Canal & River Trust Open House Weekend Simon Dyer Reports
In this issue:
Local Campaigning Chairman' s Reports C&RT Open House Future Events London Socials London Walks Boat Licence Review AGM notices London Mooring Committee Members and contact Details
Cover photo (Simon Dyer):
The Impounding Station Isle of Dogs See article this page
For the Annual London Open House Weekend, which normally takes place at the end of September, the Canal & River Trust reached out to their Volunteers to help at various locations on the weekend of 16th and 17th. For 2017 the C&RT opened Brentford Toll House, Three Mills Lock at Bow and The Impound Station at London Docklands. Although I knew nothing about any of these locations, I put my name down to help at Three Mills Lock, as I felt more qualified to help there as I had actually walked past it twice! I turned up to help out early on the Sunday morning. I was there with two other C&RT volunteers with a view to welcoming and directing visitors, answering questions and providing information about the site. One of the Trust’s Heritage Advisers came along to show us around in advance of the first visitors arriving and explained the following. Three Mills Lock is built on the Prescott Channel, on the Bow Back Rivers, just behind the Three Mills themselves. The Prescott Channel was constructed in the 1930s as part of a scheme for flood prevention (and employment creation). The Channel bypasses the tide mills at Three Mills, and included a sluice structure, which was used to control levels in the Bow Back Rivers much as the present structure is. This original structure became inoperative by the mid-1960s and was removed in the 1980s, a consequence of which was that the rivers reverted to being tidal making navigation difficult.
When the Olympics were planned to come to London and the Main Stadium was to be built on the island formed by the City Mills River and the Lee Navigation, the restoration of the channels was thought to be an important part of the site development, particularly as it might allow some of the construction materials to be delivered by barge. A new lock and sluice structure was therefore constructed in the Prescott Channel. This new lock is 203 feet (62 m) long, 26 feet (8 m) wide and 7.9 feet (2.4 m) deep, and can hold two 350-tonne barges (the present locks on the nearby Lee Navigation limit Three Mills Lock (Simon Dyer) barges to about 120 tonnes). The tidal range is handled using hydraulic sector gates at both ends of the lock, and the structure incorporates two large rising radial gates for flood control in the Bow Back Rivers.
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The day started very slowly, with only one visitor arriving as we opened, which necessitated a change of the original plan. I was asked if I would like to go and help instead at the Impounding Station. To which I replied; a) I have never heard of it; b) I don’t know where it is, and c) I know nothing about it; but I’ll give it a go. At which point I was bundled into a Canal & River Trust van and whisked away to the Isle of Dogs. What an exciting revelation. Housed in an unassuming red brick warehouse by a roundabout on the western side of the Isle of Dogs, surrounded by the massive towers of Canary Wharf, is The Impounding Station. It turned out to be a very popular location for The Open House Weekend – when I arrived the punters were already queuing up and there was a tour in full swing led by another C&RT Heritage Adviser. I tagged along, learnt quickly, and found myself leading the next tour! The station houses three huge original (1929) Worthington Simpson pumps, driven by a Lancashire Dynamo, that draw water from the Thames at high tide to fill West India Docks and maintain a constant water level in the Docks. Being water pumps, they require priming before they can operate, and fortunately, as I arrived the tide was at its highest, so they sprang into action. The whole process was absolutely fascinating and well worth a visit – I am hoping that it will be open and operating again for the next Open House Weekend, which I understand will be 22nd and 23rd September this year. Although, if last year is anything to go by, it will be very popular. We were even having to turn people away at the end of the day as we would have gone on long beyond closing time and all the Tour Guides were losing their voices. Simon Dyer IWA South London Branch
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One Thousand London Walks The Towpath Walks Society has rounded off 2017 by guiding its 1000th Walk. On 31st December a tour around Little Venice, Paddington Basin and Paddington Green survived some mixed weather to hear about Margery Allingham and John Masefield, as well as John Nash and William Praed. And the following day, the “New Year’s Day Walk”, a circular tour from King’s Cross along the canal and ending at St. Pancras, proved to be very popular indeed. Since starting with one route in 1977, the Society has guided nearly 16,000 customers, and raised over £44,000 for the IWA. Since 1993 we have worked in partnership with London Walks. We have also widened the variety of the walks: in 2017 we added a route around the East and West India Docks, as well as a route from Uxbridge to Denham. This year we will be guiding a walk along part of the Grand Surrey Canal, near Surrey Quays. If you would like to come on one of these walks - just turn up. No booking required.
