Bear Essentials Issue 54

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BEAR ESSENTIALS The Newsletter of : -

IWA Warwickshire Branch Issue No. 54 – April 2019.

Heading For The Checkout: The images, right and far-right, taken in March 2017 and 2019 respectively, show how Branch member Ann Rudeck and her colleagues have, over the last few years, been putting their shopping experience to good use along the bottom pound of GU-north, as it passes through Warwick and Leamington. We have been ‘grappling’ with problems in the area for several years now, and whereas for the first couple of years or so our ‘haul’ would regularly include 40 to 50 supermarket trolleys, this year it was down to a dozen ! This must, in no small measure be due, not only to our band of regular members - too numerous to mention individually - but also the local communities, and other groups that have. come ‘on-board’ to help us.

A Growing Problem:

Photo by Alison Smedley.

Problems are usually just precursors to solutions, and at the top of this page I’ve shown examples of where we’ve been, and no-doubt will continue to be, able to illustrate this - and in turn help CRT. However, our Gap-Tracker initiative is exposing some different problems for the Trust. Extended cruising times – due to closure of existing Elsan disposal facilities, without appropriate replacements, has now become a particular problem here in our West Midland Region; and more recently, the abuse of rubbish disposal facilities, as above, has become more prevalent – even here in our own Branch area.

Photo by Great Russell.

Interestingly, this reduced ‘haul’ chimes well with a similarly improving situation that has arisen following six Balsam ‘Blitzes’ in Myton Fields in Warwick – as reported in our last August edition.

Unfortunately, unlike Clean-Ups or Balsam Bashes, we’re not really in a position to help CRT with this sort of problem because, in the case of rubbish bins, their abuse seem to be caused not by boaters, but by locals or ‘outsiders’. It’s a ‘management’ problem. We really must sympathise with CRT over this issue. However, the solution is not simply to close them down. Fortunately the problem at Hawkesbury has been solved by moving the facility ‘indoors’ - safely locked behind a BW Key, as in Birmingham; but local facilities have been lost, at Maidenhead Rd. Stratford, and at Minworth on the B&F. (Although not through abuse - but nevertheless a loss). Now we are faced with the loss of our Newbold facility – closed without warning, consultation, or an appropriate alternative. If this ‘policy’ continues then, instead of seeing sights as on the left, this rubbish will not be concentrated in Biffa Bins, but scattered widely by the ‘provisional wing’ of the boating fraternity along the banks and hedgerows of the hundred miles or more of CRT waterways on our ‘patch’! So come on CRT, (and Warwicks. Branch members) - what can we do here ? Finally, the headline at the top of this page states ‘Heading For The Check-out’. Having originally produced BE, and edited it for at least half of its 18 year life, its now my turn to think about ‘checking out’. Editor: Ian Fletcher.


Bear Bones:

Bear in Mind:

An outline of upcoming activities.

Ian’s Chaireport:

Our Spring/Summer Programme of Activities. Unless otherwise stated all evening events take place at:

Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL All evening meetings start at 7:30 pm. Wednesday, May 8th 2019:

IWA’s Restoration Hub: -

by Mike Palmer MBE.

Mike will, from his vast experience as Chairman of WRG, tell us how this relatively new IWA facility can offer support, technical and ‘political’ advice to groups planning waterway restoration projects.

Wednesday, June 12th 2019: A Walk in The Sowe Valley: Meet at 6.30pm. Park in Aldermans Green Rd (opposite Jackers Rd.) CV2 1PP. – for this 2½ -3 mile walk. The evening will conclude with a meal and/or drink at The Griffin Inn, Coventry Rd. Griff, Nuneaton. CV10 7PJ. If intending to stay for a meal, please let Carole or Nick know at our May meeting - or phone 01926-855 228.

Saturday/Sunday June 29th/ 30th 2019: Historic Boat Show - Braunston: Once again we will be joining with colleagues from Northants Branch to attend this fascinating show. However, help is required on both Friday and Sunday afternoons to help set-up and break-down the stand. This is an important show for IWA to attend – not just to ‘show the flag’, but also because we actually get paid for it! For this reason if no other, your help would greatly appreciated – particularly on Friday pm and on Sunday. Tell Greta at our May meeting - or phone 02476442701.

Wednesday, July 10th 2019:

A Picnic and Tour @ canalchef café, Hillmorton Locks.

