Ouse News - Summer 2021 by The Inland Waterways Association

Great Ouse Branch

Ouse News - Summer 2021 Newsletter covering the Great Ouse and tributaries Contents:

Peaceful Moorings at Stoke Ferry on the River Wissey

Branch Committee

Branch News

Chairman’s Corner

Letters to the Editor

Wordsearch

EA Press Releases

River News

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Community Boat Electra

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Photo: Carole Alderton

Campaigning for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the Inland Waterways.

The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the Inland Waterways Association or of the Great Ouse Branch. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers.

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Great Ouse Branch Committee: Chairman: Keith Alderton Tel : 01366 727236 Secretary: John Hodgson Tel : 01234 344884 Treasurer: Enid Hodgson Tel : 01234 344884 Ouse News Editor: Carole Alderton Tel : 01366 727236 Membership Officer: Peter Webb Tel: 01353 658581

Volunteer Coordinator: Gail Mead Tel: 01359 242967 Member: Stephen Foote Tel: 01763 838936 Member: Derek Bradley Tel: 01353 661601

We are a small, friendly group and would welcome another committee member to help us organise meetings and events. Please contact the editor.

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Branch News Winter Meetings are at 8.00 pm at the North Lodge Pavilion, North Lodge Park, Milton, CB24 6UD. T HURSDAY 28 TH O CTOBER

2021

An illustrated talk by Richard Thomas - The Story of the Panama Canal.

T HURSDAY 25 TH N OVEMBER

2021

A talk by long standing committee member Stephen Foote on ‘Fenland Rivers Before Vermuyden’.

T HURSDAY 24 TH F EBRUARY

2022

An illustrated talk by Simon Judge - Oxford to Cambridge by boat.

T HURSDAY 24 TH M ARCH

2022

This will be our Annual General Meeting, together with an update from the Environment Agency.

We welcome the following new members to the branch. We hope you will introduce yourselves to us when coming to an event or meeting: Matthew Astley, Cambridge From your membership officer: I must give my apologies to any new Branch member that is not listed here. Also during these strange times I have been unable to send a welcome letter and copy of the latest printed Newsletter. Please remember that if you would like a posted, printed version of Ouse News then please contact Head Office or myself at peter.webb@waterways.org

If anyone is reading this newsletter and would like t o b e c om e a m e m be r, p l ea s e co n t ac t P et e r Webb, our Membership Officer, on 01353 658581.

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Chairman’s Corner A few weeks ago, we were busy replacing curtains and sorting out Watermist ready for the boating season wearing thick jumpers and fleeces with the heating appliances going full belt. However, on the morning we were preparing to leave for home, the sun came out and the prolonged cold spring suddenly ended and the long hot spell began. Hopefully it will remain so for the duration of the summer. The hot weather has been giving the EA a few problems with low dissolved oxygen levels being recorded at Welches Dam, Welney and in the River Delph. Unusually for mid-June, they are still having to pump water off the Ouse Washes and are, therefore, unable to flush fresh water from the Great Ouse via Earith Sluice. As soon as conditions allow they plan to deploy oxygenating equipment at several locations in order to preserve fish stocks. The EA are still progressing with the massive on-going bank raising work along the Middle Level Barrier Bank between Earith and Welmore Bank Sluice. The project will culminate in the installation of a demountable flood barrier to eleviate regular winter flooding at Welney. The branch has been invited to comment on two other major construction projects likely to cause short-term restrictions to navigation on the Great Ouse in due course. Both of these projects are still at the consultation stage and it is far too early to determine the likely level of disruption.