Photo: At Little Venice, guide Richard Fentiman (on the right) explains some interesting aspects about the variety of boats to be seen there
To go on a Towpath Walk, simply turn up. No advance booking is needed. The Walks are normally on Sundays, starting at 2.30 pm. Regular charge is £10; concessionary rate is £8. For further details, look on the IWA website www.waterways.org.uk, or contact Roger Wilkinson at 020 3612 9624. This copy of Meridian gives the list of future walks on page 12.
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Boat Licence Review The View from C&RT IWA submitted their response as reported in the last Meridian, here Jon Horsfall, interim head of boating at Canal & River Trust, reports on the next stages for the review. The Trust's final stage of consultation closed on the 18th December marking the best part of nine months of open consultation with boating organisations, focus groups and ultimately all licence holders who enjoy our waterways. We have received over ten thousand responses from a population of almost thirty four thousand licence holders. A significant response rate that indicates the passion and commitment that the Trust’s boating customers have. Such a response should give reassurance about the reliability of the responses across the wider population. It is helpful to reflect that the process has been customer led throughout, with those issues and opportunities identified at the first stage refined through the focus groups and leading to the proposals at the final stage. During the early period of the new year the Trusts consultants will evaluate the responses so that we can understand the outcomes in the richest sense. Throughout the consultation there has been the opportunity for individuals and organisations to submit views and ideas that go beyond the framework of proposals. During such large scale consultation, their has understandably been some challenge throughout from some customers and organisations about the approach and some anticipation about any potential outcomes. We have done our best to reassure and remain committed to the original intentions of the consultation. This has been balanced by the tremendous levels of support the Trust has received for the consultation and continues to receive from its boating customers and the organisations that represent your interests. Beyond any indication of support or otherwise for the proposals it will be interesting to evaluate the many other ideas that have been suggested. The Trust remains committed to listening intently to its customers to help us build further support for one another in the future. Clearly, the crux of the consultation outcome lies on the decisions that are made following its evaluation and any subsequent action or recommendations for further work. There is much to work through over the early part of the new year and, as in the earlier stages, the consolidated report for the close of the consultation will be made available as soon as possible. Licensing or otherwise, talking to you more and finding opportunities to engage you in the Trust's challenges is part of our future. Happy New Year Jon
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IWA Canalway Cavalcade 5th – 7th May 2018 Little Venice will once again be filled with boats and activities over the bank holiday weekend, 5th – 7th May 2018. This is our annual IWA event here in London, started by London Branch in 1983 by its chairman, Arthur Farrand Radley MBE. We continue to have many members involved in the organisation of the event in advance and many more over the weekend itself.
There are over 100 boats already booked in for 2018 with a promise of more to come. The procession of decorated boats will take place on the Saturday afternoon and the illuminated boats on Sunday evening. We also have a procession of historic boats on the Monday afternoon. The theme Canal Builders has been chosen which will be reflected in the decoration of the boats and other activities. These will include a range of activities for children where they will have the opportunity to learn about how our canals were built and who built them. Entertainment for all ages will be throughout the site with much more this year in the amphitheatre. There will be a busy trade show and any requests to have a stall should be directed to Tel: 07788 204442 or email: exhibition@waterways.org.uk Volunteers are needed for help with activities over the weekend including meeting and greeting entertainers, assisting children with activities, providing information to festival goers about the event and about IWA and the waterways, also distributing programmes and collecting donations. Please consider if you can help us with any of these. More information and a link to the boat entry form and the volunteer form may be found on the following link https://www.waterways.org.uk/events_festivals/canalway_cavalcade/iwa_canalway_cavalca de Libby Bradshaw 6
