days work done by WRG volunteers over the whole of our 30th anniversary year. See p33 for the latest total - we're getting very close to the 5000 person-days mark as I write, and there's a good chance that we will reach it before the year end.

Well the good news is that I won't be pestering you any more for volunteer numbers from your Canal Camps and weekend working parties.

The bad news is that Marcus Jones will be pestering you for them. I've managed to get Marcus his WRG driver authorisation for the WRGometer, and so if you suspect that the volunteer numbers for your working party - of for any other aspect of WRG that you are involved in - hasn't been included in the total, phone him on 07968 334358 or e-mail him on marcus.jones@btinternet.com

Christmas Camp latest info The Alderman Brothers Christmas camp on the Basingstoke will be running from 23rd December until 1st January, and not as stated in the previous 'Navvies' - although there is of course no compulsion for to attend the entire duration of the Camp.

Work will be clearance of really good dense scrub on the embankments of the Basingstoke around Fleet, very similar to the LWRG / KESCRG Christmas Party last year.

Accommodation is in a brand new hall in the brand new Elvetham Heath development on the north side of Fleet. The hall will be (when it is completed in the next couple of weeks!) 4 star, or 5 star minus showers, and is huge.

The camp costs £5 a day. The theme for New Years Eve is "Stars of Screen and Radio", and there will be an extra £5 charge to cover the evening.

Please let Clive, Garry, or Karen know when you will be around.

Clive: Tel: 07973 877380.

Garry and Karen: 48 Southfield Road, Broadwater, Worthing West Sussex BN14 9EH. Tel: 01903 212628 Lost Property

And please do it as soon as possible, preferably by 1st January, as the next issue will contain the final total for the year.

The editor seems to have ended up with a sizeable quantity of lost property from various of this year's camps, 'WRG Works' and other events.

Buy a fender and help WRG!

If you've lost a towel, rugby jumper, boots or anything else, please phone or e-mail the editor (see p2) with a description. If we have it, we'll return it. If not, we'll put a 'wanted' ad in the next 'Navvies' for it.

That's a boat fender by the way - we haven't managed to arrange a sponsorship deal with the Fender electric guitar company yet!

Anyway all you boating WRGies might like to know that Lloyd Clarke, who trades under the name of The Fenderman, has generously agreed to make a donation to WRG for every one of his range of quality Sisal fenders and DIY fender kits that he sells.

He will give us 25p for every side fender, £1.00 for every bow or stern fender and 50p for every DIY fender kit.

For full details of his product range, prices and an order form, contact him at 9 Home Close, Blisworth, Northamton NN7 3DJ, telephone 07941-033956 or contact him by e-mail at thefenderman@excite.co.uk.

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Join Telecomplus and help WRG! Downstream Ltd. is a small company run by longserving North West WRGie (and maintainer of the 'Navvies' subscriptions database) Edd Leetham and his wife Nancy Cleeve.

The company is an official distributor for Telecomplus which is a 'bulk buying club' for telephone calls, whose members get phone calls at 'wholesale' prices. If your bill is over £50 you may well benefit - and so will WRG, as they get a £10 donation for every new customer - and if you don't benefit, there's a money-back trial period.

Contact Edd on 01270 625125 or e-mail edd@downstream.ltd.uk for details.

The 2001 National Cleanup Weekend... ...will be happening on the usual weekend of 2425 March (subject to confirmation), but by way of a change it won't be on the Birmingham Canal Navigations this year. After 4 years on the BCN, the Cleanup is heading north for the Ashton Canal on the east side of Manchester.

The Ashton was the scene of some of WRG's earliest achievments when it was restored in the early 1970s to recreate the Cheshire Ring; unfortunately being a typical urban waterway it has attracted its share of rubbish since then. But the Cleanup isn't just about keeping urban waterways navigable for their own sake - important though that is - it's also preparing the Ashton for the strategic role it will have as a central link in the South Pennine waterways network that will soon become a reality when the Rochdale and Huddersfield Canals reopen throughout within the next couple of years.

We would like as many as possible of the regional groups to support this important working party, with Canal Campers and regular WRG weekend volunteers working alongside volunteers from the local IWA branches and canal societies to achieve the sort of impact that has benefited the BCN so much in recent years.

Please note the date, see the next 'Navvies' for more details and for further information contact Vaughan Welch on 0121 477 9782.

Bits & Pieces ...including the 'sits vac' column...

WRGwear Helen Gardner has asked me to point out that the 'WRGwear' page in the last issue wasn't just for your entertainment - she does genuinely have WRG T-shirts, vests for sale. Surely there must be more than one person in WRG who wants to buy one!

Coming next time: WRG sweatshirts and Rugby shirts. In the meantime, enquiries about WRGwear to Helen Gardner on 07785 925 164 or e-mail helen.gardner@suk.sas.com.

Volunteers needed on the Chesterfield - soon For mobile groups looking for a new venue - Chesterfield Canal Trust hope to be starting a project to build a substantial new foot-bridge at Staveley which should appeal to those groups with bricklaying skills. More details in a future issue, but if you're interested please contact Dave France at 54 Hambleton Ave, N. Wingfield, Chesterfield S42 5LT, tel 01246 856122.

