Towpath Talk February 2015 FULL ISSUE

Page 1

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:

www.tingdene.net

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.


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