Ouse News Page 5  Network Rail plan to replace the ‘Cutter’ railway bridge over the River Great Ouse at Ely in order to facilitate trains to cross at 50 mph. They also intend to widen the ‘marina to fisherman’s car park’ railway bridge over the River Great Ouse at Ely to facilitate two-track running.  Highways England plan to carry out major road improvements in the area of the A1/A421 junction at the Black Cat roundabout. This will involve the building of a completely new bridge over the River Great Ouse. I would like to thank all those members who joined us online for the two virtual AGMs held in March and April this year. It was a new experience for all of us, but with help from IWA HQ staff we managed to master the technology without too much difficulty. The total number of those participating was in line with attendance at previous physical meetings, although it was pleasing to see a number of new faces. We are now pressing ahead with organising the winter programme on the understanding that there will be no more restrictions imposed on indoor gatherings. All meetings will be held as usual at North Lodge Pavilion, Milton. Please see Page 3 for the full details of our planned winter meetings for 2021/ 2022. In the meantime, I hope that you have a great boating season and I look forward to seeing you all in the autumn. Keith Alderton

Ouse News Page 6 Letters to the Editor: Response to book review in Ouse News – Winter 20/21 edition There was a book review in the Ouse News, Winter 2020/21 issue, written by Stephen Foote on the book “Boogie up the River” by Mark Wallington. I feel moved to express my thanks to Stephen for bringing this work to my attention, as it very successfully amused me for a few evenings (I was so anxious not to finish it too quickly and thereby abbreviate my enjoyment, that I rationed myself to read only a short section at each sitting!). On reading the review I ordered a copy be delivered by a certain supplier’s prime service (if they want to advertise in this magazine, they are going to have to pay the going rate; I am not about to give them a free “plug”) and, for convenience, I ordered the compendium edition containing “Boogie up the River” and “500 mile Walkies”. I found both books entertaining, perhaps the latter even more than the former, but it does not contain any reference to navigable rivers! It would be very good if I were able to offer a review of my own in exchange, but I share Stephen’s opinion that the genre is rather lacking interesting new work (at least that has come to my attention). Over the long evenings in lockdowns and restricted social interaction, and with nothing worth watching on television (having watched Vicar of Dibley on catchup that exhausted my interest there as well), I took to re-reading the classics of my childhood, such as “Treasure Island”, “Gulliver’s Travels” and “Journey to the Centre of the Earth”. All good stuff but possibly not very popular reading material today. Nor, I suspect, would be my subsequent foray into the works of Charles Dickens, although I must commend his writing for its dry humour and glimpse into a style of life now gone (and good riddance too for the most part!). For anyone with a Kindle to hand I can commend Great Expectations as a toe-dipper in these murky waters. There! A recommendation! If you try it, I hope you enjoy it, but don’t blame me if you don’t! Philip Baker

Ouse News Page 7 Readers of the Ouse News who are interested in the history of the River Great Ouse might like to know that a new book describes events leading up to the opening of the Eau Brink Cut in 1821. Without the Cut, lighters and barges would risk being stranded upriver of King’s Lynn. Three Million Wheelbarrows - The story of the Eau Brink Cut has been published to coincide with the Bicentenary this summer of the opening of the Eau Brink Cut and the first bridge over the River Great Ouse at King’s Lynn. It describes events from 1775 to 1821 when Fenland landowners wanted to straighten the River Great Ouse to improve drainage and protect their crops from flood. The merchants of King’s Lynn Corporation feared this would create such violent currents that the harbour and barge transport network would be destroyed. A massive feat of negotiation by elite local characters and Britain’s legendary engineers was required to satisfy both factions. The book is an accessible read which combines a dramatization of actual events, with the River Great Ouse telling of its resistance to human control and the impacts of our activities on the environment. Three Million Wheelbarrows -The story of the Eau Brink Cut by Kathleen Saunders is available from https://wwwmousehold-press.co.uk/book/threemillion-wheelbarrows-the-story-of-the-eau-brink-cut/ Tel: 01603 425115 or (from 25th July) www.bitternbooks.co.uk Tel: 01603 739635. Price £9.95. It is also available from the shops listed below and internet retailers: Central Stores, Wiggenhall St. Germans. Marshland Stores, Marshland Street, Terrington St. Clement. Leverington Stores, Church End, Leverington, Wisbech. GroundWorks Gallery, Purfleet Street, King’s Lynn. True’s Yard Fishing Museum, King’s Lynn. Etcetera Community Hub, York Row, Wisbech. Holt Books, Holt. Jarrold’s, Norwich. City Books, Norwich. Kathy Saunders

