Towpath Talk February 2015 FULL ISSUE

The UK’s Number ONE read for all waterways users

104 PAGES

Issue 112, February 2015

Holiday cruisers in pride of place at London Boat Show

WHO’S HELPING TO KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING? P2 WARNING TO BOATERS AFTER CANAL ARSON P3

FIRST STEPS TOWARDS A NEW WIGAN PIER

If you wanted to see narrowboats at this year’s London Boat Show you had to go outside ExCel and walk along to the far end of the Royal Victoria Dock. St Pancras Cruising Club members again made their traditional cruise to the show; the five boats locking out into the Thames Tideway through City Mill and Three Mills locks from about 1pm on Thursday, January 8, and travelling via the mouth of Bow Creek and down to the Thames Barrier. They were due to make the return trip to the club on Monday, January 12.

P4

PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

By Harry Arnold

THOSE looking for narrowboats inside the CWM FX London International Boat Show at the ExCeL exhibition centre would have been disappointed but the

PRESERVING THE TRADITIONS OF CANAL ARTS AND CRAFTS P14

New customer services chief

IAN Rogers has been appointed as the Canal & River Trust’s first permanent head of customer services and he takes up his new role on February 2. Ian comes from Aon, the large insurance broker, where he has been managing director of the Aon Affinity division working with SME (small and medium-sized enterprises) customers.

Before that, he worked in senior customer service roles at Dataforce, Thomas Cook and Eurostar.

His priority will be to lead the trust’s programme of customer service improvements and will assume direct responsibility for leisure boating, licensing and enforcement.

411 BOATS FOR SALE

Starts on

inland waterways situation was somewhat redeemed this year.

There were more Broads companies both exhibiting wide beam cruisers for sale and hire and generally promoting holidays on the East Anglian network.

P15

Solar park plans rejected

COUNCILLORS have refused plans for a 56-acre solar park beside the Llangollen Canal in rural Cheshire, writes Geoff Wood. Cheshire East’s strategic planning board ruled that the scheme between Marbury and Wrenbury would have a “significant impact on the landscape characteristics of the site”. The developer had argued that the solar panels would provide a “significant contribution towards renewable energy targets”. But campaigners who collected a petition against the scheme of 190 signatures called for the plans to be blocked. Campaign spokesman Graham Walsh said: “Solar energy has a role. But this development is just in the wrong place.”

More locations, more choice Stourport Marina Tel 01299 827 082

Racecourse Marina, Windsor

Stourport on Severn

Tel 01753 851 717

River Thames, Windsor

Thames & Kennet Marina

Walton Marina

Tel 01932 221 689

Boat sales at seven Marinas with over 150 boats for sale

Visit:

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Upton Marina

Tel 01684 593 111 Upton upon Severn

Walton on Thames

Brundall Bay Marina

Tel 01189 477 770

River Thames, Caversham

Tel 01603 717 804

Pyrford Marina

Tel 01932 343 275 River Wey, Surrey

Norfolk Broads

Richardson’s Boating Holidays, the largest Broads operator with more than 300 boats, had two of its largest luxury hire craft on show. Funnell Boats – probably better known as Ferry Marina and Waveney River Centre – was

marketing as private craft its Funn 27AC, aft cockpit and 27SC forward cockpit but both are also in its hire fleet. Norfolk Broads Direct, with its Faircraft Loynes hire fleet, was showing Fair Chancellor.

• Continued on page 2

Grant boost for Staveley lock

A PROJECT to install new lock gates on the Chesterfield Canal in Staveley can go ahead thanks to a funding boost from The Veolia Environmental Trust. It has awarded Derbyshire County Council £37,500 towards the manufacture and installation of the new gates.

The work will be third phase of a project to construct Staveley Town Lock in Staveley Town Basin. The lock itself is being built by volunteers from the Chesterfield Canal Trust which will be working with the county council throughout 2015 in a bid to achieve completion of the remainder of the engineering works.

2 NEWS

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WELCOME

THE first month of 2015 will be remembered for its bad rather than good news and the inland waterways did not escape the distressing headlines. The death of a woman in Bootle who slipped into the Leeds & Liverpool Canal while feeding the ducks touched many of our Facebook readers while claims that a serial killer is at large after 61 deaths in Manchester’s canal district could be a cause for concern despite police reassurance.

January also signalled the first event of the boating calendar; although geared towards the luxury end of the market, the CWM FX London Boat Show did provide a platform for the British Marine Federation to publish its latest statistics quoting encouraging signs of resilience in the domestic market as well as its manifesto.

On a positive note there has been good news for some of our canal trusts and societies with the awards of honours – see report on page 3 – and Heritage Lottery cash including more than £800,000 for a five year project to restore locks on the Grantham Canal, see page 4. Another long-term scheme to create a new ‘Wigan Pier Quarter’ has also come a step closer, also page 4.

Harry Arnold looks at the work of the Waterway Crafts Guild on page 14 and in Bits & Bobs on page 58, Rexx and Phill create some Valentine’s Day treats for the love of your life.

Fast forward to June and we bring you the first preview of the Braunston Historic Boat Rally which we are delighted to be associated with again this year, see our What’s On section where you’ll also find dates for the first of this year’s boat jumbles if you’re looking for a bargain.

Happy hunting

TOWPATH

TALK

Janet

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Boating with ‘the boss’ CANAL & River Trust chief executive, Richard Parry, started off the new year with a trip with John and Jenny Jackson on their trading boat Roach to see what life is like at the coal face so to speak.

Having loaded 19.5 tons of pre-packed coal the previous day, they headed uphill from Awbridge towards Autherley Junction and the Shropshire Union Canal.

In his blog, John writes: “I suggested that Richard steer once we had left the wharf and he readily agreed. The boat was probably heavier to steer than he had tried before, but he got the hang of it immediately.

“We encountered no real problems other than the usual irritants such as debris in the bottom of lock chambers, the odd sideways shift here and there caused by waterlogged tree trunks and the large lump of rubble left by contractors in Compton Bridge. There was also the gentle rocking and rolling that is always experienced on a loaded boat (the size of

Coalboat Roach with CRT chief executive, Richard Parry, at the helm. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Waterways supporter to retire from Commons

By Elizabeth Rogers

BANBURY MP Sir Tony Baldry has announced that he will be standing down at this year’s general election. He has represented the Oxfordshire seat since 1983.

Sir Tony, who was knighted in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Honours in June 2012 for his parliamentary and public service, has been a strong supporter of the waterways of this country.

Last spring he was presented with an award by the Inland Waterways Association, of which he has been a member for 20 years, as its Parliamentarian of the Year.

For the past three years he has been co-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Waterways Group.

An early role in his political career was as personal aide to his party leader Margaret Thatcher at the 1974 general

election, and he was a member of her private office staff both while she was prime minister and leader of the opposition.

In 1994 he was appointed parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department of the Environment with responsibility for matters including environmental protection and planning.

In his own constituency he was instrumental in the formation about two years ago

of the Banbury Canal Partnership, which brings together all organisations concerned in the management and conservation of the canal network in this part of North Oxfordshire.

Sir Tony lists among his interests enjoying walking beside the canals.

RIGHT: Waterways supporter Sir Tony Baldry who will not be seeking re-election this year.

• Continued from page 1

Holiday cruisers in pride of place at London Boat Show

Other builders of perhaps larger and more powerful cruisers that can be used on rivers were exhibiting new boats such as Broom and Haines; the latter’s 360 aft cabin being particularly attractive. In the smaller cruisers, suitable for inland use; instead of last year’s narrowboat, Tingdene Marinas was displaying a multicoloured Viking cruiser to demonstrate its boat wrapping process. Viking Mouldings also had its own cruisers display, as did Shetland Boats.

There were French holiday hire details from France Afloat and it was good to see Hoseasons Holidays back

at the show, albeit with a very small stand, but at least with some holiday information on the rest of the waterways. Waterway books could be found on the stands of publishers Adlard Coles Nautical and Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson and mooring information on the Yacht Harbours Association’s ‘Which Marina’ display.

But apart from the efforts of the Inland Waterways Association yet again, when are we going to return to having a stand at London providing navigation information on Britain’s rivers and canals for both the private boater and the holidaymaker?

ABOVE: The multicoloured finish of the Viking cruiser on Tingdene Marinas’ stand. PHOTOS:

WATERWAY IMAGES

Independent publisher since 1885

See page 13 or call 01507

LEFT: Most river and canal information was on the Inland Waterways Association’s stand.

RIGHT: The roomy interior of the Funn 27SC forward cockpit cruiser.

most obstacles is exaggerated when bounced over with an empty boat).

“The stop-gate narrows beyond Wolverhampton Boat Club on the Shropshire Union Canal was the only place that actually stopped our progress – three or four runs at it with all 29 horses engaged got us through though.”

John added that dredging was the subject of a long discussion, also overhanging branches, the supervision of contractors, the role of volunteers, water conservation and the winter stoppage programme.

When asked if he was in the job for the ‘long-haul’, Richard left John and Jenny in no doubt that he means to persevere and that he does care deeply for the canal system. Having dropped him off just beyond Brewood, complete with instruction in the local pronunciation of that place, they carried on with their journey.

See John Jackson’s letter in Talkback on page 101

NEWS 3

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Volunteers honoured in 2015 New Year list

By Harry Arnold

THE 2015 New Year’s Honours List was notable for the general shortage of names involved in boats and boating.

However, James Stewart Dunlop was appointed MBE for services to the Stockport Canal Boat Trust and to the community in Disley, Cheshire. The trust has run the narrowboat New Horizons – purposely built for community use

and to accommodate disabled and disadvantaged passengers – on cruises on the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals since 1981.

Speaking to James, he stressed to us that he believed the award was not to him personally but in recognition of the hard work of all the volunteers and others who have crewed the boat and raised funds for its operation.

Evelyn Mills, who received the BEM for services to inland waterways, is an administrative officer at Defra but

IN BRIEF

also a volunteer for the Canal & River Trust (CRT) working on London area waterways.

A CRT spokesman said: “Evelyn has been volunteering for our monthly Towpath Taskforce events in London since March 2011. In her time with us she has become a central figure, rarely missing an event and helping to take new volunteers under her wing and giving support to more vulnerable members of the group.

Former canal boss honoured

James Stewart Dunlop MBE.

PHOTO COURTESY JAMES DUNLOP

“Evelyn has also acted as an ambassador for volunteering on the waterways by introducing friends and colleagues to taskforce events as well. The feedback we get from our volunteers is that it’s been a genuine pleasure to work with her.”

LARGE ships sailing along the Manchester Ship Canal were prime boyhood memories for one man who has been given a CBE in the New Year’s Honours, writes Geoff Wood.

Robert Hough, formerly of Urmston, near Salford, never forgot what he saw and became chairman of the Manchester Ship Canal from 1987 to 2002. Mr Hough, now of Bowdon, Cheshire, was also chairman of the organising committee for the Commonwealth Games in Manchester and held a number of senior business posts. He was awarded the CBE for services to business in the North West.

Safer canal towpath

WORK to clean-up a stretch of the Grand Union Canal near Hayes, has been hailed as a major success by the Canal & River Trust.

It praised all those who helped transform the stretch of North Hyde Gardens, between Bulls Bridge and Station Road. The Metropolitan Police took the lead on the project, with support from Hillingdon council and homeless charity Thames Reach, in order to clean up graffiti and litter, support those living rough in the area and make it a safer route for cyclists and walkers.

Drink free zone

New Horizons on the Peak Forest Canal at Marple. PHOTO: STOCKPORT CANAL BOAT TRUST

Evelyn Mills BEM. PHOTO: CRT

Narrowboat charity calls it a day

By Elizabeth Rogers

THE Oxford Narrowboat Charitable Trust, which for nearly 30 years has been taking senior citizens and children with disabilities and special needs on river and canal trips, has run its boat The Venturer for the last time.

At a meeting in December it was decided that its services must come to an end as operating the boat is no longer financially viable.

“It is not just one thing,” trust chairman Mike Stanley told Towpath Talk. “We find it difficult to find sufficient volunteers to run the boat, and with

Inside the narrowboat The Venturer, which caters for 12 passengers.

reduced numbers of passengers it has been hard to keep going for the past two years.”

Deposits are not taken when bookings are made, and when senior citizens who were expected on board are unable to come because they have been let down by their transport, the boat runs at less than full capacity.

An attempt was made a few years ago to improve matters by increasing fares, but this resulted in less use by care homes and schools who could not afford these prices, particularly during times of reduced funding.

There is also a limited operating season, running from Easter to the end of September, of only 20 to 22 weeks.

“From May to July we were running for five to six days most weeks, but in August bookings became quiet, and in September very quiet,” said Mr Stanley.

The 70ft boat was originally commissioned by BBC Radio Oxford for a scheme of its own which began in 1988 with a launch by Prince Charles. The boat was built by apprentices on a Youth Training Scheme in Birkenhead, Merseyside. The trust took it over when, after a few years, the BBC scheme was losing money.

The boat has carried a maximum of 12 passengers, the most it can take without a crew with higher qualifications. It is adapted with

The Venturer has been carrying passengers in the Oxford area for nearly 30 years. PHOTOS SUPPLIED wheelchair access, lift to the cabin, and disabled toilet and shower.

For refreshment facilities there is a large kitchen, separate seating and tables. The tables convert into additional beds for the occasional overnight stays.

Being a charity, the trust has been unable to operate the boat as a money-making operation, and it has relied on subsidies in recent years.

A decision will now be taken about the future of The Venturer, most likely selling it and donating the proceeds to charities with which the trust has worked.

WATERSIDE stretches in Boston in Lincolnshire, including the areas around the Grand Sluice and Black Sluice locks, have been designated drink prohibition zones by the borough council.

It is the first in the country to use new legislation covering the town centre with a Public Space Protection Order to curb street drinking. Anyone failing to stop drinking alcohol when ordered to do so by a police officer could be fined up to £500. More than 200 signs have been displayed in the area covered by the order.

Boards smashed

TWO information boards erected by the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust have been smashed by vandals.

The latest, showing details of the project to restore the canal between Newport’s Meretown Lock, next to the A41, to Norbury Junction was discovered on New Year’s Day. It came just over a month after another sign at the Edgmond side of the town, behind the Shell filling station, was damaged. The trust is now concerned that it is being targeted and police have been informed.

Llama drama

A RUNAWAY llama that caused chaos after escaping from a field at Littleborough was eventually tracked down near the Rochdale Canal, writes Geoff Wood. It had been spotted by dozens of motorists as it fled around Littleborough.

Owner Don Taylor tracked down the woolly creature close to the canal compensation reservoir Hollingworth Lake and the adjoining Rochdale Canal. Calista, a female rescue llama which had escaped after being scared by a dog, is now said to be recovering well after the ordeal.

4 NEWS

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On the road to a new Wigan Pier

Launching the development at Wigan Pier are, from left; CRT waterways manager Chantelle Seaborn, Coun Maggie Skilling, Richard Thomas of H20 Urban, Wigan Council deputy leader Coun David Molyneux and Coun Mike Dewhurst. PHOTO SUPPLIED

A MAJOR transformation of one of the North West’s most iconic destinations has moved a step closer after Wigan Council signed a deal with developers to deliver a new ‘Wigan Pier Quarter’.

The plans will transform the land around the historic Leeds & Liverpool Canal basin close to Wigan town centre and include construction of a major performance venue, new canal moorings plus new homes and shops.

A 10-year master plan to redesign and redevelop the area has been agreed between the council, the Canal & River Trust and developer H20 Urban.

Cheryl Blount-Powell, development manager with the Canal & River Trust, said: “The

An artist’s impression of the proposed Wigan Pier Quarter development. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Leeds & Liverpool Canal has been a catalyst for economic growth and prosperity for nearly 200 years and we are delighted the waterway continues with that role by providing a focal point for regeneration of the Wigan Pier area. We look forward to creating something really special in the town.”

It will be overseen by H20 Urban, which specialises in regenerating canalside locations and has previously worked on successful schemes across the UK including in Northwich, Lancaster and London.

Coun David Molyneux, deputy leader of Wigan Council, said: “The partnership agreement we’ve secured with the Canal & River Trust and H20 Urban is an important step in creating the

new project offers a real opportunity for people young and old to join an enthusiastic team where they can learn new and very marketable skills. It is an ideal volunteering opportunity to restore this forgotten gem in the Vale of Belvoir.”

As well as the physical works the project will also aim to raise awareness of the canal’s built and natural heritage and encourage more people to explore it through festivals, walking trails, archaeological activities, on-site information and online resources.

The works will be a major milestone in the ongoing efforts to restore the canal while also helping to care for its important ecology by improving conditions for aquatic species to thrive.

As well as bringing Locks 14 and 15 back into working use, the project will lay the groundwork for the restoration of Lock 12, pictured and 13. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

● A 1200 seat performance venue at the Today’s Community Church. ● Creation of new moorings in the canal basin offering new water user facilities. ● New commercial development off Pottery Road. ● Commercial development on the former bus depot site at Southgate. ● Improvements to the canal towpath throughout the area. ● Improved loading and access facilities for leisure boat operators. ● The demolition of the former Wigan Pier nightclub building to be replaced with a new community garden. ● A new public car park to be built on waste land in front of Trencherfield Mill providing 70 parking spaces for local businesses, residents and visitors ● There are also plans to bring the building that formerly housed the tourist attraction ‘The Way We Were’ back into use.

Wigan Pier Quarter. It will provide the mechanism for attracting investment and development in this area and make sure it has a bright future.”

Richard Thomas, development manager for H2O Urban, said:

“We will be developing the plans during 2015 and be looking to start the first phase of works shortly thereafter. This is an exciting project and we look forward to delivering a project that Wigan can be proud of.”

The Wigan Pier area which is set for a major transformation. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Lottery boost for Grantham Canal restoration LOCAL people are set to help bring one of the nation’s most cherished canals back to life after a volunteer-led project to restore a series of historic canal locks on the Grantham Canal received a £830,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

The five year project, being managed by the Canal & River Trust and Grantham Canal Society, will see locks 14 and 15 near Woolsthorpe brought back into working use for the first time in around 80 years as well as training volunteers in valuable conservation skills and laying the groundwork for the restoration of a further two locks (numbered 12 and 13).

Mike Stone, chairman of the Grantham Canal Society, said: “This

The new Wigan Pier Quarter will include:

The two locks were designed by renowned engineer William Jessop and many components and design features are largely intact from their original construction over 200 years ago. Sadly, since the canal was closed to boats in 1929, the locks have become overgrown and in some places collapsed. Now volunteers will be helping to reverse the decline by rebuilding collapsed lock walls, clearing out earth and debris from the lock chambers, installing new wooden gates and refilling with water.

The restoration works will be carried out by volunteers from the GCS assisted by the Waterway Recovery Group and Grantham College. A tailored training programme will also be available offering the volunteers the chance to gain important heritage skills and restoration know-how which they can use on other sections of the canal.

The canal, which runs for 33 miles between Nottingham and Grantham opened in 1797 to transport agricultural products to Nottingham. Traffic on the canal dwindled in the face of competition from the growth of road and rail and it was largely closed to boating in 1929.

A stretch of canal from Woolsthorpe to the A1 near Grantham is now once again navigable and the Grantham Canal Society runs boat trips. A section of the canal has been designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, being home to a diverse

Progress report on Kennet & Avon Canal mooring trial

By Polly Player

THE Canal & River Trust introduced a new Towpath Mooring Plan for the Kennet & Avon Canal between Bath and Devizes from May 2014 onwards, for an initial trial period of one year.

Undertaken in consultation with the Kennet & Avon Waterways Partnership, it is intended to address issues such as a widespread noncompliance by some continuous cruisers in the area, in terms of their range and frequency of movement.

The western end of the Kennet & Avon Canal is a heavily trafficked and very popular location, which has historically proven to be a particular hot spot in terms of a large number of boaters failing to comply with the rules of their continuous cruising declaration, with CRT and local boaters having largely failed to reach a consensus on how to manage the localised issues in perpetuity.

The Local Plan implemented by the Trust in May 2014 sought to clarify what CRT would consider to be an acceptable cruising pattern for boaters in the region, as well as outlining what type of activity they would deem to be in breach of the guidelines.

Essentially, the plan states that continuous cruisers in the area must cover a total range of at least 20km within the course of their annual licencing year, and that they undertake a continuous and progressive journey, rather than simply moving back and forth between two or three localised areas.

CRT has published a report on the

progress achieved by the plan to date, which indicates that a total of 1176 individual boats have been recorded in the area between Bath and Foxhangers during the second quarter of the pilot year.

During the first six months of the Local Plan, 169 boats in the area have come to the attention of enforcement officers due to exhibiting an insufficient range of movement, of which 57 have now entered the enforcement process.

The National Bargee Travellers Association (NBTA), which has long taken a particular interest in CRT’s localised plans for the area, feels that the remit and ultimate execution of the interim local plan so far is unjust.

In a statement provided to Towpath Talk, a representative described it as an unmitigated public relations disaster. “CRT has wrongly accused a significant number of boaters of not following the plan because of errors in its boat sighting records.

“Boaters, even some with home moorings, have been angered both by threats to remove their boats and by the need to spend time challenging and correcting these unjust and erroneous accusations which, if not corrected, could lead to boat dwellers losing their homes. This has turned many against the plan and against CRT.” The scheme will continue to run for its planned term, up until May this year, when it will be reviewed by CRT and the Kennet & Avon Waterways Partnership.

NEWS 5

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Warning to boaters after Bridgewater arson attacks

By Janet Richardson

The completed Discovery Deck awaiting official opening. PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES

Voyage of discovery revealed on dry land

A BOAT owner with the canals in his blood has been left devastated after his narrowboat was burnt out in an arson attack.

Stephen Southall, a descendant of the Manchester Ship Canal Company’s first chairman Daniel Adamson, was alerted by a call from the Bridgewater Canal Company in early December. A visit to the moorings at Pickering Bridge, Thelwall, near Lymm, confirmed the bad news that it was his 40ft boat Tur-Na-Cog, which he had winterised a couple of weeks previously.

He told Towpath Talk: “I have had a boat on the canal for over 30 years and now I do not know if I will ever be in a position to buy another boat because of this mindless act. I have owned a boat since I was 24 and I have seriously undervalued my boat, the

Harry Arnold goes back to school and joins the children in an art class.

FOLLOWING my first visit to see the arrival of the steel shell and the naming of the innovative solution to Rugeley’s Chancel Primary School’s lack of a library – a narrowboat – I was invited back recently for the official opening.

Funding of £10,000 from the Big Lottery Awards for All scheme paid for the shell, produced at a special price by Nick Thorpe Boatbuilding Ltd. Work by parents, teachers and friends, plus donations from local companies and individuals, amounting to a value of £6000, completed the aptly named Discovery Deck.

Main guest was well known, award-winning author and illustrator of children’s books Steve Smallman, who happens to lives not far away in Lichfield.

Steve has been illustrating children’s books for almost 30 years and writing his own stories for slightly less: He either writes and illustrates or creates the pictures for other people’s words, particularly specialising in amusing animal antics.

He also delivers illustration workshops in schools, including mural-painting, and you would have seen his licensed work on TV illustrating characters in such series as Postman Pat, Bill and Ben, and Sesame Street.

The morning started in the school hall with Steve working with a class of children – plus some very fortunate adults, including me – drawing animal characters of their choice and elaborating on them with followup suggestions. It was more than obvious how skilled he was with the children by their enthusiastic involvement and reaction, but I personally was also absolutely enthralled by his performance.

He finished with reciting from memory the hilarious words of his latest book, now at the publishers, called Poo at the Zoo. Outside, around Discovery Deck, along with the children, a large crowd of invited guests gathered, including parents and others who had supported the project. The school choir entertained, and main supporter and donors – such as local

Author Steve Smallman reads to pupils from one of his books inside the completed Discovery Deck.

A SUBSTANTIAL leak was discovered in the Trent & Mersey Canal at Dutton in late November, close to where a major breach occurred in the winter of 2012, which required immediate closure of the waterway.

Stop planks were installed at the two bridges closest to the site to seal off the canal while it was drained to investigate the problem.

A hole about one metre long was discovered in the original lining of the canal, next to the previous repairs.

The canal embankment is constructed of sandy material in the Dutton area, which makes

insurance money is nowhere near the money I need to get a similar replacement boat.”

