The Packet Boat, May 2014

THE INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION MAY 2014

CHESTER & MERSEYSIDE BRANCH IS PLEASED TO INVITE YOU TO THE

NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FESTIVAL on the weekend of 6/7/8 June at Tower Wharf, Chester

See inside for further details

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NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FESTIVAL What are we campaigning for?

Chester &Merseyside Branch has a twofold aim in its campaign.

First, to have the lock from the Shropshire Union canal to the River Dee restored to its former state. It is not so many years ago that the Branch organised a cruise through this lock on to the River Dee but alas this is no longer possible; the lock is now derelict.

Second, once we are on the river, how far can boats cruise?

For boats longer than 45 feet, not very far, as they cannot make the turn through the gate in one end of the weir. On the far side of the weir is a mill race, not very often noticed or used. This could be turned into a lock, enabling all boats to cruise the river as far as Farndon and beyond for certain boats.

You will see from the list of events that the Chester Canal Heritage Trust is organising a series of port and lock guided walks during the weekend of the Festival.

Why not join one of them and you will see for yourselves the feasibility of these two aims?

Whether or not you are boaters you must agree that we should not allow our historic inheritance to be left in a state of disrepair. Surely it is a case of ‘Use it, or lose it’?

GRAND DRAW Enclosed with this flyer you will find 2 books of draw tickets. In addition to those printed on the ticket there will be many more exciting prizes. We need to sell as many as possible as all monies go to Branch funds to be used to help meet the Association’s aims. Just pop a cheque for £2 and your counterfoils into an envelope addressed to Margaret, at the address on the ticket (to reach her before 4th June) and good luck!

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What’s on at the Festival?

Events run from Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th June and include the following — 125 boats will be attending the Festival including historic boats from the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum and other places.

Talk by Ray Buss and Geoff Taylor at Garden Lane Church Over 30 traders and exhibitors.

Wild over Waterways, with all its activities for the youngsters.

The Lyceum Brass Band Folk bands Rock bands Bands at Telfords Warehouse Bostock Brass bands A ceilidh with Jigsmith Pole dancers - YES, Pole dancers!

Pet show—not just dogs, any pet you care to bring.

A fly-past of Hurricane planes!

Tombola A Grand Draw with many superb prizes Walks and tours programme Tours over historic Taylor’s Boatyard Cambrian Queens Dance Troop For dates and times of these events ring our Festival Secretary Lesley Taylor on 0151 342 6651 or 07941 492288

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REPORT FROM OUR BRANCH CHAIRMAN, PETER BOLT Following the recent AGM Brian Phillips after a number of years of sterling service in the hot seat felt it time to relinquish his role as Branch Chairman and go cruising. We wish Brian and Pat some great days ahead and this will enable them to go further afield than the River Weaver, as nice as it is. I am pleased to say he is not deserting us completely and will be attending committee meetings later in the year.

I am stepping into the role of Branch Chairman, having agreed to front the National Campaign Festival in June. We all have ‘upped a gear’ as the Festival draws nearer and we wrestle with positioning of the number of traders and visiting boaters that want to come. As you know the Tower Wharf site is not large and we will not know exactly what space we have available until much nearer the event. Now that the IWA ‘National’ has been discontinued the ‘Campaign’ Festival is considered a premier IWA event and we will be hosting visiting boats from all over the country. 125 are booked in with quite a long waiting list and it promises to be a memorable weekend.

Over the last two years we have worked in partnership with the Canal & River Trust, Chester Canal Heritage Trust (CCHT) and Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) to develop a Waterways Strategy as part of the ‘Chester One City Plan’. This is now complete and endorsed

by CWAC and available in hard copy in May ready for its launch. Over a number of years the Branch have campaigned for the Dee branch to remain useable, especially in regard to lock repairs and silting up. This has been an uphill battle as the only time navigation can take place to navigate above the weir is during high equinox spring tides which normally take place during March and October – well outside the normal cruising season. This would also require the use of the weir gate and that is restricted to boat lengths below 45 ft. Finally the window of opportunity would be at ‘slack water high’ as once the incoming tide has topped the weir it surges up the Dee towards Farnden making it unsuitable for narrow boats due to the high rate of flow.

