News

IWA brings a great atmosphere to Perdiswell Park, Worcester

We celebrated our 75th anniversary year at Perdiswell Park in Worcester over the August bank holiday weekend.

The IWA Festival of Water a racted thousands of visitors eager to join in the fun. Close to 100 boats moored along the towpath for the festival. Traditional working boats and modern narrowboats decked with bunting, fl ags and fl owers a racted a constant stream of admirers.

Visitors also enjoyed the Worcester heritage walk, following the waterways om the centre of Worcester to Perdiswell Park. This included a short length of the River Severn, Diglis Docks and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.

Volunteers worked tirelessly for the past two years to put on this event – despite it having to be cancelled in 2020 due to Covid. Paul Rodgers, IWA National Chair, said: “I am extremely grateful to the team at Worcester Ci Council for its unwavering support, to the caterers and stallholders who held the faith, and to all the volunteers who gave their time and put so much e ort into ensuring the event was such a success.”

IWA has responded critically to the Environment Agency’s recent consultation, which EA says will improve transparency and consistency in registration charges across its waterways. IWA considers the proposals extremely divisive and likely to perpetuate the di erences between EA’s three waterway areas. The proposals also fail to address the lack of enforcement of the existing regime, and the wider funding shortfall.

The consultation outlined a plan for the next three years based on a revised boat registration charging amework, intended to be implemented with e ect om next year. The consultation was launched in June and closed in the middle of September, a busy time of year for boaters and waterways organisations, which meant many were not able to respond.

One proposal would see the Anglian and Medway registration fee structure brought in line with the charging scheme on the Thames by introducing a boat area-based fee (rather than just length). This, along with the removal of a cap on charges for boats over a certain size, will see huge registration fee increases for the owners of larger cra .

Another of IWA’s key objections is to the signifi cantly higher fees that boaters based in the Anglian region will pay compared to those on the Thames. In addition to a fee per square metre (which itself will vary across the three regions), there will also be a ‘base fee’ on top which creates a huge discrepancy between areas. On the River Thames the base fee is proposed to be set at £15.90 for 2022, compared to £159 on the Anglian waterways. This discrepancy is extremely divisive, particularly as it is the waterways which see the poorest provision of services that will be subject to largest increases in registration fees.

In responding to other aspects of the consultation, IWA considers that the proposals do not go nearly far enough in incentivising low-carbon propulsion. The consultation also fails to address the impact of the proposals on the Gold Licence (the joint EA/CRT licence which is managed by CRT). IWA considers that EA has missed an opportuni to bring in a consistent charging regime across its three regions, which could have included a registration that allowed use of all EA waterways in the same way that a Gold Licence does.

In our response, we asked for assurances that EA is making every e ort to address the funding shortfall without placing the burden on boaters. Any increase in registration fees must be accompanied by increased enforcement in order to be e ective. Given the wider benefi ts that waterways can bring to local communities and the economy, we believe it is also vitally important that the publicly-owned waterways run by EA receive additional funding om De a, and this is something that IWA will continue to lobby Government about.

Boats gathered on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal for the IWA Festival of Water this summer.

Droitwich Canals: celebrating ten years back in water

As well as celebrating 75 years of campaigning at the IWA Festival of Water, we also recognised the anniversary of the nearby Droitwich Canals reopening. A display featured historic photographs of the project, spanning more than 30 years of work.

In 1959 IWA member, Max Sinclair, started a correspondence campaign in the local press and with the councils for restoration. This led to decades of restoration work, with IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group volunteers supporting the Droitwich Canals Trust and wider Droitwich Canals Restoration Partnership. WRG volunteers were particularly involved in the restoration of the Hanbury Locks throughout the 1980s, ’90s and early 2000s, and supported the Droitwich Big Dig of 1973 when over 500 volunteers turned up to clear vegetation and start restoration work. In 2005 work to complete the restoration was funded by grants om the Heritage Lo ery Fund, Advantage West Midlands, Wychavon District Council, Worcestershire Coun Council, IWA and others.

