BEAR ESSENTIALS The Newsletter of : -
IWA Warwickshire Branch Issue No. 40 – August 2014.
All Roads Led To Stratford
We’ve been using the phrase ‘The Year of the Bear’ – to cover the many events planned to take place in and around our county in 2014. Well now - more than half way through the year - I think that it would probably have been better to have called it ‘The Year of The Paintbrush’! In this edition you will read of projects for which a number of you deserve praise for helping to smarted up our ‘patch’. Our members’ involvement in the Stratford River Festival – whether the peripheral events described below, or the successful manning of our large Branch marquee on the ‘Rec.’ - ably led by Richard Sanders and Greta Russell – also goes to show just how diverse our Branch’s collective talents are. Editor:
This year, with so many extra boats visiting Warwickshire – notably to Stratford, with its River Festival and its anniversary celebrations; and to the boat rally on the GU at the Black Buoy Cruising Club, near Knowle, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Association of Waterway Cruising Clubs - we’ve made a special effort to spruce up our ‘patch’, and to make it even more welcoming to all our county’s water-borne visitors. In addition to taking part in regular CRT work-parties both at Hatton and
Ian Fletcher.
at Lapworth; we’ve undertaken two specific projects, which were noted and appreciated by boaters on their way to Stratford. The first of these was the refurbishment of the ‘finger-post’ at Kingswood - reassembled at Easter – see above.
Stratford Festival - on Friday June th 27 . By a happy coincidence this was 100 years to the day, the anniversary of Robert Aickman’s birth. See page three for further information and images on both these stories.
The second (see below) was repainting of the lock at Harvington on the river Avon – carried out along with repairs to the adjacent Aickman Memorial. This project was completed and ‘handed-back’ to ANT just one week before the
This year the River Festival was special for several reasons, among th th which were the 50 & the 40 anniversaries of the re-opening of the southern Stratford Canal and the Upper Avon respectively – and of course the Aickman centenary. These were all celebrated in a wow - factor ceremony, reminiscent of some of David Hutchings’ famous 1964 and 1974 extravaganzas, on th Friday July 4 , and complemented by a remarkable ‘restorationretrospective’ exhibition held on Stratford’s Waterside. Lack of space prevents further details here of these celebrations – widely reported in other media. But much credit for the organisation of these two nationally significant events must go to two of our branch members - Roger Clay and Clive Henderson.
Bear Bones:
Bear in Mind:
An outline of upcoming activities. Our Autumn / Winter Programme of Activities. Unless otherwise stated, evening events take place at:
The Sports ConneXion, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry CV8 3FL Wednesday September 10th 2014: at 7:30 pm. An Update on CRT’s Activities from the CEO. by Richard Parry. Ubiquitous seems to be the only word to describe this new live-wire at the top in CRT. You’ve no doubt seen or heard of him in almost every waterway media story for months. Now come to see and hear him ‘live’.
Wednesday October 8th 2014: at 7:30 pm. The Future of Angling on Canals. by John Cheyne, of the Angling Trust. John’s talk will explore the recent decline in angling on canals, and strategies to reverse this trend. He will also consider conflicts with other waterway users, and the angler’s role in environmental protection. John also enjoys kayaking, country walks, and messing about in boats.
Sunday
October 19th 2014: Meet at 10:30 am. A walk around Braunston. Meet at The Admiral Nelson, in Dark Lane, Braunston NN11 7HJ, for a varied walk of about 1½ hours duration.
Sunday
November 2nd 2014: 10:00 am. - 1:00 pm. GU Br 46. Canal clean-up in Warwick – along the GU from Tesco at Emscote to The Cape of Good Hope. Please wear appropriate clothing for working. Further information available from info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk
Wednesday November 12th 2014: at 7:30 pm. The Wilts & Berks Canal - the most ambitious restoration ever ? by Chris Coyle. Chris will give an overview of the project covering the reasons for it, what work has been done to date, and future challenges and plans.
Sunday
November 16th 2014: Meet at 10:30 am. A walk around Newbold on Avon. Meet at The Barley Mow, Newbold on Avon, CV21 1HW.
Wednesday December 10th 2014: at 7:30 pm. A Social Evening and Quiz. Yet again Richard & Co. will set out to confuse, frustrate, and thoroughly entertain us in this increasingly popular end of year get-together.