The ‘Vision for Chester’s Waterways’, developed jointly and published by IWA and the CCHT, took account of these problems. We felt that an improved and safer passage could be achieved by installing a half tide lock in the old mill race on the Handbridge side of the River. This is located on the other side of the gauging station. This would allow boats to navigate as the tide rose before it topped the weir although it is appreciated that navigation is limited as the rise of water from low to high tide is only approximately 1½ hrs. A feasibility study looking at all aspects will be able to determine the practicalities of such a scheme. Two years ago CRT, IWA and CCHT were asked if we would join a small core steering group to develop the ‘Waterways Strategy’ under the control of the Chester Renaissance. We considered six areas covering the canal and the river with a view to maximising the regeneration potential of Chester’s neglected waterways. The areas were the Boughton corridor, SUC City gateway, The Walls, Tower Wharf, the Riverside link and the City Riverside. These improvements would provide an interlinked system attracting more boats and visitors, also creating opportunities for businesses and be a catalyst for growth. The strategy has identified what the issues are, the opportunities and the actions and much of our submission has been included into the final document. At the moment, only 1 in 4 boats visiting Cheshire go to Chester and sadly out of those boats only 1 in 6 boats navigate the 3½ hour trip down the Wirral Canal corridor SUC to the NWM at Ellesmere Port.

This needs to be addressed.

The theme of the document is entitled ‘Connected’ and ‘Joined up’ which can be read a number of ways. One thing is for sure, Chester city centre and both its Canal and River at the moment are disconnected. The ‘One City Plan’ acknowledges that Chester has been left behind by not

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realising the benefits that waterside regeneration can bring. Cities like Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh are perfect examples where waterway regeneration has taken place - pumping millions of pounds into their respective local economies.

Working in partnership on projects with local authorities and others is the way forward. Already, we have been holding constant discussions concerning the Canal corridor between Chester and Ellesmere Port with a view to increasing the number of both boats and towpath visitors. The NWM at Ellesmere Port is a worthwhile destination for all. The IWA National Campaign Festival in June will be addressing all these issues both with our special guests and the general visitors to the show. If you are not already booked in by boat then I invite you to come along for the day as a visitor – make yourself known at the IWA tent.

In closing we have received some excellent news from our colleague, Colin Greenall, who keeps us informed about issues with the Sankey Canal. It has recently been announced that a joint bid between Warrington BC, Halton BC and the Sankey Canal Restoration Society has been successful. The grant awarded is for £654,000 to replace the damaged lift bridge with a new, wider, electrically operated lift bridge at the site of Marsh House.

I look forward to seeing you all at the Festival.

Peter Bolt

REGION CHAIRMAN’S REPORT We are unlikely to experience water shortages this year.

Very recently the south and west of England resembled a vast boating lake, and the weather seemed unremitting as storm followed storm. The Environment Agency seems embroiled in recriminations and their funds are fully committed to flood relief. Government finances are a dark art as far as this taxpayer is concerned but I should think that there is next to no attention being paid currently in the EA to the matter of the transfer of EA navigations to CRT as this would involve a significant dowry to rightly persuade Canal and River Trust to take on this extra responsibility.

This is a missed opportunity as far as the IWA is concerned as this would be a major step to achieving the Waterways Conservancy dream first promoted by Robert Aickman, whose centenary occurs this year. This may be remote as far as the branch is concerned, but here are serious worries about whether the principle of navigation will effectively survive in East Anglia.

The Canal & River Trust is now maturing and one can sense some changes to its original governance system are in the air. What is apparent is that there is a growing realisation by CRT that the Waterways are best served by their resources and professionalism working in partnership with the expertise and enthusiasm of the IWA and the canal and restoration societies. There is a excellent working party involving CRT and IWA’s Restoration committee working together on that topic and this branch is working with CRT on the Chester initiative and work parties.. We will not ease up in our approach where justified to CRT as a service provider, but in many fields we must work together.

Rumour has it Spring is here, and with it we get our boats ready, clean the walking boots, or dig the bike out of the back of the garage. However you enjoy the waterways, have fun.