WRG volunteers returned to the project in 2008 and helped refurbish the Droitwich Barge Lock prior to the reopening of the canals.

The Droitwich canals were fully reopened in 2011, 72 years a er they were o cially abandoned. Droitwich was reconnected to the River Severn and the Worcester & Birmingham Canal. Restoration of the canals also re-established the Droitwich cruising ring.

Find out more about IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group Canal Camps and regional digs at waterways.org.uk/wrg.

WRG volunteers working on one of the locks at Hanbury in 1988.

IWA responds to EA consultation on boat registration charges

Looking to the future at IWA's AGM

IWA Chief Executive Officer, Phil Hornsey, joined IWA in February this year. At September’s Annual General Meeting he shared his views on how the ideas and experiences he has heard from IWA’s members, volunteers and staff will help create a successful charity for the next 75 years. “August marked my six-month anniversary of joining IWA as Chief Executive, so I was grateful for the opportunity at our recent AGM both to reflect on what I’ve learnt about the Association during this time, and to share how this information helps give us the direction we need to shape our future. I have especially enjoyed meeting some of our most passionate volunteers and members to learn more about what they do, and to hear their views on what works well and what IWA could do differently.

“As I have got to know the organisation, it’s become clear that although IWA has a strong, 75-year history of campaigning and delivery, we must also consider how it should evolve to meet the needs of the waterways into the future. For me, our immediate future will be driven by two things, both of which have been brought up consistently in my conversations with you.

“The first is the need for IWA to establish a more sustainable business model, with increased focus on generating higher levels of income. Our membership programme provides our main source of income, and also creates the foundation of our volunteer base, so a renewed focus on growing our membership numbers is an absolutely key objective.

“The second thing that will drive IWA’s future is the impact of recent Covid-related lockdowns on the waterways. Over the last 18 months we’ve witnessed previously unseen levels of activity on our canals and rivers, with a whole new community of people introduced to a local asset that they hadn’t experienced, or seen the value of, in the past. Approached correctly, these are all potential IWA members.

“So, how do we make the best of this opportunity? Well, over the last few months, IWA’s Trustees, senior volunteers and staff have been working together on plans to shape the Association’s future, and we’ve agreed a series of key steps.

“For IWA’s members and donors to continue to support the charity, and for new supporters to be attracted to it, they must be motivated by what the Association does and stands for. So we plan to conduct a formal review of IWA’s role and purpose, to ensure that it remains relevant and inspiring to both groups.

“Next, we will review IWA’s campaigns strategy. At our heart, we are a campaigning charity, but currently we have a very broad campaigns focus. Our aim is for our campaigns to drive the change our members want to see, while also attracting and motivating new members to join, and we will take the necessary steps to ensure this is the case.

“With both an engaging role and purpose, and a compelling campaigns strategy in place, we will then be reviewing how best to promote this to potential members, and to communicate the Association’s news and updates to existing ones.

“Lastly, we will look to develop and embed an ‘always fundraising’ culture within IWA, like other charities do, on the basis that the more successful we are at generating funds, the more we can do to deliver on our aims and objectives.

“Our members, supporters and volunteers will have a key role to play in backing all of these areas of work, and we will be asking for your assistance and input to shape IWA in a way that meets your expectations and ensures your continued support.

“I hope you’re as excited as I am by the potential of IWA’s future, and I’m really looking forward to working with you all to realise it.”

Updates on these projects will be shared in future editions of Waterways magazine. We’re also keen for your feedback on our 2021 AGM and how we might approach this in future years. Please contact phil.hornsey@waterways.org.uk with your views and suggestions.

New Trustees for IWA

In the last issue of Waterways, we announced the four trustees that had been put forward by a selection panel for approval by trustees and members. The appointments were formally approved at IWA’s AGM on Saturday 25th September.