Region Chairperson's Column To start with, I would like to wish you and your family all the best for the New Year. I hope it will be a happy and prosperous one. In the dark days of winter, it is often difficult to remember how much we enjoyed this summer’s cruising the Inland Waterways. The Association is always looking at ways to enhance people’s enjoyment of the waterways. In 2018, we will be launching a new Challenge to all members to recognise their journeys to the far flung corners of the waterways network. Look out for an announcement in Waterways. After a successful first seventy years of existence, the association is in the process of refocusing its efforts and re-branding itself to meet the challenges of the next seventy years. Many of you will have seen the new propeller logo and I am sure you’ll have your own view on the change. However, the logo is only the outward sign of the changes that are needed in the way the Association works. To explain what the trustees are trying to do and how we believe the Association can continue to support the waterways in the future, we intend hold a seminar in London later in the winter or early spring. This will be an opportunity for us all to get together and talk about how we envisage the future. At the end of the meeting we hope you will understand why the trustees are making changes and the important role your branch can play in moving the association forward. It will also, of course, give you an opportunity to meet other members of IWA from across the region. In addition to myself, I hope the new chairman, Ivor Caplan, or the Chief Executive, Neil Edwards, will be able to join us. I will contact you to tell you about ticketing arrangements soon. Next year could see a number of changes in the way our waterways are managed. The Canal and River Trust (C&RT) are reorganising and reducing the number of their regions. They have said that they intend to introduce a new licensing regime for boats kept on their waters. In London, C&RT have told us they intend to implement a new strategy to control moorings. The ongoing saga of the takeover of the Environmental Agencies (EA) waterways by C&RT should come to a head. Whilst we understand that the government is still minded to allow the takeover, Brexit appears to be taking up all the government’s time and the merger may not happen for that reason. If the government decides not to merge the two organisations, we will need to start a campaign for better funding of the EA waterways. Finally, can I remind you that IWA’s premier event in London, Canalway Cavalcade, is over the weekend of the 5th to 7th May 2017. If you can’t come by boat why not join us for a day, the nearest tube station is Paddington. It is a really great family day out. As always, we are looking for new volunteers to help us run the event. If you fancy dipping your toe into the water of volunteering, please contact the team via the on-line volunteer form which is on the IWA Cavalcade page of the IWA website, or email them at cavalcade.volunteer@waterways.org.uk Paul Strudwick London Region Chair Person paul.strudwick@waterways.org.uk
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South London Branch Fund-Raising Stand For anyone who has not encountered our Branch Stand, this is to bring you up to speed. For many years now, we have been raising funds for inland waterways conservation and restoration by attending local fairs and wider waterways-related events with our branch stand. The main feature of our stand is the Waterways Game, which is similar to tombola, but whereas tombola normally just has numbered tickets, ours uses names of waterways. The winning waterways are navigable canals or rivers, and the losing ones are (sadly) the much larger numbers of closed or derelict ones. Each ticket, winning or losing, gives details of the canal, (eg the date of the enabling Act of Parliament and the dates when it was in operation). The Waterways Game, which was invented by former branch member, Dave Sullivan, and donated to the branch, has served us well over the years and we have been able to make substantial donations to restoration causes. As well as the Waterways Game, we use our stand to sell relevant books and give out publicity materials for the branch and local waterway causes. In 2018, we intend that the Branch Stand will be at Canalway Cavalcade (5 – 7 May), Rickmansworth Canal Festival (19 – 20 May) and Angel Day (2 September) as well as a number of other events yet to be announced. If you know of a local event where we could have a stall, or would like to become involved with fund-raising by helping out on our stall, please get in touch with any of the committee (details at the back of this newsletter). In 2017, our stand represented the branch at Canalway Cavalcade, Streatham Kite Day, Rickmansworth Waterways Festival, Angel Day and the Slough Festival. We could attend many more events if we had more volunteers to support us. Please consider donating a weekend, or even a couple of hours, to help us raise funds for all the exciting restoration projects which are under way, such as the Wendover Arm, Wey and Arun Canal, Cotswolds Canal Trust, Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust, etc, all of which need money to enable them to keep up their good work. Dorothy Robbie
Eric Garland and Libby Bradshaw ready for customers on the stand at the Slough Canal Festival
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From North & East London Chairman, Tim Lewis Although we are now in the middle of the winter and outside what is is often referred to as the Cruising Season, the branch officers are still busy monitoring what is happening to the waterways within our branch area. We continue to monitor planning applications for developments that may have an affect on the waterway environment. We have commented on a number of applications in the Camden area including a large canalside development on St Pancras Way for Ted Baker fashion, a very large redevelopment of the Morrison’s supermarket site and an upward extension of the Ice Wharf Building. Receipt of planning permission for the reconstruction of the Camley Street Natural Park means that it will be closed for a large part of this year whilst the works are carried out. We also note a number of large developments along Bow Creek. We are often disappointed on the lack of interest in using our canals to transport construction materials and waste and make this comment on