Bear Essentials No24

BEAR ESSENTIALS The Newsletter of : -

IWA Warwickshire Branch Issue No. 24 – April 2009.

Our Spring-Summer Programme Venue : Leek Wootton Sports Club th

April 8 2009 “The Unseen River" - a journey up the Avon from Stratford to Warwick.

By Roger Clay Roger has entertained us well in the past, and is an authority on the River Avon. It is timely that he has been able to give us this talk shortly before the Stratford River Festival th

May 13 2009 “More Continental Boating”.

By Eric Wood Eric has been active in the Midlands waterway scene for over 30 years, A former Lichfield Branch and Region Chairman he was instrumental in the success of the Lichfield & Hatherton restoration. Since retirement Eric has extensively boated on the continent and has a wealth of entertaining tales to tell. th

June 10 2009 “A walk on a Summers Evening” A short walk based on the Oxford canal starting and finishing at The Wharf Inn, Fenny Compton. th

July 8 2009 “End of Season Walk and Barbeque” Based at Hatton locks picnic area. We are continuing our tradition of summer evening socials. Please bring your own food and drink.

The fire will be provided. Walk optional!

NB: All meetings start at 7.30 pm.

Again I have to report a change in the programme for our April meeting. Following a late cancellation by the planned speaker our own Branch member, Roger Clay has heroically 'stepped into the breach' at short notice, and we offer our thanks to for this.

Our winter walks are now growing in popularity, more than 20 people braved sub-zero temperatures for the January walk at Lowsonford – at least the mud was frozen. The February walk from Brinklow was also excellent - catching rare winter sunshine, although I know several people were put off by the early morning fog and threatened snow. The first flakes of snow fell as we enjoyed post walk refreshment at the Bulls Head. Thanks to Ian Fletcher and Richard Sanders for planning and leading these walks.

This year the Branch and Region AGMs were held at Leek Wootton, in March. We are now welcoming two new members to the Committee, Ian Jackson and Richard Sanders - both regularly attend meetings. Richard, a keen rambler, has led a number of Branch walks, and Ian brings to the committee many years of inland waterways experience around the midlands – particularly on the River Avon.

Alan Bridgman has retired from the committee but we would also like to thank him for the work he has done on publicity in the last few years, ensuring that meetings are well advertised and often reported in the local press particularly in Stratford.

An impromptu auction following our AGM raised over £70 for branch funds and, following other successful fundraising over the last year, this has enabled us to make a £200 donation to WRG. Sue Roy – Editor.

Additional Events 1/

Leamington Canal Festival.

2/ nd

rd

Boat gathering Saturday-Sunday May 2 /3 Location, around Clemens St. Bridge ( GU Bridge 40).

Main events, include street market in Clemens St. on Sunday.

Boat entry forms, and further info from :Robert Nash < rnash@towncouncil.spacomputers.com > th .

Stratford River Festival.

For general information go to < www.stratfordtcm.co.uk/riverfestival/2009 > Other info. including boat entry forms are available from Julie Bennett (STCMP) < juile@stratfordtcm.co.uk >

Canal Clean-up, prior to festival, Sunday April 26 To offer to help IWA at the Stratford Festival Meet on Clemens St. Bridge, Leamington at 10-30am, contact Ian Fletcher. Phone: 01926 – 815 413 Come suitably attired, and for a 1½ - 2 hour session; or (better) e-mail < ipsoco@btinternet.com > Please let Peter Webb know if you can help.

Phone: 01926 – 422 764, or e-mail: < peter@webb.spacomputers.com >

Bear In Mind:

(Notes from the Chairman)

The word „crunch‟ seems to have become one of those words of the moment – used by every cynical journalist and pessimistic soothsayer to sum up every situation other than outright boom. The inland waterways movement is not immune from today‟s economics – as the increasing pages of boats „For Sale‟ in the monthly magazines show. However, here in Warwickshire – apart from the crunch of snow and ice under our boots on the January walk, and the sound of breaking ice on the GU later the same month - there appears to have been no sign of „crunch‟ in branch activities so far this year: indeed the branch dinner was probably the best, and best attended ever.

As our contribution to the national towpath-tidy weekend at the end of March we chose to concentrate on Emscote - around the area‟s two best known landmarks, Tesco and the Aqueduct. This year we broke with „tradition‟ and went beyond BW‟s boundaries onto the river-bank behind Tesco to an area that had caused concern to local residents. We had a successful two hour „blitz‟ in which sixteen branch members, aided by three local members of CPRE, collected several cubic metres of litter and general rubbish - and removed a lot of graffiti from around the aqueduct itself. BW were impressed by our results, and I pass on their thanks and appreciation to all who took part. rd

The Leamington Canal Festival takes place on Sunday May 3 . In conjunction with this the branch plans to carry out another clean-up along the canal-corridor through Leamington - we will do this on Sunday morning th April 26 . At the festival itself we plan to have a small gazebo on the towpath. Even if you are not visiting by boat (and there‟s still time and space for late entrants – see page 1) please drop-by to socialise with those members there, and help the branch to „sell‟ the canal to the many locals who always throng the towpath at this event.

For us, this year, „the big one‟ will be the Stratford River Festival over the first weekend in July. Let us hope that - in conjunction with ANT, SWWT and The Town Management Partnership - we can make it a worthy successor to Saul. Our modest target for this initial event was 100 boats. However, with 20 boats booked-in within days of the forms appearing on the web, it now looks as though that target will easily be exceeded the concessionary license fees for the river around this time are no doubt having an influence. At the event itself we will need more „hands-on‟ help in both general organisation and running our own stall – if you can contribute in this respect please let me know.

I know that far from all our members have boats, and events such as the above festivals are good opportunities – even for non-boaters – both to meet socially and also to put something back into the world that we all like. If I don‟t see you at one of these events, but you are boating around the midlands this summer I hope that I‟ll „bump into you‟ somewhere else - but hopefully with not too much of a crunch!

Ian Fletcher.

Your Contacts – Your NEW Committee.

Chairman : Treasurer : Secretary & Editor : Meetings Organiser: Membership Sec: Minutes Secretary: Committee Member Committee Member

Ian Fletcher Anthony Davies Sue Roy Peter Webb Greta Russell Muriel Richardson Ian Jackson Richard Sanders

Long Itchington Stockton Warwick Leamington Coventry Ballsall Common Barby / Rugby Warwick

01926 - 81 54 13 01926 - 81 49 80 01926 - 49 78 45 01926 - 42 27 64 02476 - 44 27 01 01676 - 53 45 69 01788 – 891 545 01926 – 403 179

The IWA may not agree with opinions expressed here in this newsletter, but encourages its publication as a matter of interest. Nothing herein may be construed as a matter of policy, or an official announcement, unless otherwise stated. The Association accepts no liability for any material contained herein.

Editor : The IWA is a registered charity ( No. 212342 ), founded in 1946.

Supported by donations & members‟ subscriptions, it campaigns for conservation, use, maintenance, restoration, & development of the inland waterways of Great Britain - for the benefit of all.

Registered & General Office: - Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, Herts. HP5 1WA. Phone: 01494 - 783 453.

Website :- www.waterways.org.uk.

Sue Roy, 46 The Butts, Warwick, CV34 4ST Phone :- 01926 – 49 78 45.

E-mail : - roy154@btinternet.com To receive future editions earlier and in glorious colour.!

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