A neighbouring boater recognised Stephen’s boat from a brass bell which he had given him when his horn failed three years ago; ironically this had the name Titanic engraved on it.

Apart from the steel hull, this was one of the only contents to survive the fire, flames having been seen leaping up to 40ft in the air.

“The following day I went to look at the remains of the boat and confirmed it was mine,” Stephen continued.

“The fire brigade informed me that the boat was well ablaze when they and the police arrived. Fire officer Steve

Pupils Millie and Jack Groom cut the ribbon to officially open the library, watched by author Steve Smallman and storyteller Cindy Faulkner. companies and Rugeley branches of national organisations – were each presented with a memento in appreciation of their assistance.

The library was officially opened by the traditional cutting of a ribbon across the boat’s entrance steps by Chancel Primary pupils Millie and Jack Groom, chosen because of their family’s major involvement with the project and the life of the school. They were accompanied

by Steve Smallman and another guest, storyteller Cindy Faulkner.

I just about managed to get a photograph of the colourful interior, before being overwhelmed by the rush to see the finished boat.

Discovery Deck is a truly outstanding example of not only an unusual solution to an educational problem, but of a community co-operation project which the school and Rugeley can be proud of.

You can follow its progress on www.chancelptfa.wordpress.com or if you are boating through the town on Trent & Mersey Canal, moor by Bridge 67, near St Augustine’s Church, and have a look at it through the school gates.

Those who enjoy a good story might like to keep a lookout for a copy of Poo at the Zoo when it is published!

Canal not expeCtedto reopen until spring

By Harry Arnold

Stephen Southall’s 40ft narrowboat Tur-Na-Cog, before the devastating fire. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

it more susceptible to problems than other waterways built of more robust materials.

Canal & River Trust (CRT) engineers have carried out extensive investigations into the problem and are working with contracting partners Kier with the aim of repairing the canal lining as quickly as possible.

CRT has now confirmed that the repairs will start in the first week of January with the aim of completion in the early spring. Unfortunately, a definite end date for the work cannot be given and the canal therefore remains closed.

Any boater with particular difficulties caused by this closure should contact the CRT office at Red Bull on 0303 040 4040 for assistance.

The steel hull is all that remains.

The only content to survive, the ‘Titanic’ brass bell.

Mackintosh from Stockton Heath fire station told me there had been another arson attack on a boat at the same place in November, and he also mentioned that in the last few weeks several boats had also been broken into in the Stockton Heath area of Warrington.”

He added that this had happened despite the fact that the moorings are protected by an 8ft security fence, and police are investigating a link between the crimes. He hoped that this would warn other boaters to be on the lookout.

Stephen, who lives in Rochdale, said that his insurer’s recovery team had now removed the burnt-out boat from the canal and it had been sent for scrap.

“I am absolutely gutted, but it probably won’t really hit me until the weather gets better; I used the boat purely for leisure and went down to it every weekend. In September I had 10 days on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, and had a fabulous time because the weather was beautiful. I had been hoping to visit Stratford in 2015. I have lost my hobby in life.”

6 NEWS

IN BRIEF

Search for new partners

THE Canal & River Trust is seeking up to six new members to join its North Wales & Borders Waterway Partnership. The six contrasting canals and rivers include the Montgomery, Shropshire Union and Llangollen Canals, Anderton Boat Lift and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. The waterways stretch from Ellesmere Port to Wolverhampton, Runcorn to Winsford, Llangollen to Nantwich and Frankton to Newtown in Powys.

Partnership meetings are bimonthly and partners are encouraged to get actively involved in promoting these waterways. The deadline for applications is January 31, 2015.

Visit www.canalrivertrust.org.uk or contact waterway manager Wendy Capelle on 0303 040 4040, wendy.capelle@canalrivertrust.org.uk

Lock discovery shows French connection

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Life jackets are recommended for tunnel travel following safety review

By Harry Arnold

WEARING of a life jacket being is recommended for boaters navigating canal tunnels by the Canal & River Trust (CRT).

This follows a CRT review of tunnel safety requested by the North Staffordshire coroner following a fatality within the 2926 yard Harecastle Tunnel on the Trent & Mersey Canal in May 2014.

The steerer of a privately owned narrowboat was apparently knocked off the boat in the section of the tunnel where the roof is low when the craft collided with the wall.

His body was not recovered until the following day and he was found to have suffered a broken neck. There was also

no way his wife and son could call anyone for help as mobile phones do not work in the tunnel.

The coroner’s report makes a number of recommendations including that life jackets or buoyancy aids should be worn; he makes the assumption they are mandatory equipment on narrowboats which they are not. He suggests the installation of a telephone system or radio link and also the provision of safety hats.

However, the CRT has rejected some of these as being too expensive and has only advised the wearing of life jackets or buoyancy aids and also not made it mandatory.

The wearing of safety hats is required for the passage of Standedge Tunnel on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

TWO historic coins were found by Cotswold Canals Trust volunteers working on the Ham Mill Lock restoration scheme. A George III penny and an 1854 Napoleon III five centime coin have been recovered from the silt. The scratched and twisted condition of the five centime piece indicates that it may well have had its collectable value much reduced through having been placed on the nearby railway line to be run over by a train. It has been reported that this practice provided entertainment for local children at some time in history.

Orange is the colour

SIXTIES pop star Donovan sang about Mellow Yellow but in the waterways around Huddersfield, the colour is bright orange, writes Geoff Wood. For the second time in a year, orange has been the new colour flowing through local canals and rivers. Last February it was the River Holme and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal at Marsden that turned to orange. Now it is the River Colne and the Huddersfield Broad Canal which have undergone a colour change. The Environment Agency is investigating.

The CRT recommends boaters wear life jackets when using canal tunnels.

PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Launching the new Sandygate Bridge are Barnfield Construction MD Tim Webber, Burnley Borough Council Leader Mark Townsend and chief executive Steve Rumbelow, on his last day with the council.

PHOTO: BURNLEY COUNCIL

Steel and glass bridge for canal in Burnley is opened

THE iconic new Sandygate canal footbridge across the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Burnley opened to the public just before Christmas.

A major feat of engineering at the heart of the Weavers’ Triangle, it links pedestrians from the new On The Banks development to the town centre.

Describing it as one of the largest heritage-led regeneration schemes in the country, Burnley Council Leader Mark Townsend said: “I’m so proud to see the transformations taking place, which will help put Burnley on the map as a place where enterprise and innovation are thriving.”

The sleek, £300,000, 50m steel footbridge clad in glass and corten was designed by Roger Westbrook. Spanning the canal between the new University Technical College and the town centre, it incorporates LED lighting into the handrails and

will create a blade of light, linking the mix of historic and modern features within the unique canalside mixed use development.

Sandygate Bridge links directly on to the new Sandygate Square, which includes a new amphitheatre and canalside terrace, for which a launch is being planned for early in 2015.

Development partners Barnfield Construction and Burnley Council launched the bridge on December 12. Tim Webber, Barnfield’s managing director, said: “The designs for the bridge were thought over for a long time but we are now confident that this is a fantastic addition to the ever growing On The Banks development.

“We worked closely with the Canal & River Trust to ensure the design aligned with canal users and barges passing under the new bridge.”

Grand entrance planned for city’s waterways museum VISITORS to Gloucester Waterways Museum will be welcomed through a new entrance next year (2016) thanks to a £994,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant.

The funding will also allow the museum, based in a former Victorian warehouse at the heart of the docks and run by the Canal & River Trust, to install new galleries on the ground and first floor and a modern gift shop, which will sell heritagestyle canalware and other waterways gifts.

CRT chief executive Richard Parry said: “Gloucester Waterways Museum is of national importance and, at the heart of Gloucester Docks, it is a natural focal point for people visiting the area. As well as revitalising the museum, this grant will enhance our educational programme and help bring the history of the waterways to life.”

An artist’s impression of the new museum entrance. PHOTO: CRT The HLF-supported project will allow the museum to make much more of the significance and uniqueness of the River Severn and Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, as well as emphasising the strategic role Gloucester Docks and the local canal network had in transporting goods to the industrial Midlands.

The interior of the Gloucester Waterways Museum is to get a new look thanks to a lottery grant. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Sabrina 5, a 90ft long cargo barge moored at Gloucester Waterways Museum, will also be given a new lease of life as a floating learning space to teach families and youngsters more about England’s canals and rivers.

Built in 1944 for the Ministry of War Transport, the barge is part of the National Historic Fleet and, alongside the Cutty Sark and HMS Victory, among 200 historic boats considered nationally or regionally significant in the UK. The project will begin early this year and it is expected that the museum will be closed to the public from the autumn until spring 2016 for galleries to be remodelled and improved.

During that time, museum staff intend to establish pop-up museums around Gloucester to reach out to new audiences and maintain relationships with the thousands of local families who visit the museum each year.

RYA SPOTLIGHT 7

www.towpathtalk.co.uk The Royal Yachting Association (RYA) is the national body for all forms of boating, including dinghy and yacht racing, motor and sail cruising, RIBs and sports boats, powerboat racing, windsurfing, inland cruising and narrowboats and personal watercraft.

Getting to grips with helmsmanship and much more ADMIT you weren’t just a bit apprehensive the first time you were handed the tiller.

Having 50-60ft of steel under your control, not to mention the safety of your crewmates to worry about, in a narrow channel nowhere near as wide as your boat is long, nerves can be inevitable.

Confidence is a massive thing on the waterways, and often it only takes a rookie helm to master a tricky-looking bridge or a lock for a first time for confidence to soar and for them to relax on the tiller.

But that confidence doesn’t have to come from trial and error.

The RYA’s two-day Inland Waterways Helmsman’s Course provides a relaxed, hands-on way to get to grips with helmsmanship, locks and tunnels, safety and collision avoidance plus providing an introduction to routine engine checks.

You don’t have to be a waterways first-timer to benefit, as Ali Selby-Nicholls, chief instructor at Castaway Canal Boats on the Kennet & Avon Canal near Bath, and an RYA Inland Waterways instructor trainer, explains.

“We get a real mix doing the course, from complete novices thinking about going on a canal holiday for the first time to people who have been on a holiday and perhaps didn’t enjoy it as much as they hoped because of nerves.

“There are people of all ages too, and because inland waterways holidays are very sociable, we get couples and groups of friends so it’s very relaxed.”

RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman Courses have a teaching ratio of three students to one instructor, ensuring everyone can be involved all the time, while time on the helm is broken up so students can sustain concentration and take everything in.

Ali continues: “I try to make the course mimic the way of life on the waterways. We deal with things when they come up and we don’t need to worry about beating the tide or getting back to the marina at the end of the first day as we have our accommodation with us, so if we want to stop if something looks interesting we do.

“But as slowly as everything happens, concentration is key. You only need to look away for a split second and you can find the boat at an angle across the waterway.”

Ali reveals the two main concerns she finds less experienced boaters have are around locks and moorings.

Main manoeuvres

The course introduces the concept that because many of the main manoeuvres are very similar in principle, they can be broken down into two or three skills which can then be adapted and applied to a whole range of situations. Once people grasp this, they typically kick on quickly.

“You often find even after 10 minutes, when someone has rounded their first corner for example, their steering becomes a little more stable. There is plenty of time to practise things several times because everything is done at such a slow pace.”

The RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman Course also ticks lots of boxes for other reasons, including for more experienced waterways cruisers.

Not only do some UK hire companies offer cheaper boat hire fees to people holding the certificate, but also it could prove a deal breaker if you want to cruise further afield in Europe or buy your own boat.

IN BRIEF

Mooring at Little Venice

THE Canal & River Trust has launched a new bookable visitor mooring site at Rembrandt Gardens in Browning’s Pool, Little Venice. It is working with Bespoke Boating Solutions, a local independent mooring provider, which will operate the mooring on a voluntary basis to pilot the scheme until the summer. During the pilot, boaters can book the mooring (free of charge), online only, up to one month in advance, maximum stay time seven days, with no return within one calendar month.

Contact RembrandtGardens@gmail.com for bookings and enquiries.

Time on the helm is broken up so students can sustain concentration and take everything in.

PHOTO: CASTAWAY CANAL BOATS

Most insurance companies will insist on a certificate of competence to cover a purchased vessel.

Meanwhile, many European countries require the skipper of a pleasure craft to be able to provide evidence of his or her competence. It’s generally useful, and in some countries essential, to carry the International Certificate of Competence or ICC. The RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman Course is one of the recognised certificates eligible to obtain an ICC. To validate your ICC for inland waters you must take a CEVNI test at an RYA-recognised training centre, a multiple-choice paper which checks your knowledge of the rules and signs that skippers of pleasure craft are expected to know and follow. An ICC is valid for five years.

Ali concludes: “Sometimes we get people on a course who have only come along to support the person who wants to learn to helm and they end up becoming a convert themselves. It’s that kind of course and that kind of environment.

“Inland waterways cruising has a unique charm that should be enjoyed and not be stressful. A bit of formal training can remove all nerves, build confidence and really make the experience everything you hoped it would be.” ● To find your nearest RYA Inland Waterways Training Centre visit www.rya.org.uk

Seal takes wrong turn A SEAL lost its sea legs and went swimming

along inland waterways before ending up in a farmer’s field 20 miles from the sea, writes Geoff Wood. A startled walker spotted the seal at Newton-le-Willows looking and sounding distressed. Its journey will have started in the River Mersey and experts believe that it could belong to a colony 40 miles away in the Dee Estuary. Rescuers will be returning it to calmer waters and the company of friends.

Online vote

IN OUR last poll at www.towpathtalk.co.uk we asked readers where they planned to eat Christmas dinner. Most popular choice with those who responded was at home on land, registering 61%, while 35% preferred to enjoy the facilities on their boat. Just 4% said they would be visiting a pub or restaurant. This month we are asking readers whether they have cruised any canals or rivers overseas.

Giving something back

TWO women went on a 127-mile cycle ride to raise funds for a hospice, writes Geoff Wood. Karen Wadworth and Maz Simmons from Keighley rode the entire length of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in three days, their efforts raising £310 for the Oxenhope Manorlands Hospice where Karen’s parents were cared for. She said: “We were keen to give something back.”

8 NETWORKING

SOCIETY NEWS

Trust petition plea

LOUTH Navigation Trust has appealed for members of the public to sign its petition to allow the trust to restore the full length of the Louth Canal and bring the watercourse back into full operational use. This would encompass the renovation of existing locks and associated structures and banks. In addition, measures would be taken to ensure an appropriate depth is achieved along the waterway so that various craft can navigate its length. The petition can be signed at the Gov.uk website until March 30.

In safe hands BIG-HEARTED boating enthusiasts

who set sail in narrowboats to help special needs children experience life afloat have a proud heritage, writes Geoff Wood. Organisation the Safe Anchor Trust at Mirfield, West Yorkshire, was founded in 1995 and marks its 20th anniversary this year. At the last count, the trust had set sail with 130,000 passengers from 750 community groups. Members of the royal family have taken an interest in its activities and three years ago Princess Anne paid a visit.

Friends group is formed

A SMALL group of boaters has formed the new Friends of the River Nene with the aim of improving the facilities for river users. Since its formation in September, five new 48-hour mooring sites have been secured at Islip, Ditchford, Woodford (two) and Thrapston. Negotiations have also been taking place for additional sites at both the Northampton and Peterborough ends of the river. (Endeavour, November 2014)

Spring cruise to Smethwick

MEMBERS and friends of the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society are being invited to take place in a spring cruise to Smethwick on Saturday, April 11, 2015. Starting from the Sea Life Centre at 10.30am, the convoy of boats will travel via the Oozels, Ickneild Port and Soho Loops.

(Boundary Post)

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Medal honour for retired skipper RETIRED Mersey barge captain Len Clarke recently received the Merchant Navy Medal in a presentation at Warrington Town Hall after nearly 60 years on the river.

He is in illustrious company as in 2014 only five captains received the award, two of which were to the captains of Cunard Queen Mary II and Queen Elizabeth. The citation reads: Captain J L Clarke, lately Master Panary (Viaduct Shipping) for services to lighterage on the Mersey and to historic vessels on Merseyside.

Len first went on the River

Mersey as a young lad with his father who was captain of the J Fairclough & Sons motor barges Pater and Panary. He began work at 15 as a deckhand with John Harker’s barges on the Mersey and was promoted captain when he was 21.

In 1975 he moved to Allied Mills at Bank Quay Mill, Warrington, and became captain of its newly acquired motor barge Humber Trader. This traded with Panary bringing wheat cargoes from Liverpool up the Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal. The boats then locked down again through Walton

Grain barge Panary on which Len followed in his father’s footsteps as captain.

APPROPRIATELY named Celebration, a new statue was unveiled recently by MP Chris White at the Saltisford Canal Centre in Warwick.

It is dedicated to all the volunteers who have generously donated their time and skills in helping to support the work of the Saltisford Canal Trust over the last 30 years.

The event was attended by invited guests including the chairman of Warwick District Council, Coun Clare Sawdon, and Couns John Holland, Linda

Bromley, Jenny St John, Elizabeth Higgins and Bob Dhillon.

The statue started off with a different purpose and destination in mind, but eventually made its way to the Saltisford Arm. It was originally designed for a Budbrooke youth group, which subsequently closed, and was then in storage for several years.

After being alerted by trustee Mike Dutton, the charity was eventually able to obtain the statue from its designer; the

Birthday flotilla plans

BOATERS on the Lancaster Canal have formed a new group called the Owd Lanky Boaters Group which had its meeting in December.

Warrington mayor Coun Ted Finnegan presents the medal and citation to Captain Len Clarke.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Lock and back into the Mersey for the final leg of the trip to the mills at Warrington.

In 1984 Allied Mills sold out its rights to use Walton Lock to the MSC, enabling the MSC to close the lock, although a legal right of access to the derelict lock still exists. Humber Trader and Panary were sold by Allied and Len became owner/captain of Humber Trader.

He began trading to Frodsham for Frodsham Lighterage, later Viaduct Shipping, carrying wheat for Nelstrop’s Mill. After Humber Trader moved to Yorkshire, he continued in the grain trade to Frodsham as captain of Panary, his father’s old boat.

In 2013, after a phenomenal 59 years on the river, he retired from commercial barging. However, he can still be regularly seen afloat on the River Weaver and narrow canals aboard his immaculately maintained classic motor boat Jacqueline.

New statue celebrates 30 years of volunteering

THE Linlithgow Union Canal Society will be celebrating its 40th birthday on Saturday, April 18, when it is hoped to have a flotilla of 40 boats passing through the basin at 1pm. (LUCS Journal, November 2014)

New group on Owd Lanky

Phoenix to rise at Foxton?

The Celebration statue is unveiled alongside the Saltisford Arm.

PHOTO: SALTISFORD CANAL TRUST

sculptor Paul Margetts and a team of volunteers designed and built a suitable plinth to support the artwork. It is now prominently displayed in the trust’s town centre canalside gardens a short walk from Sainsbury’s in Saltisford, Warwick.

Trust chairman Nigel Hamilton said: “This statue will be a token of our appreciation for all the hard work done in the past and into the future, and hopefully also a lasting testament that the SCT does really value everyone’s efforts; and we wanted to mark and celebrate the enormous contribution of volunteering over the last three decades to the success of the trust.”

The charity was set up to restore the canal arm and to promote the use of the canal in Warwick. It does this by having a day hire boat, waterside gardens open free to the public, providing moorings for both visitor boats – over 800 in 2014 – and long-term moored narrowboats, a wide range of services including a Canal Visitor Centre, and promoting knowledge of the historic significance of the canal on Warwick’s development.

Friends help the Gloucester Waterways Museum’s Heritage Lottery funding bid THE recent news that Gloucester Waterways Museum was successful in securing £994,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund was received with great excitement from the Friends of the museum.

How many people realise that it takes up to two years and lots of hard work by many people to secure a lottery grant of this size? From the beginning the Friends of Gloucester Waterways Museum pledged its support to help staff of the Canal & River Trust to put together the bid for submission to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The Friends was formed 26 years ago to support and raise funds for the museum. During this period it has donated over £263,000 and as its chairman Chris Witts said: “What a wonderful achievement to have raised and donated such a large sum of money from a relatively small group of people, who are dedicated to keeping the museum open for

everyone to enjoy the rich heritage of our waterways.”

To make the Heritage Lottery bid successful the Friends gave £5000 towards the cost of the bid with a further £10,000 added towards match funding the £994,000. The money will be used to revamp the museum plus convert, but also preserve, the old dumb barge Sabrina 5 into a floating learning centre.

New members are welcome to join the Friends group which is always active at the museum where it runs regular craft groups and a series of winter evening talks. The next talk is at the museum on Tuesday, January 27, at 7.30pm with a talk on the Cotswold Canals.

An annual event where funds are raised is the popular boat jumble. The next one is to be held on Sunday, March 29, at 10am, in the car park at Gloucestershire College, off Llanthony Road.

SINCE opening its doors to the public in 1989, the popular Foxton Canals Museum closed in December – but not forever.

Following its success in acquiring a major grant from the Arts Council, the Foxton Inclined Plane Trust will carry out a radical redevelopment, planned to rise like a ‘phoenix from the ashes’ of the old museum site.

Not only will there be new things to see but the name will also be changing. Museum keeper Mike Beech explained: “As the museum stands on the site of the building that originally housed the steam boiler that drove the boat lift, we thought the new development should be called The Boiler House.

“Those who constructed the original building and the lift, and those who used it over a hundred years ago, could never in their wildest dreams have imagined what it will have to offer when the refurbishment is complete.”

The trust will be working in partnership with HoloVis International Limited, the Lutterworth-based audio visual consultants and the world leader in sensory experiences.

Many of the existing items will remain but alongside them there will be a number of state-of-of-the-art interactive exhibits designed not only to uncover the treasures of this historically important site, but also to bring its heritage to life for the benefit of its many visitors.

The refurbished museum is planned to re-open at Easter 2015. ● For regular updates on the progress of the refurbishment visit www.fipt.org.uk or the trust’s Facebook page.

Former chairman’s legacy will help fund historic working boat THE Chesterfield Canal Trust has been awarded a £15,000 grant from the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) to help fund the restoration of narrowboat Python.

This has come from the Ayling Bequest; the late Keith Ayling, who died in 2010, was a former chairman of the trust.

Major works are needed to preserve the integrity of the historic narrowboat which cannot operate in its current condition. Python is owned by the trust and used as a publicity vehicle to promote its work, the volunteer crew engaging with members of the public and boat owners at canalside events.

It is also used to help maintain the Chesterfield Canal, for instance in the clearance of offside vegetation. Further volunteer activities were planned but have been postponed until the necessary works could be carried out.

Despite support from many, including the IWA and the Canal & River Trust, an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2014 was unsuccessful and the project stalled, with Python remaining out of service.

However, this is unlikely to remain the case as the IWA Finance has agreed to make a grant from the Keith Ayling Bequest to help fund the work.

Committee chairman Gordon Harrower said: “The IWA is pleased to be able to support the restoration of Python, and the finance committee believes that this is a fitting use of the Ayling Bequest. Keith was passionate about the Chesterfield Canal and Python was the last project in which he was involved.”

Chesterfield Canal Trust chairman Robin Stonebridge added: “Keith Ayling would be thrilled that Python is being given a new lease of life to promote the canal he loved and to attract more people to the pleasure of using our waterways.

“Hundreds of people have taken Python to their hearts over the last few years, and it has been sorely missed at events over the last year. The support from the IWA is a tremendous boost to getting it up and running again, and we intend to keep it busy for many years to come. The crew, who have spent so much time restoring Python, are eager to ensure that it is up and running in 2015.”

The trust is currently developing a plan for the restoration and preservation of Python to ensure its longterm future is secured. It also hopes to include interpretation of Python’s history and the development of ways to share this with the public in the project.

The late Keith Ayling in the well of the boat at West Stockwith with Chesterfield Canal Trust members Maurice Marsden, Arthur Naylor, Pete Ramsell and Mick Cheshire.

PHOTO: CHESTERFIELD CANAL TRUST

NETWORKING 9

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Characters of the Cut Noah Price meets the man from Alcatraz

AS ANYONE will know from simply taking the time out to sit on the canalside, the majority of canal boats have quaint, whimsical and pleasant sounding names. Names which fit in with the relaxed pace of the canal lifestyle and complement the countryside surroundings.

A few common examples which perfectly evoke these qualities are names like Blossom, Willow, Slow Progress and Diesel Daisy.