Sunday
January 4th 2015: Starting at 10:30 am. A stroll through California! : Further details at our autumn meetings – or on our web-page from November.
.
Other Work Party Information* st
A/ CRT-WM: Towpath task-force: a) 1 Mon & Wed of the month - Hatton. rd b) 3 Thur & Sat of the month - Lapworth. B/ CRT-SE: At time of going to press no information was available. *Note: For the most up-to-date information CRT work-parties please see the relevant pages of the CRT web-sites. Also for the latest information on our work parties and all our other Branch activities see our Branch page on the IWA web-site. www.waterways.org.uk/warwickshire
Chairman’s notes. In the months before the Stratford River Festival, Branch members were busy, preparing for the event itself, and completing the various projects on the waterways leading to the town. The centenary of Robert Aickman's birth was celebrated at his monument - which members had recently refurbished, and repainted the adjacent lock gates and bridges. Earlier, Kingswood’s finger-post had been dismantled, cleaned, and repainted. The completed post was re-erected in time to point the way to Stratford for boaters travelling there via the Grand Union canal. In our marquee at the Festival, we illustrated Branch activities using a newly created series of posters and banners - which we expect to use at future events. We would like to thank members who supplied the images used, and all the volunteers who helped with these tasks. In total, Branch members have contributed more than 500 volunteer hours to the above projects. Thanks also go to all the Festival boaters who got up early on the Sunday morning to litter-pick the whole of the site. The new speaker programme should enable members to share their thoughts with those who run our waterways, those wishing to extend or restore canals, and other users. There will also be an opportunity to assist in the identification of items from the Rhodes Thomas Collection. Now might also be a good time to consider whether you would like to be involved in creating next year's programme!
Richard Sanders. IWA Christmas Cards & 2015 Calendars As previously, we will be selling these at both our October and November meetings. Purchasing your cards and calendars through the Branch aids Branch funds for waterways projects. Orders can be placed at our September meeting. Alternatively, phone 02476 442701 or e-mail the following address info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk th - by 14 September. Please note that other IWA shop items can be ordered at the same time, thus saving postage and packing costs.
Random snippets from around the patch:
Bear-faced Lines: The Robert Aickman Memorial and Lock: th
th
On June 27 2014 – the 100 anniversary of the birth of Robert Aickman - a short ceremony was held at Harvington on the River Avon to mark the refurbishment of the Aickman memorial - originally unveiled in 1983, some two years after Aickman’s death. This work, along with re-painting of the adjacent lock, had been carried out by branch members over previous weeks. The photo below shows some of those involved – along with our National Chairman Les Etheridge. ANT was represented here by Director Roger Clay, General Manager Clive Matthews, and by Walter Thomson, the memorial’s designer - and friend of David Hutchings.
Kingswood Finger-Post: th
On July 9 – exactly 25 years and 25 hours after the unveiling of the first finger-post at Kingswood Junction (one of three conceived and constructed by the Branch in 1989) - a plaque was unveiled by Sue Blocksidge and Murray Woodward – CRT-WM’s Waterway Supervisor and Volunteer Coordinator respectively. It noted the IWA and CRT cooperation over this refurbishment, and it complemented the original plaque that recorded the 1989 cooperation between ourselves and the then BW. Here you see Sue and Murray inspecting the new plaque – while Richard Sanders and Nick Nicholson look on.
.
Members who may not have visited this part of the Avon recently may be interested to see (below) the new paint livery introduced on Harvington Lock. This change from grey to black and white is – apart from being visually attractive in itself – is a further sign of the integration of two former navigation authorities into a single trust.
Below you see the three members who re-painted and lettered the arms pointing to their handiwork - Peter Webb and Sue Roy re-creating what they did 25 years ago - while Ian Fletcher also tries to hide the look of concern on Nick’s face over the stability of the whole structure on its new foundation. You will note that in this re-painting exercise Sue definitely drew ‘the short straw’; not only did ‘Stratford Canal’ have most letters to paint, it also had to be painted on both sides !
