The Chester Packet Jan 2012

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January 2012

Spring 2012

Issue No 56 THE INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION CHESTER & DISTRICT BRANCH

Members of the Branch Walking Group take a look at the Manchester Ship Canal at Latchford Locks

INSIDE—THE LATEST NEWS FROM MERSEYSIDE AND WEST LANCASHIRE BRANCH

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OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE President Richard Drake, BEM North West Region Chairman

Alan Platt, 013527 2064; alan.platt@waterways.org..uk

Branch Chairman

Brian Phillips, 01244 300025. brian.phillips@waterways.org.uk

Vice Chairman

Bill Sinclair, 01244 319890; billsinclair5@aol.com

Secretary

Gillian Bolt, 0151 678 9300; gillianbolt:@waterways.org.uk

Treasurer

Ron Evans, 01928 788673; rjkingsley@tiscali.co.uk

Webmaster, Region Committee Representative

Mike Carter, 0151 608 6113; mike.c.carter@btinternet.com

Editor, Chester Packet

Margaret Pitney, 0151 608 6487; margaret.pitney@talktalk.net

Chester Branch Committee is pleased to welcome Liaison Officers from Merseyside & West Lance Branch:Dave Smallshaw

0151 924 2036; flatboat@aol.com

Colin Greenall

01744 73174; colin.greenall@btopenworld.com

BRANCH CHAIRMAN’S REPORT The Country has recently lost one of its characters, Sir Jimmy Saville, a true eccentric, one part showman and entertainer the other part deeply caring for others. He used his connections with the rich and famous via his showbiz persona to raise funds to help others. He volunteered as a porter at Stoke Manderville hospital, worked at Broadmoor and ran an incredible number of marathons allegedly raising the sum of £40 million. His epitaph written by him said “It was good while it lasted”.

I am not planning to hang up my windlass just yet but I thought what would I write for my epitaph? “It‟s a hard life but worth the effort” is what I came up with. Why? This modern life gives us so many advantages over our predecessors, the main one being choice. We don‟t have to run miles chasing game to obtain a meal, we go to the shops and choose from a wide variety or stay at home and order over the internet and have it delivered. We don‟t have to scour the neighbourhood to obtain fuel to keep warm, it is piped into our houses as electricity or gas. We don‟t have

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to go out to seek entertainment, it comes to us via the television or with a CD we have a complete orchestra to play for us. True we have to find the money to pay for these things but in general we take them for granted.

Going to the boat reminds me of a bygone age because everything is more hands on, I have to make sure the water tank is filled up or there is no water, I have to collect coal and firewood or there is no heat, I have to empty the toilet, this is a real eye opener as it‟s amazing how much waste a person produces. I do this because I want to, not because I have to. Our predecessors had no choice, it was a hand to mouth existence.

Today it is easier to sit back enjoying the comfort in the knowledge that others are toiling to ensure these necessities of modern life are brought to our door. It is a rude shock when the binmen or postmen go on strike or a gas or water pipe bursts.

IWA and the Waterways need people like Sir Jimmy Saville who are prepared to do a bit extra, enjoy the comfort but now and again embrace the hardship and contribute to everyone‟s wellbeing by volunteering. The rewards are not monetary but a sense of achievement.

A warm welcome to the members of the Merseyside and West Lancs Branch.

This has been amalgamated into the Chester and District Branch effectively doubling our membership. This also increases the area the Branch is responsible for, bringing with it a number of challenges. The Branch will now deal with two BW Waterway Managers, an increase in planning applications from more local authorities plus the need to be aware of the condition of many more miles of waterways. These challenges can be met with your help. Please be our eyes and ears and report in anything which is good or detrimental to your local waterways.

A big thank you to those who responded to my previous article “Can You Hear Me Mother”; a total of fourteen members supplied their email addresses.

Fourteen out of over three hundred members may not sound a lot but it‟s the biggest response I have received since I started writing in the Chester Packet. So don‟t be shy, please feel free to get in touch with your Branch with any concerns or suggestions you may have. Communication has become more relevant so if you have not already done so please let IWA have your email address.

A Happy New Year to all our members.