planning applications.The Branch continues in it’s objections to the proposed changes to the visitor moorings at Limehouse Basin, see the last edition of Meridian for details. We are attempting to identify priority improvements to existing navigable waterways in our patch. The aim is to include these in a national list and encourage their implementation both locally and nationally. We congratulate the team behind the IWA Towpath Walks Society on carrying out their 1000th walk, an amazing achievement! The monies raised from these walks are donated to the IWA London Branches which allows us to make grants such as the recent £1,000 to the Wey & Arun Canal Trust towards their Dunsfold dredging works programme. We are always looking for worthy bodies to make grants to and welcome suggestions from our members. We have made comments on the recently closed London Mooring Strategy consultation and eagerly await the results. One result of the number of boats now moored on our branch waterways is a rising number of complaints about the burning of wood and non-smokeless coal which has led the Greater London Authority to consider a ban on the use of wood burning stoves. There also appears to be an increase in the number of break-ins on moored boats. We are encouraged that it appears that a new organising team are in place to allow the continuation of the Angel Canal Festival. On the Tidal Thames we continue to represent the Association on Port Of London Authority user groups and note the reported rise in incidents concerning recreational craft. We also note the increase in river traffic involved in the construction of the Thames Tideway Tunnel. You will notice that the IWA has a new logo! This is part of a major rebranding and setting of objectives of the IWA. I would encourage members to go to the IWA web site to read what these are. On behalf of your Branch committee I would wish you a happy new year on and about the waterways. Tim Lewis, Chairman, North and East London Branch
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South London Chairman’s Report Happy New Year to all our members! I hope you have all had a good Christmas break and wish you every happiness for the coming year. In August, as reported in the last Meridian Cuttings, we took part in the reopening celebrations of Carpenters Road Lock and the tidal cruises during the weekend. Panacea represented the IWA, complete with banners, at the opening ceremony along with several of the London community boats. Since my last report South London took the stand and the Waterway game to Angel Canal Festival and Slough Canal. Otherwise our fundraising has mainly been selling IWA cards and calendars through the branch. We also have a donation of waterway books which Eric Garland will shortly be pricing for us to sell in aid of the branch. Branch socials started again in September with a talk on the work of the RNLI and at the October meeting we had a very interesting talk from one of the Heritage staff at C&RT. We continued with Roger Squires talking about the River Wey in November and our December meeting was the usual mulled punch and mince pies with members’ boating stories. These included the reopening celebrations of Carpenters Road Lock and the tidal cruises during that weekend. Apart from these activities the branch has been fairly quiet with our secretary recovering from heart surgery and various other committee members facing challenging health problems We do not have a January social but are planning a visit to the Museum in Docklands during the London boat show. Our annual dinner is booked for Friday January 26th January at the Caprini restaurant, Waterloo. Members of other branches are all welcome to join us. Booking forms have been sent out to the region membership, details are also elsewhere in this magazine. In February Simon Dyer, one of our branch committee, will be talking about his volunteer work for C&RT including having been volunteer lock keeper at St Pancras lock during the summer. This will be on Wednesday 21st February rather than 14th so those who wish to spend Valentine’s evening with their nearest and dearest and those who are committed to singing for Ash Wednesday can do so! Shea Richardson is keeping a watchful eye on the river Wandle and Simon Dyer has agreed to assist Eric Garland in looking into developments at Deptford Creek . We are still hoping to plan a tideway cruise into the mouth of the river Wandle now the half tide weir has been removed with an overnight stay at Chiswick Pier and some joint working with RNLI Chiswick and Teddington. With my RNLI ‘hat’ on I continue to liaise with the local Lifeboat Management Group at Chiswick re safety on the River Thames. This includes work on their Respect Water campaign, education of pubs and clubs along the Thames in the use of throw lines and liaising with the local rowing clubs. Panacea at Carpenters Road lock
Libby Bradshaw, Branch Chairman 10
South London Branch Calendar Unless otherwise indicated, the following South London Branch Social Events will take place at 7.30 for 8.00 p.m. at: The Primary Room The United Reformed Church Hall Addiscombe Grove, Croydon CR0 5LP Friday 26th January Annual New Year Dinner & Raffle: BOOKING ESSENTIAL Wednesday 21st February My year as a `Canal & River Trust’ Volunteer by Simon Dyer Wednesday 14th March South London Branch Annual General Meeting All are welcome, IWA members or non members at our meetings There is no admission charge for talks, film shows or presentations but we do ask that you donate a minimum of £2 per person to offset room hire charges and speakers’ expenses, thank you. There is good parking adjacent to the hall and excellent transport links via East Croydon train and tram stations For more information please contact the Social Secretary: Shea Richardson Tel: 07803 904803 or e-mail: shea.richardson@homecall.co,uk For updates and information on all IWA events and branches please go to: www.waterways.org.uk
