BEAR ESSENTIALS The Newsletter of : -
IWA Warwickshire Branch Issue No. 47 – January 2017.
Are You Engaged ? Whatever has the above headline got to do with the image on the right; and in turn what have they both got to do with ‘me’ I hear you thinking - well please read on. I’m sure that those of us who know the southern Stratford were pleased when the new owner of Pete’s cottage by lock 28 started to renovate and energetically improve the building and its garden. Unfortunately, his energy now seems to know no bounds (literally), and as those who cruised this part of the world last summer will have seen that these ‘improvements’ spread onto CRT land and onto the lock abutments. No doubt those of us who saw it, at the very least, tut-tutted at this thoughtless action – as indeed did CRT-WM when told about it in June & July. By the end of October - when this picture was taken – although the sunflowers had ‘peaked’ the two shrubs looked well-established, and able to survive the winter. We trust that CRT has by now ensured that this will not happen.
Before we chastise the new resident too much – after-all, from his point of view, he was only trying to improve the canal’s environment - we should realise that he’d probably had no practical ‘engagement’ with a working waterway. Such lack of engagement is not just confined to non-boating riparians – as the photo on the left below also shows. The towpath and lock surrounds on the Aston flight in Birmingham are well surfaced, and the quadrant ‘kickers’ are beautiful examples of the pavers art. However, not only do the bricks have the wrong ‘glaze’ for wet-weather working, but at some locks the kickers finish at least a metre short of where they should - to enable that allimportant initial ‘purchase’. Whether specification or execution was at fault here doesn’t matter – somewhere along the line someone didn’t engage. Ironically it’s probably we ourselves who are most at fault when it comes to lack of engagement. Perhaps we should all make new-year resolutions to talk more when out on our travels. From giving constructive feedback to CRT, and other ‘official’ bodies - through to engaging with families and even individual dog-walkers as they go about their gongoozling; I’m sure that we can show them that there’s more to our inland waterways than John Sergeant or Tim & Pru have told them. And even before then, why don’t we start by engaging with our colleagues, families, friends and neighbours, and inviting them along to our up-coming meetings, walks and work-parties. Ian Fletcher Editor.
Thank You: Many thanks to all those of you who purchased your IWA Christmas Cards, and 2017 calendars, through the Branch. Our total sales this year exceeded ..£200. This helps makes a significant contribution to Branch funds, and will again help us to maintain our support for deserving waterway causes.
Stop Press ! As you may have read in IWA Bulletin, colleagues in branches northwest of here are installing mooring rings around the Cheshire Ring. Not to be outdone, we plan to do similar work here on our section of the Warwickshire Ring - and will shortly take delivery of a batch of rings for this purpose. We will install them initially at Emscote, and will hold a work-party there, to do this, in either Jan or Feb. Please check with our web-site, or through committee members, for details.
Bear Bones:
Bear in Mind:
An outline of upcoming activities. Our New Year/Spring Programme of Activities. Unless otherwise stated all evening events take place at:
The Sports ConneXion, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry CV8 3FL All evening meetings start at 7:30 pm. Sunday, January 8th 2017: A Stomp Around Stockton. Meet at 10:30am. at the Boat Inn, Birdingbury Wharf, CV23 8HQ A426 Bridge 21, Grid Ref: SP 438 651, for a 3½ mile,c.1½ hour easy walk, past the historic Nelson's Wharf – now being restored by Willow Wren.
Wednesday, January 11th 2017: Branch Annual Dinner. At: The Kings Head, Napton, CV47 8NG. Although most tickets have now been sold, there may be a few places left. For the latest info. phone Carole or Nick Nicholson on: 01926 – 855 228.
Sunday, February 5th 2017: A Hunningham and Cubbington Walk. Meet at 10:30am at The Red Lion public house, Main St. Hunningham, CV33 9DY, GR: SP 372 685, for a 4½mile 2 hour circular walk – including a particularly attractive section alongside the river Leam.
Wednesday, February 8th 2017: Invasive Species in and around the waterway by Paul Wilkinson, Ecologist, CRT-WM Following his fascinating bat walk last year we are pleased to welcome Paul back to tell us about what 'nasties' to look out for on the canals. We should then be able to identify these species, and know how to notify CRT of them.
Wednesday, March 8th 2017: Branch AGM: - followed by: ‘Off-Piste Pleasures’ - narrowboating on tidal waters by Ian Fletcher. The Branch AGM Agenda is shown on page 3. Following this, Ian will give an illustrated talk on tideway cruising by narrowboat – including: across the Mersey, down the Bristol Channel, across The Wash, and round Trent Falls!