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Wordsearch Can you find the birds names? H T E R G E E L T T I L M R O M D O O

C O B R V I E D F I R D S E V I T S Y

M A L L A R D X F C U S A B A F A C S

U E U A M O J G A N A W S E T U M G T

E T V S F H E R J N F E U O E R R E E

S G M D O W O O D P I G E O N E S D R

O H O R L I P M C H U A D M A X W Z C

O B O O N Z A O C E N J L T I T O N A

Canada Goose Coot Goldfinch Great Crested Grebe Grey Heron Greylag Goose

G E R G H R R N A S T O C F L I M L T

A D H D T I I E W I J R Q A L R U I C

D O E I L F S A I L E A P E A E S A H

A H N S D V L I L S P W T N E H T T E

N C A L H L N T T K I E E O S S R G R

Kingfisher Lapwing Little Egret Mallard Moorhen Mute Swan

A O O I O R S E I N T B R A M I T A N

C G W W A N D T G Y F O R D S F I W O

E J B O I G R E Y H E R O N U G G D T

E E Y M R X Q E T A R O V C S N U E T

V S H E L D U C K S D O N I B I D I W

T B B O L R H I N S T N E G S K N P C

S E R E S O O G G A L Y E R G B H S Y

Oyster Catcher Pied Wagtail Sand Martin Shelduck Swallow Woodpigeon Enid Hodgson

Ouse News Page 9 Press release from Communications East Environment Agency - Issued May 2021 Boater fined for not registering boat A Boater has been fined almost £1,000 for leaving his boat unregistered on the River Glen in Lincolnshire. He was convicted in his absence by Lincoln Magistrates Court on 4 March 2021. As a result he was fined £440, with costs of £250, compensation £198.76 and victim surcharge £44. His court appearance was delayed due to the pandemic. The income from registration charges contributes to the services, facilities and structures the Environment Agency provides to make boating possible on its waterways. This includes maintenance of locks, moorings, slipways and many other navigation structures. Vessels that are not registered may not have Boat Safety Scheme Certification and therefore could be a hazard to other boaters and visitors on our Waterways. These vessels could also pose a pollution risk to the local environment and wildlife. Nathan Arnold, a Waterways Team Leader for the Environment Agency, said: “Everyone boating or paddling along waterways can feel proud they are contributing to protecting and improving rivers through their registration charge fee.

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Cont’d from previous page: “As this result shows, failing to register a vessel on the Environment Agency waterways can lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £1000. We are a month into the new boating season (April 1) so urge vessel owners to make sure they have correctly registered their vessels so they don’t find themselves with a fine.” People should remember to register any vessel that is kept on an Environment Agency waterway, or they will face enforcement action. Anyone who comes across a vessel on Environment Agency waterways that they suspect is unregistered, is encouraged to report it by calling 03708 506 506. Your details will remain anonymous.

Ouse News Page 11 Further Press release from Communications East Environment Agency - Issued May 2021 Environment Agency launches new Anglian Pass for boaters Boaters now have the option to purchase an ‘Anglian Pass’ which allows them to navigate unrestricted across neighbouring navigations. The Environment Agency, the Conservators of the River Cam, and the Middle Level Commissioners worked together to develop the new pass which covers the River Nene, the Great Ouse system, the Middle Level Navigation and the River Cam. The new annual pass went live on April 1st to mark the start of the boating season. It allows boaters to move easily between different waterways without having to pay multiple registration fees. Nathan Arnold, Waterways Team Leader for the Environment Agency, said: “We want to be recognised as a champion for our waterways, delivering a service that protects the environment and is valued by customers. “The aim with the pass is to provide a simple, fair and cost effective system for boating customers across all three navigations. We are really pleased that many customers have already chosen to take up this option and are ready for the new boating season” Tom Larnach, River Manager, Cam Conservancy, said:

“The Cam Conservancy is excited to be part of the future of boating within the Anglian Region. “This pass will open up our rivers to boaters from across the country, enabling quick, easy and affordable access to hundreds of miles of beautiful East Anglian waterways.”