Brian Phillips

brian.phillips@waterways.org.uk

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REGION CHAIRMAN’S REPORT Things continue to move apace on the political front, as they must if the target date of April 2012 for the new charity is to be achieved. Firstly the title and, even more important in these publicity driven times, the logo has been announced. .

The perceptive will note that the word „and‟ has been sidestepped in favour of an ampersand to avoid the acronym becoming CART, which would keep Sue Day of the Horseboating Society happy but could lead to unfortunate comments Things continue to move apace on the political front, as they must if the target date The perceptive will note that the word „and‟ has been sidestepped in favour of an ampersand to avoid the acronym becoming CART, which would keep Sue Day of the Horseboating Society happy but could lead to unfortunate comments.

There have been concerns, and doubtless whatever I say will not be effect them, that this rebranding will divert precious funds from a cash strapped organization but we are informed that the agency that designed the logo, and I understand they did not pinch it from a well known brand of matches, did it for free. It is also stated that the matter of relabelling vehicles, signs and other equipment etc will be undertaken as they fall due for refurbishment or replacement. For example all new vans recently purchased have been left plain white so that they can easily be badged up with the new artwork. I can state from experience that this is now a matter of sticking transfers on rather than expensive signwriting.

It will not escape your notice that the above is full of „I understand‟ and other escape clauses; personally I am not particularly guided by presentation, or hope I‟m not, and consider that the body of the entity is more important than the coat it‟s wearing. Whether one likes the logo or not is a matter of taste; the official line is that the word „Waterways‟ was ambiguous, and that there is a need to identify the new body as distinct from the old British Waterways. The inclusion of Environment Agency waters into the new body is still on track for 2015 and the initial dislike of the prospect by the Thames boaters may well have been tempered by the swingeing cuts in EA‟s navigation budget which are biting very deeply.

What does remain a regrettable fact is that the funding for C&RT still looks inadequate and the IWA is continuing to press this truth on the interim trustees, and all interested parties. At the autumn‟s party conferences, the IWA took the opportunity of some pri-

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vate time with the Waterways Minister to press the point. The new Trustees have been named I had a chance of a brief chat with John Dodwell, the „boaters‟ friend‟ trustee in Cardiff at the Assembly All Party group recently, and he is well aware. That said the even more savage cuts imposed on EA and other agencies shows that were the future to lie within DEFRA as at present, the future would be far bleaker. However as I say the funding issue remains critical and the IWA, both nationally and locally is campaigning hard.

On a local front there has been a major change as well and I welcome the former Merseyside Branch members to their first issue of this newsletter. The Merseyside and West Lancs branch, to give it its full title, has not been prospering for some time, and so they have become a „group‟ within Chester and District branch; the hope is that full membership can be restored if there is enough activity to warrant it and the situation can be reviewed in a year‟s time, but in the meantime the members and National Trustees think this is the best solution. Those with long memories will be aware that there was a single branch some years ago, until Chester was active enough to stand on its own feet.

One of the most important elements of the new Charity is the establishment of the Area Committees which will be consultative bodies advising the local waterways managers and engaging with them, in the modern parlance, in the management of the area . There will also be a separate national committee for Museums, reflecting the fact that the Waterways Trust is to be integrated with British Waterways into the new charity, which seems to me to make sense. If you think you can contribute by applying for these committees, the details will be available in November. In the BW North West area this partnership is already up and running but the rest of our region is covered by this second tranche with the southern areas coming next year.

And finally as the days shorten and the temperature drops we move from activity on the waterways to our winter meetings and social occasions; your branch goes to a lot of trouble to arrange these and I recommend them heartily. In the spring we will also have the round of branch AGMs and I hope to meet you there; meanwhile have a good New Year.

Alan Platt

January 2012

The Editor is pleased to receive contributions to this newsletter from members with or without photographs. Deadline for next edition of the full newsletter is 3 September 2012. Shorter articles are welcome for the Chester Flyer which is published in May—deadline 2 April 2012.