Starting at 7pm. Please bring your own picnic and be entertained by live music (in a marquee if weather requires) – bar available. The evening will include a guided tour by our Chairman of “Brunel’s Basin” where, in partnership with local heritage group Old Mortonians, we will produce an event in 2022 to celebrate the life of James Brindley.

Note: July/August: This year we are not planning, nor are we aware of, any Balsam Pull being planned in or near Myton Fields, Warwick – or indeed anywhere else on our ‘patch’. If we hear of anything in good time, we will inform members electronically.

Additional Work Party info.* CRT-WM Towpath task-force. A) B) C) D)

First Wednesday & Friday of each month Second Thursday of each month (summer only) Third Thursday & Saturday of each month New ! Last Friday of the month.

-

Hatton. Stratford Lapworth. Stockton.

Check up to date details by contacting Tom Pierce at CRT. *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 >>

My first year as Chairman has been very enjoyable and smooth-going - apart from a power cut causing the last minute AGM cancellation - but your officers rose to the challenge and quickly circulated warnings. I hope none of you were inconvenienced. It did mean however that my plan to launch a membership recruitment campaign at that AGM, ran aground, but as you can see on page 3, we got it unstuck and something very good and quite unexpected came from the need to ask for volunteer “rent-a-crowd” to achieve a recruitment launch photo. CRT Volunteer lock-keepers and local canal heritage group Old Mortonians, plus IWA members came together due to their local common interest in Hillmorton Locks. They gathered around the waterways map and recruitment poster, now permanently displayed on the end of the café. Then it dawned on us that, even those in the photo that you can see sporting CRT logos already belonged to an IWA Corporate member, and casual discussions that have gone on

for the last two years about what to do with the overgrown, abandoned Basin below the locks, were bubbling up to the surface. When CRT stopped the restoration of the basin for heritage boats, Old Mortonians remembered they had already officially joined the CRT volunteer scheme and adopted the Locks, including the Basin, to improve and care for the area. As in September 2022 it will be 250 years since James Brindley died - just as his canal reached Morton, I proposed that IWA volunteers join with CRT volunteers in our own special project:- to turn the last piece of the very last Brindley Canal, into a sunken garden with time-line to host “Brindley 250” a national event celebrating the life of this remarkable canal pioneer. It needs artists, gardeners, drystone-wall repairers and woven-hedgers as well as navvies. Tel 01788 567600 if you would like to help. See project site tour and picnic details here on the left. And if that is not enough for you, at 7pm on th Friday 12 July at same venue, bring another picnic to a Fundraiser (bar available) with a full band performing including yours truly!! All it needs now is for you to suggest to a friend or two that they come along, and join the IWA.

Ian Lauder.


Random snippets from around our patch and beyond.

Bear-faced Lines:

Bascote Benefits:

Our Recruitment Drive Starts Here:

Bascote staircase, like the other 21 locks on the northern GU between Napton and Radford Semele, has suffered from a decade or more of neglect; but now, as previously reported, under the management of CRT-West Midlands this neglect is slowly being remedied. th

th

Over the weekend of April 6 & 7 , a Branch work-party made its contribution to this remedial work, by painting Bascote staircase - the only staircase locks on our patch.

Photo by Kevin Young.

Our Chairman Ian Lauder (on the right), had something of a surprise at the recent launch of his IWA membership drive at canalchef café, at Hillmorton Locks. Having invited the local canal restoration group, Old Mortonians, to gather for a group-photo by the Inland Waterways map - now permanently displayed on the café wall – he had forgotten that many of their members are also Hillmorton volunteer lock-keepers, who were conveniently working nearby preparing for the start of their lock-keeping season. Long-serving volunteers Kevin and Taryn Marriott (seated) were the first members to sign up. However, as no fee for Dog Membership was listed on the form, Hovis (pictured) was made an honorary member. It is hoped that that IWA and CRT volunteers will join together to create a sunken garden on the last few yards of the last ever Brindley Canal - located just below Hillmorton Locks. In September 2022, this will eventually form part of a celebration of the life of James Brindley - who died just as his Oxford Canal reached this spot.

Both photos by Greta Russell.

Over each of the 2 days, 10 or 11 members and friends spent several hours, scraping and preparing before their re-paint, and by Sunday finishing touches were being applied to the three pairs of gates and six, unique to Warwickshire* sets of paddle-gear that control this ‘tworise’ structure. [ * That’s why we combine this Ham-Baker paddle-gear with our county’s bear logo to create our BE logo.]