The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of The Inland Waterways Association or of the London Region or its branches. They are, however, published as being of interest to our members and readers. The IWA accepts no liability for any matter within this publication. Editor: Chris Bushill, 52, Brycedale Crescent, Southgate, London, N14 7EU. chris.bushill@waterways.org.uk
Published by the IWA, North & East and South London Branches at: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, Bucks, HP 1WA. Tel 01494 783453 11
London Walks Programme Date 21 January Sunday
Route Regent’s Canal: Islington – Hoxton
Start (Tube Station) Angel
4 February Sunday
The Olympics, Three Mills & Bow Back Rivers Limehouse – Thames – Docklands
Bromley by Bow
18 February Sunday 4 March Sunday 18 March Sunday 1 April Sunday
14 April Saturday 10:45 a.m. 15 April Sunday 29 April Sunday 1 May Tuesday 6 May Sunday 20 May Sunday 3 June Sunday 17 June Sunday 1 July Sunday 15 July Sunday 5 August Sunday 19 August Sunday
Regent’s Canal: King’s Cross - Granary Square - Camden Grand Union Canal: Little Venice & Paddington Green Regent’s Canal: Mile End – Limehouse Stop Press: this walk is to be led by George Clooney Regent’s Canal: King’s Cross - Granary Square - Camden Regent’s Canal: Little Venice to Camden Regents C: Kings Cross– Hitchcock’s Hackney Grand Union Canal: Uxbridge – Denham
Westferry DLR (by Cycle Hire Point) King’s Cross (taxi rank) Paddington Bakerloo Praed Street exit Mile End
King’s Cross (taxi rank) Warwick Avenue King’s Cross (taxi rank)
Uxbridge (High Street exit) Regent’s Canal: River Tyburn – Little Venice Baker St (Baker St North/Lords exit) Grand Union Canal: Uxbridge – Denham Uxbridge (High Street exit) Limehouse – Thames – Docklands Westferry DLR (by Cycle Hire Point) Surrey Quays DLR (by Grand Surrey Canal - Royal Victoria Navy Cycle Hire Point) Victualling Yard - Greenland Dock Regent’s Canal: Islington – Mile End Angel Regent’s Canal: Little Venice to Camden Warwick Avenue Regent’s Canal: King’s Cross - Granary King’s Cross (taxi rank) Square - Camden Grand Union Canal: Little Venice & Paddington Bakerloo line Paddington Green Praed Street exit
To go on a Towpath Walk, simply turn up. No advance booking is needed. The Walks are normally on Sundays, starting at 2.30 pm. Regular charge is £10; concessionary rate is £8. For further details, look on the IWA website www.waterways.org.uk, or contact Roger Wilkinson at 020 3612 9624. Roger writes: If you would like to become a Guide for the Towpath Walks, you would be very welcome. We have a vacancy for a guide, and we would be very pleased to hear from you. If you' re not sure about it - don' t worry, we will brief you well. Just ring us, or email us, and the rest is plain sailing.
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Maidenhead Waterways ‘bringing the Thames into town’ As a Windsor and Maidenhead Councillor in the 1980s, writes your editor, I used to comment how good it would be to see the dried up watercourses in Maidenhead town rewatered and preferably navigable. Perhaps partly because I was a councillor for Windsor, I did nothing more about it. It gave me great pleasure recently to discover that others have done a great deal more. The Maidenhead Waterways Group was founded in 2006 with the aim of restoring the waterways to a navigable standard, allowing boats to travel into and around the town centre and returning to the River Thames. A lock and weir is planned to raise and stabilize water levels in the town centre channels and water the dry Moor Cut channel of the waterway.The channel, which crosses Town Moor, was enlarged in the 1960s as a flood defence. This was made redundant when the Jubilee River was completed in 2002, providing flood relief to Maidenhead. The waterway running down to the Thames was already about 15 m wide, but overgrown and partly silted up. Channel clearance work over the last few years by volunteers has removed most of the tree blockages and it is now usable by canoes and rowing boats. The York Stream channel in the centre of Maidenhead had become narrow, shallow and prone to dry out at times of low flow on the Thames. Under its previous flood protection role, the adjoining Moor Cut channel was kept permanently 'dry' except in flood conditions. The Council adopted a comprehensive Area Action Plan in 2011, which sees the restored waterway as one of the defining projects for the town. Development proposals for some of the key streamside sites which will benefit from a waterside outlook were submitted during 2012, have since been approved, and areunderway. These sites are helping fund implementation of the waterway. Planning permission for Phase 1 of the waterways works was granted in 2012. The project then moved on to the detailed design stage. By mid-2014, a contract was awarded to specialist water and environmental contractor Greenford Ltd and work began in 2015 on the first stage, covering the section between the dual carriageway and the Great Western Railway arches, with the flow being diverted down the usually empty Moor Cut channel by a temporary dam. In December 2015 the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead announced its intention to directly fund another stage of the build, allowing the York Stream arm of Maidenhead's waterway 'Ring' to be completed, including a weir (with fish pass and boat rollers) to raise the water level throughout the town centre.