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The horse-drawn narrowboat Saturn is the last surviving Shropshire Union Flyboat in the world. Over 100 years old, she is a unique survivor of the fast canal boats that ran non-stop, day and night, to deliver perishable goods throughout north-west and midland waterways. A full history is available on request. The Shropshire Union Fly-boat Restoration Society is a registered charity set up to restore a fly-boat and in a partnership with British Waterways North Wales & Borders Waterways – as The Saturn Project – has fully restored Saturn to her originally historic glory. She now operates as an educational and promotional facility, teaching new generations about horse-drawn fly-boats, their history and traditions and also publicising Britain’s waterways. Saturn was fully restored at a cost of over £80,000.

Saturn Project receives £4,000 Grant The Saturn Project has received a major grant of £4,000 from The Waterways Trust.

The grant will be mainly used towards the Shropshire Union Fly-boat Restoration Society‟s (SUFBRS) future educational programme, including visual aids, for which a Heritage Lottery grant application has recently been turned down.

Funding will also go to the provision of special white cloths - with the dual purpose of being a traditional fitting on cheese fly-boats and will also provide wet weather shelter for school visits. Part of the money will also be used for the future plans by SUFBRS for more horse boating and go towards the cost of Saturn’s planned maintenance.

Speaking about the grant, The Waterways Trust chief executive Roger Hanbury said – “We are delighted to be able to provide this support to Saturn. This project helps open up the story of our waterways, keeping alive the traditions and culture of the canals for future generations to enjoy and learn from. This grant has been made possible due to the generous support of Tony Hales CBE.”

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Photograph courtesy of WATEWAYS IMAGES showing Shropshire Union Flyboat Restoration Society volunteers repainting Saturn on Ellesmere dry dock

The overhaul of Saturn on Ellesmere Dock has just been completed and SUFBRS would like the thank Craftmaster Paints for again providing the paint and our partners BW North Wales & Borders Waterways for the use of the dock. Boatbuilder Adrian Polglase and the Project‟s boat manager, artist Tony Lewery, worked with and guided and directed the volunteers.

Despite the lack of schools‟ funding the Saturn Project has had another successful year and is planning what looks to be a very interesting programme for 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT – Harry Arnold

01283 790447 (m) 07885 310348 (e) harry@waterwayimages.com

It should be noted that the views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the IWA. They are published as being of interest to our members and readers. The IWA is a registered charity No.212342.

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NORTH WALES AND BORDERS WATERWAY SPRING USER FORUM HELD ON THURSDAY 13 OCTOBER 2011 AT DODINGTON LODGE HOTEL, WHITCHURCH.

The latest British Waterways Customer Forum was attended by the Branch Chairman and Vice Chairman. Some of the questions and answers relating to Chester Branch area are given below:Q R

Q. R

Q. R

Q

What is BW’s policy about consultations about facilities for boaters, before such facilities are introduced, withdrawn or changed?

Yes, BW does have a policy called Local and Stakeholder Consultation which covers matters of policy or policy implementation if there were any key changes to facilities or the installation of new ones such as the new service block at Tower Wharf, where local user groups were consulted to discuss the facilities required, which did not include a washing machine.

SUC Dee Branch. The Waterscape website shows the procedure for booking passage but apparently access is prevented by silt.

Can you confirm the situation?

Although Waterscape does show the procedures for booking passage access is currently prevented by silt. Discussions are in progress with Cheshire West & Chester Council, the Environment Agency and other parties to bring funding in to get this section reopened to navigation. However if these do not reach fruition the information being given on Waterscape will have to be reviewed.

Weaver Lock Manning in 2012. Is it anticipated that the Weaver locks will continue to be manned and open as per 2011?

We did attempt once again to work with both our full time staff and our seasonal staff to look at increasing availability of the busier locks on the Weaver at least through the summer months. There was once again very little co-operation from the team in this regard which will mean a stronger approach will be required over this winter to establish what can be achieved next summer.

Official Visitor Moorings—time limits. Any progress since April?

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R

Increased problems over the summer months have now forced our hands and we have no choice but to commence the process of installing restriction signs for the duration of mooring along the navigation. Itâ€&#x;s just a shame that the few have once again spoilt it for the many!!

Q R

Vale Royal Barge Lock—when will the lock be usable?

Work is scheduled to be commenced week commencing 14 November with completion by the end of November. Divers are scheduled to attend the lock at the end of October to assist in repair and reinstallation of sluice paddles to the lock. Completion of these works will enable re-use of this lock.

