QUAGMIRE
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
NORTH WALSHAM & DILHAM CANAL TRUST CIO
Editorial
2
From the Chair
3
Meet John & Norma Albinson
4
Work Party News
6
Wild Swimmers
8
VOLUME 6 ISSUE 2
M AY 2 0 2 2
Where Next?
Funday Boating News
9
Floating Pennywort Update
9
Gallery - Challenges Ahead
10
Waters Elsewhere - Funding
12
David Batley Funding Team Leader
13
Archive Slot The Mitigation and Compensatory Reports
14
Royston Bridge
17
David Tomlin-
18
son PayPal Report
18
Contact Details
19
and Map Weaver’s Way
20
Bridge
£2 Purdy’s Marsh 2020 - AB
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Editorial My first and final editorial. The first since I took the helm from Mary for the Winter 2020 edion, and the last, as I feel the me is right to hand the keyboard to a younger brain. Will you take it on, please? I will con nue to edit the June and July Newsle%ers, but new blood will be needed for the August edi on of Q . The job mainly consists of colla ng and edi ng ar cles, and placing them in the Q “template” that makes up this magazine. Equally, a new incumbent may wish to adopt their own strategies. I will give any help I can to a new editor, and hopefully s ll provide some items and images from the archives, if needed. The Trust is now on the cusp of a new phase in the restora on of the canal. The li.ing of the shadow of the Stop No ce on the four canal owners opens the way for looking at the significant possibili es the restora on offers to the proprietors (and likewise the canalside landowners, those local developers looking to “spend” their BNG credits, wildlife possibili es as the bio -diversity of the canal valley is enhanced, as well as the community at large). Future restora on will not be or look the same as the OCC’s magnificent work. Environmental legisla on has altered considerably. Proprietors will have different visions for their sec ons, and the work itself will need to be grant- rather than owner-funded. The Trust, as you’ll see from the Chair’s comments, has been having informal talks with the canal owners for several years, and is now star ng to formalise the way forward. Last November, the Trustees agreed the updated Strategy Plan, 2022-2032 and they are now working on the Middle Canal Restora on Proposals. This is ahead of discussions with the proprietor, who has some exci ng ideas for that sec on of the naviga on. Canal restora on is not just about opening a channel for boa ng. For example, the £9m lo%ery award to the Cotswold Canal Trust - for them to re-open some five miles of canal linking the restored Stroud sec on with the main network at Saul - will open the waterway to cra.. However, of the ten main objec ves listed in their lo%ery submission for the re-build, only one actually s pulated naviga on by boats. The next few exci ng years for the Trust will rely heavily on fundraising. With that in mind, the new Funds Team Leader, David B., is looking for others’ enthusias c offers to join his team. No ma%er what your slant or where your interest lies, all can be included within a holis c grant approach. For my final edi on, I’ve taken the theme of “Where Next?”, looking beyond 2022. Ivan Cane ֎
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From the Chair As many of you will know, I haven’t been in the best of health since Boxing Day, but have kept in touch with most of the proceedings in connec on with our beloved canal. I par cularly thank all ac ve Trustees and Officers for carrying on with their dues so diligently, and Barry Mobbs for chairing the Trusts’ zoom mee ngs on my behalf. We have seen two major documents produced for considera on and approval. Firstly, the Strategy Plan 2022-2032, and, secondly, The Middle Canal Restora on Proposals produced by Graham Pressman with a way forward for the canal below Ebridge. The Strategy Document was approved at a mee ng in November, 2021, and I undertook the amendments on it, which are now at last complete. A revised version of the GP proposals has been presented, and will be considered at the next Zoom mee ng on April 25th 2022. Well done and thanks, Graham, for all your work on this. I am very pleased to hear of progress made with the bank and in-canal clearance upstream of Ebridge, and, of course, the mul -use of the water there. All these events really improve the outlook for the canal. Looking to the future, I have welcomed David Batley on board as our Funds Team Leader, and thank him for his planned involvement with the Trust. Such ac ons are the lifeblood of any organisa on. I wish David well in his post, and thank him for applying his exper se and experiences to the benefit of our Trust. His keenness is exemplified in his signing up for the IWA/ Hub Grants Workshop in Warwickshire in May. As you may have read elsewhere, The Trust is looking for more volunteers in all areas of our work, and especially for somebody to succeed me as Chair at the next AGM! You will all have no ced this great produc on named the Quagmire. It only gets to you through the dedicated work of Ivan Cane, who has been the editor for some years now. Good old Ivan is now moving on and we are seeking a new editor for the job. If you think this is for you, please give Ivan a call for further details and contacts. (qeditor@nwdct.org) NOW! Please do not all rush forward at once for these posts, but, when you have an interest in any of the available posts, please give me a call, (01603 738648) or contact Julie Kelleher for further details and informa on. Thank you! Again, my thanks go to all of you who support the aim of the Trust to return this historical canal to a useable facility, one set to benefit nature and the public alike. By this, I mean all those who do the physical work, push a pen, hit a keyboard or operate as a valued member. Best wishes to you all,