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The first two phases of a major residential-led development at Chapel Arches, set around a large water basin at this location of the waterway are enhanced by the waterside setting created by the waterway. In recognition of this Shanly Homes is contributing to the cost of the waterway build and has also built the new footbridge over the channel. The third phase of this development is planned to start in 2018 when the section of the York Stream completing the waterway ’Ring’ will be built. Once the weir and fish pass at Green Lane are operational (anticipated by the end of 2018), the water in both the York Stream and Moor Cut channels will be raised to their final level, with York Stream generally having a 1.3m water depth (less under certain bridges), but Moor Cut remaining quite shallow until the bed there is also lowered in Stage 3. In due course, Maidenhead Waterways will be seeking funding to improve the southern channel (Bray Cut) which already links the ‘Ring’ to the River Thames at Bray Marina. This channel was enlarged in the 1960s as part of the town’s flood defences, but has silted up since and is very overgrown. The Northern section of the route is not part of the current planning consent but would be part of a future phase of the waterways plans, running from the Thames near Cliveden Reach.
A Dry Moor Cut
Navigation to be cleared under Brunel arches
Photographs above indicate the scale of the works undertaken. Thanks to Maidenhead Waterways Restoration Group.
Website: www.maidenheadwaterways.org
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Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) working holidays, called ‘Canal Camps’are a great experience for anyone who loves being outdoors and enjoys meeting new people from different backgrounds and of different ages. Our Camps also offer you a fantastic chance to learn new skills such as bricklaying, stone walling, machine operation and restoration techniques. In groups of up to 18 volunteers, you can help with essential restoration work on the derelict waterways of England and Wales. Volunteers will be able to take part in various tasks from vegetation clearance to learning how to build a lock wall. Whether you are a complete beginner or have tried your hand at restoration before, you will be guided through every task by the Canal Camp leader and their assistant. Quick Canal Camp Facts
WRG run over 25 week-long residential restoration Canal Camps every year on the derelict waterways of England and Wales.
Each camp costs £70 per week which includes food and accommodation.
Our camps are open to anyone aged over 18.
WRG welcomes participants completing the residential section of their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award.
It's easy to become a 21st century canal navvy! Contact WRGie Head Office e-mail: enquiries@wrg.org.uk telephone: 01494 783 453 ext 604
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BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS AGM London Branches of The Inland Waterways Association will take place as follows: South London 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday 14th March at: The Primary Room The United Reformed Church Hall Addiscombe Road Croydon CR0 5LP
North & East London 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday 20th March at: 2 Kingdom Street Paddington W2 6PY
AGENDA 1. Apologies
for absence 2. Approval of the Minutes of the 2017 AGM plus Matters Arising 3. Report from the Chairman 4. Presentation of Accounts 5. Business of the meeting notified under bylaw 1.3٭ 6. Election to fill posts on the Committee 7. Questions from the floor The formal AGM will be followed by another activity as per the branch’s social programme
CONTACT DETAILS South London
North & East London Tim Lewis Chairman e-mail: tim.lewis@waterways.org.uk Roger Squires
Libby Bradshaw e-mail: libby.bradshaw@waterways.org.uk Allan Scott
Secretary e-mail: roger.squires@waterways.org.uk e-mail: allan.scott@waterways.org.uk
NOTE : Byelaw 1.3 provides that any member of a region or branch may propose business to appear on the Agenda of an AGM of their region or branch, provided that notice of such business is delivered in writing to the Chairman of the region or branch at least six weeks before that meeting. If any such items are received, a revised Agenda for the relevant meeting will be in a Branch Newsletter which is due to be published before the AGMs.