CHESTER BRANCH WELCOMES THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS:

Mr Andy Wood, Wirral Mr C Donovan and Mrs R Forrester, Cheadle Mrs S Ingham, Wirral Mr and Mrs J Pugh, Chester Mr J and Mrs E McCavery, Liverpool Mr H and Mrs G Carman, Northwich Mr M and Mrs J Griffiths, Neston Mr N Hughes, Birkenhead Mr R M Hunter and Mrs P Lloyd, Northwich Mr D Babbs, Chester Mr T P Bardley, Chester Mr P Hardy, Birkenhead Mr P Wolf, Rode Heath We look forward to meeting you all at our meetings at the Boat Museum (see programme on Page 24) and on our monthly Branch walks (details on Page 23)

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Four Countries Festivals ~ 2011 In the last edition of Chester Packet we read about some of the exciting venues reached by Branch members. This time Jeanne and Derek Smith tell us about their summer, trailing their Wilderness boat ‘Olive’ to canal festivals in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We start their story with England and Wales and will continue in subsequent editions.

England We started the season with a visit to the Moira Canal Festival on the Ashby Canal in South Derbyshire as they have a very attractive site and it‟s a favourite that we try to get to each year, and we launched there on Friday 20th May. We could only manage to be there for one day this year, as we had pledged our support for the Hereford Festival, which took place on Sunday the next day so we winched „Olive‟ out after the Festival closed for the day on Saturday 21st May. Hereford & Gloucester Canal trip boat to Aylesbury Park, Hereford

We then made our way over to Hereford, arriving around 9.00 pm, with just enough daylight to launch and moor ready for the next days‟ entertainment. Three other Wilderness boats were already there and our arrival just about filled up the available mooring space, as there is only about ¼ mile of the canal in use.

Head of Navigation near Resolven, Neath The next day dawned bright, but very breezy, nevertheless the public turned up in their hundreds, delighted to see the canal once again in use and a small trip boat made the most of the useable waterway, ferrying people up and down all day.

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Wales On the Monday morning next day we had arranged to be at Neath (National Trailboat Rally) for around 12.00 am, so we recovered „Olive‟ from Hereford slipway at around 9.00 am and drove over the hills, along the Heads of the Valley road to the launching site near Resolven. We encountered strong winds and road works along the way, but managed to arrive at the slipway on time, which was just as well as there was a reception committee waiting for us with press photographers, to record the first ever pleasure boat to use the canal. We moored at the Festival site for 2 nights, watching all the preparations, and on the Wednesday, as it was a lovely sunny day, we cruised down to the start of the canal at Neath. This involved going under some very low bridges, and through 4 locks, but we arrived safely at the end of the navigable stretch around 12.00 pm, just in time for the local press to take our picture, which they published next day in the South Wales Gazette, much to the delight of the Festival organisers.

The Festival weekend, unfortunately, was rather wet, which meant the attendance was down, although it did not deter the local people, who are used to the rain. We had around 30 boats of different shapes and sizes at the Festival, the organisation was superb and the entertainment included sheep herding, a male voice choir and lots of music and dancing. We won a trophy for the best story board.

England Again We were home for most of June, so on the 1st July we towed the boat down to Stratford-on-Avon for their festival, which was another fantastic weekend, with good weather, lots of boats, a BBQ and free entry to the music site. As we had also entered the Evesham Festival a week later, on the Monday we cruised up to Alveston Weir, which is as far upstream as it is possible to go at present, and from there we went all the way back down the Avon to the start of the navigation at Tewkesbury, arriving mid afternoon Wednesday. This gave us time to look around the Abbey and town, departing on the Thursday morning to cruise back in time for the Evesham Festival where we arrived mid afternoon on the Friday.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THIS NEWSLETTER IS NOW PRINTED IN FULL ON THE IWA WEBSITE? JUST CLICK ON THE ‘REGIONS AND BRANCHES’ TAB, THEN ON ‘NORTH WEST’ AND ‘CHESTER & DISTRICT’ TO SEE THIS MAGAZINE IN FULL COLOUR

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Association of Pleasure Craft Operators Hotel Boats honour River Weaver Lock Keeper with top APCO award The Hotel Boat section of the Association of Pleasure Craft Operators (APCO) has awarded their prestigious Lock Keeper of the Year award for 2011 to Bryn Jones, British Waterways‟ lock keeper at Saltersford Locks on the River Weaver Recipients are nominated and voted for by all APCO Hotel Boat operators so that they can recognise the support and assistance they receive from the people working „on the ground‟ as they take holidaymakers around Britain‟s inland waterways. The award was presented at the Association‟s recent national AGM, held this year in Llangollen at a hotel beside the River Dee, with views to the town‟s historic canal wharf and horse drawn trip boats.