I have seen many boat names in my lifetime; some which have made me smile and some that have made me laugh but I have never seen a name for a canal boat which has struck me as being quite as unusual or as foreboding as Alcatraz.

As soon as I saw it I could not believe my eyes. The name, to me, seemed to not be in keeping with the tone of the canal lifestyle – it concerned me because if someone could get away with having a boat named after something with so many unnerving connotations, what other names could be deemed as acceptable? I was so affected by it that I was still trying to shake off the astonishment of seeing the name, hours after I had seen it. I could not help but ask myself the same question over and over again: who would name their boat after the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary?

At first I thought whoever owned the boat was obviously someone who likes to go against the grain because they relish basking in the controversial responses it causes, then I thought perhaps he is a passionate collector of prison memorabilia – a strange hobby, slightly on the morbid side but not an unlikely one – and he just wanted the outside of his boat to showcase his interest.

Then my imagination started to run wild when I thought: maybe he’s an ex-inmate of the infamous Alcatraz prison and he had spent so many years in solitary confinement that he’s never really been able to adapt to ordinary life and as a consequence he has had to recreate the living conditions of a prison cell on his boat.

This thought had such a grip on me that I felt the need to ask the people around me if they knew

anything about the owner of the boat. I made sure that I enquired in a whisper, in case ‘the man from Alcatraz’ was to somehow overhear me, but no one knew anything. So, to ease my curiosity, I decided that I had to try and muster the confidence to find out who the owner was.

Escape routes

After much hesitation, I walked up to the boat and I could see that the back door was open but the closer I got to it, the more apprehensive my steps became.

I started to wonder – if he really was an ex-inmate – what crime was it that he had been sentenced for? It was at this point that I thought I’d better ask myself, for the sake of my safety, would he really want anyone asking him about his past?

But I carried on and when I made it to the boat I stood as tense as a coiled spring, with one eye mapping out potential escape routes through the trees and through the nearby fields – in case things got out of hand – and I hesitantly knocked on the door.

There was a slight pause so I called out to ask if anyone was on board. I had intended to sound like a confident and self-assured investigative journalist but, under the pressure, my voice had failed me and instead it came out in a feeble whimper; sounding not unlike the discordant squealing of a set of bagpipes being accidentally trod upon.

After daring to call out for ‘the man from Alcatraz’ I had expected to hear a series of heavy footsteps menacing towards me and then to see – to my horror – the hulking brute that I had pieced together in my mind, emerge out of the darkness and tower over me, with clenched fists and glowering eyes piercing down at me from underneath a prominent Neanderthal-like brow.

But it soon became apparent that 60-year-old Jeremy Clapham had no relation to the ex-inmate that I had feverishly allowed myself to imagine and I instantly relaxed in his presence. He may have been tall (in comparison to me) but he had a disarming demeanour and was more than happy to talk to me about his boat and his life on the canal.

Jeremy Clapham ‘escaping’ with Alcatraz. PHOTO SUPPLIED

Old time values

His long association with the canal all started when his father took the family on a hire boat in 1966. From that moment on, Jeremy has always enjoyed the civilised experience and old time values that are such an innate part of the canal lifestyle while also being surrounded by the history of the canal.

Jeremy bought Alcatraz back in 2008 but nothing else would quite spell-out his endearment for the canal lifestyle as clearly as the fact that he bought his first boat when he was only 17, even before he owned a car, and that Alcatraz is the eighth boat that he has owned. He does not currently live on the boat but he plans to do so in the near future.

The first question I could not wait to ask him was, of course, “Why did you name your boat Alcatraz?”

Jeremy wearily rolled his eyes but had a smile on his face and said, “That’s the sixth time someone has asked me that this week.”

He told me a little bit about the history of the boat and explained the reasoning behind the name while walking me to the front of the boat: “She was originally called Alderley Rose and was a hire boat at Stone. She was built in 1969 and still has her original Lister SR2. The previous owner – following the requirements of the ever changing Boat Safety Certificate – fitted a Houdini escape hatch in the front bulkhead. Being the type with bars to dissuade yobs from dropping bricks it looks just like a prison window.”

As he said this, we stopped at the front of the boat and saw the bars on the bulkhead window and it all made sense. The reason behind the name turned out to be so silly and harmless that I had to laugh and so did Jeremy. “I like to share a joke...” he said, “...and tell enquiring strangers that we’re escaping.”

New Mercia Marina walks spring into life MERCIA Marina has launched its new range of short circular walks by planting 100 daffodil bulbs with the aid of walking enthusiasts from a neighbouring village.

The three circular walks, ranging from 1.5 miles to 3.3 miles, have been devised in conjunction with Findern Footpaths Group. Suitable for all ages and abilities, they all start and finish at the entrance to the 74 acre marina site, where there is also an information board and dispenser where walkers can obtain the walking route maps.

Launching the new circular walks are, from left, Anne Evans and Liz Froggatt, Findern Footpaths, Jules Aucott, Mercia Marina and Heather Hill, Findern Footpaths, with the daffodil bulbs at the new circular walks display board. PHOTO SUPPLIED

All the routes, which take between 30 minutes and one and a half hours to complete, are relatively flat and take full advantage of the scenic Trent & Mersey Canal between Findern and Willington villages in South Derbyshire.

The beautifully designed route maps also include information on wildlife that might be spotted on the walks plus quizzes for children to complete en route.

The daffodils – appropriately named the Findern Flower –have been planted ready for spring at the newly improved entrance to Mercia Marina, in Findern Lane, near Willington, to mark the launch.

Liz Froggatt, of Findern Footpaths Group, said: “Part of what we do as a group is to look after the public rights of way. Having done that, we then love to encourage people to get out there and enjoy it – and this is one of the ways we can do that.”

Jules Aucott, operations co-ordinator for Mercia Marina, added that the marina was delighted to assist the goals of Findern Footpaths as part of its own drive to encourage new visitors to the area and would love to welcome new visitors well before the daffodils bloom in the spring. ● Findern Footpaths Group is currently seeking more volunteers. For more information and contact details, visit www.findernfootpathsgroup.org

10 VOLUNTEERING

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WORK PARTY ROUNDUP WITH IWA’S STEFANIE PRESTON

Successful weekend at Bournville IN SPITE of wet weather forecasts and unexpected non-arrival of equipment and boats because of a closure, a couple of lorry-loads of mainly industrial rubbish were removed from the Worcester & Birmingham Canal over November 22-23.

IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcestershire Branch was joined by members of Worcester, Birmingham & Droitwich Canal Society as well as some new to volunteering on the canals, including Jerry Kent who attended both days and father and son team Tom and Matt who enjoyed the Sunday. Local councillor Tim Huxtable also joined the team for an hour on the Saturday and made a good job of clearing the drive.

Over 20 people assembled on the Saturday and cleared the canal to the north of rubbish and various objects and to the south past Bournville Station. On the Sunday, another 10 people worked further south, removing mainly industrial rubbish as well as some clothes and plastic guttering.

Rubber tyres of a wide range of sizes were removed, and the grappling hooks also found a couple of machines, bikes, shopping trolleys and various pieces of ‘road furniture’ including barriers, concrete blocks and drain covers.

It was only discovered on the Saturday morning that the canal had been blocked off near Birmingham, so the boat organised by the Canal & River Trust staff was not able to reach the site.

This was a challenge as it resulted in not only a lack of boat transport but also no toilets. However, the CRT quickly arranged for a lorry to be in attendance and a nearby supermarket was visited perhaps more than usual to use the facilities.

The Bournville stretch of this canal is almost pristine in appearance, with recently laid cyclable

Volunteers taking part in the Bournville canal cleanup. PHOTO: DAVID STRUCKETT towpath, nice hedges and cut grass. However, the CRT might be in for some more work, as ‘rolling’ the new surface sometimes damages brick copings which edge the canal – a whole line of which now slopes down towards the water – suggesting that only small rollers should be used.

An interesting feature of the aqueduct over Bournville Lane was noticed when walking under – the concrete repair made after a wartime bomb struck and drained the canal, flooding neighbouring properties. Some photos of the damage were circulated by Jerry, whose 97-yearold grandmother-in-law remembers the event.

The weather was not too bad in the end with only a couple of showers on the Saturday morning, clearing away in the afternoon, and none on the Sunday. Overall, it was a successful cleanup and a chance to welcome several newcomers to canal work parties, all of whom enjoyed their day.

Looking forward to a new year of work parties EIGHT volunteers took part in the final Cheshire Locks work party of 2014 with IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Trent & Mersey Canal Society on Saturday, November 15.

The group met at Lock 62 at Malkins Bank, Sandbach, on the Trent & Mersey Canal to continue work started in previous months on this set of locks.

Although damp weather meant that painting of the wooden lock gates was not possible, there was a large amount of metal railings in fairly poor state.

After some intensive rubbing down preparation, fresh paint was added and the end results really transformed the lock area to a set of locks that hopefully everyone using the canal and towpath

will now admire and enjoy. In addition, long covered and somewhat slippery cobble setts were cleared of vegetation and restored to something like their former glory.

This work party marked the end of over two years of work party activity on the Cheshire Lock flight by volunteers from IWA North Staffs & South Cheshire and The Trent & Mersey Canal Society and the overall impact of the work is plain to see when one travels up or down the flight.

As they start a new year of work parties on the Cheshire locks flight, all the volunteers are looking forward to continuing to transform a much loved and well used section of our waterways.

Lloyds Bank supports local branch IN NOVEMBER the IWA West Country Branch held two work parties. The first was at Bridgwater Docks where the volunteers were joined by staff from the local Lloyds Bank branch. With such good support, it was possible to split up and carry out work at four different locations along the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal.

Tasks included vegetation cutting, litter picking, painting and planting flower bulbs on a site adjacent to the canal towpath. The bulbs were planted on behalf of the Bridgwater Town Council and the location chosen by local residents through a poll of potential sites. The volunteers also managed to clear accumulated

rubbish from the canal including two shopping trolleys, which belonged to the nearby supermarket, traffic cones and a pushchair.

At the second work party, Canal & River Trust staff started the session with some training and instruction in the use of power tools. The volunteers then proceeded to carry out a deep cut of the excess vegetation along the towpath from Newtown Lock towards the Victoria Road Bridge.

This team was followed by a group with secateurs who trimmed the Hawthorn trees. It was thought best to do this by hand to avoid loss of the red berries that birds and other wildlife feed on over winter.

Buried lock unearthed in Consall project IN DECEMBER, volunteers with IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust took on an exciting project to unearth Consall Old Lock at their last Caldon Canal work party of the year.

They met at what is commonly known as Flint Mill Lock, which is also shown on old maps as Consall New Lock because it is beside the abandoned and buried Consall Old Lock.

The task for the day was to remove vegetation around the overgrown site and locate the buried lock which was barely visible at the start of the day but by the end was revealed in all its glory.

There is a proposal for an interpretation board to be installed to tell passers-by about the history of the lock and the immediate area. It was replaced prior to 1900 as the original lock chamber was suffering from subsidence due to its proximity to nearby hillside, reducing the width of the chamber for the passing working boat traffic.

Also taking part on this work party were Glyn Parkes and his trainees from the Churnet Valley social action and personal development programme led by vInspired, a volunteering charity, and delivered by the Waterways Action Squad, the Canal & River Trust’s youth engagement programme.

The participants work towards a level 2 qualification in Work Based Environmental Conservation that is accredited by City & Guilds.

The young people all enjoyed getting stuck in with the task in hand, and were particularly enthusiastic when it came to removing some of the many tree stumps in the lock chamber.

Flint Mill Lock, Consall, before work began.

PHOTOS:ALISON SMEDLEY

Volunteers uncover the old lock.

FORTHCOMINGWORK PARTY EVENTS Anyone intending to attend one of these events for the first time should contact the organisers beforehand and wear suitable clothing and footwear. If staying all day take a packed lunch unless other arrangement indicated.

Saturday, February 7

IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch: Monthly work party at various locations alongside the Shropshire Union Canal in the Chester area.

10am-4pm. Work will include painting and vegetation clearance. Contact Mike Carter 07795 617803, mike.carter@waterways.org.uk

Saturday, February 7 and Wednesdays 4, 11, 18 and 25

IWA Ipswich Branch supporting River Gipping Trust: Pipps Ford (Needham Market, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8LJ) or Baylham Mill Lock (Mill Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk IP6 8LG) River Gipping. Meet at 9am to continue clearing storm damage to Pipps Ford or carry out maintenance at Baylham Mill Lock, finish at 3.30-4pm. Contact Martin Bird 01394 380765, restoration@rivergippingtrust.org.uk

Sunday, February 8

Volunteers from Lloyds Bank.

New volunteers enjoy their first work day

IWA Northampton Branch has a busy month painting

IWA Manchester Branch volunteers enjoyed their work party on the Rochdale Canal in Newton Heath in November, at which they successfully filled 68 bags of rubbish.

The weather was very kind and the words of appreciation from the passing public were the talking point of the day.

One other striking point was the amenable attitude of the Canal & River Trust van driver who was unabashed to be asked to stuff his van full of rubbish bags. Even more so when the branch realised he had only called to check Lock 74 sluices!

Three of the volunteers were new to the group and had a pleasant initiation to the many possibilities of volunteering, marking the event as a very successful day.

IWA Northampton Branch’s first November work party at Gayton Junction Yard on the Northampton Arm of the Grand Union Canal was greeted with weather that was ideal for the planned task – painting Lock 9.

Under the guidance of volunteer Mick Butler, the group managed to not only achieve this, but also painted the top gate of Lock 10. The branch has now painted about three-quarters of the 17 locks on the Northampton Arm. The second branch work party of the month was based at Lock 17, where volunteers litter picked the area up to the B&Q Bridge 16 and yielded 11 bags of rubbish, a large cushion, a tyre and a shopping trolley. The volunteers also opened up a view through the trees from the bottom gates of Lock 17 to the Environment Agency strong stream notice on the opposite side of the riverbank. This was in response to concerns that the first time boaters would see this important sign was when they left the lock and were already on the river.

Thursday, February 12

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust: New monthly work party on the Uttoxeter Canal, 10am-3pm. Vegetation clearance at Bridge 70, Crumpwood. No parking available at site so please meet at 9.30am at Denstone Village Hall, College Road, Denstone, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 5HR for a lift, or meet on site at Bridge 70 at 10am having made your own way on foot. Contact Steve Wood 07976 805858, steve.wood@waterways.org.uk

Thursday, February 19

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and Trent & Mersey Canal Society: Monthly work party on the Cheshire Locks, Trent & Mersey Canal, 10am to 4pm. Painting and vegetation clearance. Meeting point to be confirmed. Contact: Andy Hellyar-Brook 07926 204206, andy.hellyarbrook@waterways.org.uk

Saturday, February 21

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch: Canal cleanup pulling rubbish out of the Trent & Mersey Canal in Stoke-on-Trent, 10am to 3pm. Meeting place to be confirmed but work will be carried out in Middleport/Longport/Westport Lake area. For more information contact Alison Smedley 07779 090915, alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk

IWA Manchester Branch: Monthly work party at a venue to be confirmed in the Greater Manchester area, 10am-4pm. Tasks will include vegetation clearance, litter picking, painting and pulling rubbish out of the canal. Contact secretary@manchester-iwa.co.uk or phone 07710 554602

Tuesday, February 10

IWA Northampton Branch: Monthly work party on the Northampton Arm. Contact Geoff Wood by email geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk

IWA Northampton Branch: Monthly work party on the Northampton Arm. Contact Geoff Wood by email geoff.wood@waterways.org.uk

Wednesday, February 11

IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcestershire Branch: Monthly work party on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal. Tasks to include painting, tidying and vegetation clearance at a location to be confirmed.

Contact David Struckett 07976 746255, david.struckett@waterways.org.uk

Sunday, February 22

Friday February 27

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch: Work party in Congleton as part of the Congleton Station project, 10am to approximately 12.30pm. Work will include vegetation clearance and litter picking to help improve the environment around Congleton Railway Station, the Macclesfield Canal Towpath and Hightown. Meet at the Queen’s Head Pub, Park Lane, Congleton CW12 3DE. Contact Bob Luscombe 07710 054848, bob.luscombe@waterways.org.uk

For further information on any of these events contact: Alison Smedley, IWA branch campaign officer (07779 090915 or email alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk) or Stefanie Preston, IWA branch campaign assistant (01494 783453 or email stefanie.preston@waterways.org.uk). Information can also be found on IWA’s website: www.waterways.org.uk

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Trailboat festival date for restored section of the Northern Reaches IF EVER a canal was treated badly, it is the Lancaster, writes Frank Sanderson.

In 1962 it was little used but complete and with a full public right of navigation, needing little money to put it in good order.

Tewitfield Locks had all its gates and paddles intact and repairs were minimal compared to problems facing the Kennet & Avon, Stratford and Peak Forest canals.

Nevertheless, the Ministry of Transport was planning the death of the Northern Reaches by routing the M6 from Carnforth over the canal at various points.

Local groups put forward an alternative survey which reduced the motorway by three miles and gave a better route to

Barrow, saving £2 million road costs and £500,000 on secondary road bridges. This avoided beauty spots and the Lancaster Canal but Westminster was determined to have its way.

The Lancaster Canal Trust’s primary objective is to restore the Northern Reaches of the canal from Tewitfield to Kendal.

The trust continued with restoration of the 280-yard Stainton to Sellet Hall length with help from the Waterway Recovery Group (WRG). The transition walls adjacent to Stainton Crossing Bridge were rebuilt, the stop plank grooves refurbished and coping stones replaced.

A Canal & River Trust employee unearthed some king

Relining a section between Stainton and Sellet Hall.

PHOTOS: LANCASTER CANAL TRUST

posts and the trust purchased and fitted new stop planks.

Further profiling and some relining of this section has been completed. Re-watering of this length has been approved by the Environment Agency and as minimal canal extraction and rainwater causes the level to slowly rise, tests are constantly carried out.

The IWA Trailboat festival from May 30 to June 1 expects to be the first to use this section.

The trust has worked closely with the CRT and wishes to record its generous contributions. The next section towards Hincaster Tunnel has been surveyed and work is being planned for 2015 with agreement of the landowner.

Water levels are slowly rising.

Essex waterway to get the WRG treatment IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) will be spending a week on the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation in February.

The navigation, managed by Essex Waterways, runs through rural Essex and connects Chelmsford with the tidal estuary of the River Blackwater at Heybridge Basin. WRG volunteers will be working alongside IWA’s Essex Waterways Team from February 14-21 to help clear overgrown vegetation from the towpath in order to improve access for all waterway users.

As with every winter Canal Camp, there will be lots of scrub bashing, bonfires and other winter

activities to keep you warm. Accommodation for the week is on a barge converted for residential use and moored in the tidal estuary. ● More details are available in the wrg/canal camps section at www.waterways.org.uk WRG is busy planning the rest of the Canal Camp dates for 2015. If you would like to receive a brochure once these are finalised, email enquiries@wrg.org.uk with your name and address.

Boat restoration to help Worcester’s canal volunteers DEDICATED volunteers who work with the Canal & River Trust to help clean up the Worcester & Birmingham Canal are taking delivery of a new boat following a fundraising appeal that raised over £23,000.

Donations from the public, the Worcestershire Community Safety Partnership and £16,500 from players of the People’s Postcode Lottery helped to secure the second-hand boat, which is being restored in Tardebigge Yard. Hull repairs, painting and motor work are being completed in the coming months, with the aim of getting the boat on the water early this year.

The workboat will be used solely by volunteers, who will clean up litter, remove graffiti, cut back trees and bushes along the canal and create new habitats for wildlife. The boat will provide a warm, dry place for the volunteers to work from, as well as enabling them to reach parts of the canal that they can’t currently access from the towpath.

Once the boat is ready for action, the trust aims to run a competition with local schools to name it.

Ed Helps, from the Canal &

The workboat which will be in action on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal this year. PHOTO: CANAL & RIVER TRUST River Trust’s South Wales & Severn waterway partnership, who himself raised over £6000 via two sponsored bike rides, said: “It’s great to have raised the money for the boat; big thanks

go to all those who supported the appeal, particularly the players of the People’s Postcode Lottery. It’ll enable us to do things we haven’t previously been able to do.”

12 COMMUNITY BOATING

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Broads charity wins coveted National Parks award A CHARITY which offers disabled and disadvantaged people the chance to go boating on the Norfolk Broads has won the prestigious title of UK National Parks Volunteer Group of the Year.

The Nancy Oldfield Trust at Neatishead has for 30 years provided residential holidays and day trips on the water for disadvantaged people from all over the UK. Some 65 trained volunteers take visitors sailing, motor boating and canoeing, maintain the boats in winter and help the five members of staff with administration and gardening.

One group from Sprowston Community Hub are both volunteers and visitors. One week they go motor boating and sailing, the next they maintain the garden.

Centre manager Stephen Bradnock said: “I am thrilled that our volunteers have been given the recognition they deserve because they are absolutely essential to the existence of the trust and enabling people with disabilities to experience and enjoy the beautiful Broads environment.

We rely completely on our volunteers yet they are a very modest group of people. They richly deserve this recognition.”

The trust, which strives to bring a sense of excitement, freedom and adventure to its visitors’ lives, will receive a £1000 bursary for future volunteer activity. Stephen plans to ask the volunteers how they would like this money to be spent.

The trust has eight sailing boats and three motor cruisers, one of which is electric, with wheelchair lifts, toilets and a galley. It also has Canadian canoes which are rafted together for stability.

Volunteer RYA instructors take clients

Enjoying the boating experience on one of the Nancy Oldfield Trust’s eight sailing boats. PHOTO SUPPLIED sailing on nearby Barton Broad, while all motor boat drivers hold the RYA Inland Waterways Helmsman’s Certificate.

This year’s judging panel comprised television presenter and outdoor enthusiast Helen Skelton, TV presenter Julia Bradbury, National Parks UK director Kathryn Cook, and Simon Vingoe, the UK marketing manager for National Parks brand partner Merrell.

The UK National Parks volunteer awards are supported by Merrell, Natural Resources Wales and Natural England.

The trust also received the first Martin Broom Trophy in recognition of its long record of providing sailing opportunities for disabled people. It was presented by the Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association in memory of “a wise, tireless and unassuming worker for boating on the Broads” and was presented by Martin’s widow Jennifer. ● For more information on the Nancy Oldfield Trust visit www.nancyoldfield.org.uk

Store staff boost super project STAFF at a Wombourne supermarket have been supporting a local community boat after hearing about the work of its volunteers.

Sainsbury’s became interested in the charity, The South Staffordshire Narrowboat Company Ltd, after hearing that unpaid volunteers, who are senior citizens, give up their time and expertise to run and maintain its narrowboat Ernest Thomas II which has been in operation for the past 28 years and operates from Castlecroft on the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal.

Winter maintenance photographs showed members extending the wharf, mixing concrete and laying over a hundred slabs, which so impressed an assembled staff at the supermarket, that they felt that they would like to support the charity and make a contribution to keeping the boat in good order.

Joyce Cowern of the South Staffordshire Narrowboat Co Ltd said: “We have been offered a table in the store on which to leave used books.

The idea is that shoppers choose a book of their choice and leave a donation to our cause.

“Donations of books arrive from eclectic personal libraries and include cake icing, cross stitch, craft, the history

of railways, the Pony Club, adventure and history books, Mills & Boon and mysteries – you name it! Shoppers in the supermarket soon clear the table and the collection tin becomes that little bit heavier by the day.”

She added: “Sainsbury’s has also added a new notice board on which we display photographs of certain hire groups (all with permission) enjoying their trips. The photographs in turn, highlight the good care that is available for the vulnerable, in the community.”

Ernest Thomas II is skippered by unpaid volunteers, at minimal cost, for the benefit of the elderly, disabled and disadvantaged groups, offering them the experience of “a walk in the countryside”, but in the comfort of a narrowboat.

Its section of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire canal provides winding points at Giggetty Bridge, The Bratch Locks, Dimmingsdale, Wightwick Lock, Aldersley and Autherley Junctions and Coven, which enable trips to range between four or seven hours and provides a choice for passengers and their carers.

In 2013, the charity was given the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and proudly sports two crowns on the boat, one either side.

The NCBA Trainers’ Course In this issue Derek Stansfield, director of training for the National Community Boats Association, outlines the highest of the NCBA training awards.