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BRANCH COMMITTEE ELECTIONS To facilitate elections at the AGMs, nominations for election to a Branch or Region Committee must be received by the relevant Branch or Region Secretary before or at the AGM (see above). All candidates and their proposers must be paid-up members of the relevant Branch and the candidate must indicate his/her willingness to stand. All elected members of a Branch Committee who have held office for a term of three years have to retire, as does any member co-opted during the committee meetings since the last AGM. Members in either category are eligible for re-election, provided that they are duly nominated as detailed above. A nomination form is printed below. The particulars for each Committee are as follows:
North & East London
South London
Secretary
Roger Squires
Allan Scott
Deadline for nominations
20th March
14th March
Current number of elected members
6
6
Members completing 3 years in post
Chris Bushill , Liz Rayner
Members co-opted since last AGM
0
Libby Bradshaw, Allan Scott
0
New blood would be very much welcomed. Please consider joining our committees to have your say on the future of our waterways. Note: Please note that under the new Bye-laws all Committees may vary in size according to the numbers elected. We look forward to receiving further nominations for Committee membership. __________________________________________________________________
Committee Name:
South London* Print Name
North & East London* Signature
*delete whichever does not apply Date
Candidate Proposer Seconder
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NEW MEMBERSHIP RATES - FOR INFORMATION You may have noticed a change in practice by many charities in recent years, moving to give their supporters the option of choosing their own level of membership/donation rate providing that a certain minimum level is met. At their December meeting Trustees decided that IWA should also adopt this model and at the same time standardise our various different, and at times quite confusing, membership rates into one simple membership offering. Accordingly, from 2nd January 2018 the membership rate for new members will be £36 annually or £3 per month, with the option of further voluntary donations to “top up” the basic subscription. For existing members, all membership types will change to the minimum flat rate of £36 annually or £3 per month as we move through the renewals year from April 2018 onwards. This will affect members in different ways depending on the membership type they have. For those with a single membership or joint concessionary membership this will mean an increase, though it’s worth noting that this is the first change to membership rates in five years. For our many members on joint subscriptions the new rates will in fact represent a slight decrease, and we hope that these members especially will want to “top up” their membership with voluntary donations. Those members on single concessionary rates will change to £30 from April 2018 renewals and to £36 the following year. You will probably recall that before January 2013 IWA used to increase its membership rates annually. We would much rather only increase rates when absolutely necessary, which is why we have chosen to standardise all memberships at a simple £36 per year and encourage members to make additional voluntary donations if they can and if they support and care for our causes. IWA wants to be a visible and highly effective campaigning organisation, and our membership surveys tell us that that is what most of our members want too. For example, we want to see an end to plastics being dumped in our canals and rivers because there are no bins on the towpath. We want to see the opening of a Fens Waterway Link and the re-opening of Welches Dam. We want to try and eradicate invasive species like Himalayan Balsam from our waterways and we want to be able to campaign for improvements to boater facilities across the network. We also want to provide the best possible help, advice and support for the waterway restoration movement. To be able to run these and other campaigns effectively, as well as to 18
support our invaluable branch network, we need to ask our members to think about donating more than the minimum needed to administer their membership and to encourage donations from all other possible sources. We hope that this has explained our move to the new membership rate model but if you have any further questions about the changes please speak to Tracy Higgin, Membership Officer. We will be announcing the rate changes in the Spring issue of Waterways magazine and then in branch and region newsletters, as well as in the renewal packs that existing members receive.
Membership News We welcome the following new members to our branch: Daniel Whexer Alice Narang (Life Member) Tim and Helen Brice Simon Marshall We were very sorry to learn of the recent death of Mr I Coton, who had been a member since 1972. His partner has made a generous donation to the IWA in his memory. The extract below from ‘Towpath Talk’ shows that such money is put to good use
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Camley Street Natural Park London Wildlife Trust have been awarded £1million to, as they describe it, ‘transform the wild heart of King’s Cross’. Since December 2017 the Park has been closed to the public in order to prepare for the construction of a new visitor and learning centre, illustrated below. School sessions and events will still be held up until March 2018. The nature reserve is planned to reopen fully in spring 2019. A press release has been issued by the Trust which can be accessed at: http://www.wildlondon.org.uk/news/2017/12/15/london-wildlife-trust-awarded-%C2%A31milliontransform-wild-heart-king%E2%80%99s-cross
Ian Shacklock of the Friends of Regents Canal has expressed his concern about the transformation of Camley Street. He wrote to our secretary to say, ‘I am sure that the new facilities will be excellent and that the future staff and volunteers will be grateful, but it really looks like the charm of this secluded site is being destroyed’. He has set up a webpage at http://friendsofregentscanal.org/features/property-devt/Kings-Cross/CamleySt/transformation.html to publicise his concern. The illustrations below from Ian graphically show his fear for the future of the park.