Neil Thomsett and Gill Cookson, joint Chairmen of the Hotel Boat section of APCO, presented the award to Bryn, who was joined by British Waterways North Wales & Borders colleagues Wendy Capelle (Waterway Manager) and Stephen Maguire (Customer Service Supervisor).

Neil thanked Bryn for all his hard work, great humour and invaluable information, commenting, “The Weaver navigation is such a lovely river – beautiful Cheshire countryside, fascinating industry and the drama of descending the Anderton Boat Lift and entering the vastness of Saltersford Lock. Bryn is always on hand to answer holidaymakers‟ questions and help hotel boat crews as he works us through. Saltersford is a big deep lock and our safety is paramount for Bryn, whilst he imparts amazing statistics and history to our clients marvelling at the 1.4 million gallons of water the lock holds.

Meanwhile he is a fantastic ambassador for the area around the Weaver, showering holidaymakers with tourism information and guiding us to local amenities. Plus anything he doesn‟t already know he will find out and pass on as we return up river! A great welcome, a wealth of information and fantastic support in maintaining our schedules as hotel boat holidaymakers enjoy the excitement of the River Weaver.”

Bryn has worked for British Waterways for almost 30 years and has over 20 years experience as a Lock Keeper. He is familiar with the whole of the River Weaver navigation, working as relief lock and bridge keeper before taking responsibility for Saltersford Locks. Bryn was delighted to receive the award explaining, “I am honoured to win the award on behalf of the Weaver team, it is a first for the river and it is wonderful to hear how the experience of boating the River Weaver and the service that BW give is so appreciated by the hotel boat holidaymakers and crews.”

28 November 2011

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Lock Keeper Bryn Jones (centre) is presented with the APCO Lock Keeper of the Year Award by Neil Thomsett and Gill Cookson, joint Chairmen of the Hotel Boat section of APCO, with British Waterways North Wales & Borders colleagues, (right): Wendy Capelle, Waterway Manager, and (left): Stephen Maguire, Customer Service Supervisor. Photograph by WATERWAY IMAGES The APCO Lock Keeper of the Year award was founded in 1997, inspired by the service given by Esme Dowling, Lock Keeper at Napton locks 1957 – 1988. Recipients are nominated and voted for by all APCO Hotel Boat operators so that they can recognise the support and assistance they receive from the people working „on the ground‟ as they take holidaymakers around Britain‟s inland waterways.

For further information and interviews please contact: Harry Arnold - Waterway Images harry@waterwayimages.com

07885 310 348

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BOAT SAFETY REMINDER Boat Safety Scheme 64 Clarendon Road Watford WD17 1DA Tel: 01923 201278 Email: bss.enquiries@boatsafetyscheme.com Website: www.boatsafetyscheme.com Dec 2011 NR 002.11 Boater removes battery from his smoke alarm and has a close brush with death ‘Fit a smoke alarm and keep it working’, is the blunt advice from the Boat Safety Scheme following a recent boat fire where the owner was potentially only seconds away from death.

The live-aboard boater had no early warning when he awoke in the middle of the night to find his home was filling rapidly with toxic smoke. The solid fuel stove in the saloon had set fire to the boat’s lining and he had previously removed the battery from his smoke alarm. By the time he had realised what was happening, he had to crawl out of the boat on his chest to keep below the level of the smoke. In less than a minute after his escape, flames filled the cabin as he stood on the towpath calling 999.

According to the Fire Kills campaign, toxic smoke will affect your ability to breathe and cause you a drowning sensation; with just two to three breaths of toxic smoke in a boat fire, you could be unconscious, so every second counts when you need to escape.