THE Trainers’ Course is the only one of its courses that is run directly by the NCBA, the remainder being delivered through Accredited Training Centres (ATC).

The delivery of the course is done by tutors who are selected from a small pool of around eight senior trainers, thus ensuring a consistency of delivery throughout the country. The course is of two and a half days’ duration.

The maximum number on any one course is four and there are two tutors allotted to each course.

There are pre-course requirements that include having held the Certificate in Community Boat Management for a period of time and some experience of leading or teaching. There is also some pre-course work to undertake that will include gaining knowledge of the trainers’ area on the NCBA website and the documentation included, knowledge of the Training Regulations, and some introductory reading on communication models and teaching styles. Candidates are also asked to provide a generic risk assessment for a CCBM course that will be used as a basis for the session on risk assessment.

It is a mixture of theory and practical sessions, although the practical sessions are allied to how we teach the skill.

It is highly likely that the course will take place on a boat that is unfamiliar to the candidate and no apology is made for that; as a trainer they should be able to train on any boat on any Category A & B waterway.

The theory side of the course deals with a variety of topics including: ● Learning styles and teaching methods, for which the Honey and Mumford model is used to identify the learning styles of candidates so that these can be adopted later in the course. ● The process of assessment, which gives the trainer an objective basis for assessment, helps in assessing candidates on a consistent basis and helps to see in what areas they may improve. ● How learners are perceived and how this may help or hinder the learning process. ● Lesson plans, which include preparing a lesson plan and giving a presentation to the group based on the lesson plan. ● Communication skills that include identifying communication skills and the factors that can help or hinder effective communication.

Trainees each take a turn on the tiller and instruct each other.

PHOTOS SUPPLIED

Evaluations take place during the practical teacher exercises.

Relevant boat checks and preparations are part of the course.

Practical aspects of training are covered, including: ● Taking over a boat and the relevant boat checks and preparations for moving the boat. ● Getting to know how the boat handles involving trainees on the boat each taking a turn on tiller and instructing each other. ● Practical teaching exercise where one candidate is appointed as trainer who will then appoint skipper and crew and conduct an exercise that could include: reversing; steering along the waterway; mooring and winding, entering and leaving a lock; emergency procedures etc. This is followed by an evaluation led by one of the candidates and overseen by the tutor.

At the end of the course there is a one-to-one session with candidates that will include an evaluation of the course generally and more importantly of their performance on the course.

It is impossible to produce the perfect trainer after just two-and-a-half days and an agreed development plan is created with a realistic time scale to be implemented. This is conveyed back to the sponsoring ATC who would be responsible for overseeing the completion of this development plan.

A trainer’s certificate is awarded, is re-registered every year and is valid for five years. In order to be renewed after this period attendance at a one-day refresher training course is required.

Further details and dates of courses can be obtained from staff@national-cba.co.uk

The course includes a mixture of theory and practical sessions.

CANAL & River Trust chief executive, Richard Parry, will be the keynote speaker at the NCBA annual conference and AGM on Thursday, March 19 which has the theme of Serving the Community.

It will take place at the Forest Arts and Media Centre, Walsall, starting at 10.30am following registration with tea/coffee from 10am. Lunch is provided.

Other presentations include: The diversity of service provided by the NCBA and volunteering and adoption of sections of canals. The AGM will include the election of officers and trustees.

To book or for further details contact Bob Ratcliffe by email on staff@national-cba.co.uk

● Follow NCBA on Facebook.com/NationalCBA and Twitter @CommunityBoats. Blogging at http://blog.national-cba.co.uk A delightful stopping place for a picnic near The Bratch Locks.PHOTO SUPPLIED

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The art in our craft Castle on a cabin block by Frank Nurser of Braunston.

PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES

Painter Isaiah Atkins at work.

Harry Arnold looks at the Waterways Craft Guild’s work to preserve the traditional skills which have developed over 250 years.

HISTORIC vessels throughout the world have developed their own particular functional traditions of decoration, operational techniques and crew costumes. In Britain perhaps one of the best-known examples of these is in the boats – particularly narrowboats – and the families that worked our canals, especially in what might simply be termed the ‘roses and castles’ style.

It has always been one of my special interests and before I became involved in waterways full-time, my real job (as my bank manager might say) was as an industrial artist. However, for various reasons I vowed never to get involved in traditional painting which, apart from, of necessity, putting a few diamonds on the fore-end of a boat, a bit of signwriting and artwork for brochures, I have stuck to. Another reason was that I have remained close

friends with Tony Lewery, the acknowledged expert on the subject and author of the standard reference works. I’ve also worked with him in recording some of its history.

Any untrained person can have a go at canal painting or other crafts, which democratically is a good thing but on the other hand often produces bizarre results and does dilute a historical tradition that has developed over 250 years. In some other countries, such as Holland, crafts are legally regulated. Also, to satisfy the needs of canalside souvenir shops, particularly in the 1960s and 70s, it seemed (like the Army) ‘if it didn’t move paint roses on it’.

So The Waterways Craft Guild (WCG) was founded in 1997 – not to be confused with the Guild of Waterway Artists whose members paint pictures. It is now a company limited by guarantee

WCG members Tony Lewery, Lin Inglis and Jes Inglis working on the repainting of historic fly-boat Saturn.

Professional boat painter and WCG member Dave Moore signwriting the BCN tug Enterprise.

and a registered charity. It has the specific aim of ‘preserving the traditional arts and crafts of the inland waterways working boat era’ and offers skill development to its members in traditional boat and canalware, canalware painting, crochet, clothing and ropework etc.

The WCG welcomes anyone who has an interest in these plus individuals wishing to develop and improve their skill levels.

Anyone with an interest in the waterways of the British Isles is welcome and can join. However, more formally, those wishing to learn and develop skills are encouraged to join as an apprentice before progressing to Senior Journeyman and Master Craftsman levels if they desire.

Skill levels

Individuals present samples of their work so their level of competence can be assessed by recognised artisans, who then recommend an accredited standard, be awarded or advise on additional training. If an accreditation standard is recommended, examples of the individual’s work is presented to the management committee which makes a decision based on a combination of their own skills and knowledge and the recommendations of the artisan assessors.

This approach ensures skill levels are maintained and that individuals are recognised for the quality and authenticity in their individual areas of expertise. WCG members also learn about the history and geography of Britain’s waterways. When new members

join they are given a list of questions and answers, with the objective of helping members become more knowledgeable.

The idea is to encourage members to learn about things outside their own particular area of interest, thereby broadening their knowledge and understanding of how various elements of the system have evolved. Members become more able to understand and acknowledge how waterways and their related elements evolved into what they are today.

Some are able to talk with more authority about their particular interest but also much wider canal-related issues and background.

The WCG promotes good practice at all times as its reputation as guardian of the arts and crafts of our waterways is dependent on the quality of its members’ work when displayed in the public arena. The guild is represented at many canal festivals where members’ work is demonstrated and shown to the general public.

Current membership extends throughout the world with members in Japan, China, Australia, the USA and Great Britain. A bi-annual magazine containing current and historical topics is issued to members in the spring and autumn of each year.

At its recent AGM, WCG adopted a new logo and Roger Herrington and Michael Render stepped down as chairman and secretary respectively with Julie Tonkin taking over the latter role and Jes Inglis chairing committee meetings initially.

Traditional canal painting being kept alive in the decoration of a modern narrowboat.

Working boatman and WCG member Joe Hollingshead making a fender.

➔ Formoreinformation Mary Parry, Lin Inglis and Jes Inglis will be part of a craft group, along with

WCG Jane Lane, Master Rag Rugging; Dave Walker, Master Rope and Fenders; June Robinson, guild member demonstrating boatman’s belts and braces; Barry Mault, guild treasurer and knot tier; Hazel Evans, traditional quilting; Cathy O’Brian, cabin lace and crochet; Sue Morris, knots and ropework demonstrating at this year’s Easter Boat Gathering.

● More details of WCG and membership on its website at www.waterwayscraftguild.org.uk

Julia Finch, centre, with her squeezebox entertains WCG Master in Costume Mary Parry, left, and WCG director Lin Inglis, right, who is demonstrating peg loom weaving at a National Waterways Museum Easter Boat Gathering.

WCG committee chairman Jes Inglis, Senior Journeyman decorative painting, demonstrates traditional painting.

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Boat review What’s new Technical tips

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What’s on Holidays Bits & Bobs

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New chandlery opens at Sileby Mill

The building is more sympathetic to the rural boatyard environment.

Lancashire boatyard owner fined £13,000 following workshop fire THE OWNER of a Lancashire boatyard has been fined more than £13,000 following a fire which gutted a narrowboat undergoing repair at St Mary’s Marina, Rufford.

Vic Fitzell of Moss House Lane, Much Hoole, admitted three breaches of the Regulatory Reform Order before a trial date was set and his guilty pleas were heard by District Judge Stuart Baker at Preston Magistrates Court. The prosecution was brought by Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service.

Charges included failing to take safety precautions placing one or more people at risk of death or serious injury; failing to make a suitable fire risk assessment and failing to maintain a fire evacuation procedure. He was ordered to pay £3000 in respect of the second count and £2000 each for counts one and three plus prosecution costs of £5887 and a £120 statutory surcharge.

Six fire crews attended the blaze at Manor House Farm, Diamond Jubilee Road, when the barge being repaired in a boathouse accidentally caught fire.

The fire started in the battery compartment of the boat due to an electrical fault and then subsequently set fire to the boathouse which was also extensively damaged.

A man and woman living on the boat escaped the worst of the fire, suffering the effects of inhaling smoke.

The judge took into consideration Mr Fitzell’s early plea, good character, his co-operative attitude and that his motive for allowing people to sleep on their boat in the workshop was not financially driven – a couple repairing the boat, that was also their home, in the workshop were allowed to sleep on it.

He concluded that a correctly undertaken fire risk assessment would have identified the unsuitability of people sleeping in the workshop on their boat and would have established that there was a risk involved to people sleeping there.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue group manager John Buck, who attended the fire, stated: “This fire had the clear potential to result in loss of life or serious injury, both to the owners of the vessel and to the firefighters who took significant risks to ensure that everyone had escaped from the fire.

“All this could have been prevented had there been the correct procedures in place and the relevant fire safety legislation had been complied with – a view that has been clearly shared by the court.”

The burnt-out narrowboat following the fire at St Mary’s Marina. PHOTO: LANCASHIRE FIRE & RESCUE

SILEBY Mill Boatyard Ltd on the River Soar has opened its new chandlery building after several months of work.

Director Alex Ramsey said: “We have been working out of a large portable building for the last 15 years so this is a real step forward for us.

“The new building gives us a much larger floor space and is more sympathetic to the rural boatyard environment.”

Sileby Mill has been quietly serving the local boating community and passing trade

since Alex and Kate Ramsey took on the yard in 1999. They see this new venture as a means of expanding their already thriving retail trade.

Shop manager Sandra Morley is looking forward to welcoming old and new customers with her usual enthusiastic and smiling demeanour. With many years of experience behind the team, technical advice is invauable. ● For more information visit www.silebymill.co.uk

Inside the new chandlery at Sileby Mill boatyard. PHOTOS SUPPLIED

New faces in the Tingdene sales team TINGDENE Boat Sales has recently welcomed three new additions to its team in the South: Chris Bennett at Pyrford, Guy Girling at the Thames & Kennet Marina and Nick Price at Racecourse Marina Windsor.

Chris has been on and around inland boats for over 40 years and currently owns a historic 1895 narrowboat. For the last 15 years he has been a manager for a marine engineering company with previous positions as a boatyard manager and many other inland waterways related roles including narrow boat sales, hotel boats and trip boats.

He said: “As a boat owner myself, having owned and sold numerous

boats over the years, hopefully I can help guide prospective customers, addressing their needs and concerns when looking to buy or sell a boat.”

Having worked on the Thames for over 30 years, Guy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role and is a familiar and respected face on the river.

He said: “I’m delighted to be part of the Tingdene team. The sales operation at Thames & Kennet Marina is one of the largest on the River Thames, and with an established friendly team and first class facilities it is easy to see why it has increased market share year on year.”

During over 16 years in the marine industry, Nick has represented brands such as Glastron, Broom, Stevens, Grand Banks, Sealine and most recently Bavaria. In addition to being a YBDSA qualified broker he is an experienced RYA boat handling instructor He said: “My passion for boating started on the river with a job at Bisham Abbey sailing school.

Racecourse Marina Windsor is currently undergoing a major expansion along with facilities upgrades, making it the premier location for the sale of new and used boats.”

Businesses on board at the Boardwalk MERCIA Marina exceeded all expectations by filling all available units at its new £1.7 million Boardwalk shopping, pub and office development before Christmas.

Businesses including The Boardwalk bar and restaurant, women’s fashion store Blue Water, Molly & Co accessories store, Elegant Touch Beauty and The Butcher Baker farm shop have been joined by furniture and gift shop Zing Furniture and Annie & George, which sells children’s clothing and giftware.

One of the 74-acre marina’s most significant coups was to attract a single business, pharmaceutical firm Bionical, to lease the entire upper floor office space, which was originally envisaged for up to four small businesses.

Robert Neff, general manager of Mercia Marina, said: “We’ve achieved our aim of leasing all units at The Boardwalk much more quickly than we ever imagined.

“It’s always difficult to determine how successful a new commercial development will be in its early days, particularly when many are still apprehensive about the economy. But the fantastic location we have here has clearly played its part – and we’re delighted to have filled the units in such a short time.

“There is also much relief that we’ve proved so attractive to such a fabulous range of quality businesses.”

Mr Neff said that the next goal was to find operators to take on several available ‘floating’ businesses.

The marina was granted permission to offer up to six commercial moorings, where businesses trade from boats moored adjacent to The Boardwalk.

● Pyrford Marina lies alongside the River Wey Navigation and is within three hours’ cruising of the Thames and has direct access on to the Basingstoke Canal. The recently extended and updated marina has pontoon and bankside moorings, a dry dock and a slipway. Water berths are suitable for traditional narrowboats up to 70ft in length and a few water berths are allocated for smaller inland narrow beam cruisers.

Thames & Kennet Marina has berthing for over 450 boats and lengths up to 25m, with dedicated boat sales pontoons selling new and used cruisers, motoryachts, narrowboats, wide beams and Dutch barges in a quiet, secure location alongside the River Thames near the junction with the Kennet & Avon Canal.

Racecourse Marina Windsor has a countryside setting in the heart of the Thames Valley, with easy access from the M4, M25, M3 and M40. It makes a perfect central location from which to explore the Thames.

Bungalows will be lifeline for Burnley yard

Kim Wainwright, owner of the marina’s first ‘floating’ business. PHOTO: MERCIA MARINA The Ideal Hamper Company is already trading from one of these moorings, and The Mug Tug – which invites ‘children aged from 0 to 100 years’ to paint ceramics – is booked to set up stall soon. An estate agent is also in negotiations to launch a floating business on the site, leaving at least three moorings still available for rent.

Mr Neff added: “We’d like to see a full house by the spring, and would love to hear from any business that wants to do something that little bit different. The Boardwalk as a whole has been a huge success so far, and we’d be delighted to welcome more businesses on board, as it were.” ● For further information contact Mercia Marina on 01283 703332 or email info@merciamarina.co.uk

A BOATYARD near Burnley has been thrown a lifeline – by a scheme to build seven bungalows, writes Geoff Wood.

Hapton Boatyard on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is owned by Christine Ashworth, who said in a planning brief that the economic downturn and competition from the Barden Marina had badly affected profitability.

But the construction of seven split-level bungalows nearby could produce cash that would float the business once more.

Councillors have now agreed to the scheme for the bungalows.

Wildlife representations had reservations but there were no objections from the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency.

A spokesman for the boatyard said: “Since the recession, there has been very little work for the yard and the sale of part of the site seemed to us to be the most appropriate way of keeping the boatyard going.”

50 BOAT REVIEW

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Ready for a starring role

PHOTO SUPPLIED

Janet Richardson visits Redhill Marina to see a new widebeam being prepared for the journey south to its first owner.

DESIGNED for the luxury liveaboard market, the Galaxy Widebeam built by Nottingham Boat Co Ltd has all the mod cons you would expect in a land-based apartment.

I took a look round while the finishing touches were being made to the Princess Freya in the workshop before being craned into the River Soar at Ratcliffe, ready for the journey by water to Roydon Marina Village on the Stort & Lee Navigation near Harlow, Essex.

From the cruiser stern to its traditional bow, this reverse layout 70ft x 12ft craft exudes quality and, although the saloon was still an open space waiting to receive its owner’s freestanding furniture and personal effects to make it a home, I could visualise a comfortable and spacious living area to meet modern needs.

Fitted with engineered oak flooring, corner storage unit, port and starboard side hatches, the saloon is warmed by

two radiators which are part of the Webasto diesel-powered central heating system. Lighting comes from LED downlights and wall lights, while additional electrical requirements are powered via the Vetus Combi 3000W inverter through chrome finished 240v sockets. It also comes with a fitted 32in TV. From the saloon through the boat, light ash panelling, ash hardwood trim and window surrounds finished with three coats of clear satin varnish create the feel of space with a classic elegant look. The ceiling is in a Butt & Bead style finished with jasmine white satin paint; other colours are available.

A breakfast bar signals the roomy galley fitted with solid oak worktops and a Fireclay Belfast sink adds a traditional touch. Concealed within the fitted units are an integrated separate fridge and freezer, Indesit combined washing machine and tumble dryer and

The breakfast bar signals the entrance to the galley.

One of the large radiators which provide the central heating.

a dishwasher, while an inset hob, high level Thetford oven and grill with built in microwave above provide the cooking facilities.

Beyond the galley, a corridor leads the way to the master bedroom, off which are the bathroom and a second bedroom. On this boat it really is a bathroom with its freestanding bath, at the owner’s request, basin with polished chrome mixer tap and Saniflow electric flushing pump-out toilet supplied by Plumbline Ltd of Nottingham.

A porcelain tiled floor, large central heated towel rail, LED downlights, extractor fan and shaver socket complete this spacious bathroom.

At the bow of the boat, the master bedroom includes a luxury king-sized bed with bedside units and two large fitted wardrobes with mirrored doors, placed port and starboard of the glazed bow exit doors and steps. Heating is provided by a large radiator and lighting from LED down lights and wall lights. A TV socket and chrome finished 240v sockets are also provided.

Ready to go

The Galaxy comes with all soft furnishings with, on this boat,

The under-counter fridge and freezer.

The spacious bathroom with its freestanding bath and vanity unit with basin and toilet.

The luxury king-size bed.

The Indesit washer/dryer.

Princess Freya heads for Henley with new owner James Hannington-Batten.

PHOTO SUPPLIED. TOP RIGHT: Home sweet home: this widebeam comes with all mod cons. PHOTOS: JANET RICHARDSON UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED

Channelglaze double-glazed windows and portholes, blinds, central heating, a full cruising kit, navigation lights, bow, stern and side fenders, diesel in the tank, RCD (Recreational Craft Directive) documentation and much more.

All boats are fully sandblasted and primed with zinc phosphate epoxy primer.

Below the waterline Nottingham Boat Co applies two coats of pitch-epoxy on top of the epoxy primer, extending the haul out and blacking periods by up to two years.

Above the waterline, the boat is coated with a two-pack primer and gloss for extra protection. Finally, two coats of high quality coach paint are traditionally brushed to give an excellent finish. All paints are supplied

by Symphony Coatings Ltd. Vinyl stripes and boat names are included.

The strong steel hull has a 10mm base plate, 6mm below the gunwales, 5mm cabin sides and 4mm roof, double bow doors with window openings, double stern doors with sliding hatch plus port and starboard side hatches.

Propulsion is provided by an extremely powerful Vetus VH4.80 80.3hp/59kW diesel engine with twin 115amp alternators, TM345 hydraulic gearbox, low maintenance water-cooled stern tube seal, engine control panel with tachometer, water temperature, Amp meter, oil pressure and battery warning lights and voltage indicator.

This boat has also been fitted with the Vetus Bow95 bow thruster to help keep things under control with remote controls positioned at the stern and fully independent charging system.

SPEC SHEET Hull: Stourport Canal Craft Windows: Channelglaze double-glazed Engine: Vetus VH 480 80hp with hydraulic gearbox and water-cooled stern tube seal Bow Thruster: Vetus Bow 95 Insulation: 95% closed cell Spray Foam Cabin lined in ash Flooring: Engineered oak Lighting: LED Heating: Webasto diesel-powered central heating, 9.5kW. With room stat, frost stat and 7-day timer.

75-litre hot water calorifier Power: Vetus Combi 3000W Water: 1000-litre stainless steel water tank Bedroom: Freestanding king-size bed Washroom: Saniflow toilet with macerator, freestanding bathroom suite supplied by Plumbline, Nottingham Galley: 40mm solid oak worktops, Fireclay Belfast sink.

Final cost: £127,000

● Builders

Nottingham Boat Co Ltd, Redhill Marina, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, Nottingham NG11 0EB Phone: 0115 972 8125 / 07823 887588; email: info@standardnarrowboats.co.uk www.standardnarrowboats.co.uk

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Books, DVDs and other items for possible review should be sent to: Towpath Talk,

PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk

A story of success and failure?

Reviewer: Harry Arnold

IT IS perhaps appropriate that among the last year’s anniversaries are that of the first publication of L.T.C. Rolt’s Narrow Boat and also the centenary of Robert Aickman’s birth, both major players in the founding of – and focusing attention on – the Inland Waterways Association (IWA). Also that the latter’s version of this story should be republished.

The River Runs Uphill is Aickman’s second volume of autobiography (the first being The Attempted Rescue) and the one pertinent to those interested in waterways. It is his personal record of the first four years of the IWA from 1946 up to the Market Harborough Festival of Boats & Arts in 1950; following which there were major disputes among the key personalities involved.

Aickman rewrote the book and deleted much about personal relationships – particularly those with his wife Ray and Elizabeth Jane Howard, who was the secretary at IWA – before the first edition was published after his death, by Michael Pearson (of the well known waterway guides), in 1986.

With the permission of Aickman’s Literary Estate, this new edition reinstates some deleted passages, found among his papers, including a whole chapter mainly dealing with his theatre criticism and lifestyle matters.

If you still want to find out more about Aickman’s personal relationships however you need to read Elizabeth Jane Howard’s autobiography and David Bolton’s Race Against Time; which also provides a balanced view of the personalities involved in the early IWA story.

Re-reading The River Runs Uphill – and being fortunate enough to know and work with Robert Aickman on projects like the founding of the Narrow Boat Trust – confirms my opinion that his ‘no compromise’ attitude to a campaign wouldn’t sit well in today’s climate.

Author Robert Aickman is pictured, left, at the official opening of the Upper Avon, 40 years ago with HM The Queen mother, David Hutchings behind him and Crick Grundy, then manager of the Stratford Canal on the right.

PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

Going back to the early days of the fight for the waterways one also felt that he was a man casting around for some sort of major national project and decided that the canal campaign was it.

He appeared to many as an odd character, my first impression on meeting him being a somewhat shy and aloof man. But this outward appearance hid an amazing charisma and intelligence, a passion not only for waterways but a whole range of subjects; particularly anything involving the arts, literature and the theatre. Getting to know him, it was easy to see why he attracted and influenced followers of both sexes.

Unfortunately his uncompromising opinions, passed on via others, lost IWA a restoration scheme and a lot of legal fees.

The main interest to today’s readers are the stories of the campaigning cruises, especially that over the almost un-navigable Huddersfield Narrow Canal summit – including Standedge Tunnel – and down through the Ashton Canal.

Cruising the North West rivers and canals aboard the converted narrowboat Beatrice on a lecture tour with Peter Scott, gives a great insight into both these waterways at that time and local campaigners such as Martin Grundy who travelled with them. At the other end of the country, the first campaign for the Basingstoke Canal is detailed; a key one in IWA’s early history.

Much of the material in The River Runs Uphill was first written for the original IWA Bulletin, now IWA Waterways. For 71 editions Aickman was the major contributor, writing many thousands of words: Something which he regrets, saying: “I cannot help thinking at times how much more five novels might have achieved in the long run”. He also says: “That the IWA has not received proper recognition for its role”. Perhaps this is why he subtitles the book – ‘A Story of Success and Failure’? His opinions, I think not ours.