Situations vacant...

1: "Take me to your leader!"

As mentioned by Mike in his Chairman's Comment, we are in the process of planning the 2001 Canal Camps programme. And one important aspect of this planning is appointing the Camp Leaders and Assistant Leaders for all of the Camps.

Adrian Fry and Gavin Moor will be in charge of this job, and no doubt all the 'usual suspects' will be receiving a call from them in due course.

But why not make their day - and make their job easier - by contacting them yourself and volunteering to lead one of next year's Camps?

Gavin Moor: 07970 989 245 or e-mail gavin@moor.org.uk Adrian Fry: 07976 640 962 or e-mail adrian.fry@orange.net.

2: "WFY @ MK" IWA's National Waterways Festivals need a Team Leader to run the 'Waterways for Youth' Feature at the Milton Keynes National. Its a Fun Job. Anyone interested please contact Barry Green on 01508 499519.

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Bits & Pieces ...including the Book Reviews column...

Our grateful thanks... ...to the three people who have generously donated towards the cost of printing the special 30th Anniversary edition of 'Navvies'. These donations, about 50% of the total, are in memory of Richard Bird, who for many years helped to raise thousands of pounds which enabled WRG to purchase the excavator 'Blue' and to assist in up grading the vehicle fleet, including the utility van 'RFB' whose registration commemorates Richard's name.

Boost for Droitwich and Wendover The IWA has announced two grants fo canal restoration of around £100,000 each from legacies that have been left to IWA recently. The Neil Pitts Award will go to the Droitwich Canal for completion of the Junction Locks 1-3 at Hanbury. The Tim Wilkinson Award will go to the Wendover Arm Trust to extend the navigable length including creating a 72ft turning point at the end. Both of these grants rely on volunteer labour for much of the work, so plenty of work for volunteers on both or them!

New on the 'net...

See http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk and follow the links to 'canal restoration' for (a) some pictures of Frankton on the Mont in the 1970s before restoration started, (b) some similar-vintage pictures of Norbury on the SU Newport Arm when restoration would have been a lot easier than the rather daunting task it is now, and (c) some pictures of the present state of the entire currently-unnavigable length of the Rochdale, to show what's going to be achieved in the next 18 months of restoration - and maybe give some hope to the people who are just setting out to have another go at restoring the SU Newport Arm. See http://www.driffieldnavigation.co.uk for news of the Driffield Navigation in Yorkshire.

WRG Training Weekend 2001 ...is definitely on, and Vetus Marine have offered to sponsor it. In fact, we might even hold more than one training weekend in 2001. See the next issues for more information.

Thank you... ...to Waterways World for Camps booklet sponsorship.

And finally...

Thank you to all who have helped 'Navvies' in 2000, whether by writing, sending photos, helping with assembly, subscriptions or whatever.

Happy Christmas and all the best for 2001.

For your bookshelf...

'Over and Over Again' by Nigel Bailey.

For those of you who would like to re-live the last year, 'Over and Over Again: 750 years of change at Over' is a book describing the history of the Over area. It covers the building of the canal, some rather less familiar history including the mills, bridges and vineyards that have been there in the past, and some more recent and (for many of us in WRG) much more familiar history: the recreation of the canal basin.

Written by one of Herefordshire & Gloucestershire Canal Trust's own volunteers, and published to coincide with the Official Opening of the basin, the book costs £6.00 plus £1.00 postage & packing, and all proceeds go to support the H&G Canal Trust.

Send your cheque for £7 - or $10 in the USA - (payable to Nigel Bailey) to NJ Bailey, 30 Fieldfare, Abbeydale, Gloucester GL4 4WF. 'Curry on Canals' by Keith Noble For some inexplicable reason, a large proportion of WRGies seem to be very keen on Indian food. For a (possibly) slightly more explicable reason, a similarly sizeable WRG contingent enjoy canal boating. Some must inevitably like both - and 'Curry on Canals: a guide for waterway users with an urge to eat curry' is the book for them. It doesn't try to give advice on such subjective things as the quality of food: instead, it does its best to list - in alphabetical order of waterway names - the address and phone number of every curry establishment (restaurant or take-away) within reach of navigable water.

All proceeds go to the Calder Navigation Society, and the Guide is available from them for £2.75 including postage and packing from them at The Dene, Triangle, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire HX6 3EA. They also welcome corrections or information on new canal-accessible curry-houses, sent to the same address or by e-mail to noble@thedene-triangle.freeserve.co.uk.

page 32

The WRG Canal Camps mobile phones: 07850 422156 (A) and 07850 422157 (B)

Send all your used postage stamps, cigarette and petrol coupons and old phone cards to IWA/ WRG Stamp Bank, 33, Hambleton Grove, Emerson Valley, Milton Keynes MK4 2JS. All proceeds to canal restoration.

MAGAZINES Offers invited for a virtually complete set of 'Navvies' from issue 1 in 1966.

Contact Jim Woolgar at 37 Sheldon Road, Ickford, Aylesbury, Bucks.