Rebecca Hughes and Hannah Sterritt have joined the board bringing a wealth of experience in marketing, fundraising and supporter engagement within the not-for-profit sector. The other two positions were filled by existing trustees, John Butler and Sir Robert Atkins. The four trustees will now serve a three-year term.

Thanks were extended to retiring trustees Helen Whitehouse, Nicki Schiessel Harvey and Roger Stocker. Find out more about the board of trustees: waterways.org.uk/about-us/the-charity.

Rebecca Hughes

Rebecca is a marketing, communications and fundraising professional with experience working for organisations in both the not-forprofit and commercial sectors. Currently, Rebecca leads on individual giving, campaigns and commercial partnerships for the wildlife charity, Butterfly Conservation. She has also led marketing teams at Table Tennis England and the global manufacturing company Enercon Industries, as well as providing consultancy for several businesses. Rebecca is a keen paddleboarder and writes about the sport for several publications including SUP International. She became actively involved with cleaning up rivers through Plastic Patrol (now known as Planet Patrol) in 2018, and has a keen interest in the protection and restoration of waterways.

Hannah Sterritt

Hannah Sterritt is a liveaboard boater and volunteer lock-keeper based on the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal in south Wales. She will soon complete a MSc in Sustainability Planning & Environmental Policy at Cardiff University, and her final dissertation focusses on the liveaboard boating community on the UK’s inland waterways. Hannah currently works for Miller Research, a sustainability and social research consultancy that primarily operates in the public sector. She has previously held a trustee position for Cardiff University Students’ Union and has just completed a four-year term as a Local Authority Governor at a Cardiff primary school. As a younger member of the community, Hannah hopes to use her experience to inspire the next generation of passionate IWA supporters.

IN MEMORIUM

Ray Carter

Ray Carter, who sadly died of Covid-19 on 9th August aged 80, was one of IWA’s most loyal and dedicated supporters. He joined the Association in June 1962 and was an active member right up until his death, serving 30 years as a trustee as well as terms as National Treasurer and Deputy National Chairman.

Ray had a lifelong interest in boats and waterways, which started with rowing and swimming on the Thames after moving to London’s suburbs from Bournemouth as a teenager. He took up motor cruising in the late 1950s and canal-boating in the early ’60s, subsequently visiting most of the connected network on hired and family craft.

In the late ’60s, Ray took on his first active IWA role operating the sales and publicity stand for the then London & Home Counties Branch. IWA’s General Secretary, John Dodwell, persuaded Ray to assist with organising the Association’s presence at the London Boat Show in 1972, which Ray then looked after every year until the show’s demise in 2018. Ray also masterminded IWA’s appearance at nearly every other inland waterways event around the country for a period of around 50 years.

In October 1974, Ray was asked to join the board of the newly formed subsidiary company IWA Sales Ltd. He also became a member of the Association’s Publicity Committee and in 1976 he became Chair of the sales company. By 1977 he had become Vice Chair of the new South East Region.

Ray was secretary, administrator and trade show organiser for the 1977 IWA National Rally and continued on as trade show organiser for the 1978 event. Following this he wrote the first edition of IWA Rally Organisers Guide. During this time he was also responsible for the introduction of the new manual bookkeeping system for both IWA and the sales company, and was instrumental in forming IWA Rallies Ltd, through which the National Rallies were then run.

At the 1983 AGM, Ray was elected as a trustee and in December 1990 he took on the role of National Treasurer, serving in both roles until 2001. Subsequently he was employed by IWA part-time as Finance Manager, retiring in 2006. He then stood again as trustee from 2008 until 2020, and held another term as National Treasurer from 2018 until 2020.

Throughout his time at IWA, Ray benefited from the strong support of his wife Lorrae who initially accompanied him on local sales stands and in later years ran IWA’s Club 500 and looked after much of the Association’s insurance arrangements.