Aickman was of course the author of a number of other books, particularly those featuring the supernatural, which are now probably more admired than they were in his lifetime: Most have been republished. A new edition of The River Runs Uphill is a vital addition to these; perhaps expensive, but an essential read for those interested in the early waterway campaign and history of IWA. The River Runs Uphill by Robert Aickman is published by Tartarus Press in hardback, priced £32.50 (half the income from the book goes to waterways charities, as specified in Aickman’s will).

ISBN: 978-1-905784-68-4

A robust phone for outdoor use

Reviewer: Jason Carpenter

THE first thing that strikes you about the Titan 550 is the design and feel of the phone.

Weighing in at 208g it’s not overly heavy, it’s got a weight to it that feels reassuring and is just the right size to be used with one hand.

Along the sides of the phone you have the power and volume keys, a quick access message and quick access camera key. These buttons are reset in the hard rubber black band surrounding the phone meaning you won’t have any fear of accidentally pressing them. The design also provides a surprising amount of grip; during my test I never had any fears the phone would slip out of my hands.

Tecmobile has put a lot of thought into the design of this handset to make it comfortable to use while rugged and robust. There will always be situations where you will drop your phone and we all know someone who has been in a position where it’s been game over for their phone. The Titan 550 is built for these circumstances and while I’m not advising you to throw it out your bedroom window or launch it into the middle of the canal, it has a IP67 Certificate which means it is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof.

With such bold statements it would only be fair to see how it performs in reality and after dropping the phone many times, I decided to

see how it would fare under a running tap. Let’s just say I was surprised to still be able to use the touch screen with wet hands!

The Titan runs on Android with thousands of free apps to help you whether at work or play. Call quality is loud and clear, we often forget that phones still make phone calls but I found that the sound from the speaker was clear and concise and never had any negative feedback on people hearing me. I was using a T-mobile sim card while testing and I am lucky to get good signal in the areas I frequent. If there are areas where you do struggle for signal, the Titan features dual sim capability which means you can add an extra sim card, which is handy if one network works better than others.

The Titan boasts a 5mp camera at the rear and forward facing snapper at the front for all you selfie fans and is more than adequate for uploading to social media.

All in all the Titan 550 does everything you would expect from a modern smartphone definitely worth a look for anybody who is in contact with dirt, dust and water on a day-today basis. It is priced £300.

For more information visit www.zead.co.uk

Using a multimeter to check your connections

Howard Williams is a marine and land electrician with many years’ experience of boat electrics. He delivers marine electrical training and is the managing director of Boatelec Ltd. In this new series he deals with an aspect of boat electrics each month.

A MULTIMETER is a useful tool which can make a number of electrical measurements. If you are going to do any real electrical work on your boat you will need a decent modern multimeter.

The measurements of relevance to us are: ● DC voltage: The unit of electrical pressure and the symbol ‘V’. This allows testing of, for example, battery voltage or charging voltage. ● DC current: An indication of the flow of electricity in a circuit and the symbol ‘A’. Used in, for example, determining how much electricity an appliance uses. ● Resistance: Shown by the upside-down horseshoe ‘Omega’ symbol (Ω). Used to measure the obstruction to current flow from one point in a circuit to another. For example, to test a light bulb, a relay coil or a connection. ● Continuity: A very useful variation on the resistance measurement above. This is a buzzer, which sounds when there is a good electrical connection between the meter probes. This can be used for following cables through from one place on a boat to another or for checking that a circuit isn’t broken.

Modern meters also have a number of more advanced functions for which you will, I’m afraid, need to read the manual.

Most multimeters have a dial on the front, which selects the measurement to be made. The meter shown also uses a button to select.

On older meters it is necessary to guess the likely level, known as the ‘scale’ of voltage, current or

A modern multimeter costing about £40 from a wellknown electronics retailer.

resistance, and set the dial accordingly. If you have this type of meter it may now be time to replace it, especially if it is a cheap one. Most modern meters set the correct scale automatically, and it is only necessary to set the basic unit to be measured.

We will normally have DC (battery current) selected. Most meters will also make mains measurements, referred to as AC, which are beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that cheap meters and probes are usually dangerous and a multimeter can never prove a mains circuit dead.

Black and red probes

The probes of the meter can be seen in the photo.

These are the cables, usually red and black, which plug into the similarly coloured or labelled sockets, usually in the front of the meter. These are touched, with care, to the circuit or appliance to make the desired measurement. Red is always positive (+) and black negative (–). The ones shown are of reasonable quality and meet the relevant standard. They are unlikely to bend or break or cause accidental short circuits. The probes supplied with many cheaper meters should be avoided.

The black probe goes into the socket normally coloured black and/or labelled -ve or com. The red probe goes into the one labelled V, A or the Ohm symbol. On some meters – such as the one shown – the A (current) sockets are separate.

When making a resistance or continuity measurement, the resistance of the probes needs to be cancelled or ‘nulled’ out otherwise the measurement will be inaccurate. The way to do this is to set the meter to the resistance scale, touch the probes together firmly, and press the ‘zero’ button. On older meters a knob was turned to zero.

On modern meters it may be necessary to select the ‘zero’ or ‘cal’ function. Read the manual well.

Some meters, such as the one shown, have separate sockets for current. Often one is labelled ‘10amp’. Plugging the positive probe into this allows a higher level of current to be measured.

This type of current measurement is always problematical as it involves connecting the meter into the circuit and should be done with extreme caution. While modern meters are more difficult to damage than older or cheaper ones an incorrect connection or higher-than-expected current may easily result in bangs, smoke and serious damage.

The need to measure current safely and easily leads us onto a far more useful and now affordable instrument called the DC Clamp Ammeter. We’ll come to this next time.

Technical tips:The last line of defence

At Towpath Talk we’re always keen to help our readers in whatever way we can, so in response to requests for more technical information and maintenance tips, we’ve teamed up with breakdown and assistance firm River Canal Rescue.

We hope each month’s advisory pieces will help reduce the likelihood of a malfunction and keep your boats ticking along nicely.And if there’s a particular topic you’d like to see published, let us know and we’ll ensure it’s covered.

THE bilge pump is a crucial part of your engine room equipment, yet its importance is regularly underestimated. It is usually the first indicator if you are taking on water and the last line of defence when things go horribly wrong.

You would therefore expect it to be the best-maintained piece of equipment on the vessel, however, it’s common to find boats with no bilge pump at all or a faulty or inadequately fitted pump.

River Canal Rescue advises, where possible, to fit a large GPH pump in the engine room, and for added safety fit one in the domestic compartment too.

Ensure it has an automatic function so will protect when you’re not present.

Maintenance is easy and takes

five minutes maximum. The most important part of bilge pump maintenance is making sure the area around and under where it sits is clear of debris and pollutants (grease).

Undertake a regular test to ensure it’s working; switch the pump on manually and then trigger the automatic switch (if you have one) by pouring water into the bilge area. If the test fails you may need to: turn the pump upside down, lift the float to trip the switch or give the pump a tap in case some debris is trapped.

A large percentage of boats sink due to failed or inadequate bilge pumps – ignoring their maintenance is at your peril. By completing this task once a month, you may save yourself from a future disaster.

Check your bilge pump once a month. PHOTO: RCR

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WHAT’S ON

Compiled by Janet Richardson

Email details of your event to: jrichardson@mortons.co.uk or send details to: What’s on, Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ

Steaming up for the 13th Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally & Canal Festival

By Tim Coghlan, Braunston Marina

PLANS and preparations are well under way for the 13th Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally & Canal Festival – cosponsored by Braunston Marina and Towpath Talk.

From small beginnings in 2003, the event has become the premier rally and festival on the English canals. Its success-formula is now much copied, with similar events springing up all over the network. This is good for the canals – but Braunston has by far the most historic narrowboats and visitors in attendance.

Its location is at the heart of the canal network, in the beautiful setting of the historic Braunston Marina and the canal and village at Braunston. But probably most importantly for the boaters and visitors, is the ability for the boats to parade in a sort of figure of eight – a challenge for the steerers, and a spectacular site for the visitors to see and photograph from so many vantage points, including the famous beer tent – the Wet Dock!

The rally also inspires the restoration and ongoing maintenance of the surviving fleet of historic narrowboats, 150 of whom have already attended various rallies over the years, with some not seen before already booked in for this year.

Three of the regular attendees are having makeovers this

winter, with Raymond and Sculptor – both sponsored by Braunston Marina – having the work done in our large dry dock at Braunston Dock.

Another historic narrowboat that has received a major makeover this winter is the Fellows Morton & Clayton butty Kildare, which is paired with President – the last surviving steam working narrowboat. The pair will be the star of the rally which will have the theme of the surviving Fellows Morton & Clayton fleet, several of which predate the First World War, including President & Kildare.

We are delighted to announce that Richard Parry, CEO of the Canal & River Trust, has accepted our invitation to open the rally. He has sportingly agreed to don working boatmen’s clothes to perform the traditional opening by steering President with Kildare in tow, into the marina from the Grand Union Canal and declaring the rally open – to the fine sounds of Braunston church bells and Daventry Brass band.

Kildare will be steered by CRT chairman Tony Hales, who is a regular attendee and has already opened the one in 2011. The traditional spectacular opening should make for a splendid start to what will undoubtedly be the canal rally of 2015.

VISITING North Lancashire by canal will bring boaters within easy reach of a major festival celebrating the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, writes Geoff Wood. The priory at Cartmel will in September join Canterbury Cathedral and Stonehenge on a special tourist trail of the UK. Events will include concerts, a sound and light show, a medieval arena and a huge flower pageant. The long weekend of special events will take place between September 25 and 29 as part of worldwide celebrations for the Magna Carta anniversary.

Huddlesford Heritage Gathering A DATE for your diary – Huddlesford Heritage

Gathering will take place over the weekend of September 19-20. Organised by Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust with Lichfield Cruising Club which hosts the event at Huddlesford Junction, it features historic narrowboats, classic cars, displays and exhibitions. Open from 10am to 5pm on each day, there will be lots of stalls and entertainment with refreshments available throughout. www.info@lhcrt.org.uk

Leicester festival dates

THE 2015 Leicester Riverside Festival will take place over the weekend of June 6-7.

One of the city’s biggest free festivals, it will feature activities on and off the water at Bede Park, Castle Gardens, Western Boulevard and Mile Straight. www.visitleicester.info/riversidefestival

Water music MUSICIANS and singers who live on or near

Raymond’s renewal: Friends of Raymond’s Peter Copeland putting the finishing artistic touches to Raymond after a long makeover weekend for the volunteers in Braunston Dock in November 2014. The highly accomplished Peter Copeland is entirely self-taught in the ways of narrowboat decoration and signwriting. PHOTOS:TIM COGHLAN

Raymond in the parade of boats at a previous Braunston Historic Narrowboat Rally. Members of the Friends of Raymond are invited aboard to join in the parade. Visitors can join the Friends of Raymond on their stand at the Rally.

Two chances to explore the Birmingham canals AFTER the success of its two cruises last year, the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society will be holding two more in 2015 from May 8-15 and September 11-18. These will again be led by Stuart and Marie Sherratt.

The idea behind these cruises is to introduce boaters to the BCN, especially parts along which they would be anxious travelling on their own. The society has found that many boaters prefer the additional security of cruising in company with other boaters and they enjoy the social side of informal gatherings and organised activities at the designated mooring locations. Priority will be given to boaters who have not been on a BCNS Explorer Cruise before.

The Explorer Cruises will take different routes to encourage the use of the less travelled parts and to enjoy the little used pleasures of the northern BCN. The first cruise group will meet on Friday evening, May 8, at Wolverhampton for an informal gathering to hand out the itinerary and discuss the cruise. The second will meet on Friday, September

IN BRIEF More Magna Carta events

11, in the Birmingham City Canal area. Bradley Workshops will be visited on both cruises along with guided walks, talks and social evenings.

Planned routes are: Cruise A stops for the night: Saturday, May 9, Pelsall Junction (0 locks); Sunday 10th, The Manor Arms, Daw End canal (0 locks); Monday 11th, Moorcroft Junction (9 locks); Tuesday 12th, Walsall (0 locks); Wednesday 13th, Wednesfield (6 locks); Thursday 14th, Tipton (0 locks) and Friday 15th, Titford (6 locks).

Cruise B stops for the night: Saturday, September 12, Titford (9 locks); Sunday 13th, Wednesfield (6 locks); Monday 14th, Pelsall Common (0 locks); Tuesday 15th, Longwood (0 locks); Wednesday 16th, Moorcroft Junction (9 locks); Thursday 17th, Walsall (0 locks) and Friday 18th, Tipton (6 locks). ● Application forms from: Stuart (07510 167288) and Marie (07709 165073) Sherratt email: bcns.explorercruise@gmail.com

the water are being sought for a Music of the Waters festival in 2015. It is planned to hold the event at the Black Buoy Pub in Chadwick End in June or July. Anyone interested is asked to contact 07737 318654.

56 WHAT’S ON/NEWS

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World’s largest gathering of shire horses THE world’s largest gathering of shire horses will take place on the weekend of March 21-22 at Arena UK near Grantham in Lincolnshire.

Around 250 shire horses are expected at the event which returns to this new venue and it is billed as the best display in the country. The Shire Horse Society’s Annual Show attracts horses from across Europe and spectators from around the globe.

Shire Horse Society secretary David Ralley-Davies said: “It’s the largest event of its kind in the world, and is the chance to celebrate a breed that was once in danger of dying out but is now experiencing a resurgence in popularity, both as a working animal and a riding horse, thanks to a dedicated group of enthusiasts who work hard to ensure that the breed survives.”

As well as the competitions, there will be a range of stands and stalls for visitors to explore.

It also provides an opportunity to find out more about this noble breed, see shire horses shown in style – in-hand, ridden and turned out – and to support the work of the Shire Horse Society, which is the only charity dedicated to the protection,

WHAT’S ON IN FEBRUARY

If you want your event listed in our free monthly What’s On section email your entry to jrichardson@mortons.co.uk or use the events form at www.towpathtalk.co.uk/events.

As always please check with organisers on the details of the event before setting out on your journey.

February 1

West Midlands Boat Jumble: The Three Counties Showground, Malvern WR13 6NW (Jct 8/M5). Open to buyers 10am. Indoor event. Adults £3.50, accompanied children/parking free. Compass Events 01803 835915 / 07831 337951. www.boatjumbles.co.uk IWA Warwickshire: A walk around Wolfhampcote.

Meet at Boat House public house NN11 7HB at 10.30am.

Contact IWA Warwickshire, info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk IWA Towpath Walks Society, London: Regent’s Canal: Mile End – Limehouse. Starts Mile End tube station at 2.30pm. Costs £9, £7 student/concs.

Contact Roger Wilkinson 02036 129624.

A magnificent line-up of shire horses. promotion and improvement of the shire horse. Since 1878 the organisation has been working to protect the breed, which was then known as the Old English Breed of Cart Horse.

The show runs from 8am until about 10pm on the Saturday to include the championship in the evening. It will be open from 8am until 4pm on the Sunday.

Adult day tickets cost £8 in advance, with under 12s and

seniors £6, can be brought at sales.webticketmanager.com/Sh ireHS Day tickets will be £10 and £8 on the gate. Free admission to Shire Horse Society members on presentation of their society badge.

Sponsors for the event include botanical brewers Fentimans, Fuller’s Brewery, Young’s Brewery, Boldscan and Fosters Foods.

● For more information visit www.shire-horse.org.uk or follow the charity on Facebook or Twitter – www. facebook.com/shirehorsesociety and @saveourshires

Worcester, Birmingham & Droitwich Canals Society: Beers and breweries of the Black Country

by Keith Hodgkins. The Meeting Room, Alvechurch Boat Centre, Scarfield Wharf B48 7SQ, adjacent to The Weighbridge pub.

Information: www.wbdcs.org.uk

February 5

Birmingham Canal Navigations Society: A history lesson? by Keith Eley. Titford Pumphouse, Engine Street, Oldbury B69 4NL, 7.30pm. Contact Phil Clayton 01902 780920.

Southampton Canal Society: The River Lee from Luton to Old Ford Lock, London, by Richard Thomas. Chilworth Parish Hall, Chilworth, Southampton SO16 7JZ, 7.45pm. Visitors welcome.

Contact 02380 675312, www.sotoncs.org.uk

February 7

Moonraking festival celebrates 30 anniversary th

RAKING the ‘moon’ out of the canal – or at least its reflection – is the highlight of a canalside festival in Slaithwaite, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, writes Geoff Wood.

But there is also a large lantern parade with all shapes and sizes of lanterns in the bi-annual Slaithwaite Moonraking Festival.

This year sees the 30th anniversary festival on February 21 beside the Huddersfield Narrow Canal which runs through the centre of the village. And

February 3

to make it an extra special event, organisers are urging more people to get involved in staging the festival.

The moonraking dates back to smuggling barrels of whisky in centuries past. The smugglers hid the barrels in the canal and were moving them when the customs men arrived. They made the excuse that they were raking the moon out of the canal and had the last laugh as customs men failed to find the liquor.

Kennet & Avon Canal Trust: Crofton winter work open day. Crofton Pumping Station, Marlboough SN8 3DW, 10.30am-3.30pm. Free entry, light refreshments available for small charge.

February 7 and 21

Weedon Art Group: Drawing animals, all classes are suitable for beginners and improvers. Scout Hut, New Street, Weedon. Two sessions £30.

Contact Libby Hart 01327 341816, weedonart@btinternet.com

February 8

Indoor stalls at the Notts & Lincs Boat Jumble at Newark Showground. This year’s event is on Sunday, February 8. PHOTO: JANET RICHARDSON

February 14

St Pancras Cruising Club: Valentine’s Day cruise.

Contact vice-commodore Perry Medhurst on 07880 351169, perrymedhurst@gmail.com

February 15

Gosport Boat Jumble: Haslar Marina, Haslar Road, Gosport PO12 1NU. Open to buyers 10am.

Adults £4, children/parking free. Chaddock & Fox Promotions boatjumbles@yahoo.com 02392 381405/07887 771451, www.boat-jumbles.co.uk IWA Towpath Walks Society, London: The Olympics, Three Mills and Bow Back Rivers. Starts Bromley-by-Bow tube station at 2.30pm. Costs £9, £7 student/concs. Contact Roger Wilkinson 02036 129624.

February 16

IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcester: Derby & Sandiacre Canal Restoration by Chris Madge, chairman of Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society. Coombeswood Canal Trust, Hawne Basin, Hereward Rise, Halesowen, West Midlands B62 8AW, 7.15 for 7.30pm.

Contact Chris Osborn 01299 832593, jcosborn@btinternet.com

February 18

Notts & Lincs Boat Jumble: Newark & Notts Showground, Newark-on-Trent NG24 2NY (Jct of A1/A17/A46). Open to buyers 10am. Stalls inside and out. Adults £4, children/parking free. Chaddock & Fox Promotions boatjumbles@yahoo.com 02392 381405/07887 771451, www.boat-jumbles.co.uk

IWA Lichfield: Illustrated talk, The History and Restoration of the Droitwich Canals by trust deputy chairman Margaret Rowley. Martin Heath Hall, Christchurch Lane (off Walsall Road), Lichfield WS13 8AY, 7.15 for 7.30pm.

February 9

February 20

Ashby Canal Association: Natural history of the Midlands canals by Paul Wilkinson of the Canal & River Trust. Meet at MIRA on the A5, CV10 OTU at 7.30pm, good parking on site. All welcome. www.ashbycanal.org.uk

February 10

Boat Museum Society: AGM and update on museum activities with a guest speaker. Rolt Conference Centre at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 4FW, 7.30pm. Bar, everyone welcome.

Trent & Mersey Canal Society: Alton: Modern day Narrowboat Trading by Brian and Anne-Marie McGuigan. The Big Lock, Webbs Lane, Middlewich, Cheshire CW10 9DN, 7.45 for 8pm.

IWA East Yorkshire: Sea Fever aboard the Jubilee Sailing Trust’s Tenacious, illustrated talk by Rowena and Adrian Lovett. Methodist Church Hall, Cottingham, East Yorkshire HU16 4BD, 8-10pm. £2 inc. refreshments. Contact roger.bromley@waterways.org.uk 01482 845099.

Macclesfield Canal Society: The Hornblowers: Steam, engineers and sailors by Brian Corfield.

Macclesfield Liberal Club, Boden Street, Macclesfield SK11 6LL, 7.30 for 7.45pm. www.macclesfieldcanal.org.uk IWA Chester and Merseyside: The Cotswold Canals, Past, Present and Future by Martin Turner, chairman of IWA Hereford & Gloucester branch.

Tom Rolt Conference Centre, National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port CH65 4FW. 7.45pm. Bar and coffee-making facilities available.

IWA Middlesex: Converting a Dutch pontoon barge

by Ross Gorbert. Hillingdon Canal Club, Waterloo Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex UB8 2QX. Doors open 7.30pm for 8pm start. Contact Lucy at middlesex.socials@waterways.org.uk

Essex Boat Jumble: Ardleigh Showground, Old Ipswich Road, Ardleigh CO7 7QR. Open to buyers 10am. Adults £4, children/parking free.

Chaddock & Fox Promotions boatjumbles @yahoo.com 02392 381405/07887 771451, www.boat-jumbles.co.uk

February 11

February 23

IWA Warwickshire: The Rhodes Thomas Collection

by Ian Fletcher. The Sports Connexion Leisure Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore CV8 3FL. 7.30pm.

February 12

IWA Leicester: Annual General Meeting with guest speaker Sir Peter Soulsby, Mayor of Leicester and waterways enthusiast. The Gate Hangs Well, Syston, 7.30pm. Contact Andrew Shephard 07710 362952, email andrewshephard@madasafish.com IWA Avon & Wiltshire: Speaker TBA. The Crown, Saltford BS31 3HJ, 7.30pm.

February 13

IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire: AGM including short travelogue around the branch entitled Looking Back, Looking Forward by chairman Bob Luscombe. Stoke-on-Trent Boat Club, Endon Wharf, Post Lane, Endon, Stoke-onTrent ST9 9DT, 7.45 for 8pm. Refreshments available, non-IWA members very welcome.

Contact Barbara Wells, 01782 533856.

February 22

IWA Milton Keynes: AGM and talk on the Canal & River Trust in operation by CRT trustee John Dodwell. Milton Keynes Village Pavilion, Worrelle Avenue, Middleton, Milton Keynes MK10 9AD (accessed off Tongwell Street V11), 7.45pm.

February 24

Derby & Sandiacre Canal Society: History along the Erewash Valley Trail by Robert Mee. The Wilmot Arms, 49 Derby Road, Borrowash, Derby, 8pm. Admission £2 members, £3 non-members.

February 25

IWA Chiltern: Waterways in West Africa by Dr David Hilling, an IWA vice-president who lectures on all aspects of water-borne freight at Royal Holloway College. Little Chalfont Village Hall, Cokes Lane, Little Chalfont, Bucks HP8 4UD. 8pm. All welcome to attend. Contact 01932 248178.

57

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BOATING

HO LIDAYS Canal breaks and river cruising in the UK, Ireland and Europe

Tripboat Oliver will run half hour trips through Lincoln’s famous Glory Hole. PHOTO: LES HEATH

Trips through the Glory Hole

By Les Heath

The River Thames near the Anglo Welsh base at Eynsham. PHOTO:ANGLO WELSH

‘Best on the Rivers’ award for hire base

by Elizabeth Rogers

THE Anglo Welsh narrowboat holiday company’s boatyard between Eynsham and Farmoor on the River Thames a few miles west of Oxford has been named the winner in the ‘Best on the Rivers’ category at a gala award ceremony.

Held by Hoseasons, one of the company’s booking agents, this ninth annual ceremony took place at Celtic Manor near Newport.

The awards are judged on customer satisfaction, in which the boatyard scored highly.

“We’re delighted to win this award,” said Anglo Welsh reservations manager Emma Lovell. “Every member of the boatyard team at Eynsham is dedicated to making sure our customers have a great holiday experience, so it’s nice to know that their hard work is appreciated.”

This facility near Oxford is one of 11 boatyards operated by the company on rivers and canals from the West Country through the Midlands to Cheshire and Yorkshire. Its boatyard in Wales is at Trevor, on the Llangollen Canal.

For bookings during 2015, between April and the end of October, there will be 14 narrowboats from two to 12-berth at Eynsham.

Before setting off on their holiday afloat, hirers are given a full induction on the management of the boats, particularly on passing through locks.