BSS Manager, Graham Watts said: ‘Whilst this boat owner has lost all his possessions, luckily he still has his life. Boaters have died from smoke poisoning when fires developed as they slept and a working smoke alarm could have alerted them to escape.

‘If you sleep aboard, give yourself a chance to escape a fire, fit a smoke alarm and test it weekly when you’re using the boat. Also if your alarm regularly goes off when you’re cooking, replace it with one that has a hush button that stops the alarm from sounding while you make the toast or fry the bacon! These alarms are cheap and easy to buy from online suppliers, DIY shops and supermarkets.

‘The alarm of choice is an optical alarm with a long-life battery, a hush button, and one that is certified as meeting either BS 5446:2000 Part 1, or BS EN 14604:2005, so it should carry a ‘Kitemark’ or ‘horseshoe’ certification mark. Also, if you can’t hear it in the saloon while you are in the sleeping quarters, buy two, one for each end of the boat.’

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BOAT MUSEUM SOCIETY—Diary Dates Meetings are held in the Rolt Centre at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port, at 7.30 pm 20 January 17 February 16 March

6 April (Good Friday) 16 May

The History of the Daniel Adamson The UK‟s oldest passenger carrying steam ship and her return to passenger service. An update from Tony Hirst Annual General Meeting and museum update.

The Hardman’s House, 59 Rodney Street A speaker from the National Trust where E Chambre Hardman, the Liverpool photographer lived and worked will tell his story.

Canal Heritage—what should we be keeping?

Mike Clarke will look at a number of diverse aspects.

Followed by a discussion.

A Brummagen Lad. Barrie Stanton, who has been involved with boats in the Midlands since the 1960‟s will entertain us with his reminiscences.

CHESTER CANAL HERITAGE TRUST Wednesday 1st February 2012

Saltney – Railway Gateway to North Wales—An illustrated talk by Geoff Pickard tracing Saltney’s railway history from early beginnings right through to the mid 1960s.

Wednesday 7th March 2012

Tales from the River Lock—

A range of speakers will tell the story of the River Lock, which connects the Chester Canal to the River Dee, from its early days to the present, and explain the efforts being made to keep it open for navigation.

Talks start at 8.00 pm in the Function Room at

Chester Home Guard, Canal Street, Chester, CH1 4EJ (Entrance and Car Park is off Canal Street, by the top of Northgate Locks, behind the Lock Cottage, under the flyover.)

All welcome – CCHT and IWA members free, non-members £1.50

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NO HIDING PLACE FOR LICENCE EVADERS BW have reported in the latest edition of BW Monthly that two portable boats, to be based at Hatton and Northwich, will allow the enforcement teams to carry out offside boat checks where access is difficult. The battery powered boat can be carried to wherever it is needed on the back of a BW pick-up truck and launched in minutes. Training courses („Guddle training‟) are now taking place for the enforcement teams.

„JOIN US IN JUNE‟ a trio of canal based festivals for boaters to visit and enjoy: Etruria Canals Festival 2-3 June Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival 15-17 June Northwich River Weaver Festival 21-24 June "Join-Us-In-June" is a joint initiative by organisers of the above events.

Full details will be posted on www.midfest.org.uk Contact Dave Thompson 01606 833434 (office) Middlewich Town Council Further details on the Northwich River Weaver Festival can be found on page 22

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The Inland Waterways Association Chester & District Branch The 26th Annual General Meeting of the Chester & District Branch of the Inland Waterways Association , will be held on Tuesday 13 March 2012, in the Tom Rolt Conference Centre at the Boat Museum in Ellesmere Port.

AGENDA 1

Apologies for Absence

2 Approval of the Minutes of the 25rd Annual General Meeting and any matters arising from the Minutes.

3

Chairmanâ€&#x;s Report

4 Presentation of the Statements of Income & Expenditure & Assets, Liabilities and Commitments.

5

Notice of Committee size

6

Election to fill any vacancies on the Committee.

Further details concerning this meeting may be obtained from the website or by contacting the Branch Secretary—details on Page 2. f

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You will have read on Page 3 our Chairman’s warm welcome to members of Merseyside and West Lancs Branch who are joining up with Chester & District. On the next few pages we have pleasure in printing some news from ‘over the water’ which is of interest to all of us.