In total, Ray served on various IWA committees continuously at a senior level for 47 years, 30 years as a trustee, 14 years as Chair of the sales company and nearly 13 years as National Treasurer, as well as organising publicity and sales stands at a local and national level for over 50 years. It’s a feat unequalled in the Association’s history and most unlikely to be met in the future.

National chairmen, trustees and senior staff relied on his wise counselling and good advice. Above all, Ray was always cheerful, supportive and pragmatic, and he got a lot of things done without fuss. NEIL EDWARDS

Brian Saunders

Brian Saunders, who died from cancer earlier this year aged 71, was one of the key figures in IWA’s highly successful festivals in the late 1980s and ’90s.

Brian first came to IWA’s attention as chair of Coventry Canal Society in a campaign to encourage British Waterways to safeguard and enliven Coventry Canal Basin where he oversaw the restoration of a Fellows, Morton & Clayton warehouse.

A keen boater since 1973, Brian had a 25ft Dawndraft called Outlaw before commissioning a 60ft narrowboat of the same name. He was well known in Coventry business circles as owner and manager of an independent cinema, nightclub and brasserie, and also ran Coventry Flyboat Company Ltd.

When IWA planned to hold its 1984 National Waterways Rally at Hawkesbury Junction, Brian was the obvious choice for Rally Director and the event was a great success. In 1985, Brian was persuaded to join the board of IWA Rallies Ltd and to take on the chairmanship of IWA’s Publicity Committee, and in 1986 he was elected as an IWA trustee.

A last-minute decision to move the 1987 National Rally to Hawkesbury Junction resulted in another success with Brian at the helm. He then used his flair for promotion for the 198892 events, each attracting hundreds of boats and making a substantial profit. Due to personal circumstances, however, Brian resigned as an IWA trustee and as chair of National Waterways Festival Ltd in 1993.

Brian was taken on as a paid consultant for the 1994 festival at Waltham Abbey, as well as the events at Henley in 1997, Salford in 1998 and Worcester in 1999. His contract ended after a not quite so successful festival at Huddersfield in 2002.

After resigning from IWA, Brian emigrated to Crete with his partner where they were the subject of the Channel 4 series A Place in Greece. They returned to east London and Brian had been in remission from a cancer diagnosis he’d first received in 2009. NEIL EDWARDS

Robert Shopland

Bob Shopland, who died earlier this year aged 80, was IWA General Secretary and Editor of the Association’s Bulletin in the 1960s and ’70s.

Bob became involved in the inland waterways as publicity officer for the Bath & Bristol branch of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, and is first mentioned in the June 1961 issue of Bulletin regarding a letter he wrote for publication in the Bristol Evening News promoting commercial shipping on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal.

In 1968, Bob became IWA’s first General Secretary with a waterways background, bringing his great knowledge and a whole new impetus to the job. He held the post for three years before resigning in 1971. He also took on the role of Editor of IWA’s Bulletin from 1969 until 1972, which he continued to work on while touring the inland waterways.

Bob was one of the founding editors of the magazine Waterways World, which he launched as a quarterly in 1972 along with Russ Godwin and Harry Arnold. Following this he became editor of one of the company’s then sister publications, Ships Monthly, before retiring from his home in Burton-on-Trent to Portishead.

Anglian Pass complicates boat licensing

The new Anglian Pass, launched earlier this year, was supposed to simplify boat licensing between the three navigation authorities in the region: the Environment Agency, Middle Level Commissioners and Cam Conservancy. The Middle Level Commissioners is now able to charge licence fees following the passing of the Middle Level Act, and its own licensing scheme for boats based on the Middle Level also came into effect earlier this year.

While we welcome the overall aim of the Anglian Pass, it disadvantages potential visitors from elsewhere on the inland waterways, unless they hold a Gold Licence (the joint EA/CRT licence). IWA has written to EA (which is operating the scheme) to suggest a simple solution that we believe would resolve the situation.