Although lockkeepers are usually present at locks on the rivers, those on canals are unmanned.

From Eynsham, boats can access the Oxford Canal as well as journey along the River Thames.

Routes available include, for a short break, travelling upstream to the highest point on which the Thames is navigable, at Lechlade just over the Gloucestershire border.

A week’s excursion can head downstream past Oxford to Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor, and a 10 to 14-day cruise can extend as far as London. Journeys on the Oxford Canal can be a short break length, as far as Lower Heyford, or a week can be spent cruising up to Banbury, site of the famous Banbury Cross and home of the local speciality of Banbury Cakes.

VISITORS to Lincoln are in for a treat this summer when a new trip boat venture gets under way.

The 20ft narrowboat Oliver, which is licensed for up to 12 passengers, was bought by Christine Ellerby who last year opened a cafe boat in the centre of the city (Towpath Talk, April 2014). The Oliver had previously operated for 15 years at Hebden Bridge on the Rochdale Canal.

“This was my original idea before I bought the cafe boat,” said Christine, who hopes to be in business by Easter.

“Originally I wanted a gondola to operate on the

Witham through Lincoln but the Canal & River Trust said it would be unsuitable,” she added. “It had to be a proper boat.”

The Oliver will operate from a new allocated mooring near the entrance to the Brayford Pool and will run half hour trips through the heart of the city as far as Stamp End Lock.

The trip will take in Lincoln’s famous Glory Hole which is inaccessible to larger craft including the city’s other trip boat, the Brayford Belle. It will continue operating on the Fossdyke towards Saxilby in the opposite direction to Oliver.

Hoseasons award for Middlewich boatyard

A CHESHIRE boatyard and hire company was named ‘Best in Britain’ in the recent Hoseasons annual gala awards, writes Geoff Wood.

Andersen Boats of Middlewich also came away with the ‘Best on the Canals’ award.

The company, which has been operating for 40 years, was chosen from a list of 62 British boatyards.

It has a reputation for high standards of fittings in its hire fleet.

David Hough of Andersen Boats said: “We love what we do and we are looking forward to welcoming even more guests onto the water in 2015.”

58

BITS & BOBS Coffee and waffles, newspapers and pancakes GREETINGS! We celebrate St Valentine’s Day with a nod to the acts of kindness we do for each other and a couple of recipes that we make for each other.

Phill makes the best coffee for me. On any given Sunday, he gets up early, puts our battered percolator on the hob, and when I wake up, and smell that perking coffee I know that Phill is in the galley and all is right with the world.

So with a waffle iron in my hand and a song in my heart, it is my great delight to make my dearly beloved his favourite waffles for St Valentine’s Day. Why? Because, when I have them on the go and he smells them baking, he looks up from his paper and says things like: “Hey, waffles for breakfast? Did I do something right?”

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by Rexx & Phill

February top tip

I ran across this bit of waffle folklore in a 1950 edition of the American Betty Crocker’s Picture Cook Book and it made me smile: “The first waffle is said to have been made in 13th century England.

A crusader wearing his armour accidentally sat in some freshly baked oat cakes. The cakes were flattened and bore deep imprints of the steel links.

His wife, delighted with the way the butter stayed in the imprints from the armour, made him put it on once a week and sit on fresh oat cakes. Dutch colonists brought their cherished ‘waffle’ irons to America. They were long-handled and very heavy to hold over an open fire.”

Waffles for Phill

Prep time 10 minutes, rest time 10 minutes, cook time 10 minutes, (Our waffle iron makes four small waffles in one go, perfect to serve just us two)

Grindley Brook Bottom Lock, David Robert’s garage is on the right.

Canalside garage named ‘top of the pumps’ in Sunday supplement

Waffle Batter ● 240g plain flour ● 2 tbsp baking powder ● ½ tsp salt ● 2 eggs separated ● 16 fl oz milk ● 2 caps full of vanilla extract Accompaniments ● 4 slices streaky bacon, with grease reserved after frying ● A ham steak, halved for serving ● 4 large eggs ● Oil for frying the eggs ● Salt and pepper to taste ● 4 tbsp or so of butter, melted ● Maple syrup for the table Pre-heat the stove top waffle iron, (no need to grease after the first usage). Preheat a medium frying pan. Sift together the dry ingredients. Whisk together the wet ingredients, excepting the egg whites. Blend the wet ingredients into the dry. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold in. Set the batter aside to rest while frying the bacon (10min). When the bacon is crispy, remove to a folded kitchen towel. Spoon 3 tsp of fat from the bacon pan into the waffle batter and fold in. Crumble the bacon and fold in as well. Open the iron, pour the batter (I use a liquid measuring cup with a lip) into the centre of one side of the iron; fill it half-full and spread out slightly to the edges.

While the waffle is cooking, re-heat the frying pan containing the remaining bacon grease; slide in the ham steak and fry each side until slightly brown (3min

By Harry Arnold

per side). Remove to a kitchen towel. Add a little oil to the pan and tip in the four eggs to fry (3-4min).

Meanwhile, the waffle finishes cooking. I can tell when it is done because as it cooks, it lifts the lid slightly and stops steaming (3-5min); time to turn the iron over and give it another minute on the other side, then, it is really done. When the eggs are cooked just the way Phill likes ’em, I place a thick slice of fried ham on top of two waffles and top the stack with two fried eggs. Because it is Valentine’s Day, I heat the maple syrup and melt plenty of butter to serve at the table.

Pancakes for my Rexx

Prep time 10 minutes, rest/cook time 20 minutes, makes 12 or so

IF YOU are cruising the Llangollen Canal – particularly an outboard engine powered boat – it could well pay you to fill up with petrol at D A Robert’s garage at Grindley Brook.

David’s garage is on the main A41 road on the north side of Whitchurch but also right next to the bottom single lock of the six-lock Grindley Brook flight, just before the well known three-lock staircase. The garage also has a shop stocking all sorts of items useful for boaters.

The garage hit the national headlines as ‘top of the pumps’ by being featured in the Motoring supplement of The Sunday Times of December 14 as probably selling the cheapest petrol in the country at 110.09p a litre, 9.1p cheaper than the national average of about 120p a litre. He has been in the garage business for 35 years and said that certain forecourts were ripping off drivers by keeping fuel prices artificially high.

But David not only has a business by the Llangollen Canal, he also has another waterway connection. He is the son of

David Robert’s father, fly-boat skipper the late Jack Roberts, whose autobiography will be published shortly. the almost legendary ex-Shropshire Union fly-boat and hostelboat skipper the late Jack Roberts.

Jack’s memoirs – in my opinion the finest unpublished boatman’s autobiography – are in the final stages of preparation for publication by the Shropshire Union Fly-boat Restoration Society (The Saturn Project) working with the Roberts family. The book will be published by the Canal Book Shop at Audlem Mill at a date to be announced later this year.

Rexx loves fluffy ‘American’ pancakes more than I love my Sunday newspaper, and that’s saying something.

Come rain or come shine she makes the trek to our local market to fetch the paper for me. On any given Sunday, while she is gone, I get out our cast-iron griddle and heat it up while I mix up the batter for her favourite blueberry pancakes. By the time she returns with a full trolley (she can’t resist those ‘on offer’ bargains) I’m usually well into the first batch warming in the oven.

Pancakes Column A 150g plain flour 1 tbsp baking powder ½ tsp of salt ½ tsp soda 1 tsp sugar Column B 2 large eggs separated, the whites beaten to hold a peak 150ml milk 2 tbsp mayonnaise 2 caps full of vanilla Margarine for frying A whole packet of blueberries (optional) Butter, maple syrup, jam for the table Line a flat tin with aluminium foil and set aside. Pre-heat the oven to 150º. As a grillmeister and a great griddler, I calculate that the most important part of pancake cooking is the griddle temperature. Put the griddle on to heat; (we use a cast iron, stove-top griddle or our cast iron frying pan, or both if we have a crowd and want to cook bigger batches.) Once the cast-iron is hot, turn the heat way down to maintain, but not overheat. I prefer to fry in margarine rather than try to incorporate melted butter into the mix; it is just easier.

If you are on the Llangollen Canal in an outboard-powered boat, the cheapest petrol is said to be from David Robert’s garage at Grindley Brook. PHOTOS:WATERWAY IMAGES Sift together all of the ingredients in column A. Then, keeping the beaten egg whites in reserve, whisk together the ingredients in column B, ending with the vanilla.

Make a well in the ingredients in column A and pour in the mixture from column B; beat together; then fold in the beaten egg whites. Test the cooking surface by flipping a drop of water on to the surface; if it spits and jumps, the griddle is hot. Spoon the batter onto the grill with a dessert spoon (two spoons full per pancake).

Watch for bubbles to appear and before they pop turn the little fellas over. Stack on the flat tin and keep warm in the oven while cooking the next batch.

A ‘Colonial stack’ consists of six plate-sized pancakes slathered with butter and jam between layers; the stack can then be sliced into wedges and served drizzled with maple syrup. This works well for serving four to six people and definitely benefits from some streaky bacon and a fried egg as sides. Our variation features smaller cakes slathered and stacked as we please.

Farewell.

Survey into dormouse habitats THE humble dormouse may soon be given a helping hand along the banks of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal in Yorkshire, writes Geoff Wood.

Volunteers organised by the Canal & River Trust have been involved in a detailed survey over 350km on the canal and waterways in the North on the condition of its natural habitat, the hedgerow, to see how it

can be improved. It has shown that hedgerows have declined by 50% since the Second World War. Senior ecologist for the trust Stuart Moodie said: “The greatest threat to the dormouse is the winter and our hedgerows can provide them with essential cover to hibernate.

“We are pleased that findings have shown that more than half the

hedgerows are in good condition. But it means the other half needs attention.”

TOWPATH TRADER 59

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Boats for sale

BIRCHWOOD CRUISER 1985, 27ft, twin diesel, Ford marine engine, £9500. Tel. 01823 325712. Somerset.

BURLAND 26ft, new CoC, new licence, 4-berth, 1.5 BMC diesel, 12v TV, 1000w inverter, d/g cabin door, well worth a look, owner retiring through health reasons, moored at NCCC High Lane, Cheshire, £5000. Tel. 01663 764838. Cheshire.

CANADIAN OPEN CANOE Classic style composite boat with hardwood gunwales, as new, £550. Tel. 07866 639411. Cambs.

FREEMAN 26 Twin diesel full inventory and complete refurbish, gel chrome, hard top, new hood, Safety 2018, many pictures on pre-loved, £12,500 ovno. Tel. 01772 338751. Lancs.

30FT NARROWBOAT 2001, BMC diesel, PRM box, BSC till Nov 2017, canal licence Dec 2015, moored Sawley, bargain £8500. Tel. 07710 270380. Derbys.

IT’S A TEAL 20ft, very rare, sadly reduced, BSC 2017, Honda outboard, 2-berth on hard standing, NCCC Warfe, High Lane, Cheshire, priced at £800. Tel. 01663 762935 after 6pm please. Cheshire.

LIVERPOOL TRAD 55ft, 2006, Beta 38hp engine 2010, Webasco diesel boiler and radiators, Squirrel Morso stove, 3000kw pure Sinewave inverter, Bosch w/machine, 12v fridge and freezer, self pump-out fitted for waste tank, BSC 2018, £47,000 ovno, lying at Seend Cleeve K&A, Wilts Tel. 07971 567785. Wilts.

OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE a Sea Otter 26 with 2 other partners, aluminium and maintenance free, built 1997, owned by partnership since 2007, £9666 for one third share + running costs of £90 per month. Email: paulghill@ hotmail.com Oxon.

MORWENNA 33ft/10mt all steel yacht, Bermudian cutter, fully rigged, ready to sail, mooring in Limehouse basin marina in central London, very comfortable yacht for cruising or pied de terre, very comfortable, in heart of London with the ability for blue water sailing, secure mooring close to DLR, main Limehouse stations and riverboat services, 4 berths in two cabins. Tel. 07831 800470.

London.

NORMAN GRP CRUISER 23ft, Honda 15hp o/board, SEMI TRAD NARROW just serviced, recently out of BOAT 45ft, beautifully built water, painted and antiby Bourne Boat builders in fouled, refurbished inside Cheshire, 2009, only 350 and out, new carpets, curhours on clock, must view, tains, new canopy (£1000) £41,000. Tel. 07979 102927. BSS to Sept 2017, licensed to W Yorks.

June 2015, moored at Fazeley, fees paid till end of May 15, nice little boat, £4995.

FRENCH AND PEEL NAR- Tel. 01827 767485; 07946 ROWBOAT 45ft, 1991, 2 664749. Staffs. cylinder, Lister engine, re- DUTCH BARGE 50ft, 3" x cently reblacked and painted 10ft 03", new BSC to 2018, inside and out, 4 years BSC, re-blacked (three coats Bituwood burning stove and gch, men), new anodes, interior inverter, bathroom and needs refurbishing. Mooring shower, presently moored in available. Photos on request Bunbury near Chester, offers via mobile. Tel. 07804 in region of £23,500. Tel. 504769; 02033 717735. Lon0784 2097255. Cheshire. don.

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SEAMASTER 21 wide beam with Volvo Penta diesel 2 berth, refitted in last 4 years, new hood, propeller, cutles bearing, 12 volt fridge, 2 ring cooker with oven and grill bottom painted with 2 pack, BSC 24/5/2016. Tel. 0208 5800277. Middx.

SEMI-TRAD NARROWBOAT 35ft, built 1993 by M Hurst (Mirfield), 1.5 BMC engine, BSC 2017, 4 berth, 3/4 bath/ shower, s/fuel stove, fridge, cooker, TV, DVD, illness forces reluctant sale, selling fully equipped with all items required for holiday. Tel. 077910 34695. Lancs.

TRADITIONAL STYLE NARROWBOAT 2004, 57ft, Liverpool boat builders, licence until Oct 2015, winter mooring inc, 2-4 berth, Mitsubishi engine (heats water), PRM 260 gearbox, diesel tank holds 150 ltr, water tank is s/s and holds 500 litres, newly fitted brand new Villager stove and back boiler with heating system (Nov 2013), new inverter fitted Sept 2013, power w/machine, Thelford cassette toilet with sep shower, New World cooker, Lec fridge, Oak wood interior, BSC Jun 17, hull last blacked and out of water 2013 Aug, where the boat was sandblasted, painted with 2k paint, new anodes attached to hull, engine serviced Mar 14. Tel. 07955 442552. Bucks.

TRAD NARROWBOAT 57ft, 1997, 4 berth, Tyler/Wilson shell, Braidbar fit-out, BMC 1500 PRM gearbox, 3 leisure and one engine battery, 1800w Sterling inverter, Waeco 45amp multi stage charger, 16 amp galvanic isolator, Boat Cert 2017, blacked 2013, £47,500. Tel. 07552 186204. Lancs.

VARNISHED MOTOR LAUNCH charming 17ft 6”, built circa 1935 as tender to a large yacht, double skin teak (5/8) on bent elm timbers, copper fastened, Kelvin diesel engine, ideal for, cruising down the river on a Sunday afternoon, would consider swap for vintage motorbike or what have you? £4500. Tel. 01925 266309. Cheshire.

FOUR CONTAINERS for sale, £30 each ono. Tel. 07563 188944. Staffs.

SOLAR PANEL BRACKETS stainless steel triangular tilting, 190mm x 240mm, sold in pairs, with or without s/s fixings, high quality laser cut, £38/£48 p&p inc. Tel. Martin 07894 856275. Derbys.

S.I.P. MEDUSA T1000 generator, used twice, £130. Tel. 01530 414002. Leics.

Parts for sale SHARE FOR SALE in 2003 Dutch barge, 17m x 4m, Private Owners Association, 3 weeks cruising per year, moored in Auxerre, France, fully equipped to cater for 6, £8500. 07773 636219. York.

SHETLAND 640 HARDTOP 21ft, 2+2 berth, GRP cruiser, 2006, e/start, Mariner 9.9hp outboard, BSC 2018, galley with Flavel cooker, sep toilet, lovely spacious cruiser, good cond, original gel coat, £4500 ono. Tel. 07736 650250. E Yorks.

Model

SHIPS ROWING and sculling boat, 12ft 6” x 5ft, v strong heavy f/glass construction with built in buoyancy tanks, appears sound hull, needs some tlc around the gunnel areas, hull moulding has provision for a prop shaft to be drilled, laying Liverpool, £350. Tel. 07714 331745. Merseyside.

MV DAWNLIGHT prototype model boat, built by Tom Gorman, quality fixtures & fittings, very well kitted out, as new, only sailed twice for testing, in presentation case, all proceeds to Macmillan Cancer Support, reduced price £400. Tel. 01142 510515. S Yorks.

Price

ECOFAN REPLACEMENT MOTOR 800 802 solder terminals, orig motors, £13 nc post to uk. PayPal, cheque or bank transfer. Tel. Martin 07894 856275. Derbys.

3 X BOAT WINDOWS 21” x 36” for aperture approx 917 x 532mm, anodised, single glazed, toughened glass, top hopper closes tightly against gasket, hidden fixings, fitted for only 3 years, £300 for the 3 windows. Buyer collects.

Tel. 0798 8097869. W Yorks.

CASSETTE TOILET Brand new, never fitted but stored for a couple of years, ceramic toilet, model CTLP 3110. Tel. 07526 759010.

Beds.

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ARGOS DEHUMIDIFIER 10ltr, used once, c/w user manual. great for condensation problems, £35. Tel. 07557 525899. Staffs.

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RENTING A BOAT TO LIVE ON, OR HIRING OUT YOUR OWN BOAT?

Our important message to both groups is to do careful homework first and not to either hire out your boat or rent a boat that isn’t properly licensed for this use.

Please visit www.canalrivertrust. org.uk/boating/ a-boat-of-your-own to avoid any difficulties with the legal and safety issues involved.

ASSORTMENT OF FENDERS included, white box fender, £10; small dehumidifier, £25; flipper whale pump, Mk 4, £20; compact mini oven, black, 240v, £20. Tel. 077910 34695. Cambs.

BOAT PROPELLER 17” x 11” for 11⁄4” shaft, l/h rotation, Offers. Tel. 0750 8027734.

Cheshire.

GARDNER 4L2 MARINE 1939, c/w Gardner No.2 reversing box with hand start, mounted on Gardner frame, £3500. Tel. 07581 414475.

Staffs.

BMC 1500 ENGINE reconditioned and run in, new fuel pump, Borg Warner gearbox, can be seen running, £1500 ono. Tel. 07926 649627. Kent.

ELITE FURNISHINGS sofa bed and boatman’s chair plus box stool, under seat storage, terracota pattern fabric, all in very good condition, will dismantle to fit in estate car, over £1000 new, will accept £300 ono. Tel. Greg on 01295 770487.

Warks.

JCB 2-STROKE 850w inverter generator, used only for light work on my boat, jigsaw, sander, drill etc, totally reliable, £90 ono. Tel. 07946 664749; 01827 767485.

Staffs.

GARDNER 1L2 diesel engine, fully rebuilt with engine, bed and drive pulleys for use as a generator, would also make excellent boat engine, full photo record of work from start to finish, this is a beautiful example of a rare slow running engine and an absolute show unit. Tel. 01254 202341. Lancs.

JCB 850w 2-stroke inverter generator, excellent working order, new plugs, filter, oil etc, £85 ono; h/duty chest waders, used only once, £30 ono; Lucas 110amp dual purpose battery, as new, used on one occasion only, part no. LX31 MF, (receipt dated 19/07/14), £60. Tel. 01827 767485; 07946 664749. Staffs.

MORCO F11E LPG water heater with roof cowl, brand new and still boxed; Arrow EVM, LPG, log effect stove, top or rear outlet if required, brand new and still wrapped, half original price, will secure both items (heater and stove). Tel. 01254 202341.

Lancs.

THREE BLADE PROPELLER 19 x 14, 11⁄2 " shaft, standard taper, good condition, no blade damage, £200 inc free courier delivery. Tel. 07890 604121. Bucks.

WINDOWS FOR NARROWBOAT 5 rectangular, 36" x 21", 4 port holes, 173⁄4" dia, two side hatch units, 271⁄2" x 61⁄2", gold finish, good cond, £250. Tel. 07735 292590. Droitwich.

Miscellaneous

HAMLET HARDY 4kw multi-fuel stove, excellent condition, £180; also s/s chimney (Little Chimney Co) excellent condition, £90; will consider reduction if bought together. Droit-wich Spa Marina, buyer collects. Tel. 07974 329668. W Mids.

NICHOLSON NT 2600 boat trailer, twin axle, bought new Feb 2014, £1800. Tel. 01757 707367. Yorks.

HORSE FLAME WINDSOR multi-fuel stove, 7kw stove with a 4kw back boiler, pump, thermostat, header tank and flu included, £300 ono; buyer collects. Tel. 01926 810757.

Warks.

TWO COMFORTABLE LED CONVERSION of old ARMCHAIRS clean, pur- flouresent lights, simply post pose built for boats, convert your old lights and I will post easily to single beds with them back converted to storage under seats, £60 the LEDs, £25 for twin tube, £30 pair. Tel. 07885 348047 eves. triple tubes includes return Warks. post. Tel. Martin 07894 856275 for details. Derbys.

BUBBLE DIESEL STOVE REDRINGTUBULAR HEATwith back boiler, in clean con- ER 4ft long, 220w, ideal antidition, ready to go, £125. frost protection for cabin/ ono; buyer collects. Tel. John large engine room? £20 on 07443 461607. Essex. could post plus cost. Tel. COMPASS LIFE JACKETS 07974 947420. W Mids.

Two self inflating, never been ZANUSSI COUNTER deployed, £40 the pair plus FRIDGE 50 ltr volume, one postage. Tel. 07762 649990. ltr ice box, 240v, 55 watts, Cheshire. good condition, £60 ono. Tel. FRIDGE MASTER 12v 07733 997000. fridge/freezer, 4 years old, holiday use only, excellent Wanted condition, 3* freezer compartment, 830 high x 475 NARROWBOAT WANTED wide x 510 dia, £200. Tel. unfinished sailaway or project boat, 45ft upward in 07505 359955. Northants.

MORSO 1410 SQUIRREL length preferred. Tel. 0790 brand new, still boxed with 6019299. Norfolk. full warranty, £525; can be PARTS WANTED BD3 JD3 delivered locally for free. Tel. or Perkins P3 engine wanted.

Tel. 01384 294131. S Staffs.

07976 761812. Derbys.

PREMIER COOKING RANGE wanted, small, cast iron, solid fuel cooking range for a canal boat, good price paid for one in good condition. Tel. 01905 355606. Worcs.

WANTED: LIVEABOARD NARROWBOAT and female crew, good condition, retired, adventurous male seeking female companion for fun times, also need modern boat up to 57ft. www.camper love.com Tel. 074620 00003. S Humbs.

FREEMAN MK II CABIN CRUISER 'J' type, direct drive gearbox wanted for crossflow engine, must be in good condition, forward and reverse to work. Tel. 077910 34695. Cambs.

Personal NATURE LOVING RETIRED GENTLEMAN, owning canal cruiser, would like to meet a nice genuine lady, age unimportant, I like going to car boots and I am interested in Entomology.

Tel. Douglas 07717 257867.

Lincs.

96 NEWS EXTRA/ON SCOTTISH WATERS with Hugh Dougherty

Lottery cash for historic Burnley wharf A HISTORIC, disused canal wharf in Burnley’s Weavers Triangle conservation area is to be rescued and restored by the Canal & River Trust, thanks to £2 million of earmarked funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Finsley Gate Wharf, known locally as Mile Wharf, is one of the oldest wharves on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and includes three listed warehouses, a listed canal cottage, outbuilding, former blacksmith forge and boat slipway, dating from between 1700 and 1830.

HLF’s initial development funding award of £262,500, supplemented by £26,800 from the Canal & River Trust, will enable emergency repair work to be carried out to stabilise the buildings from further deterioration.

The grant will also allow the trust to commission a building restoration schedule, business plan and an activity plan to develop educational and volunteering opportunities at the site.

This information will be submitted to HLF for assessment to secure the full grant of £2 million.

Part of the Weavers Triangle conservation area, this funding will revitalise Mile Wharf through the creation of new local enterprises

Canal & River Trust enterprise manager Nick Smith with plans for Finsley Gate Wharf. PHOTO: CRT including a boat repair yard, restaurant, rental cottage and moorings.