Alan Platt

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NEWS FROM THE SANKEY by Colin Greenall Around the Boroughs Everything seems to be going well on the Sankey at the moment as you will gather from my report this time, let’s hope it continues.

Warrington

“GOOD NEWS”

Coastal Communities Grant for Fiddlers Ferry; Background to the project; The Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) aims to encourage the economic development of coastal communities in the UK by awarding funding to create sustainable economic growth and employment. Part of Warrington and Halton are classed under this programme as coastal communities due to their position in the Mersey Estuary, within the tidal zone. The area of Fiddlers Ferry and the Sankey Canal are part of this coastal area in Warrington.

The Project;- The successful partnership funding bid was made by the two local authorities (Warrington and Halton) in conjunction with the Sankey Canal Restoration Society. The Grant awarded is for £654,000 and is in two parts, the Capital Element of £375,000 is for the new wider electrically operated lift bridge which will replace the temporary bridge now in place at the site of the former Marsh House Swing Bridge, the rest of the funding will help support the existing businesses operating from the Riverside Trading Estate, Fiddlers Ferry Caravan Park and Sailing Club and The Marina and will create 2 direct jobs, up to 23 indirect jobs, offer 12 apprenticeships and 40 volunteering opportunities, and improve the canal environment. Work on the new bridge is scheduled to start in October More work on Sustainable Transport Routes to Employment;- Fiddlers Ferry to Johnson’s lane crossing, and Newton Brook to Watery Lane; Work on these two sections is now almost complete

The site where the bridge will cross the Sankey

Halton

New Mersey Gateway Bridge; - update, work as started and all the vegetation as been cleared from the off side of the canal and the ground levelled in preparation for the infilling of the canal to allow access on to the marsh to build the haul road out across the river. This work is expected to begin in the middle of April and will mean that the towpath will be blocked off completely and access to the canal towpath beyond will only be possible by a long detour around local roads to Carter House Swing Bridge.

“Sankey Interlocks Project” Linking the Locks Ineos Chlor Grant £11,424 for interpretation panels (Mersey Forest) The Sankey Canal Restoration Society, with the assistance of Halton BC has been successful in obtaining funding to erect four interpretation panels around Spike Island, a second phase of this bid as been deferred until the next round of bids, this is for four benches and paving to accompany the panels Wren Bid; - for lock gates; - Halton BC with the assistance of SCARS is to submit an application to Wren Environmental for funding to repair the Lock gates at Spike Island. The work will involve minor repairs to the outer stop plank grooves, minor gate repairs, dredging the lock chamber and outer cill area, clearance of the sluice culverts and the fitting of all new operating mechanisms.

Launch of DVD and website in May;- On Thursday 15th May the “Sankey Canal Interlocks” DVD will be launched at the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre in Widnes, this project was made possible through the “Shared Heritage” scheme of HLF who gave a grant if £7,800 to Penketh High School’s media department. The project involved pupils from Penketh High and West Bank Primary Schools along with members of SCARS and the two local authorities to produce a DVD about the history and the potential benefits a restored waterway would bring to the area. It will also be the day that the new SCARS website will be launched.

St.Helens Work Parties at Old Double Lock;-Work as centred around the area at the top of the Old Double Locks at Blackbrook with a lot of vegetation clearance taking place and the uncovering of more of the coping stone which had been a long time buried including a date stone 1885 on the end block of the lock by-wash the and the uncovering of a structure of great interest, the coal wharf used by Blackbrook Colliery.

SCARS Container:- SCARS has received a grant of £3,500 from the IWA Lancashire Legacy Fund to purchase a 20’ x 8’ x 8’6” metal storage container to be used to store all our equipment in, this will be located at the Sankey Valley Heritage Centre at Blackbrook if planning permission is given by St.Helens MBC. The grant will be used to purchase and fit out the interior of the container.

More work on Sustainable transport routes:- The section of footpath/cycleway from Boardmans Lane to top of Old Double Locks is almost complete. This will be extended across the New Bridge over the Old Double Locks.