Boaters wishing to access the Anglian waterways from elsewhere on the inland waterways and who hold their license with another navigation authority, will currently find they are not eligible to apply for the Anglian Pass. This means that any prospective visitor wishing to visit all the Anglian waterways will need to buy three additional licences: 1. A short-term EA visitor registration – 31 days for a 50ft boat is £272.90* 2. A short-term Middle Level registration – 31 days for a 50ft boat is £272.90* 3. An annual Cam Conservancy licence (the

Cam Conservators have had to remove the option of purchasing short-term visitor licences due to a limitation of their own statute) for a 50ft boat is £1,060*

The combined cost of these licences is well over £1,500. In contrast, the Anglian Pass costs £100* for a 50ft boat.

An alternative is to buy a Gold Licence, but as this runs annually from January it requires boaters to plan a year ahead and removes spontaneity from boating trips. While cheaper than buying the three licences separately (e.g. £258 extra for a Gold Licence compared to a CRT licence for a 50ft boat, plus £100 for the Anglian Pass*) it is still a prohibitive amount for anyone not likely to visit other EA waterways in the same year.

IWA is promoting a change to the wording of the terms of the Anglian Pass to make it more inclusive. Boaters from outside East Anglia should be able to tour these waterways easily, and visiting them, including the River Cam, should be affordable. We will continue to work with the Anglian navigation authorities to find a solution for the next licensing year.

UTTOXETER CANAL RESTORATION SAVED

The recent decision by a local council to refuse a planning application which would have blocked restoration of the Uttoxeter Canal in Staffordshire is a great demonstration of the value of working in partnership across waterway organisations. It is also a good example of the national level support that IWA can offer to local canal societies and IWA branches.

The proposal was for 48 new houses and restoration of a listed farmhouse at Froghall on the line of the Uttoxeter Canal and partly on a greenfield site that had not been allocated for housing in the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s Local Plan. Both the Local Plan and its associated Churnet Valley Masterplan specifically state that any development should not prejudice potential reinstatement of the route of the Uttoxeter Canal, with a strip of land allocated for the future restoration of the canal along with space for walking, cycling and horse riding.

When the planning application for the site, adjacent to the restored first lock and basin of the Uttoxeter Canal, was first lodged in February this year, IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch and the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust worked together to mobilise objections.

The IWA branch sought the advice of IWA’s Planning Advisory Panel for the initial planning application and to respond to some additional documents from the developer. In both cases, the PAP submitted an objection on behalf of IWA nationally, while the branch also submitted its own response. CUCT, meanwhile, sought professional advice for its objection, as if the planning application was approved the development would have prevented the rest of the Uttoxeter Canal from ever joining the navigable Caldon Canal and the inland waterways network.

The two local organisations spread the word to the local community, boaters, waterway supporters and WRG volunteers who had worked on the restoration of the first lock and basin at Froghall and on more recent Canal Camps. Over 300 objections were submitted to the application, with almost all citing the future restoration of the canal within their responses. Among the hundreds of people in support of the canal’s future restoration were Sir David and Lady Sheila Suchet.

After being postponed five times, the application eventually went before the Council’s Planning Applications Committee on 9th September, with the planning officer recommending refusal in a 44-page document. The councillors of the planning committee were unanimous in refusing the application, for reasons including: the application not meeting the aspirations for mixed use of the site; flood and transport concerns; the integrity of the adjacent Caldon Canal embankment; and the harm to the future restoration of the Uttoxeter Canal.

A representative of IWA North Staffordshire & South Cheshire Branch said: “We are relieved that common sense has prevailed. There is no other viable route available for the canal – the alternatives put forward by the developer simply don’t stack up. We don’t object to part of the site being developed for housing, as allocated in the Local Plan, provided the development allows for the future restoration of the Uttoxeter Canal and doesn’t undermine the stability of the Caldon Canal embankment and its retaining wall. An opportunity exists for the developers to embrace the canal and benefit from it, and we remain very willing to meet with them to discuss alternative plans for the site.”