Sunday, March 19th 2017: A Canal Clean-up in Leamington Spa. Meet – at c.9:30 for a 10:00 am start (till 1:00pm) This will cover a new section of the GU – near Morrisons and the Station. Car parking details (different from Programme card) are yet to be determined. Info. available in due course - at www.waterways.org.uk/warwickshire - or by info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk or at prior meetings.
Wednesday, April 12th 2017: The Wendover Arm As
Its history and its restoration, by Ray Orth. As a long serving member of the Wendover Arm Trust, Ray is the ideal person to update us on this rapidly progressing restoration project, and to show us how and where our recent donation to the Trust is being spent.
Sunday, April 23rd 2017: A visit to The Purton Hulks. More info next time.
Additional Work Party info.* CRT-WM Towpath task-force. st
A) 1 Monday & Wednesday of each month - Hatton. nd B) 2 Thursday & Friday of each month - Stratford. rd C) 3 Thursday & Saturday of each month - Lapworth. *Note: For the most up-to-date information on Branch work-parties (and all other Branch activities) see our Branch page on the IWA web-site.
<< www.waterways.org.uk/warwickshire >>
Carole’s Considerations. I hope you’ve enjoyed our autumn programme as much as I have. Back in September it began with Ian Lane, our local waterway manager, telling us about the evolution from BW into CRT – particularly here in the West Midlands. In October, John Brown of the Buckingham Canal Society proved to be an able stand-in for the advertised speaker. His illustrated talk showed progress made on this restoration, and created enthusiasm for a possible future visit there (?). In November, John Bedington gave us a very interesting talk on watermills in general, and showed us many local examples - some of which are open to the public: and by the time that you read this we’ll have walked from India to the Isle of Wight and held our December skittles evening. th
On our October 9 work-party, we returned to Hatton and were pleased to find our reinstated offside path now being mown by Fountains except for the final stretch between locks 30 & 31. But even this section is now gradually being brought under control by our regular strimming, and Pete Sherwood (area supervisor for CRT-WM) has promised us grassseed for this section next year. On that Sunday morning, as well as restrimming, we trimmed back some ‘exuberant’ brambles, and dealt with one fallen and one ‘about to fall’ tree. Later in October, some 60 volunteers - members, regular non-member helpers, Warwick University students plus locals and Tesco staff - once again ‘grappled’ in the GU. - this time working westwards from Warwick Tesco. As usual we got very muddy and filled our hopper; but were very pleased to find far fewer shopping trolleys than on previous occasions. Between this and the next edition of Bear Essentials we’ll be holding our AGM, and we’d really like to have some new faces join us on the committee - particularly Nick who is out-numbered 4:1. It would be really helpful if we could find someone to become our publicity officer - to promote our events in both waterway related and local media. Please all consider how you could help keep our branch vibrant and enjoyable.
Carole Nicholson. Chair.
Bear- faced Lines: . Notice of Warwickshire Branch
Annual General Meeting: The 2017 AGM of Warwickshire Branch will take place th at 7:30pm on March 8 at: The Sports Connexion, Ryton – on – Dunsmore, CV8 3FL AGENDA 1. Apologies for absence. 2. Approval of minutes of the last AGM, and any matters arising from these minutes. 3. Report from the Branch Chairman. 4. Financial Report. 5. Election of members of the Committee. 6. Any items requested by members of the Branch provided the Branch Chairman is notified in writing of the item at least six weeks prior to the AGM. Any member, regardless of their length of membership, who feels that they can contribute to the work of the committee is welcome to volunteer for election; this is normally for a term of three years. This can either be done in advance of the meeting by contacting the Chairman or Secretary, or at the start of item 5 above when the Chairman of the meeting may seek interest from the floor. No formal nominations are required. The election is for committee membership. Allocation of individual roles and responsibilities is determined by the new committee at its first meeting - after the AGM.
Random snippets from around our patch: Renewing The Pledge: Vegetation never stops growing, it just tends to get in the way, and boaters in particular always seem to moan about it. CRT now admits that it’s got out of hand, and their contractors have struggled to control it. Word has now come down ‘from the top’, from Richard Parry himself, that there must now be a ‘big push’ to improve the situation – in effect re-vitalising the original BW ‘Veg Pledge’. In 2015 CRT’s Hatton-based, local customer service team hired a chipper and trained two staff members in it’s use; and, along with a group of Towpath Taskforce volunteers, ‘opened up’ several ‘overgrown’ areas around Leamington. The main difference in 2016 was that four volunteers were fully trained to use the chipper and long-reach hedge cutter - rather than being just the ‘porters’ - as previously. Staff member and volunteer leader Tom Pierce led the group - and provided the additional chain-saw skills required for the larger trees. Their autumn plan was quite ambitious. The chipper was to be boat-mounted and the offside of the southern Stratford was their target. The work was to start at Wilmcote top lock, and the end point was….as far north as possible in six weeks. Working from a boat meant that a helmsman would also be required every day, so here Nick Nicholson’s other skills came into play.