Canal & River Trust enterprise manager Nick Smith said: “The impressive restoration of the Weavers Triangle area has attracted national attention, including visits from the Queen and our patron Prince of Wales.

This wonderful collection of historic canal buildings have been vacant for the last 15 years and both the trust and the HLF are very keen to see these historic buildings preserved and brought back into use again as a commercial enterprise.”

Nantwich Aqueduct project launch

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The heavy metal man behind the Kelpies

MEET Andy Scott, the man behind the Kelpies, the iconic 100ft high horse head sculptures at The Helix complex in Falkirk, where they guard over the junction of the Forth & Clyde Canal and Scotland’s newest waterway.

Andy works from an industrial unit in Glasgow’s Maryhill district, with the banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal forming his yard’s back wall. “I’m very much aware of the canal and its industrial heritage,” said the 50-yearold sculptor, who’s been developing his art form since graduating from Glasgow School of Art in 1986.

“I’ve been bowled over by the success of The Kelpies,” he admitted, just days after the launch of a book highlighting his pivotal role in the project. “When the former British Waterways Scotland, now Scottish Canals, approached me with the original concept for sculptures which would move in tune with opening and shutting of the new canal’s lock gates, a feature later abandoned, I was fascinated, but recognised that a great deal of development work was needed to bring the concept to reality.”

The heavy metal sculptor, whose work often features heavy horses, worked with engineers, architects, structural steelwork engineers, steel erectors, funders, public bodies such as Scottish Canals and Falkirk Council, and a host of specialists from 2006 until the giant horse head sculptures

opened to the public in April 2014.

“I learned a great deal as we went along,” said Andy, as he looked over two, original, scale, brass cast models of the sculptures which have pride of place in his studio. “Glasgow Life brought over two of their Clydesdale horses, Baron and Duke, from Pollok Estate, so I could copy their anatomy, and they are now immortalised in the Kelpies.”

Equine power

As the project developed, Andy moved closer and closer to the idea of commemorating the horses of the towpaths of the heyday of Scottish canals, when heavy haulage meant equine power, and further away from the concept of kelpies, mythical water spirits, which have traditionally appeared in the form of a horse on Scottish rivers, pools and lochs.

“I am very interested in the industrial revolution and how it shaped Scotland,” said Andy. “Canal horses and heavy horses, working in other industries, had a fundamental impact on industrial Scotland, so I wanted to celebrate that through The Kelpies, although, of course, they also look like and represent mythical beasts by the water, especially when lit up at night.”

Andy, who is working on further large-scale horse-based sculptors for public and private patrons, said that

Stayaway fromthe edgewinter plea

Helping to launch the project are, from left at front: Coun Penny Butterill, Coun Arthur Moran, Nantwich Mayor Coun Christine Farrall and Coun Peter Groves, Cheshire East Council. At back: CRT principal engineer Lee Bradley; Jeff Stubbs, chairman of the Nantwich Partnership; Mike Houlston, chairman of Acton Edleston and Henhull Parish Council and CRT project manager Marc Evans. PHOTO: CRT NANTWICH Aqueduct, one of Cheshire’s prized scheduled monuments, is to be conserved in a £200,000 project.

Known as the ‘Gateway to Nantwich’, the aqueduct is an iconic Grade II listed structure, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and which today still carries the Shropshire Union Canal over the A534 Nantwich to Chester road.

The project is being funded by public donations to the Canal & River Trust (£130,000), Cheshire East Council (£40,000), Nantwich Town Council (£20,000), Acton, Edleston & Henhull Parish Council (£3000) and the Nantwich Partnership (£2000). Work is expected to start this spring.

Lee Bradley, principal engineer for the Canal & River Trust, said: “We have worked together for five years to raise the profile of the aqueduct and it is only with help from members of the public and by working in partnership that we now have the opportunity to carry out this essential maintenance work.

“We hope this project will be a catalyst that brings new investment to the area, attracts walkers, cyclists and anglers, and provides boaters with an iconic engineering masterpiece to carry the canal for another 200 years.”

Nantwich Aqueduct, although still structurally sound, is in need of significant renovation to maintain its condition.

Work will include preparation, four coats of paint, replacement of a missing cast iron panel and important masonry repairs.

At the end of Welsh Row, the aqueduct comprises a cast iron trough, supported on six arches. It was constructed during Telford’s lifetime and is recorded in the great engineer’s biography The Life of Thomas Telford. Nantwich Aqueduct has a sister aqueduct that crosses the A5 in Staffordshire, which has also been identified for investment in the future years and there is another over the Macclesfield Canal.

The Canal & River Trust project team is looking for volunteers and additional partners to deliver some pointing and brickwork repairs, preparation of new educational signage and an adoption programme.

SCOTTISH Canals has made its annual winter plea for canal towpath users to Stay Away From the Edge – SAFE. The calls comes as icy weather sets in, making towpaths, bridges and lock-sides slippery, with snow hiding trip hazards such as boat mooring rings.

Being SAFE also means never going on to the ice of a frozen canal, and never letting pets out on to the ice, with some attempts at pet rescue ending in tragedy for the owner.

Alasdair Smart, Lowland Canals Waterway manager said: “While it makes a particularly beautiful time to visit the waterways, it is vital people recognise the need to take extra care. Children in particular should always be accompanied by an adult when they visit canals and should be made aware of potential hazards. I’d encourage everyone to enjoy the waterways this winter, but, no matter what their age is, to stay SAFE – Stay Away From the Edge.”

Scottish Canals is also reminding all users to check out its Towpath Code of Conduct, produced jointly with Edinburgh City Council and available online at http://bit.ly/CanalSAFEty

The towpaths of Scotland’s canals play host to a wide variety of users.

PHOTO: SCOTTISH CANALS

From small beginnings: heavy metal sculptor Andy Scott with his original scale cast brass models of what grew to become the mighty Kelpies.

PHOTO: HUGH DOUGHERTY

The Kelpies will probably be the largest scale work he is likely to do, and that he, so far, regards it as the highlight of his career. The work has already brought him an honorary doctorate in engineering from Strathclyde University, and more accolades are likely to follow as canalside the Kelpies bid fair to become one of the best-known public artworks in Scotland.

Ten thousand took part in landscape project A STAGGERING 10,000 people took part in a series of canalside activities organised over the last two years by Steven Cole, the Scottish Waterways Trust’s greenspace development officer.

The volunteers, school pupils and members of community groups explored, observed and cared for natural landscape and heritage along the towpaths of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals, in and around Falkirk’s Helix project area, and at the town’s Callendar Estate.

Trust bosses knew that the project, which saw the formation of the Falkirk Environment Action Group (LEAF) in January 2015, had been a success. But it wasn’t until they totted up the figures for the first two years of the ‘green’ drive at the end of November 2014, that they realised just how successful it had been.

Karen Moore, Scottish Waterways Trust chief executive, said: “We are delighted at the success of this programme and the work Steven has done has been first class. The fact that 10,000 people have got out into the rich environment around the canals and become actively involved in both appreciating and improving it, is an excellent result and we look forward to continuing to enhance the canals and the lives of people and communities around them in this way.”

More students graduate from the Canal College THE latest group of Canal College graduates completed their 14week course with the Scottish Waterways Trust-run project which aims to tackle unemployment and boost the canal environment, at a ceremony at Polwarth in December.

New groups will now continue on the programme which is funded until June 2015, involving young people aged 16 to 25 in a range of activities led by mentors, including canalside

volunteers, a new intake having started in January.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Waterways Trust said: “We are very proud of all that our graduates have achieved. They leave the college with enhanced employability skills and a commitment to improving the canals and a sense of appreciation of what the waterways have to offer thanks to the hands-on work they do on towpaths and close to the canals.”

Canal College celebrations, as the latest graduates show their delight at Polwarth, on the Union Canal. PHOTO: SCOTTISH WATERWAYS TRUST

ON SCOTTISH WATERS with Hugh Dougherty 97

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Banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal transformed into open-air gym SCOTTISH Canals is encouraging the people of Glasgow to keep active with the launch of an innovative fitness trail on the banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal.

The Trim Trail features six workout stations on a mile-long stretch of the canal in North Glasgow. Running from Scotland’s first urban watersports centre in Pinkston Basin and through the blossoming creative quarter at Speirs Wharf to Applecross Street, the trail boasts a range of exercise equipment, from sit-up benches and parallel bars to hurdles, and is free for anyone to use.

Members of local mixed martial arts gym The Griphouse were among the first to test out the Trail, powering through the mile-long course as part of their daily workout.

Created thanks to funding from the Scottish Government’s ‘shovel-ready’ programme and Glasgow City Council, the trail marks the latest stage of the ongoing regeneration of North Glasgow. The area has had more than £5 million invested in its regeneration by Scottish Canals and its partners in recent years.

Steve Dunlop, chief executive of Scottish Canals, said: “The towpaths of Scotland’s

Trust facilities at Ratho, including the dry dock.

A call for new and younger volunteers!

Hugh Dougherty meets the chairman of the Seagull Trust

DAVID Mieras, elected last year as chairman of the Seagull Trust, wants to develop the trust, which provides free, canal cruises to people of all ages with support needs. And he’s on the lookout for younger volunteers.

Speaking at the trust’s Union Canal Ratho base, David, a retired head of physical education and chemistry lecturer at Herriot Watt University, said there was room for upping the

26,000 passenger numbers who sailed in 2013 with the trust, while he would like to add Glasgow to the current Seagull cruising bases of Ratho, Falkirk, Kirkintilloch and Inverness.

“We are doing well with the resources we have – we’re supported entirely by charitable donations and voluntary donations from people who sail with us,” said David. “I feel there’s room for further development, but the single most pressing challenge facing us is attracting younger volunteers to replace the core of us who are postretirement age and, with time, won’t be able to sail and maintain our boats.”

Already, there’s a group of younger, working-age volunteers who come at

You have to have a sense of humour.

David with the new boat sewage pumping system, named after its late benefactor. weekends, while the trust is also keen to attract students and older school pupils, with senior pupils from a local secondary school working on a project at Ratho. “I’m sure we can attract new and younger volunteers,” said David, “as we already have a core of new people.

Volunteering here teaches you new skills and gives the satisfaction of meeting and working with the people, families and groups who sail with us. That teaches you a great deal and is wonderfully satisfying.”

Great fun

David Mieras at the Ratho dry dock and trust headquarters.

PHOTOS: HUGH DOUGHERTY

What it’s all about. This group enjoys a cruise on Marjorie Seagull, during the Kirkintilloch Canal Festival.

canals are already popular open air gyms that attract around 22 million visits each year from paddlers, runners, cyclists and walkers. The new Trim Trail builds on that fantastic environment and should encourage even more people to leave the couch and car behind.”

Designed to be simple and intuitive to use, the equipment on the trail is suitable for users of all abilities, from six-packsporting fitness fanatics to those whose only sit-up is when the alarm goes off each morning. A number of groups are already using the trail, with everyone from martial arts aficionados who train at The Griphouse to passing commuters and even dog walkers stopping for an impromptu pull-up or two.

For those looking to take a breather in between workout sets, the route also boasts a much more sedate trail – looking at the 200-year-old history of the Forth & Clyde Canal. The heritage trail, part of the Glasgow’s Canal Unlocked project, turns the towpaths into a Tarmac time machine, allowing visitors and tired-out Trim Trailers to step back into the rich history of the waterway via interpretation boards and a smartphone app.

High on David’s list of priorities is to erect a cover over the trust’s own dry dock at Ratho to allow work to be done in better conditions, while there are a host of regulations to keep up with. “We’ve recently installed a new sewage removal pumping system for the boats. It’s been named after one of our deceased, long-term volunteers with the full approval of his family. That reflects perfectly the sense of humour we share here! It’s great fun volunteering with the trust.”

The trust’s Patron, the Princess Royal, takes a lively interest in the organisation, and one of the more unusual tasks that befalls to David, is to phone her office at Buckingham Palace regularly. “I felt a bit nervous at first, and it seemed a bit strange to be phoning the palace, but the official I spoke to was very helpful and put me at my ease immediately.”

Work is also in progress on the trust’s boats, with thoughts of a £180,000 new vessel on the drawing board for better fuel efficiency and to comply with ever more exacting environmental regulations. “A new boat,” of course, is very much resource-dependent,” said David, “but we’re in good health and enjoy excellent financial support, so who knows?”

But the main drive remains for more volunteers. “Please get in touch with us if you’d like to join us,” said David. “Visit our website at www.seagulltrust.org.uk for full details.”

Fee Chrystal, Andrew Glen, Paul McVeigh and Guy Ramsay from North Glasgow’s Griphouse gym hang out after trying out the new Trim Trail on the banks of the Forth & Clyde Canal. PHOTOS: SCOTTISH CANALS

Loch Ness lighthouse saved and ready to welcome guests IT’S the only lighthouse in the United Kingdom where you might catch a quick view of the Loch Ness Monster. And it was once the smallest, manned, inland lighthouse in the country.

Now, thanks to a £497,000 restoration drive by Scottish Canals, working with the Vivat Trust and Historic Scotland, the 1815-built Bona Lighthouse, designed by Thomas Telford to guard the spot where Loch Ness enters the Caledonian Canal, has been fully restored.

Along with two luxury cottages it has joined the Scottish Canals Canalside Cottages lists and is now available for rent – with or without a view of Nessie.

Derek Mackay, Scottish Minister for Transport and the Islands, said: “The Scottish Government welcomes the completion of the Bona Lighthouse refurbishment which brings this historic

building back into public use as well as generating extra income for Scottish Canals.”

Andrew Thin, chair of Scottish Canals, said: “Bona lighthouse is a vital part of the rich history of the Caledonian Canal and we’re delighted to mark the building’s official reopening just in time for the 200th anniversary of its construction.”

The lighthouse fell into disuse last century and it lay derelict until work to restore it started in February 2014. ● For full details of the property and how to book the lighthouse and its cottages visit www.canalsidecottages.co.uk, the Scottish Canals dedicated site for its holiday lets alongside its canals.

Bona Lighthouse now restored and ready to rent. Will you see Nessie on her travels?

PHOTO: SCOTTISH CANALS

98 TOWPATH TREASURES

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Purton Hulks

A whispering graveyard of boats Words: PHILLIPPA GREENWOOD Images: MARTINE O’CALLAGHAN

One of the concrete vessels built when steel was in short supply during the war.

A sunken boat further out into the Severn.

THE Gloucester & Sharpness Canal sidles alongside the Severn estuary with its tame waters following the moody route of a river.

The River Severn has the second highest tidal range in the world, which was the reason the more navigable man-made canal was built in the first place.

Yet in an ironic twist, over the years the river slowly channelled too close, threatening the canal’s survival.

A fateful high tide in 1909 coincided with a savage storm, and wild waves reared to breach the banks, draining the water from the canal. Drastic action was needed and an unexpected solution gave the canals something that has become one of its most dramatic wonders – Purton Hulks.

An immediate plea went out for

help and in a bid to secure the banks of the canal, retired boats and old wrecks were towed up the estuary and beached on the muddy shores of the river.

For over half a century more boats were piled on top of each other in the hopes of slowing down further erosion. Wooden sailing craft, steel barges and any old unwanted boats were all dumped onto the banks near Purton until a barrier formed with thick silt settling in and around the hulks. It’s now officially recognised as the largest cluster of historic maritime boats in Britain. Most of the 81 boats counted in the graveyard have been lost under silt and decayed, but 30 can still be seen.

Whole bodies and bits and bobs of craft are scattered around the graveyard; and sometimes there are just plaques

of remembrance. Among the most striking are the monster concrete barges from the Second World War that snuggle with dead weight into their resting place. These concrete vessels were built when steel was in short supply during the war, and as they slumber on the silty banks of the estuary, it’s almost inconceivable that they ever floated.

Another boat with a wild story is the Katherine Ellen, a 127ft schooner. A gun-runner for the IRA until the Royal Navy impounded it in 1921, all that’s left now is the bilge pump.

The trows were once the main sailing ships that carried commerce along the river, and many of the wrecks hold the stories and ghosts of those hardy vessels. Edith was a trow built in 1901, and its 75ft by 17ft remains were laid to rest in the boat graveyard around 1963. Edith endured a lifetime of storms and struggles and eventually sank after a collision before being retired to Purton. Edith’s tale rambles into eternity with superstitious overture: it’s reputed that her engine was saved and stored and many years later was fitted into a narrowboat that also sank (spooky).

Those who hunt through the Purton Hulks tread a whispering

One mile from Sharpness. graveyard where wrecks have wallowed like heroes with a purpose. The landscape has grown in and out of the bones of boats and tufts of grass sway from the carcasses of giants that saved the canal. Wet smells of old craft brush in the breeze, like lost soldiers in a battlefield.

A rotting glory, this place is a tear-jerker, dragging deep emotion from even the most armoured soul. Purton Hulks steals the heart of anyone who visits, with an uninhibited and extreme sentiment that rips the air – mournful, moving and painfully exciting.

Built in 1901, Edith eventually sank after a collision.

TOWPATH TREASURES/ANGLING 99

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The Towpath Angler

Our monthly look at the angling scene

The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal alongside the Severn Estuary.

All that remains of Rockby, beached in January 1946.

Adapted extract from Britain’s Canals, A National Treasure in 100 Must-See Objects

by Phillippa Greenwood and Martine O’Callaghan – published by Coolcanals July 2012.

The stern of wooden boat Harriet.

www.coolcanals.com

FACT FILE Purton Hulks The Purton Hulks is between the river Severn and the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. There are no barriers or admission charges – simply visit and respect this special place.

Special interest Part of the site has been awarded the status of SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and several of the boats are listed on the National Register of Historic Vessels (NRHV). www.nationalhistoricships.org.uk Location Purton.

OS Grid ref: OS SO687044 Canal: Gloucester & Sharpness Canal How to get there By train Nearest train station is Cam & Dursley National Rail Enquiries 08457 484950 By bus Traveline 0871 2002233 By car Park near Purton Lower Bridge. Walk towards Sharpness and leave the towpath at any point from there.

On foot The Gloucester & Sharpness Canal towpath is popular with both walkers and cyclists.

The Sustrans National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 41 follows the towpath much of the way from Slimbridge to Gloucester (though it is possible from Sharpness).

By boat Nearest boat hire: Glevum Boat Hire, Slimbridge Boat Station, Patch Bridge. Day boat hire. 01453 899190 Cotswold Canals Trust Boat Trips, Saul Junction. Cruises on ‘Perseverance’. April to September. Also available for private charter. www.cotswoldcanals.com Moorings There are ample visitor moorings along the canal near Purton.

Local Tourist info Tourist Information Centre www.cotswolds.com Friends of Purton Working to promote the historical importance and secure the future of the Purton Hulks www.friendsofpurton.org.uk Sharpness Docks For information about ship movements, and high and low tides www.gloucesterharbourtrustees.org.uk Cotswold Canals Trust Working to restore the Stroudwater Navigation and Thames & Severn Canal which link with the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal at Saul Junction www.cotswoldcanals.com Canal & River Trust Use the Canal & River Trust website to find specific local information. www.canalrivertrust.org.uk

WITHOUT reviewing 2014 in any detail I, personally, will be glad to see it end. So many family and close friends have been seriously ill or have died. Sadly, we all experience years like this from time to time. However, of those people I know several are volunteer colleagues from the various clubs and organisations with which I am involved and it never ceases to amaze me just how well everyone rallies round to ensure things keep ticking along.

I suppose this has prompted me to comment, once again, on the value of volunteers. Their contributions are still, all too often, underestimated and unrewarded. None seek payment, but many richly deserve proper recognition. This could be a simple ‘mention in despatches’ or, perhaps, a nomination for some appropriate award. I am convinced that this approach helps enormously in not only retaining volunteers but also in maintaining a healthy recruitment of good newcomers.

The two national organisations with which I am most involved – Canal & River Trust (CRT) and Angling Trust – both rely heavily on volunteers.

Both are still relatively new, but because they have already set about creating a volunteer strategy they are moving fairly well along the right path.

Angling contributes an enormous amount of voluntary man hours and other skills to CRT, not least of these being the bailiffs, which each angling clubs is committed to providing under its licence with CRT. Across the country the value of bailiff hours almost certainly exceeds £1million annually.

Going forward, further volunteers will no doubt become involved as the Fishery and Angling Action Plans are rolled out to the waterways. Their local knowledge, skills and sheer love for their own patch will prove invaluable.

Advance interest

Following the success of the inaugural CRT/AT Canal Pairs event on the Shropshire Union, near Market Drayton, last September, the 2015 event is now definitely on. Dates, venues, HQs and even local volunteer organisers are all pretty much sorted now and applications for tickets will soon be taken. As I outlined last time a qualifier will be staged in each waterway from where the five top pairs will go on to fish a grand final.

Obviously, everything depends on the level of entry, but the plan is for guaranteed prizes for the winning pair in each qualifier and for the top

David Kent

pairs in the final. I understand there has been considerable advance interest.

Last month I reported on the latest restocking on my own canal – the Erewash. It really seems, at long last, that the tremendous efforts of the CRT’s Fisheries & Angling team, backed up by the local Environment Agency team, are paying off. Nothing breeds success like success, and more and more anglers are now giving it a go. Signs are that most are catching a few. Likelihood is that early in 2015 the guys in my club will arrange some trial matches just to see how it stands up.

I’ve not heard a great deal from my various contacts about how our waterways had been fishing in the pre-Christmas period. As is normal at this time of year most clubs fish their annual fur and feather events. A close friend of mine, who lives in South Yorkshire, told me on Christmas Eve he had weighed just 5oz in his club’s match, but that had won him a 15lb turkey. Not a bad return at all! Both the fur and feathers I fished were on local commercial fisheries and they proved very clearly that even such heavily stocked venues give no guarantee of bumper catches, especially if the weather and air pressure are wrong. I have a match this coming weekend which will be the first since early December. I do not expect mega sport, but at least it will be nice to get out on the bank. That said, we have just had a couple of inches of snow overnight which will not help.

If you plan to venture out in the coming weeks I guess a late-afternoon session might be favourite.

Make sure you keep warm and safe.

Wishing you all a happy and successful 2015.

Canal Pairs Championships dates AS REPORTED above, the Canal & River Trust and the Angling Trust have announced details of the 2015 Canal Pairs Championships.

Each of the 11 CRT regions will host a qualifying heat, with the top five pairs going through to the 110-peg final. This will be held along the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal on Saturday, October 24.

The dates, venues and host clubs for the qualifiers and the final are as follows: • Sunday, April 12: Grand Union Canal, Loughborough Soar Angling Society • Sunday, April 26: Shropshire Union Canal, Hodnet Angling Club • Sunday, May 3: Grand Union Canal, Northampton Nene Angling Club • Sunday, May 24: Kennet & Avon Canal, Devizes Angling Association • Sunday, June 21: Gloucester & Sharpness Canal, Winget Angling Club • Saturday, July 11: Aire & Calder Navigation, Boothferry Aire & Calder Joint Canal Committee • Sunday, July 26: London Waterway, venue to be confirmed • Saturday, August 15: Rochdale Canal, Heywood & District • Saturday, September 5: Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal, Wolverhampton Angling Association • Sunday, September 20: Beeston Canal, Nottingham Anglers Association • Sunday, September 27: Leeds & Liverpool Canal, Wigan & District Angling Association • Final: Saturday, October 24: Birmingham & Fazeley Canal, Dams & Lock Angling Club Tickets are priced at £20 per angler (£40 per peg) and will go on sale in early February through the Angling Trust. A 50-peg junior

canal championship match will be held on October 24.

The Canal & River Trust’s national fisheries & angling manager, John Ellis, said: “It’s been a long-held ambition to see a major national event of this type launched on the canal network. I feel sure that many club anglers will fancy their chances of qualifying for the final on their own local patch and then who knows what might happen.”

Stillwater Championships

Ten qualifying rounds will be held on some of the Canal & River Trust’s top stillwater fisheries.

Each 40-peg qualifier will see four anglers go through to a 40-peg final, held at Blythe Waters Fishery on October 10.