David Revill ֎
May 2022
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Meet Norma and John Albinson of the Ebridge Model Boat Club For several years now, the cra. of the Ebridge Model Boat Club meandering around the millpond has delighted the gongoozlers res ng on the benches. The Club was begun by John and Norma around seven years ago, and has gone from strength to strength. You were one of the first users of the NW&DC at Ebridge - what a"racted you to this site, and what made you decide to base a model boat club here? The fleet busy on the millpond. MJ
Norma & John (NA)
One of its a%rac ons was the length of side, and the fact that the OCC would allow us to build a landing stage to launch and li. our boats. The large area for manoeuvring, and the depth - many of our boats have keels over 18 inches long - were all factors that made the millpond an ideal venue. Addi onally, there were several people in North Walsham itself who were interested in taking part. This was on their doorstep, although regular club members came from as far afield as King’s Lynn and Blakeney. How long have you been interested in model boa*ng?
John: From the age of 16, I sailed model boats on the Macclesfield Canal, at the Hovis Mill sec on. I’ve always enjoyed the sailing boats, as there’s no noisy engines. I also used to go to a pond on Winslow Common, Manchester. It was an area similar to that of Ebridge, and enabled you to undertake Figure of Eight sailing. Norma: I’ve always been the helper, toing and froing and carrying. Then relaxing, watching from the side. Have you any preference for a model, John? I believe that you have a model wherry. I have two wherries, one 24” and one 36”, and enjoy sailing both of them. I also have a
Open Day display with wherry in foreground IC
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Thames sailing barge, which is 50” long. I s ll prefer models that I can sail. A recent innova on is to have cameras on the yachts, which give a completely different perspec ve when sailing the cra.. Where Next?
What plans have you for the future with your boats?
There are plans to try submarines on the millpond. Norma says that John has built one to go underwater. They could try cameras on them, although John believes that the waters are perhaps too murky to be able to see far. How many members does the club have at the moment?
John to the rescue. MJ
COVID has not helped, leading to many members no longer being able to a%end the regular Sunday sessions. As such, numbers are lower now, from their previous roll of 26. Does the club hold any par*cular events, such as yacht racing?
We have tried some yacht races, but that would require me for exclusive use of the millpond, so as to be successful. This is maybe something that the club could arrange in the future. We have had displays during the Trust’s Open Weekends, and these have interested many people, looking at the boats and having a go with the remote controls and sailing the club’s boats. The club has also set aside “volunteer” mes to construct and maintain the landing stage, the nearby bench, and ensure the diness of the lock island. The new swimmer’s step does mean that the club’s landing stage can now be used purely for model boa ng on Sundays. If people want to join the club, do they need a model boat, and who should they contact? We always welcome interested people to come and join us on Sundays. If they bring a boat, we suggest that they donate £5 to the Trust (via the dona on point). For further informa on, they can contact Neil Lawrence - who has taken over as “Chair” from John - via the club’s Facebook page, or by contac ng John and Norma on 01692 584223. Many thanks, Norma and John, for sharing your thoughts with me. We look forward to seeing your boats fliRng across the millpond, during the Summer months. ֎ Pictures NA - Norma Albinson, MJ - Melvyn Johnson
Press Date for the August 2022 edi on of Quagmire is Monday 18th July. Please keep those ar cles and photos coming in (qeditor@nwdct.org) Published 1st May 2022. Opinions expressed in this Newsle*er do not necessarily reflect the views of the Trust ֎
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Work Parties News Over the past few months, and during COVID, the work par es have been restricted largely to maintenance tasks, such as bushing along the Ebridge reach, bramble clearing at Royston Bridge, and even uncovering part of the original wing walls. Where Next?