Hatton’s Off-Side Plan: Over the last five years, one of the branches proudest achievements must be the idea, and implementation of the off-side towpath reclamation on the Hatton flight. If a picture paints a thousand words then what do these two images - taken in February 2012 and October 2016 respectively say.
Work has progressed well, and by early December the team was just short of Wootton Wawen. With luck they will be across the aqueduct and past the boat yard before their allotted time runs out at Christmas.
Photos by Ian Fletcher – above; and Greta Russell – below.
Photos by Tom Pierce of CRT.
The improvements are startling, and much appreciated by both boaters and the volunteer lock-keepers. But it gets better: Contractors now undertake regular mowing of the new path, in the new-year CRT will provide us with grass seed to extend these improvements, and we’ll continue planting wild flowers and spring-flowering bulbs – all to further enhance these enhancements. Congratulations and thanks must go to all members who’ve been involved with this project.
Hopefully, the chipper will be hired again in the newyear to undertake work on the GU near Rowington. If so, the taskforce volunteers are willing to renew their pledge of support for this greatly appreciated work.
From Veg to Dredge: At their recent stakeholder meeting CRT-SE unveiled a draft ‘feedback form’ for boaters to report shallows and other navigation obstructions. More info next time – but meanwhile look-out for further info in IWA’s Bulletin.
Bear with us:
Regional Round-up.
Friends and Neighbours.
Notes from our Region Chairman:
Bradley Restoration update:
As your Region Chairman, I see my role as being supportive of the West Midlands Region’s branches, and as a link between these branches and the Trustees. In these respects I apologise for not yet having been to one of your branch meetings – something I hope to correct in the New Year. I did, however, recently attend an excellent branch committee meeting, and was very impressed by the way your committee works on behalf of the branch.
The in-filled Bradley canal - with its flight of nine infilled lock-chambers, used to link Bradley workshops and the BCN Main Line at Deepfields to the Walsall canal at Moorcroft Junction. A year ago a feasibility study, contemplating the possibility of restoration funded by CRT, IWA, BCNS and Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust - was published. Of course, the idea isn’t new, many IWA members – including Dave Pearson, Ray Shill and others - have long campaigned for this restoration.
Committee work can sometimes seem a little dull to the uninitiated but the satisfaction gained from being part of a team to protect and enhance your local waterways is priceless. In addition, one can have fun and form friendships which last a lifetime. Do speak to Carole or Greta if you would like to attend a committee meeting to see what it is all about. I must congratulate the branch on all the workparties held throughout 2016. I walked down the Hatton flight in the autumn and really noticed a huge improvement there. I also understand that the recent clean-up in Warwick was particularly successful – well done and thank you for all your hard work !
The report has been well-received locally, and the plan now is to form a group, with a leader from the local community, to take this forward. In theory this restoration is more straightforward than Lapal or the L&H. However, CRT, although supportive, are not in the business of leading canal restorations - so the composition of the group will be vital to its success. To view the report, go to the IWA homepage, and type “Bradley Locks” in the search box for the link. If you feel able to help with this project, please get in touch with Steve Burt at < steve@3mph.co.uk >.
Wishing you a Happy 2017. Helen Whitehouse.
The Lapal Canal: A year ago we reported on developments near Selly Oak at the eastern end of the canal; but recently work has been carried out near Halesowen at the western end. A ‘consortium’ of volunteers from IWA B’ham Branch, BCNS, Coombeswood Canal Trust, Lapal Canal Trust, Worcester, Birmingham and Droitwich Canal Soc., and the Friends of Halesowen Abbey started to clear and maintain the bed of the canal through Leasowes Park.
This BCNS photo, shows participants in last May’s ‘Explorer Cruise’ inspecting an in-filled lock chamber on the Bradley lock flight.
Some Up-Coming BCNS Events: th
I)
April 8 BCNS Spring Cruise. Info via: boundarypost@gmail.com
II)
May 12 – 19 BCNS Spring Explorer Cruise. Info via: bcns.explorercruise@gmail.com
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Stop Press: Additional work parties are planned for the newyear. For further details see the Lapal CT website.
Shock! Horror! Rumour has it that the Fiddle & Bone has closed yet again (?) Any real news is welcome. Ed.
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 of the material contained herein. Editor: Ian Fletcher, 4 Village Hall Cottages, CV47 9QH Phone :01926 – 815 413. E-mail : Newsletter.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk For local contact on all other Branch activities please e-mail: < info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk > Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342
For up to date info. between BE editions visit our web page: < www.waterways.org.uk/warwickshire > Please inform Head Office of your e-mail address changes.