Ouse News Page 12 David Thomas, Chief Executive of the Middle Level Commissioners, said:

“When the Middle Level Commissioners started its journey towards seeking new powers to levy charges on pleasure craft for using their waters, it was the stated intention to work with neighbouring authorities to provide an option to make moving between navigations as painless as possible. This pass is therefore seen as a real milestone in delivering on this promise.” More information about the new pass as well as river advice and Navigation Notices, can be found at https://www.visitanglianwaterways.org. Please note: Vessels are required to have a valid ‘annual’ vessel registration, with their relevant navigation authority, before applying for the ‘Anglian Pass’. Boaters will still have the ability to purchase short-term/visitor registrations for accessing Environment Agency and Middle Level waters. The cost of the Anglian pass depends on the size of the vessel. You can read more about this here: https://www.visitanglianwaterways.org/anglianpass The Environment Agency has written to boating and navigation groups regularly throughout the Coronavirus pandemic to provide updates on lockdown restrictions and changes on their waterways. See more here: https:// www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-waterwayscoronavirus-covid-19-update To adhere to social distancing there are some changes to the way Environment Agency staff typically provide services and some things may take longer or take up more space than normal; for example, at locks and doing routine maintenance. Local information on signs or from staff will provide more detailed advice on new ways of navigating rivers and canals safely. Please follow the latest advice and social distancing to keep yourself and others safe; the safety and wellbeing of the public, boaters, staff and volunteers is our primary concern.

Ouse News Page 13 River News from the Environment Agency Waterways Operations Team Leader (Gt. Ouse and Stour Navigations) Paul Separovic Waterways Capital Major Works Forward, Present and Backward Look Over the winter months is the usual time that most of the major works to our waterways structures are undertaken and we usually report in more detail on these works in the winter/spring issues of these publications. Over the previous winter, works were undertaken at Great Barford Lock, Godmanchester and St Ives Lock which all had dewater inspections and below waterline repairs. Hermitage Lock also had some works undertaken but unfortunately, as with some other sites, due to the weather conditions and knock-on effects of these, some sites have slipped on the list and the works deferred to this coming winter; such as at Hermitage and Cardington for example. Much has been done in the form of desilting works and tree works on the river since the New Year; much of this in response to winter flooding and storms. As soon as problems became evident we instructed contractors to mobilise and clear siltation that had formed at Brandon Lock on the Little Ouse Lock Cut and some of the most significant silt deposits seen at Denver and Salters Lode Locks. These have now been cleared but we will need to return to Brandon Lock as the siltation extended well beyond the lock cut and up and downstream at Brandon, which was not apparent when the initial dredging took place. Up to date and at the time of writing, contractors are being lined up and are due to mobilise imminently to work on the shoals that have formed on the Bedford Ouse River, especially at Castle Mill Lock and downstream of Godmanchester Lock by the Canoe Portage. These will be the priority sites to tackle, which is likely to start within a couple of weeks.

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Bridge Boatyard Bridge Road Ely, Cambs CB7 4DY

email info@bridgeboatyard.com Website www.bridgeboatyard.com Telephone 01353 663726

Moorings in marina and on riverside in historic Ely. Close to rail station.

Repairs and servicing Engineering and glassfibre workshops Slipway Suppliers of diesel, gas and coal Authorised Nanni dealership Gas safe engineer

Ouse News Page 15 Also on the radar are the Hemingford – St Ives reach and the Old West Twenty Pence Area. Some major tree works and removals have also been undertaken and are still planned in, as well as reacting to incidents where trees are involved. This is all in addition to the Floating Pennywort programme also underway and referred to separately. Looking ahead the Capital settlement with government was much improved this year; much higher than in the previous decade and indications are that this may continue in future years on the horizon. As a result the Capital Programme for the coming winter is much more ambitious and, although it must be stressed it is only outline at present, works are planned for Bedford, Cardington, Eaton Socon, Godmanchester, Houghton, Hemingford Brownshill and Hermitage Locks. Many other sites are also in the Programme Pipeline being developed for future years such as at Denver, Bottisham and Isleham Locks. We will provide updates again in the future.