However, looking Wing wall forward, the various work party discovery. AB groups will need to be re-formed to their preCOVID sizes, structures and more. The maintenance work was principally undertaken during the Thursday work par es. The Green Teams tended the banks, Bramble with others based at car parking clearance areas, Purdy’s Marsh and soke clearances. Much of Royston Bridge this work followed the M&C Maintenance plan (see Apr 22 AB p16) on the Ebridge Reach, or took place elsewhere, for example on the Top Canal beyond Swafield Bridge, the Honing Staithe Path and Cut, Honing and Briggate Locks, and the Pigney’s Wood sec on. Thursday WP leaders are needed to help co-ordinate this work, as well as the par cipants themselves. Royson Spillway 2017 IC
Alongside these groups, the aqua c weed management teams need volunteers for the weedcuRng and li.ing, and keeping the channel clear for the many and varied community users now found along the Ebridge Reach.
Paddle gear maintenance Feb 22 AB
The second arm of the work party volunteers are the Muddy Team. They work on the various projects aimed at future restora on of the canal itself. In the past, spillways have been rebuilt at Royston and Ebridge - with support given to Laurie’s efforts rebuilding Bacton Wood lock - and the rebuilding and ga ng of the top of Ebridge Lock. Projects lined up here include the stop plank provision for BW lower gates, landing stages for canoeists and trip boat, plus the challenge of Ebridge Lock bo%om gates. The Muddy Team has worked hard clearing Ebridge lock chamber and repairing the walls, but the next significant challenge is to clear under the bridge itself. To do this, the lock has to be safe and dry. To be dry, a bund needs to be constructed to keep the downstream water out. These days, scaffold and tarp bunds are the normal prac ce; however, when this
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was tried under the bridge, it would not seal at the bo%om. Nobody realised that when the old bridge was demolished, much was le. in the water, and this disjointed pile of bricks prevented the bund BW Lock top seal from doing stop planks 2019 RG its job. As such, the task will now be to reposi on the bund to below the bridge itself, and, a.er that, piping the water from the culvert outlet through the bund, allowing the chamber to be pumped out and bridge hole clearances to start. For this to go ahead, the Trust needs a ProNigel & Terry ject Manager who is keen to work and design not only the bunds working on but also gates that will need to be operated without the normal chamber beams. We’d also welcome any other brickies, carpenters, labrickwork. bourers or engineers who would like to come along and work on July 2019 JK or lead the projects. The Trust Project’s works, although o.en Sunday-based, usually end up with an enthusias c core that func ons on all or some days of the week. For those who prefer the cleaner “Suited Team” work, the permissions, BNG considera ons, planning and scoping for work at Honing and
Clearing Ebridge Chamber Mar 2020 IC
Briggate as well as Ebridge offers several year’s of challenges for them as well. ֎
Ebridge Culvert outfall. Whose flow needs diverting through a new bund. March 2020 IC
For the latest work party news go to h*ps://nwdct.org/work-party-informa on-page/ If you can help with any or all of the tasks above, please contact the Trust via secretary@nwdct.org ֎ May 2022
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Wild Swimmers Fun Day
On Easter Sunday, the Norfolk & Norwich Wild Swimmers held a fund raising event: “A fun swim to raise money for the Old Canal Company and the NW&DCT”. Caz Proctor writes that “Many of you use the canal at Ebridge, so already know what a delightful place it is. The canal is privately owned, and access to this beautiful place is generously given by the OCC. Recently, the OCC provided steps at Ebridge Mill, making entry/exit so much easier. The steps were installed by the NW&DCT volunteers”. Participants were encouraged to bring inflatables, to add to the fun, and fancy dress. Photographs here, taken by Caz P and Glenis Dillon, show what a funday it was. Contributions were accepted online or in buckets around the millpond on the day. When we went to press, some £340.04 had been
raised. Both the OCC and Trust would like to thank everyone for the fabulous turnout, the funds raised towards the maintenance and further restoration of the canal, and especially to all who braved the waters that
day.
֎
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Boating News - Graham (Skipp) Pressman As Summer approaches, we’re planning to run one hour-long trip, either in the afternoon or evening. However, with COVID remaining prevalent, we continue to take group bookings only. This is so that you have the boat to yourself, your friend and family. As we need to organise a crew volunteer as well as steerer, please book at least a day in advance on 07585 160 Where 722. Next?