Donation to 'Navvies'.

For individual back-issues of all canal magazines including 'Canal Boat', 'Canal and Riverboat', 'Waterways World', 'Navvies' and 'Waterways' (all proceeds to WRG) contact Sheelah Lockwood: phone 01908 675255.

For up-to-date information by e-mail about canal restoration matters, subscribe to the:

Canal Restoration Mailing List To subscribe, simply send a blank e-mail to: restoration-join@ukwaterways.net.

Once you've subscribed, any message you send to restoration@ukwaterways.net gets sent to all the other subscribers.

Navvies Production

Editor : Martin Ludgate 35 Silvester Road East Dulwich London SE22 9PB 020-8693 3266 Subscriptions / circulation Sue Watts 15 Eleanor Road Chorlton-cum-Hardy Manchester M21 9FZ Printing and assembly: John & Tess Hawkins 4 Links Way, Croxley Grn Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 3RQ Watford (01923) 448559

Navvies is published by Waterway Recovery Group Ltd, PO Box 114, Rickmansworth WD3 1ZY and is available to all interested in promoting the restoration and conservation of inland waterways by voluntary effort in Great Britain. Articles may be reproduced in allied magazines provided that the source is acknowledged.

WRG may not agree with opinions expressed in this magazine, but encourages publication as a matter of in-

Noticeboard Only one more issue to go - send your figures in to Marcus (see p30)

Stamps wanted

GOMETER

WR

4 8 4 3 person-days work by WRG so far this year

Moving house...

Mike Palmer and Jude Moore are moving to: 3 Finwood Road, Rowington, Warwickshire CV35 8DH. Phone number next time.

Neil Edwards has moved to: 16 Tyneham Close Aylesbury HP21 9XA Izzy Gascoigne has moved to: 333 Crewe Road, Wheelock, Cheshire, CW11 4QB Viv West has a new e-mail address: mail@vivwest.com ...as does Lou Kellett: loukellett@mithras.fsnet.co.uk ...and Tom Jeffries: tomjeffries@hotmail.com terest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless so stated - otherwise WRG and IWA accept no liability for any matter in this magazine.

Registered in England no 1599204 Directors :

John Baylis, Malcolm Bridge, Roger Burchett, Ray Carter, Christopher Davey, Helen Davey, Š 2000 WRG ltd Roger Day, Richard ISSN 0953-6655 Drake, Neil Edwards, Waterway Recovery Group John Hawkins, Judith Ltd is a subsidiary of the InMoore, Michael Palmer, land WaterwaysAssociation Jonathan Smith. (a registered charity).

Secretary: Registered office: 3 Norfolk Court, Norfolk Rd. Christopher Davey Rickmansworth WD3 1LT VAT reg. no : 285 1387 37 tel : 01923 711114

page 33

On the Twelfth day of the Christmas Camp, Logistics sent to me....

Twelve Dumpers Dumping...

...Ten Lords A-leaping...

...Eight Maids A-milking... page 34

...Eleven Pipers Piping...

...Nine Ladies Dancing...

...Seven Swans A-swimming...

...Six Geese A-laying (*)...

...Five Gold Things...

...Four Calling Birds...

...Three French Hens...

...Two Purple Gloves...

...and a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

(*) Whoops Sorry, make that five ...MKP

page 35

Backfill

Thank you to Neil Evans (1)...

What has Jonathan Smith been up to?

An image problem? (1) From the 'Motor Boat and Yachting' guide to Life on-line: "http://www.waterways.org.uk: the home site of the Inland Waterways Association. Links to the Waterway Recovery Group and other scary people..."

...for this photo of a sign which might conceivably be useful as an addition to the Canal Camps accommodation signs supplied by WRG Logistics.

Thank you to Neil Evans (2)...

An image problem? (2) From the Radio Times: "Thus we spent the whole of The Remorseful Day just waiting for Inspector Morse to die. ... He took to staring meaningfully into stretches of Britain's inland waterways, a sure sign that mortality is putting out the milk bottles and cancelling the papers..."

Seen at Waltham Abbey festival...

...an appropriate selection of books on the WRG North West bric-a-brac stall.

Seen on the side of a BW trailer at Aston...

...for a series of photos showing what WRG board members get up to in their spare time. This is one of the more printable ones; as for the others... let's just say that - as with the 1999 Reunion Dig - it's a case of 'Pant's off'...

And finally...

Season's greetings from 'Martian Floodgates' to all our readers and contributors, including:

The latest 'Waterways for All' design - canals for boaters, cyclists, walkers and... err... Armalitetoting tin-hat wearing urban guerrillas? Has someone been on the BCN lately maybe?

page 36

Bogs, Wobbly, Mole, Bushbaby, Mucky, all the Grimms, Dizzy, Womble, Timmy Ducksquasher, Great Uncle Bulgaria, Bro, Fagin, Way Out, Six-pack, Chisel, Beefcake, Crabs, Big Boy, Cornish PastyHead, Bungle, Steve Bollocks, Colonel Mustard, Wonderbra and the Incredible Bullshitting Man.