“Mersey Flat” Matters MANCHESTER SHIP CANAL Princes Foods has more than doubled its use of the waterway by signing an agreement to switch 6,500 20ft containers (TEUs) per year from road to barge after a successful trial. This will save 500,000 road miles and thus reduce its carbon footprint.

The Liverpool docks to Salford Quays service started in 2007 and is best known for carrying Tesco‟s wine. The service doubled in capacity in 2010.

Not everyone is happy! Councillors in Stockton Heath have been collecting signatures against Peel‟s plan to open a Port Warrington site and use the waterways for more travel – thus causing the bridges to swing more often. But not all support them and the local response is heartening, judging from a sample of on-line comments.... “when everyone is on about saving money and the planet wouldn’t it be good to reduce fuel on the roads, traffic and maybe even prices in the supermarkets by using a transport infrastructure that’s already in place instead of moaning about bloody bridges and don’t forget the jobs that it could bring to the town”

and “It is a working waterway and not a pretty waterway which happens to go through Warrington. If the canal was not used there would be no money to maintain it and it would fall into disrepair. I'm sure people would really start to moan about it then. We need the work and the money this will bring to the area together with keeping lots of traffic off the nation’s roads. The opponents of this just want their cake and eat it. They have a nice area to live in and a view of the water undisturbed by those nasty things called ships going up and down the waterway. We should be supporting this venture rather than trying to stop it!”

Good on them!

BURSCOUGH In October the Ormskirk Advertiser reported a new watering hole had opened in Burscough as the Packet House, formerly known as the Waterfront, has a new name and licensee with the lease being taken over by the Southport owners of the Bold Hotel.

The emphasis will be on food and entertainment for families and couples and the primary aim is to upgrade the food on offer and they hope to supply plenty of local homemade and produced items being keen to support the local food industries. A full internal renovation has been complemented by external decking to form a canalside leisure ara. Further plans include an upgrade to

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the building to provide accommodation in the near future.

LYDIATE Rob Pattinson of the Advertiser reported in October that local residents were celebrating a “victory for people power” after the Lydiate Marina planning appeal was rejected.

People in the area affected put together a petition of 250 names which was submitted prior to the a process and the decision was made as it contravened the green belt policy in Sefton. Other reason cluded inappropriateness, harm to visual amenities, encroachment into the countryside and not ma ing openness in the process.

PIER HEAD, LIVERPOOL Visitors to Liverpool are now able to see the city‟s iconic waterfront from a new and unique perspective.

The 70ft x 13.5ft vessel “Floating Grace” is the new attraction as a pioneering restaurant canal craft which will offer tourists, as well as private hirers, the opportunity to cruise the new canal link and view the accompanying architectural highlights.

Passengers will embark at Mann Island where the cruise will take them past the waterfront buildings into Princes Dock and up to Salisbury Basin and Stanley Dock before returning to the start point.

They also intend to run match day cruises to home games at Goodison Park and Anfield.

(They don‟t say which stopping off point they will use but that may mean the use of Liverpool Locks to reach the old Sandhills or Bankhall wharves). We wish the community social enterprise, Vauxhall Neighbourhood Council, every success in their venture.

Finally, with the onset of cold weather there may just be another attraction for hunters on the banks of the Sankey Canal The local St Helens Star reported that mink had been spotted by locals. One such spotter wrote in...

“Just to let you know I recently spotted a mink near the canal. I was walking in to town and cut across Boardmans Lane and took the path that takes you behind the houses but level with the canal which is on your left hand side.

The animal jumped out of the fence as I got near to it then ran swiftly back into the undergrowth. I was not sure as to what it was I saw, so when I went to the visitor centre at Sankey Canal to do a volunteer dig at the slitting mill I asked the rangers and they told me it was a mink and not what I thought it was....... an otter.

I hope if we do have a lot of them around here and that everything will be done to protect them and clean the environment up as it is looking a little worse for wear.”

I don‟t know about protecting them as they can be devastating to local wildlife but we could always to with a canal clean up ...and if anyone‟s volunteering I know just the men to contact!