(
We hope to be able to offer trips, by the Autumn and Winter, through Bacton Wood Lock and up to Royston Bridge. Maybe another craft moored on the other side of Royston bridge will allow us to transfer passengers and travel all the way to Swafield! And by 2025 - maybe through Ebridge lock as well.֎
FLOATING PENNYWORT UPDATE Suki reports from the March Working Group Mee ng: The IDB is working with the landowner of a private dyke, where an appreciable volume of pennywort has been found. The RSPB con nues to monitor its own marshes - undertaking monthly boat surveys from Stalham to Barton - whilst the BA concentrates on monitoring the Wayford Bridge to Dilham sec on. It is aware of a very problema c patch in the Smallburgh area. ֎
Naturespot.org.uk
May 2022
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Where Next? Some of the challenges ahead.
Honing Lock Gauging sta on (IC)
Waterpipe at Swafield Bridge
Silt deposits from North Walsham Stream Spa Common (GP)
Honing Spillway (IC)
Bacton Wood Locks bo*om stop p Ten pairs of lock gates (IC)
Quagmire
Briggate Lock wall (IC) Ebridge bund and bo*om gates (CH)
Increase volunteer base at all levels
LiA Paston Way Footbridge (IC)
planks and bund removal (IC) Move Honing footbridge to lock tail (IC)
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Waters Elsewhere - Funding All restora on projects need funding, and, to progress north or south of the Ebridge reach, grants will be the mainstay. For this “Waters Elsewhere”, we take a look at the types of funding that are being iden fied elsewhere in the Country. Bridgwater Docks (£4m) - Sedgemoor District Council for the Bridgwater& Taunton Canal. This is for the restora on of the dock’s infrastructure and historic bascule bridge, but not for the lock to the River Parre% (Government Towns Fund) - WW, Feb., p25. Montgomery Canal (£15.4m) - Government grant for restora on of a 1.3 mile dry sec on of the canal, with compensatory nature reserves. Montgomery Canal (£337,000) - Feasibility study for other aspects not covered in the above. (Government Community Renewal Fund) - WW, Feb. 22, p21. Bure Valley Walk (which follows the Bure Valley Railway from Aylsham to Hoveton) (£850,000). Of this figure, £600,000 is from the EU EXPERIENCE Project (a fund which was to be used for the art installaons at Ebridge, turned down by the OCC), and £250,000 from a levy on housebuilding and other projects. A further £260,000 from the Greater Norwich Growth Board Infrastructure Investment Fund will finance addi onal improvements, including waymarking of circular walks. EDP, 10 Jan. 2022, p9. Wilts & Berks Canal (£15,000) - From the Wiltshire Community Founda on, to provide a roof over the previous (now dry) dock, and to build a sheltered outdoor classroom. Towpath Talk (TT), Nov. 2021, p6. Derby Canal - The total current cost of the canal restora on project at the Golden Mile is just over £400,000. The work was contracted out to Killingley. Of this figure, £100,000 was provided with pledges from generous donors, supplemented by addi onal funding from Network Rail, which needed the Golden Mile to ensure flood allevia on for the nearby Railway line (see website). Wilts & Berks Canal Trust (£9,550) - From the Na onal Lo%ery Community Fund’s Awards for All programme, to provide a new welfare unit for the volunteers, with a crew room, kitchen, washing area, toilets and storage. TT, Feb. 2022. Chesterfield Canal Trust (£1,000) - From Barra% and David Wilson Homes, enabling the Chesterfield Canal to remain a “picturesque and usable stretch of waterway”. Addi onally, twelve employees of the firm spent a day with the Trust, helping to clear overgrown vegeta on. TT, Feb. 2022. Lapal Canal Trust (£75,000) - From the Veolia Environment Trust, as part of the Landfill Communi es Fund. To complete the funding of a winding hole, allowing boats to turn, enter and exit the restored Dudley No. 2 Canal. LCT Autumn Newsle2er.