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News & Views Do you have an article, comment or photo you would like to share? We would be very pleased to receive it! Contact the editor: carolealderton@waterways.org.uk

Ouse News Page 17 Environment Agency News Intro At the time of writing (end of May 2021) we are on the cusp of a number of things. Hopefully the cusp of transition in the weather from the over winter floods, to a dry April but soggy cool May. It looks like there has now been a shift and better weather is going to be with us at least for the next couple of weeks anyway! We are also on the cusp of exiting and easing from the Coronavirus restrictions come late June, provided everything remains on track with the roadmap and new variants don’t hamper efforts. Our latest advice is available on our web links. That said we are still taking a cautious approach, so our assisted passage lock sites for the time being will remain operating with Covid secure measures in place to help you stay on board your boats at these locks and follow lock keepers directions to get you through these sites. Please also continue to take precautions of your own, carry hand sanitiser and wash hands regularly, especially after using common touch points at lock sites and on other river facilities. It has been an extremely busy year and a bit since the start of the Pandemic for the tea; firstly with Coronavirus and keeping navigation going during lockdown one for those who live on the river or had ‘essential’ journeys, and keeping others off it or dealing with those swimming within the waterways. This immediately went into a short lockdown two just after the summer before going into the winter period where we likely saw some of the worst high levels, flows and subsequent flooding since 1998. It didn’t quite reach the same level but got pretty close to it at times. The team are still busy clearing the aftermath of the flooding and the issues it brings for navigation, still now and will likely be well into this season. From winter flooding the team went straight into preparation for the Varsity Boat Race which took a great deal of preparing. Staff worked over the Easter weekend (after many had lost their Christmas at home due to the flooding) to ensure the event went smoothly, which thankfully it did.

Ouse News Page 18 However, all said and done, whilst a few issues remain such as some shoaling and tree work that is now an endless task (100s now removed since March 2020), we hope you get out and enjoy the river once again and we welcome you back to it. Our news features in this edition highlight some of the work and things we have been doing and we hope you find it informative and useful. As ever you can keep in touch and up to date with what is happening via our social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and via our web sites or our TeamUp shared Calendars. Photos of flooding at St Neots: Russell Alderton & Mateja Kaulza

Ouse News Page 19 Floating Pennywort Update and Invasive Species Week 24th – 28th May 2021 Whilst writing this submission it was the closing day of our National Invasive Species Week, which is an annual event to highlight the issues Invasive Species cause and targets a week of co-ordinated activities to tackle and raise awareness about invasive species. The most prolific and current problematic invasive species we suffer from in terms of navigation on the Great Ouse System is Floating Pennywort. However there are many others present, Zebra Mussel, Giant Hogweed, Chinese Mitten Crab, Azolla, Himalayan Balsam and Mink to mention but just a few. Some of these also pose human health issues alongside environmental problems. Although the focus here is on Floating Pennywort, the main message to take away is that with the wider range of biosecurity threats present we all have a role to play in protecting the river we love and want to use; so please practice bio-security, or simplified just Check, Clean, Dry, your boat, equipment and clothing after each use. Obviously with a larger boat in the water this is more difficult to apply but you should still check it regularly and pay attention to the areas where invasives could hide away, such as weed strainer inlets and any protruding parts of crafts such as outboard and outdrive legs etc. If you find anything suspicious you should remove it and leave it at the waterbody where it was found, preferably on the bank as high up and away from the river as possible and safe to do. A huge amount of investment and time has been spent on Floating Pennywort Control over the past financial year, totalling around £200k on the River Great Ouse system as a whole. The river is split over two areas, the Bedford Ouse Floating Pennywort strategy is well established and progressed. A further approximate £60k was spent on this section of the river last year and the Floating Pennywort is well under control.