Continued on Page 8

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Chester & Merseyside Branch Liaison The branch liaison officer is the link between the waterway managers and operations staff in our area, here are some bullet points on activities.

Following dredging works on the Wirral line and Dee branch of the Shropshire Union, a culvert collapse at Croughton on the Wirral Line caused some concern but repairs were completed by 17th Dec 2013.

Tow path above Northgate locks in Chester is still closed, the work here is progressing well and we are expecting the tow path to be re-opened shortly.

We continue to campaign for additional mooring rings on the Trent & Mersey at Anderton and Shropshire Union at Chester Tower Wharf.

The poor state of River Weaver moorings at Anderton are also on the agenda.

The Wide lock at Ellesmere Port – This has been closed for many years due to collapse of the approach wash wall. We have now managed to negotiate assisted passage of this lock and CRT will be removing the old lock gates from the chamber. The timing of this work is crucial to allow passage of a few 'wider' boats from the Ship Canal to attend the Campaign Rally at Chester in June.

The state of the bank close to the Trooper at Christleton still remains a concern.

Volunteers from both CRT and IWA continue their excellent work in Sefton and Chester. Work parties here are now well established keeping the waterways environment clean and tidy.

The 'Small Task Team Volunteers' have been very busy in our area installing much needed visitor moorings at Ellesmere Port and improving visitor moorings at Stanny Mill lane ( Cheshire Oaks Moorings). Also installing posts and signage at the Hoole Lane lock and installing a bench at Little Stanney. The long awaited mooring rings at the Christleton water point and much needed paving has also been installed by STTV. The Chester Waterway Strategy has been formally recognised and supported by the River Dee Catchment Partnership.

Plans for the Chester Campaign Festival are developing well. We are working closely with Chester Canal Heritage Trust, CRT and the local authority to make this one of the primary festival events in the Cheshire entertainments calendar.

Work Party, Chester 2013

Dredging the Dee Branch 2013

Mike Carter—Chester & Merseyside Liaison

MERSEY RIVER AND DOCK CRUISE The Friends of the Ferries are hosting a cruise on Saturday 31 May 2014 Departing Seacombe at 12.00 Liverpool at 12.10 Birkenhead Woodside at 12.25 Tickets: £25 (Adult), £13 (Child) Available at all three ferry terminals

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PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FOR ANDERTON BOAT LIFT On 21 March the Institution of Mechanical Engineers awarded the Anderton Boat Lift with the prestigious 94th Heritage Award.

After a guided tour of the Lift Visitor Centre over 100 guests were treated to an excellent lunch provided by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers prior to a presentation given by Richard Parry, Chief Executive of Canal & River Trust , on the history of the lift.

The award plaque was then presented to him by John Wood, past President and Chairman of the Heritage Committee. Our Branch President, Richard Drake, in his role of ex President of the Anderton Boat Lift Trust, spoke about the work of volunteers and the enormous contribution they had made to the Lift’s restoration.

Chester & Merseyside Branch of the IWA extends its congratulations to Canal & River Trust and to all the volunteers for this well-deserved award.

Left to Right - Richard Drake, Chairman of the Anderton Boat Lift Trust, Richard Parry, Chief Executive of Canal & River Trust and John Wood Past President and Chairman of the Heritage Committee

Continued from Page 6 SCARS members have been consulting with St Helens BC over the design of the new bridge and it is hoped the new structure will be installed later this year.

Events : This year our sales and display stall is booked to attend the following events:Monday 26 May

Willow Park Rural Craft Display at Willow Park, Newton-le-Willows

Saturday/Sunday 7/8 June IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch Waterways Festival at Tower Wharf, Chester Saturday 2 August

Newton Town Show at Mesnes Park, Newton-le-Willows

Thanks are extended to members who have given their continued support by attending our social meetings and walks. Details of the 2014/2015 Branch Programme of talks and walks will be in the next edition of our newsletter, to be issued in September.

Thanks also to Gillian Bolt and Jeanne Smith for the use of their photographs in this edition.

It should be noted that the views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the IWA. They are published as being of interest to our members and readers. The IWA is a registered charity No. 212342