To progress, then, the Trust has to secure funding. To do so, the Trust needs a group to assist our new Funding Team Leader, David Batley. ֎
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David B writes: My wife and I ran the Moorhen B&B in Horning, and created canoe trails down the River Bure. Guests who returned for more adventure were offered a launch at Honing lock for a trail to Wroxham. During that curious post-lockdown period in 2020, we stayed at Canal Camping, Dilham, and rediscovered this beau ful waterway. We stumbled across Weasel at Ebridge and listened to Mar n recoun ng some of the history. We were amazed by our nine-year-old camping neighbour, who had spo%ed an o%er from her paddle board just ten metres from her launch. When we moved back in 2021, I saw the Open Weekend in the Cromer Times. Following the event, I joined the Trust. My background is largely of an outdoor life. Agriculture, working on farms, studying, farm management, and many years of agricultural educa on. Later, I taught woodland management to adults with a variety of learning difficul es. Upon taking early re rement, we created and ran the Moorhen, and played an ac ve part in the Green Business Scheme and Broads Tourism. At the last Trust mee ng, I accepted the role of Funding Team Leader. The sugges on is that this team be created to ensure all possible sources of money associated with the restora on of the Canal are inves gated. Where Next? However, my experience of the canal is limited to launching canoe trails from Honing lock to Wroxham. In the short term, then - to complete the picture - I intend to meet farmers, landowners, and all manner of enthusiasts, to build up a map loca ng both posi ve and only occasionally nega ve views. This should make a comprehensive case for suppor ng funding bids. It will involve a good deal of legwork and mee ng and gree ng - which I enjoy - but companions would make it more fun. I would be interested to hear from any friends of the canal who might be able to lend their support by joining the funding team to con nue inves ga ng grant possibili es. Medium term will see more Canal re watered to maintain momentum, followed by the full func oning of the Canal to benefit the community and the tourist economy, whilst protec ng the environment and heritage. A personal comment would be as a Cromer resident I am struck by the large number of local people who have fond memories of the canal. Please contact me on :- 07497 081 137 or canddbatley@gmail.com or good old fashioned snail mail at 13 Connaught Road, Cromer. NR27 0BZ Thank you, David Batley, Funding Team Leader ֎
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Archive Slot - The Mitigation and Compensatory Reports The December 2021 li.ing of the Stop No ce on the OCC was dependent upon an agreement between the EA, Trust and OCC, as outlined in the Trust’s Restora on Sec on 2 and the M&C Annual Report for 2020 (see Quagmire, 6.1, Feb. 2022). This enables the OCC to con nue with its aims of re-watering, to navigable depth, the canal to Swafield Bridge, and, addi onally, through Starling’s Canal to the locks. The relaxa on of an EA threat to place similar Stop No ces on the other canal owners now enable them and the Trust to look ahead to restora on work, as far as the Smallburgh River, resuming. Where Next?
However, the M&C’s agreed requirements will also steer much of the work of the OCC & Trust’s work over the coming years, and lead the way in planning for other, would-be sec ons of the canal’s restora on and maintenance. Let’s look back, then, at those two reports to see where and what ac ons have been agreed.
The compensatory aspects of the report are geared towards the re-watering of the upper canal. It looks to mi gate the loss of shallow-flowing waters passing down the canal from Swafield and then diver ng through the penstock, Inside above Story Headline Penstock Royston Bridge, into the soke and stream around Purdy’s Marsh. By their very nature, the canal waters will be slower moving and deeper, with some of the shallower edges and related bio-diversity liable to be affected. As with many canal restora on sites in the country, the Trust looked at canalside land where work could be undertaken. The OCC’s Purdy’s Marsh was seen as ideal, with the present stream - fed both by IDB-controlled waters from Pigneys Wood and Knapton - and the ouXlow through the penstock, passing around the eastern edge of the Marsh. One of the EA’s concerns was that the flow from the IDB’s waters would no longer be fast enough to con nue suppor ng the biodiversity of the Purdy’s Marsh scheme. A possible alterna ve would be to crack the Royston penstock, enabling a con nuous flow, whilst not impac ng either lock movements or milling requirements at Bacton Wood Mill. Another idea would be to install a small ‘bleed’ spillway in the east bank located in the area of Pigney’s
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Wood. This would extend the east-flowing length of the back-soke considerably, and maintain a greater flow in the soke. The marsh itself is to be managed as a watermeadow/reed bed area, with various experiments undertaken to determine the most efficient way to improve both plant growth diversity and animal habitats on the marsh. The diagram shows the rota onal system established over the past few years, with grazing, rather than cuRng, seen as a less labour-intensive methodology. The annual “balsam bashing” undertaken by volunteers has also had an immensely advantageous effect on reducing the amount of this invasive species on the ground. Turf ponds - Under the guidance of NWT, NWDCT has also carried out some further experiments, to create more topography on the marsh and thereby increase its biodiversity. With that aim in mind, it has dug two turf ponds in the southern quarter of PM to a maximum depth of about 500mm. These tend to dry out in the summer but fill up in the winter, witnessing to, predominantly, reed growth since their excava on. The digging of several more ponds across the marsh has been proposed - including some with deeper areas than have been tried so far - so as to create slightly different Mar 2019 IC habitats. Several shallow scrapes have also been created in places. Progress on this, especially as it was a popular task for the local High School’s DoE groups (see pic above), has been delayed by the pandemic.