Our Re-scheduled AGM: As most of you are aware, at very short notice we had to postpone our AGM in March. This was because our ‘hosts’, Sports Connexion, who are in the middle of significant extensions - with associated construction chaos – suffered a major electrical ‘outage’ (or loss of connexion!?) just a couple of hours before our meeting was due to start. However, over that 2-hour period the ‘towpath telegraph’ did its job – and, as far as we know, no one made a wasted journey to Ryton. th

We re-scheduled the meeting for April 10 - to follow our regular April meeting -. At this meeting, Sheila Bell and Carole Nicholson, who had both completed three years service, had to stand down – but were then both re-elected unanimously. In addition Colin Charman was then elected unopposed, and also unanimously.

Wot ! No Balsam ! As you will note on page-2, we have no Balsam Pull planned for this year, and from our last edition, or the top of page-1 you will see why. However, if on your travels you come across other areas which may, in future, need our ‘treatment’ then please let us know.

Here you see newcomer Georgi Breeze, and our new committee member Colin Charman applying finishing touches to the hand-rails - towards the end of this most enjoyable and worthwhile weekend.

Stratford River Festival - 2019: After ten years of attending, and despite being one of the original organisers of the Festival, we have decided that this year there will not be a branch stand at the event. However, several members will be attending by boat, and others are welcome to visit them when on site. Late boat entrants may still be able to attend by booking through:< www.stratforward.co.uk/events/stratford-river-festival >


Bear with us:

Regional Round-up.

Friends and Neighbours.

A Note From Our Region Chairman:

Evolution at Evesham:

“ I was pleased to be able to attend your re-arranged AGM, at your April meeting - not least because I could then congratulate you, in person, on the work that you’ve been doing in Warwickshire.

Over the last few months, ANT’s internal works team has undertaken the major refurbishment of Evesham lock - employing a number of innovative techniques in the process.

You are fortunate in being an active branch that supports a wide variety of ‘happenings’, ranging from evening talks - as we saw prior to your AGM, with a talk on the Grantham canal - to more active events, such as walks – around both your branch area, and beyond; and work-parties – either of your own, or held in conjunction with CRT.

A polyurethane pressure grouting system was used to stop leaks, and fill voids in the near 400 year old structure. The original 17th century stonework was generally in good condition – and required only minor repairs.

While with you, I was also pleased to be able to outline some of the other work that the Association is doing at present, at a national level – with some significant reports, such as: IWA’s Vision For London – which although it may not sound particularly relevant to us here in the midlands (at the moment), it does highlight issues that we must be aware of, and work to mitigate; as it seems almost inevitable that such water-space pressures will come to our midland towns and cities in the future. Also – as those who attended our national AGM, last September will know - we have launched a very well received report called Waterways In Progress. I expect that at your May meeting Mike Palmer MBE – the compiler of that report – will refer to it in his talk about IWA’s Restoration Hub. Thank you again for all that you’ve done, please keep up the good work. “ Helen Whitehouse. IWA West-Midlands Region. Branch members Mike & Jude Palmer – at work.

Photo © IWA.

Photo by ANT.

The lock ‘sits’ on a raft of elm beams, and great care was taken to ensure that these were not allowed to dry out. Each oak cill was replaced by heavy steel section which also incorporates a heavy-duty rubber liner to create the seal. The top gate paddles, and paddle boxes, were modified and fitted with diverters - to help reduce turbulence, and obviate the risk of swamping an open decked boat. The effectiveness of these has to be seen to be believed. The thirty year old gates were cleaned and repainted, and now look like new again. This advantage of ANT’s durable steel gates is once more apparent – and is yet another, albeit different, example of new waterway heritage in the making, here on the Avon. Although the ‘above ground’ finishing touches continue, the lock was re-opened to traffic on April 4th - on-time and within budget – no doubt helped to some extent by a much ‘kinder’ winter this time than the year before. Boaters who travel on from the Stratford River Festival (July 6/7th) down to the Evesham Festival (July 13/14th), and/or Tewkesbury (July 20/21st) will be able to see and appreciate the results of this impressive project.

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.

Upcoming BCN Events: May 17th – May 19th

May Rally at Brownhills

Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Tel: 01494th783453 Web-site: www.waterways.org.uk th May 25 Waterways – May 26 24is Hour Challenge. The Inland Association a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 612245. st th Registered May 31 as –a charity June no. 8 212342 Explorer Cruise

Further info from BCNSociety.com

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 > For up to date info. between BE editions visit our web page: < www.waterways.org.uk/warwickshire > Please inform Head Office of any e-mail address changes.


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