Ouse News Page 20 The Ely Ouse saw £140k worth of investment under an initial year of a new approach, where a 50/50 split of Waterways and Flood Risk Capital funding (£70k each) was spent and will be repeated again this year. This means that we will have teams out throughout the year monitoring, surveying, spraying, hand picking and undertaking mechanical removal where necessary. You should also notice the difference out on the river with much, much less visible Floating Pennywort present. Also with teams deployed throughout the year we will be more able to respond to reports of Floating Pennywort sightings as they come in. This doesn’t mean that resources will be deployed to every reported sighting but by collating reports we can best target and focus our efforts. This is where you can really assist us throughout this coming year and I would encourage anyone who spots or suspects that they have spotted Floating Pennywort to report it via the link in the accompanying images; www.bit.ly/ousepennywort

The image above left shows floating pennywort blanketing Cooke’s Stream, a back channel of the River Great Ouse at Godmanchester. The image on the right shows the same stretch of river, free of floating pennywort.

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Lock Keeper of the Year Award The Award, also known as the Esme Dowling Award in memory of Esme Dowling, a Lock Keeper at Napton Locks on the Oxford Canal from 1957-1988, is presented annually by hotel boat operators in British Marine membership to navigation authority staff or volunteers who have gone the extra mile in delivering excellent customer service on the UK’s inland waterways network. The award is open not only to Lock Keepers, but to all waterways staff who have offered outstanding assistance to waterways users. We are pleased to announce that this year our Denver Lock Keepers Dan Pollard and Ben Di Guilio have, in conjunction with Salters Lode Lock Keeper Paul Grodkiewicz on the Middle Levels, received runners up awards, much to their surprise after being nominated by Paula Syred of Fox Boats. So thank you Paula!

Ouse News Page 22 Return of Anglian Waterways Volunteers Unfortunately, from the start of the global Pandemic in March 2020 our Anglian Waterways Volunteering Programme was paused. Thankfully since the road map out of lockdown became known we re-engaged with Cambs ACRE and re-started the volunteering programme by looking at how they could safely return. Suffice to say that provided the current road map dates materialise we will be looking to reintroduce volunteers once again after final restrictions are lifted. The plan will be to more or less pick up where we left off and is to have volunteer assistance available at a number of locks on the river including St Ives and Houghton to assist boaters through if they want it. We are also looking at developing more volunteer roles and locations; so if you are interested in giving up some of your time and would be interested please make contact with Rachael Brown at CAMBS ACRE either via phone: 01353 865 037 or by e-mail rachael.brown@cambsacre.org.uk to register your interest. Further information can also be found online at: https://anglianwaterwaysvolunteerscheme.wordpress.com/ Volunteers at Houghton Lock and Bedford River Festival

Ouse News Page 23 Waterways Workforce Added Benefits The Waterways Workforce, initially a part of the Waterways Operations Teams, has now set up as a team within its own right and is also growing owing to the realised benefits that the team can bring. For the Rivers Great Ouse and Nene the team now undertakes the vast majority of the grass cutting on our sites and also a whole lot more as the day job, including painting, cleaning, vegetation control and many minor repairs that could have otherwise closed facilities. Also though there are countless other added benefits from the establishment of the team that we hope you’ll notice out on the river this year. Previously we’ve shared some of the team’s activities such as wild seed planting. They have been busy over the winter months introducing numerous other wild seed areas. This has two benefits in that it means there is less intensive management required of grass areas and then the obvious environmental benefits that wild flowers bring. You’ll likely see some of the prepared areas on your travels this year as they have been rotovated and the seeds sown; so please try and avoid walking across them until they bloom and establish themselves. They have also been hedge planting on a number of our sites and introduced bat / bird boxes to increase their appeal to wildlife. We hope you notice the improvements being made and efforts the team is going to, to make your trips out on the river that much more enjoyable and safer. Cont’d

Ouse News Page 24 For this summer, a couple of examples where the team has made a noticeable difference will be apparent at Hermitage Lock where a previously recovered boat has been converted into a planter. This will be a more welcoming feature to the upstream side of the site. At a number of other locations, including Houghton Visitor Mooring and the Dolphin in St Ives, metal BBQ stands have been fabricated and a number placed out on sites for your use. Please note however that the stands are intended for use with a disposable BBQ on top - we have already had reports where they have been used with the charcoal briquettes directly on the trays which is not their intended purpose.