Catchment sluice
New ponds are planned. The first looks to enhance the present pond on the soke bend above the road culvert. The second will be a new pond, connected to the east back soke but having a gradual shallowing bed sloping towards the east soke. This new pond will be only a few metres from the ‘temporary pond’, and should be able to replicate the ecological features which will otherwise be lost. It has the poten al to be ‘managed’ to enhance its ecological value further.
Installa on of plank weirs - As well as allowing minor natural obstruc ons to permit some varia on within the physical confines of the soke, ‘plank weirs’ installed along the east back-soke at strategic places would maintain pools of water in mes of drought or abstrac on of the canal water. In par cular, a 30cm plank in the oil containment catchment sluice below Royston Bridge would maintain a constant depth of water in the soke pond above the bridge. County Wildlife Sites - Purdy’s Marsh and the canal at Bacton Wood are already amongst the county’s CWS sites. The Norfolk Wildlife Trust also sees the canal as an important open water corridor, improving connec vity in areas of sedge fen and reed beds. This is especially so between their CWS sites nos. 1176 and 1177 at An ngham Ponds, Pigney’s Wood reed beds, Spa Common (Purdy’s Marsh) no. 1173, and Ebridge Farm Meadows no. 2215. This has already been recognised as a suc-
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cessful Marsh Harrier route and habitat, and we look forward to further joint developments with the NWT. Other compensatory projects are also listed in the reports, and the Trust’s regular compara ve
evalua on of yearly survey results against baseline figures is a very necessary part of the mi gaon task. Only this assessment allows us to judge the effec veness of our mi ga on efforts and to develop and adapt them as needed. The mi ga on aspects of the reports and agreements are drawn up to avoid or reduce any nega ve impacts on the maintenance of the restored canal, balancing the needs of nature and the community users. These mi gaon features par cularly cover the aqua c and bank maintenance schedules. They were drawn up a.er extensive discussions with the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency and Broads Authority, so as to reflect their best prac ces used in the maintenance of waterways throughout the country. These cover everything from the ming of weed cuRng by the Trust’s Weedeater to schedules for mowing the paths, banks, buffer strips and the clearances of the sokes (mainly undertaken by the IDB). Full details of the M&C work, undertaken by the Trust, can be found in their 99-page NW&DC Restora on Report (£10) and M&C Group Report for 2020 (£3), available from the Editor. These include full details of the flora, fauna, amphibian, birds and entomology surveys undertaken. Ivan Cane ֎ Quagmire
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Where Next?
Royston Bridge As most know, Royston Bridge was lowered in 1969, enabling heavier lorries to pass over en route to the Bacton Wood Gas Terminal Building site. An armtec tunnel was placed in the original bridge hole, concreted and backfilled over. The NCC agreed that they would re-instate the bridge, should naviga onal demands necessitate.