Balanced Beams: Stop Press ! Our ‘Man of The Match’ award this time - not just for being in more photos than anyone else in this edition, but also (primarily) because of his ‘Good Samaritan’ act in towing Clive Henderson on his ‘broken down’ boat Nanshee (with a Russell Newbery engine – no less !!) from the Odd Lock near Bearley to Wootton Wawen, must surely go to ………… …......... Nick Nicholson.
Above is the new standard ‘end of balance-beam’ pattern for the GU-north locks - to a design approved by both CRT- WM and CRT-SE. Warwickshire Branch designed and produced this new standard template, to replace the multitude of freehand interpretations to be found on the northern GU since the original template was ‘lost’ when BW closed Hillmorton Yard some years ago. It will also ensure consistency - whoever does lock painting in future. We th hope that we will soon start to see wider use of this - our 80 birthday gift to all the ‘new’ locks from Calcutt to Knowle.
Bear with us:
Regional Round-up.
All roads will lead to the Caldon: Just as all roads led to Stratford in June and July, in September all roads will lead to the Caldon Canal.
This year’s national AGM, hosted by the North Staffs & South Cheshire Branch, will be held on Saturday th September 27 at Leek - full and formal details are available in the autumn edition of Waterways, and on the IWA web-site. However, this will form just part of a weekend of waterway events built around a celebration of the th 40 anniversary of the reopening of the Caldon Canal. Events will start on the Friday evening, and th continue on the Sunday (28 ) at Cheddleton – with a Waterway Community Day. This event - jointly staged by IWA’s North Staffs & South Cheshire Branch, the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust, and the Beatrice Charity (for children with a need to get afloat) - will highlight the work of local waterway organisations, volunteers and partners. It will take place around the Caldon Canal through Cheddleton, from Cheddleton Flint Mill, past locks 13 and 14 and the Red Lion public house, along the recently upgraded towpath, to the Boat Inn and the Churnet Valley Railway station at Basford Bridge.
Many IWA members already intend to visit by boat, but even those travelling by road (or rail) should consider making a weekend of it. The IWA web-site already has details of Hotels, Guest Houses, B&Bs and Self-catering accommodation in this beautiful part of the world. For up-to-date information on this facet of the weekend again visit our web-site.
Saltisford Canal Trust: Heritage Open Days weekend: The Saltisford Canal Trust is again taking part in th the Heritage Open Days weekend on Saturday 13 th and Sunday 14 September – 10 am. to 5 pm. at its centre in Budbrooke Road, Warwick, CV34 5RJ. Attractions include craft marquee, model boat displays, the steam boat Adamant, and animals for the children to meet. Admission is free and refreshments will be available. Warwickshire Branch will welcome members and visitors alike to a display of examples of its work over the last 12 months.
Banbury Canal Day: th
This year’s festival - the 11 to-date - will take place on and around the Oxford Canal in the centre of Banbury and the adjacent Quays Shopping Centre th and Spiceball Park on Sunday October 5 – between 10:30am and 5:30pm.
Stratford Canal Society: SonACS begins its autumn season of meetings with a ‘double-bill’ comprising two short talks by both the Rev. Richard Alford on the work of the Waterways Chaplaincy, and by Mick Jeffs on exploring Warwick – with a sketchbook. This first meeting will be on Friday 17 October – at the usual venue of Wootton Wawen Village Hall, commencing at 7:45pm. As at all meetings, non-members are always welcome.
2014-2015 Branch Programme Cards Many thanks to members who have opted to receive Bear Essentials electronically in order to reduce Branch distribution costs. The annual Programme Card distributed in August is also being sent electronically with a link to a PDF printable version. However, members receiving the electronic version will still be able to obtain a printed card copy via attendance at Branch monthly meetings and events or by emailing info.warwickshire@waterways.org.uk when a copy will be dispatched via the ‘towpath telegraph’ method. Note: This option is also available to those with Electronic Membership. Printed cards are enclosed for those who receive BE by post. If you wish to change to receive the electronic version, please email the address above.
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.
. 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 England and Wales - for the benefit of all. Registered & General Office: - Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, Herts. HP5 1WA. Phone: 01494 - 783 453.
Website :-
Friends and Neighbours.
www.waterways.org.uk.
Editor: Ian Fletcher, 4 Village Hall Cottages, CV47 9QH Phone :01926 – 815 413. E-mail : ian.fletcher@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.