Ouse News Page 25 Volunteers have been key to our success, boosting our capacity to follow up with continuous and arduous hand picking and surveying every two weeks, to make sure we’ve cleared every last bit of Pennywort from the water’s edge. It’s been necessary to repeat these activities year on year. Pennywort Alert – run by Keep Britain Tidy’s River Care and Beach Care Programme, in collaboration with the Environment Agency, is seeking volunteers from canoe, boating, conservation and angling clubs. With a grant secured from Anglian Water’s Invasive Species Fund, RiverCare has support available now – including equipment, insurance and best practice expertise via the Floating Pennywort National Strategy Group. Volunteers along the river will be key in ensuring that Floating Pennywort does not take hold on the Great Ouse again. By acting as the eyes and ears of the river, and proactively removing small patches of Floating Pennywort, paddle and angling clubs can play a key role in the proactive control and eradication of this invasive species. Email Lynsey.Stafford@keepbritaintidy.org to find out how you can get involved. Pennywort Alert posters and postcards are available for your noticeboards, events, clubhouses and windows. These are great reminders for showing what Floating Pennywort looks like, and how to report it. Order yours for free at www.bit.ly/freepennywortposters.

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New community boat craned into the canal at Milton Keynes On Wednesday 5th May, Electra the all-electric community boat was craned into the Grand Union Canal, just south of Milton Keynes. Electra travelled almost 50 miles by low loader from Colecraft Ltd, the Warwickshire boatyard where she was built, arriving at the Willowbridge Marina where careful preparations had been made to lift the 16-ton craft into the water. Commissioned by the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, Electra will be based at Campbell Wharf; Trust volunteers will run public trips and private charter cruises along the Grand Union Canal, giving residents and visitors a different view of Milton Keynes. Following the relaxation of the government’s COVID-19 restrictions and successful ‘sea trials’, Electra is now open for business. Lead Cabin Host, James Clifton said: “Guests may now choose from several public trip and private charter options, cruising along the Grand Union Canal in Milton Keynes. “Now that our crews are fully trained and qualified, we are excited by the prospect of launching our first public cruises in early August. “Electra is well-ventilated and designed for up to 12 guests on board, but we accept government advice to ‘proceed with caution’ with regard to COVID-19 and will start by taking a maximum of 8 guests per cruise” James explained. “Electra is a brand-new fully electric, 54-foot narrowboat, crewed by trained volunteers from the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust. It is accessible, with a lift and lavatory that can accommodate a standard size wheelchair.”

Ouse News Page 27 Cruises depart from Campbell Wharf and last between 1 -2 hours during August. Full details, including booking instructions, can be found at https:// wwwbmkwaterway.org/mkcommunityboatelectra/ Cruises include: Relax on the Art Trail, Cream Tea, and Fish & Bubbles Public Trips are two-hour cruises from Campbell Wharf to Linford Wharf and return. Fish & Bubbles tickets are Adult only. Family Eye-Spy Cruises last 75 minutes and run from Campbell Wharf to Milton Keynes Marina and return. Family WOW (Walk One Way) Cruises are run in conjunction with the Canal & River Trust and combine a 60-minute cruise with an easy 90minute guided walk along the towpath. Two-hour Private Charters are from Campbell Wharf to Linford Wharf and return.

Gill Prince Photography

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The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England No 612245. Registered as a charity No 212342. Registered Office: Island House, Moor Rd, Chesham, HP5 1WA. Phone No 01494 783453.