C 1912 Jane Cumberlidge
FiAy years on, those naviga onal needs are more pressing than ever, and talks have been taking place with the NCC Bridge Engineers for some me. Although the NCC accepts its liability, it lacks the funds to rebuild the bridge. One of the major engineering problems is that replacing what was the bridge would contravene the “sight lines” for modernday traffic. The answer would be to realign the road over a freshly-created embankment, with a new flat bed bridge at navigable height or a liA bridge incorpora ng a towpath and stop plank provision. Last es mate £1.5m. March 1969 P. Wills-Jones
The replacement of culverted bridges is a major task for most waterway restora on groups in the country, and no local authories are able to fully fund such events. As a result, a partnership between canal trusts and the authority is the usual way forward, with grant funding being sourced and supplemen ng any local Council’s efforts. With this in mind, the NCC has offered to work with the Trust’s Funding Team. Perhaps, by 2030, the trip boat will be heading non-stop from Ebridge to Swafield? Ivan Cane֎
Nov 2011 IC
Copies of the M&C Plan and the Annual Report are available for £15 inc. p&p. please contact the editor for details May 2022
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David Tomlinson We were very sorry to hear of the passing of David Tomlinson, aged 86, on March 23rd. I'd only known David since 2007, when he was involved with the East Anglian Waterway's Association work on the North Walsham and Dilham Canal. He was both a regular volunteer, commuting from his home in Stafford, and a sponsor for many of the early work party expenses. David was also closely involved with the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society and the Slea Navigation Trust. He boated much of the country, single-handed, over the years. This was with, variously, a Wilderness Trailboat, the Queen of Sheba, and, later, his narrowboat Nell. Our boats’ paths last crossed on the Middle Levels at March, Cambridgeshire, in 2019. However, David's involvement with restoration is more associated with the 1960's. He was one of those instrumental in the Staffs & Worcs Society’s restoration of the Stourbridge 16, and possibly with David Hutching on the Stourbridge Rally. Our paths would have crossed in those days, but sadly we dibdn’t know each other at the time. David at Briggate Mill Pond, 2011. IC
David devoted his life to the waterways, and will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Ivan Cane ֎
PayPal report to the membership On the 11st April 2021 the Trust created a PayPal account and, on the 3rd July, we went public with our new membership MemberMoJo database which allowed for subscrip ons and dona ons to be made into the PayPal account. I, as the PayPal account administrator, transfer all monies into the Trust bank account once a month, usually just at the end. To 31st March 2022 we have received 239 separate transac ons which are made up of the following: The breakdown of payments: MemberMoJo shop & New member packs
Gross
Fees total
Net balance
£116.35
Membership payments (S=43. F=58. L=4)
£1,900.00
Dona ons (all sources)
£1,768.69
PayPal fees
£100.89
Total
£3,785.04
£100.89
£3,684.15
One family added a comment to their dona on that “we really enjoy coming here, thank you J”. Another donator said “Hello there, I wanted to give a small token of support. I had a lovely swim while on holiday in Norfolk and I really valued having the steps into the water. You do wonderful work!” We have received dona ons especially via the QR codes at Ebridge from people that have visited us from: Sidcup in Kent
Southwell in NoRnghamshire
Godalming in Surrey
Has ngs in East Sussex
Julie Kelleher ֎
Ebridge Open Weekend
Trust A.G.M.
August 13th & 14th 2022
Tuesday 11th October 2022 Quagmire
VOLUME
6
ISSUE
2
PAGE
19
Contact the North Walsham & Dilham Canal Trust CIO Working To Secure Norfolk's Canal Heritage
North Walsham & Dilham Canal Trust CIO Unit 4 Bacton Wood, Anchor Road, Spa Common, North Walsham, NR28 9AJ
Registered Charitable Incorporated Organisa on No 1180474 Email the Trust’s Officers: Chair - David,
davgis@live.co.uk
Membership - Andrea,
membership@nwdct.org
General Information,
secretary@nwdct.org
Boat Trips - Graham P,
boating@nwdct.org
Fishing -Tom,
fishing@nwdct.org
Funding Team - David B
grants@nwdct.org
Work Parties
secretary@nwdct.org
Quagmire - Ivan,
qeditor@nwdct.org
ICT - Julie,
ICT@nwdct.org
Wildlife - Suki,
sukipryce@hotmail.co.uk
Treasurer - Barry,
treasurer@nwdct.org
Media - vacant,
press@nwdct.org
Archivist (EAWA) - Ivan archive@nwdct.org Education & Training -Sue education@nwdct.org
Copies of the Trust’s A3 Access Map of the Canal - showing access points, car parks, pubs etc on one side, and an O.S map with enlarged sections showing the locks, on the reverse, are available at £2, inc p& p. Past copies of Quagmire are also available for £2, including p&p. Please contact the editor for details. qeditor@nwdct.org May 2022
QUAGMIRE
May 2022
Where Next?
Weaver’s Way Bridge, Briggate. Laurence Neave March 22
Canoes through here by 2030?
Quagmire