The dates, qualifying rounds and the final are as follows: • Sunday, April 19: Boddington Reservoir • Sunday, May 10: Blythe Waters • Wednesday, May 20: Boddington Reservoir • Saturday, May 30: Kiveton Waters • Sunday, June 28: Earlswood Lakes • Wednesday, July 15: Boddington Reservoir • Saturday, July 25: Earlswood Lakes • Sunday, August 2: Clattercote Reservoir • Saturday, August 22: Blythe Waters • Saturday, September 19: Blythe Waters • Final: Saturday, October 10: Blythe Waters Entry is £25 per qualifier and tickets will go on sale in early February through the Angling Trust.

David Kent, from the Angling Trust, said: “This event is now well established as a top event on the coarse calendar, attracting some of the best anglers from the stillwater match scene in addition to others who are trying big match fishing for the first time. I’m very much looking forward to next year’s competition.”

100 WET WEB / NEWS

The Wet Web Helen Gazeley searches the network for the ‘biological crown jewels’.

The Montgomery Canal is an important freshwater habitat that has so far escaped the pollution experienced by the majority of canals. PHOTO: DR JEREMY BIGGS

www.towpathtalk.co.uk IT’S not often one thinks of canals as ‘some of the most depressing places to visit’, but this is how they’re described on the Freshwater Habitats Trust (FHT) website www.freshwater habitats.org.uk It’s surprising, given that canals are so often described as vital wildlife corridors, but quality depends rather on what you’re looking at.

Freshwater and wetland habitats occupy 3% of the UK’s land surface and support 10% of our species, from animals, birds and plants, to enormous numbers of invertebrates.

Canals make up only 1% of the freshwater network, but the FHT judges that 95% are far too polluted and churned up to be much use for underwater life.

For larger animals it’s different.

However, none of the animals and birds we think of as an integral part of canal wildlife – kingfishers, otters, herons, water voles – actually depend on canals; they’re ‘generalists’, which merely use what the canals provide.

It’s a view that is likely to be new to many, and certainly creates a different way of looking at the canal network, but it’s not all gloom. Some canals, says Dr Jeremy Biggs, director of the FHT, are as good as the best salmon river, and he goes on to

Toads enjoy the conditions of the canal bank. PHOTO: FRED HOLMES

describe the Basingstoke and Montgomery Canals as ‘biological crown jewels’.

Small victories are also being claimed around the country.

The Swansea Canal Society discovered the lesser-spotted brook lamprey fish last September – it was previously unrecorded on this stretch of water – confirming that water quality was better than it had ever been. (http://bit.ly/1Dt2dq9).

Dredging has just taken place in the Grantham Canal, to slow water flow and encourage the rare grass-wrack pondweed to flourish. (www.bbc.co.uk/news/ uk-england -30480699) The major problem, shared by many bodies of freshwater, is polluting run-off from surrounding land. However, boats also play their part.

Basingstoke Canal Conservation Management Plan (www.hants.gov.uk/rh/canal/ conservation-plan.pdf - required reading for anyone interested in canals and wildlife conservation), explains that boat movements, with propeller action, disturb the canal bed, reducing underwater light for submersed plants.

Overhanging trees are also a problem. Deep shade not only reduces submersed plant growth through reduced light levels, it also prevents reed growth, reducing bank protection, and leads to excessive numbers of leaves rotting on the canal bed, so reducing oxygen levels in the sediment and water.

As overhanging branches are an increasing bane for boatusers in some parts, this adds ammunition to arguments for urgent remedy.

Boats are not all bad, either.

“A very modest amount of boat traffic is basically good,” explains Jeremy, “as it creates minor, near natural disturbance.”

Floating water plantain is a

Water voles are quite tolerant of water pollution.

PHOTO: JO CARTMELL

case in point. A rare aquatic plant, it requires just the right amount of disturbance to flourish – too little and it’s crowded out by competitive species, too much and it won’t survive. It’s found in the Ashton, Rochdale and Peak Forest Canals.

The FHT isn’t so unrealistic as to suggest that all canals should aim to attain superb water quality, nor that boat traffic should be reduced. Canals are, as they say, mainly for boats.

However, Jeremy would like to see widespread recognition of the unique quality of canals such as the Basingstoke and Montgomery. “All canals look like canals, and the tendency to talk up the ordinary places undermines the really special places. The places that are the real gems are irreplaceable and it would be good if people were given the opportunity to understand what jewels they are.”

➔ Formoreinformation Do you have a favourite website?

Email Helen at helengazeley@aol.com

One of Liverpool’s Wacker Quackers splashes into Salthouse Dock. PHOTO:WATERWAY IMAGES

DUKW sinkings: report calls for safety measures

By Harry Arnold

A COMBINED report on the investigations of the sinking and abandonment of the DUKW amphibious passenger vehicles Wacker Quacker 1 in Salthouse Dock in Liverpool on June 15, 2013, and the fire and abandonment of the similar vehicle Cleopatra on the River Thames in London on September 29 has been published.

The investigation reports on the two accidents involving converted Second World War vintage DUKWs; the Liverpool one carrying 31 passengers and the London one 28.

Both accidents resulted in the passengers and crew rapidly abandoning the vehicles but fortunately no-one was badly hurt.

However, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) says that the outcome of either accident could have been very different with significant potential for the two accidents to have resulted in major loss of life.

The complex investigation’s main findings are that the converted DUKWs had not been properly approved by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) when they were certified to carry passengers in 2000; also that over the years, the MCA’s regulatory supervision was insufficient to ensure they were being operated safely.

Following the sinking of the Liverpool DUKW, extra buoyancy foam was inserted into the London vehicle without considering its proximity to

machinery, which directly led to the fire in Cleopatra.

The report contains recommendations to the MCA, London Duck Tours and other operators aimed at improving the safety of DUKWs operating in the UK, developing industry best practice and providing a consistent approach to meet the UK’s regulatory requirements.

London Duck Tours has already made modifications to its vehicles. Liverpool’s The Yellow Duckmarine had its operator’s licence revoked and went into liquidation.

The full 124-page report, plus an annex, is on the MAIB website and makes fascinating reading if only for some hairraising illustrations of poor maintenance, DUKW operation in other countries and also during the Second World War.

101

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TALKBACK TOWPATH TALK has joined forces with Silky Marine Products to celebrate the great letters and pictures we receive from our readers with a star prize each month.

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Rural idylls being ruined by development a school, community hub and “associated infrastructure”.

I am heartbroken. Where will it end? Is there really a need for all these houses? Now I hear that all the land from here to Long Buckby is earmarked for development.

Are there really that many people literally without homes?

Where are the favellas? The shanty towns? Or is it just a need to address the price of houses in the south of England by creating oversupply in the hope that prices will fall accordingly?

I heard recently, some learned person on the radio claim that it is ridiculous to say that this country is ‘full up’ because only 10% of the land area is urbanised.

This is probably true, if you average it all out between the highlands of Scotland and the south-east of England.

But rural England is beautiful.

Ironically it is probably one of the reasons people will buy houses in Monksmoor Park; but they will be disappointed when their view disappears under yet more houses.

And let us not forget that rural England is productive too – at a time when more people than ever wish to buy British.

There may be economic arguments for development but surely economics isn’t everything.

Singapore is very rich, but I for one do not want my island to look like theirs.

Nick Bagley nbs Clare and Dane

You will get out what you put in WITH reference to the letter ‘Leave the quiet life to serious boaters’ (Talkback, issue 110, December).

The attitude of the writer calls to question the probable unimpeachable rectitude of hundreds upon hundreds of serious boaters, transcending all bounds of common decency, through pure selfishness.

Boating at 5.30am, why not? As yet we don’t live in a police state and the waterways are not the sole domain of the writer, who I suspect lives in the country and complains that the cock crows before 10am.

I have news for the writer, rising late and joining a long lock queue to ascertain recommendations of a suitable pub to eat dinner is NOT boating, a jolly perhaps. Locks locked

overnight, thought this was to save water, not the Canal & River Trust dictating lifestyles.

As for courtesy, lock wheeling, setting back and assisting others. You will get out what you put in. In 11 years I have only come across a handful of rude boaters, all boat owners out on a jolly, NOT boaters seemingly! I have met probably thousands of real nice ‘helpful’ people.

If this trend continues we shall have about as many boaters on our waterways as there are country people left in the countryside. Plenty of boat owners perhaps?

I did think we were all boaters.

David Angrave Nb Brittany Lauren

An ordinary couple’s boating life WITH reference to the letter from Jon Reynolds (Talkback, Issue 111, January), while I enjoyed the series starring Timothy West and Prunella Scales, I agree that that type of programme can be a bit too ‘stage managed’.

I would recommend getting a copy of a very good DVD entitled Life on a

Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk

Solid fuels explained by approved coal merchant

★ Silky Star Letter ★

I WONDER how many Towpath Talk readers have noticed how building projects are impacting on our rural canals?

I had the misfortune to walk down the Aylesbury Arm this year for the first time since 2009 and was dismayed to find the lower end of the canal, which was once a rural idyll, absolutely ruined by a huge industrial development, the basin wiped out and the friendly Canal Society tidied away to an inaccessible offside marina in what used to be the Circus Field, but is now to be the Circus Field Estate.

I am now moored in the cutting on the Long Buckby side of Braunston Tunnel. What used to be Monksmoor Farm on the south bank of the canal here is currently being turned over by giant diggers and is destined to become Monksmoor Park: “A collection of two, three and four bedroom homes”.

Anyone familiar with the towpath over Braunston Tunnel will know that it is one of the most beautiful walks, a truly exhilarating experience on a summer’s day, and lately encroached on by the burgeoning Middlemore development to the south.

A small yellow notice tucked away in a gateway near where I sit (buzzards mewing, wind in the trees) announces, or rather whispers, that the land to the north of that path, Mickle Well Farm, is subject to a proposal for 450 homes,

Your chance to write to us on any Towpath topic:

Narrowboat. It stars an ordinary couple, Graham and Vera and their dog Meg, travelling on the Peak Forest and Macclesfield canals.

It is produced by Mike Barrett productions: www.mikebarrettproductions.co.uk Maurice and Elaine Smith. nb Festina lente

I WAS very surprised to read the article entitled ‘Beware of low-quality coal when stocking up for the winter!’

(Products, Issue 111, January).

This article is poorly researched and appears to rely on some inaccurate and downright bizarre information from a ‘well-known coal boater’. I would also like to make it very clear that I am not the coal boater referred to.

Solid fuel briquettes are not made from tar, rubble or aggregates. They are made from a blend of milled anthracite, petroleum coke, coal and a binder, which can be a chemical base or, as is the case for Taybrite, molasses. The better quality fuels have a much greater percentage of anthracite in them, anthracite being a naturally occurring smokeless fuel. It is important to note that petroleum coke, also known as

petcoke and Calco, should not be burned neat as it is far too fierce for multi-fuel stoves.

Supertherm is a large ovoid made by CPL (Coal Products Limited), and is a perfectly good ‘economy’ fuel. However, CPL does make Homefire Ovals, a premium briquette of an almost identical shape to Supertherm but of superior quality, which is reflected in the price. Supertherm has a single indented band on one side only, Homefire Ovals have a double band indented across both sides of the briquette. Other similar sized briquettes (Burnwell, Red etc), have no distinguishing marks and may not be authorised for use in smoke controlled areas.

The HETAS website – hetas.co.uk – lists ALL fuels that are approved for use

in smoke controlled areas. If your fuel is not listed on here, it is not an approved fuel.

My website coalboat.co.uk lists all the fuels that I stock, together with a brief description of them, and includes links to the Coal Merchants’ Federation, HETAS and other relevant sites.

Most stove manufacturers will be happy to recommend suitable fuels for your appliance as well as steering you away from fuels which may damage it, and which will invalidate your warranty.

If you have any reason to doubt that the fuel you are sold is not the product described, then your local authority’s Trading Standards department should be contacted.

John Jackson nb Roach Approved Coal Merchant

Buy your fuel from an approved merchant I WAS very alarmed at the article (Towpath Talk January, page 50) which seems to be solely the inaccurate views of a “well known coal boater” who preferred to remain anonymous.

The majority of coal merchants in Great Britain (over 600) belong to our organisation, the Coal Merchants’ Federation (CMF), which is a voluntary organisation that supports merchants with their day-to-day business ensuring that they are up to date with any regulations and standards etc.

Our members are also members of the consumer protection scheme the Approved Coal Merchants Scheme (ACMS) which is recognised by, and works alongside, Trading Standards.

Any consumer who buys their fuel from one of our members can do so in the knowledge that they are buying from a merchant who is fully trained in his trade and is committed to serving the customer. As members they agree to operate and abide by the Coal Trade Code, which is a code of practice with eight principles that form the basis of honest and fair trading.

ACMS members are recognised by the

ACMS logo which is displayed on their vehicles and tickets.

The description that smokeless fuels comprise of coal, tar, cement and aggregate is completely inaccurate.

Typical manufactured smokeless fuels are made from anthracite, petcoke and usually a binder which can be one of two things – either starch or molasses.

Pre-packed fuels are required to have enough information printed on the bag to inform the buyer of exactly what they are buying. There should be no confusion as to whether the fuel that someone has bought is not the fuel stated on the bag or delivery ticket.

If a consumer believes that to be the case they should go to Trading Standards and report it as soon as possible, or if the merchant is a member of the ACMS they should contact that organisation.

Another part of the article says that “people who need a hot-burning coal usually choose anthracite or petcoke”.

This is completely misleading, anthracite large nuts are suitable for stoves or room-heaters but petcoke on its own should never be burnt on any

appliance, whether it’s an open fire or a stove.

Other than anthracite, manufactured smokeless fuels should only be burnt... and then only those which are Authorised and Approved Fuels. Most manufacturers advise that you should only burn fuels that are on the approved list or their appliance warranty will be invalid.

Finally, the most alarming part of the article is the paragraph where it accuses some fuel manufacturers and merchants of soaking the fuel in water before it is bagged. Solid fuel does not absorb water. Any fuel which is damp will only have surface water as solid fuel is non porous and it will never look or feel soaking wet. It may be damp if the weather has been particularly wet, but the only time a merchant would damp down the fuel is in hot summer conditions to reduce the dust. Again any consumer who believes that they have bought short weight fuel should contact Trading Standards straight away.

Wilma Brooks general secretary Coal Merchants’ Federation (Great Britain) Ltd

ACMS Anyone buying coal/solid fuel should always look for the ACMS sign. The ACMS is funded by the Solid Fuel Association and there is a section on the SFA website to find a local coal merchant, visit www.solidfuel.co.uk

SFA In addition, the SFA provides a free helpline for consumers who are seeking advice and guidance on fuels and heating appliances. They can be contacted on 01773 835400 or 0845 6014406.

Bring back some peace and quiet to the cut I HAVE read the article about conflict between London’s liveaboard boaters and local residents which was written by Polly Player (Last Word, Issue 111, January).

Although I have been an enthusiastic boater for over 40 years, my sympathies are very much with local residents in this case.

I find it particularly annoying that so many people living afloat either temporarily or permanently seem to have to run engines or generators whenever they tie up for the night, causing disturbance, noise and

pollution to their neighbours.

I am delighted to see that both the CRT and the Environment Agency are starting to introduce some ‘quiet’ moorings where such activities are banned. If this means that boaters cannot spend the evening watching the telly then tough luck! Let us see these restrictions introduced far more widely to bring back some peace and quiet to the cut.

David Small By email

Allowing waste to biodegrade naturally I AM writing in response to ‘Shovelling up the mess’ (Talkback, Issue 110, December). I am one of those offending people. I believe that throwing the dog waste into the hedge allows it to biodegrade naturally, in a relatively short space of time.

Maybe ‘Fed up’ prefers to see the towpath strewn with discarded bags of dog poo and ‘poo’ trees, from lazy owners, who want to be ‘seen to be doing the right thing’ but

can’t be bothered to find a bin.

The bagged poo, if binned, has to be collected, and taken somewhere to be disposed of. This all costs money and I believe wastes valuable sources.

As for throwing it in the water, is ‘Fed up’ going for a swim or extracting drinking water from the cut? Maybe ‘Fed up’ wants ducks’ bottoms corked as well!

Bridget Fellows Rushden, Northants

Lock is a listed ‘building’ THE reason for the near original state of Wolverley Court Lock (Volunteering, Issue 110, December) is that it is a listed ‘building’ along with its associated bridge. It will need consent to do any work on it – maybe even painting!

“Wolverley Court Lock, Bridge and overflow. Bridge over Staffordshire and Worcestershire canal (No.19).

Red brick construction, with sandstone copings to springs, with cast iron dividing bridge.

Lock gates and paddles and associated infrastructure.”

In addition the whole canal is a conservation area.

Isobel Turner Coddington, Nottinghamshire

102 NEWS/THE LAST WORD

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Positive response to winter moorings provision

By Polly Player

FOLLOWING the Canal & River Trust’s implementation of a new method of allocating winter moorings to continuous cruisers, as well as a new system to ensure that first-time continuous cruisers understand what is required of them in terms of their movement patterns, the trust has now released statistical reports on the success of both schemes.

Winter mooring provision

Short-term chargeable winter moorings that can be purchased by continuous cruisers to permit them to remain in one place during the colder months of the year underwent a fairly wide-reaching change in time for winter 20132014, which has remained in place for winter 2014-2015.

Previously, boaters were able to book and buy designated spaces in fixed locations for the winter, with most areas of the country turning over various short-term and casual moorings to winter mooring provision over the colder months.

The changes introduced by the CRT in time for the winter season of 2013-2014 meant that rather than dedicating set areas to winter moorings, boaters were able to buy a winter permit for the length of time of their choosing (up to five months) that allowed them to

remain on any permitted stretch of towpath rather than in one set location. A small number of dedicated spaces were also offered at selected popular visitor moorings countrywide, and in four specific areas of London as well.

A couple of additional caveats were made to the general towpath mooring permits too: that boaters may not use a dedicated visitor mooring (other than for short-term stays in accordance with the local mooring rules) nor moor up for the winter within one kilometre of any private long-term mooring site, including marinas.

The CRT intends to collate feedback from boaters during the spring of 2015 on how they feel the changes have worked out so far. But general opinion and CRT figures on the uptake of winter moorings under the new guidelines would indicate that the scheme has largely been viewed positively by boaters to date.

The total number of winter moorings booked has increased exponentially year on year for the last three years, rising from 377 in 2012 to 658 in 2014.

Communication with new continuous cruisers

From November 2013 onwards, the CRT introduced a programme of ongoing

communication with new licence holders to advise them of the requirements of their licence and to ensure that first-time continuous cruisers understand what is required of their movement patterns.

The trust remains in communication with new continuous cruisers during the first year of their licence to advise them and provide feedback and early intervention if the trust feels that their movement patterns are not in accordance with their continuous cruiser declaration.

At the first anniversary of the scheme in November 2014, the trust formally advised boaters who had failed to meet their obligations regarding range of movement over the prior year that they will not permit them to renew their licences.

Since January 2014, 792 new continuous cruisers received a formal welcome and information letter regarding their range of movement, and further information as necessary throughout the course of their first year. Of these 792 boats, 63 are now undergoing the enforcement process, with an additional 83 boaters classed as ‘of concern’ in terms of their movement patterns. Twenty three of these boaters have been advised that their licences will not be renewed.

The first-year advice and feedback scheme remains ongoing at the present time.

ToWPaTh TITTer

CONTINUING our light-hearted look at life on the cut with another contribution from Harry Arnold of Waterway Images.

Is this the place where boat toilets – like elephants – quietly go to die?

And thanks to Eddie Barford of the Mersey Motor Boat Club for his latest offering, snapped next to the Runcorn branch of the Bridgewater Canal.

Bookable moorings pilot scheme is launched by the CRT AS reported on page 7, the Canal & River Trust has announced the launch of a pilot scheme to permit boaters to pre-book moorings in Rembrandt Gardens (Little Venice) where the Regent’s Canal meets the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal.

As a very centrally located spot that is both scenic and has excellent transport links to the rest of London, Rembrandt Gardens is a popular stop off year-round for both visitors to London, and boaters based in the area.

The pilot scheme was announced as the result of a consultation on the usage of moorings in Paddington Basin and Little Venice itself, conducted in late 2014. The first stage will operate until the summer, when the success or otherwise of the scheme will be reviewed.

Booking a space is free of charge and can only be done online up to one month in advance of the proposed visit.

In order to ensure that the moorings are fairly allocated and that all boaters who wish to may be given a chance to use them, the maximum stay time during the pilot period is seven days, with a noreturn rule in operation for one calendar month. All boats will be limited to a maximum of 14 days’ total stay on the allocated moorings within any given year.

The remaining mooring provision for visiting boats in and around the Little Venice area remains unchanged, with boaters able to take their chances on finding a free berth on spec when they wish to moor up as part of their journey.

Internal fascination

A penny for them? In this month’s extracts from her online blog, Amy Whitewick shares her thoughts on soft furnishings and loo rations.

OVER the past month ‘our girl’s’ interior has been coming on in leaps and bounds (except for the heavy kitchen cabinets which came on board with a little more care). Engineer Dave and dad struggled to push a monstrous beast of a cabinet on to her

one morning and our girl responded by teasing them and drifting out as they stepped onto her, leading to some entertaining facial expressions and yoga positions, one of which we now call the ‘splitting swan’. The ‘swearing duck’ is a similar move, involving a swift flick of the head to hit the ceiling beam in just the right place.

My brother perfected the ‘dipstick’ move while he helped lift on the new stove, his trousers completing the look with a fetching tide mark for the remainder of the day. We are now quite confident there is enough water in the canal, but we may have to invite him back before the summer cracks on, just to double-check. I’ll make sure to send Canal & River Trust his number so that they can have him on speed dial to check against evapotranspiration issues.

Toilet seat chic

Just waiting to be sat on in their cling-film wrapping.

PHOTO:AMY WHITEWICK

Meanwhile, mum has been quietly beavering away with the soft furnishings and, as if by magic, an armful of cushions have appeared on the sofa, in the same fashion as mushrooms crop up overnight.

To protect them from harm, they’ve been nestled in

Can you spot the front door?

If you have a suitable photo or anecdote we can share with our readers, please send it to Towpath Talk, PO Box 43, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR or email: editorial@towpathtalk.co.uk

their plastic packaging for weeks, the sofa to the point of becoming wrapped in a layer of cling film.

We’ve all heard of the toilet seat trick before, and this achieves the same function; to embarrass you enough that you don’t want to sit on it for fear of generating a farting noise in company.

Signwriter Rob came aboard to say hello one grim afternoon, and froze in front of the sofa. He grabbed a cushion and cuddled it thoughtfully, momentarily saving it from his piercing stare. ‘You are going to take the plastic off, aren’t you?’ He pointed a shaking finger at the crime scene before him, horrified.

It’s a good job there wasn’t a chalk outline on the floor as well, or people might start to get the wrong impression.

The bathroom, too, is on its way to getting a makeover with its sparkling new white loo seat (the first one we bought didn’t fit and the second one shattered in the post, hence we’re saving them for a trophy wall. I can now understand why the courier threw it around in the van. No-one likes a toilet seat that takes forever to fit. Being soft close, it takes forever to shut as well).

I did plead for a silver glitter one I spotted in a department store, but judging by the looks I received from members of staff (and mum and dad) as I squealed in delight, I realised it might not be a good idea. With only one toilet on board, you cannot afford to distract anyone’s attention in there for too long. Reading material is also banned for the same reason, and there’s now a stopwatch on the outside of the door, with 30.3 seconds

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maximum allowed for ablutions. Beyond that, you’ll have to put up with the door being wrenched open and someone else diving in to brush their teeth – pants or no pants.

Thankfully, I don’t ration toilet paper like someone else I know – you’ll have a job using three sheets in the time limit, let alone half a roll.

Can cook, won’t cook

The new kitchen on our girl is an endless source of fascination to people, who instantly look for an oven. Why they do this is a mystery. Personally, I only think about food 23% of the day, and yet, most of the people I know seem to think about it all the time. ‘Where’s your oven? How are you going to feed yourselves? Don’t you cook’?

The answers are usually: ‘The oven is at the dump. We go to the pub. We have new-fangled technology called an induction hob on which we can only cook half a breakfast at a time in a saucepan smaller than a teacup. We do have some tinned tuna, if you’re hungry’?

You always get the wrinkles-above-the-nose look at this point, followed by a fast exit.

Our boaty neighbours on the far left (or right, depending which way round you stand) have the right idea. They have takeaways from a popular burger chain. If only there were ‘drive-throughs’ for boats. Now there’s an idea. ● Read Amy’s blog at http://weboughtafatboat.blogspot.com

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