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Branch Committee Members Role
North & East London
Chairman
Tim Lewis Tel: 02085300425 / 07802518094 tim.lewis@waterways.org.uk
Secretary
Roger Squires Tel: 02072320987 roger.squires@waterways.org.uk
Minutes Secretary
Vacancy
Treasurer
Ian Israel Tel: 020 84461823 ian.israel@waterways.org.uk
Social Secretary
Newsletter Editor Membership Secretary Publicity Officer
South London Libby Bradshaw Tel: 02088742787 / 07956 655037 libby.bradshaw@waterways.org.uk AllanScott TeTel: 02086428104 / 07985728844 allan.scott@waterways.org.uk
Vacancy
Vacancy Dorothy Robbie Tel: 02088576367 dorothy.robbie@waterways.org.uk Shea Richardson, Tel: 02086770196 / 07803904803 shea.richardson@homecall.co.uk
Chris Bushill Tel: 02082457063; chris.bushill@waterways.org.uk Dorothy Robbie Tel: 02088576367 Liz Rayner dorothy.robbie@waterways.org.uk liz.rayner@waterways.org.uk L Lesley Pryde-Coales Tel: 07787 372408 Vacancy lesley.pryde@waterways.org.uk
Sales Officer
Vacancy
Vacancy
Events Officer
Vacancy
Vacancy
Planning Officer
Rod Gray rodgray125@aol.com
Vacancy
Work Party Officer
Vacancy
Committee Members
Roger Wilkinson – London Walks Rep. Tel: 02036129624 roger.wilkinson@waterways.org.uk
Ex-Officio as Region Chairman South London Representatives
Vacancy Simon Dyer Tel: 020 8769 2981/ 07857 978111 simondyer@outlook.com
Paul Strudwick Tel: 01245358342 / 07885240291 paul.strudwick@waterways.org.uk Planning & Navigation Committee: Eric Garland Wandle Valley developments: Shea Richardson Deptford Creek developments: Eric Garland
If you feel you could help with any of the vacancies above we would love to hear from you
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London Region Socials Combined with North and East London Branch We continue to hold our social meetings on the third Tuesday evening of each month except in July and August. During the Autumn we held our September and October socials at the regular venue of PaddingtonCentral Management office but thereafter British Land IT staff were taking over that room. We were kindly relocated to 2 Kingdom Street for the final two evenings of 2017 and we have recently confirmed this will now be our new home. In September Kate Saffin talked about the ‘Idle Women – recreating the Journey’ tour completed between April and August. A link to their website may be found at https://alarumtheatre.co.uk/ and this gives details of their future plans as well as the Idle Women tour. In October Kirk Martin gave a talk entitled ‘Working Boats. This was a nostalgic look at the canals in the 70’s and 80’s when he was working on camping boats, hotel boats and the community boat Tarporley. Kirk is now a volunteer on Tarporley and travelled through the Carpenters Road Lock at its opening ceremony together with Panacea, the latter carrying the IWA banners. Following our move to 2 Kingdom Street we had our regular update from Tim Lewis ‘Restoration Round-up – Digging with London WRG 2017’ and were pleased to welcome several WRGies who had taken part in some of the digs. In December we had our Christmas Quiz and auction accompanied by Mulled wine and Mince Pies. Our thanks go to Alex Nunes from North and East London Branch for setting the quiz and to Eric Garland of South London Branch who was our Auctioneer. Dates for the next few months: 16th January – Speaker TBA
20th February – Speaker TBA
20th March (including North and East London branch AGM at 7.30 with talk at 8pm) 17th April – Speaker TBA Details of each talk will be sent out in advance by email and can also be found following the link https://www.waterways.org.uk/branches_regions/london/london_region The address of our new venue is 2 Kingdom Street, Paddington Central W2 6BD. The map on page 23 shows the route from Paddington Station to the management office where we used to meet. Two Kingdom Street is also marked on this map. Instead of going up the steps by the lift to the office follow the path round between the lift and the top of the Amphitheatre to Kingdom Street. The following link may also help https://goo.gl/maps/VjKJvzXfy6B2. The venue is on the ground floor. Refreshments are available from 7pm and the talks start at 7.30pm. All are welcome whether IWA members or not. We have people attending from across most of the London Region Branches I Iook forward to seeing many of you in the coming months Libby 22
Meeting Locations
IWA South London Branch, United Reformed Church, Croydon
IWA Meet here
IWA Former Venue
Paddington Hammersmith & City Line exit
IWA Region and North & East London Branch, 2 Kingdom St, Paddington
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Waterway Recovery Group in Action Lapal Canal Birmingham August 2017
The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342 Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783 453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk The Inland Waterways Association is a membership charity that works to protect and restore the country' s 6,500 miles of canals and rivers.
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