Cheers for now

Dave Smallshaw

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SANKEY CANAL REPORT Brief History The Sankey Canal Restoration Society (SCARS) was formed in 1985.

The principal aim of the Society is to achieve the full restoration of the Canal. To bring this about, the Society actively publicises and promotes the cause of the Canal, particularly in the three Boroughs through which it runs - Widnes (Halton), Warrington and St Helens.

The Society supplements and supports the work the three Boroughs carry out themselves, particularly through their respective Leisure Services Departments, covering the canalâ€&#x;s length. In their turn, the Boroughs have positive policies towards the Canal and its restoration. A Feasibility Study was completed in the mid-1990's. The Society acts as a consultative aid on various initiatives launched from time to time by the authorities.

SCARS carries out a Restoration Programme throughout the year, often in conjunction with the Waterway Recovery Group which is the practical work arm of the Inland Waterways Association of which the Society is a corporate member.

The IWA supports the Society's aims and is represented on its Executive Committee. From September to April, monthly Members' Meetings are held in Newton le Willows.

These usually take the form of illustrated talks, covering the Sankey itself, restoration work on other canals in the country, and subjects of related interest to the Canal and the towns it served.

During the warmer months, Guided Walks are organised along the Canal, and visits to other restoration projects are undertaken.

The Society attends various Shows and Rallies in the region to raise the profile of Society activities and to further stimulate appreciation of the importance of the canalâ€&#x;s contribution to the industrial and social heritage both locally and nationally.

General News We were delighted to receive the news that Colin & Cynthia Greenall had been awarded the John Heap Salver (The prestigious IWA award for fundraising) at the IWA Annual general Meeting 2011.

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Cynthia and Colin have been members of SCARS since its inception and for over 24 years have taken the Society‟s sales stall to various local regional and national rallies, not only raising over £30,000 for the restoration of the waterway, but also distributing and answering queries about the IWA and the waterway movement in general.

Cynthia served for many years as the Society representative on the IWA North West Executive team, retiring last year, and Colin is still active at regional level and continues to head up restoration aspects on the Sankey Canal.

Next Open Social Meeting St Patricks Club, off Newton Common Road, Earlestown , Thursday, January 26th at 7.30pm. “Boats and Boots to Woolston”. Discovering the Runcorn & Latchford Canal.

All welcome. Contact flatboat@aol.com for further details.

Restoration Updates Mersey Crossing With the Governmental agreement to the new Mersey Crossing scheme, officers of the Society visited the recent exhibition in Widnes on the modified plans and looked for any detrimental effect on the waterway but found nothing untoward in the information on offer.

Further investigations will become necessary when the detail in the actual construction planning process takes place.

Blackbrook Heritage Site Work is nearing completion on the Stanley basin at the Blackbrook Heritage Centre. Following extensive work in landscaping the site new interpretation information has been introduced and public art works added to give the visitor some insight into the working origins of the site.

SCARS has been party to the development of the site and worked in conjunction with St Helens Council and other local bodies on the project.

Dave Smallshaw

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NORTHWICH RIVER WEAVER FESTIVAL FRIDAY JUNE 22nd – SUNDAY JUNE 24nd 2012 Arrangements are now well under way for our forthcoming Rally, in conjunction with our Partners, The River Weaver Navigation Society and Developments of the Arts in Northwich (DAN) Bookings for Boats are well up for this time of the year so if you haven’t yet booked in please contact our Entries Officer, Mike Carter – 0151-608-6113 Mobile 07795-617803 – e-mail mike.c.carter@btinternet.com to ensure you can get a mooring.

The Site is quite large so we are hoping for many traders to attend.

If you know of anyone who might be interested please contact Lesley Taylor on 0151-342-6651 – Mobile: 07941-492288 – e-mail lesley.taylor22@btinternet.com There is going to be lots of entertainment, Wild Over Waterways (WOW) for the children and many historic boats will be attending during the weekend so even if you cannot come by boat why not visit the site and join in the numerous activities that will be taking place during the Rally? Don’t forget Entry is FREE If you are coming by boat don’t forget to book in to go down the Anderton Lift as it could be quite busy leading up to the Rally For any further information please contact: Lesley Taylor Rally Secretary Details as above

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BRANCH WALKS FEBRUARY - MAY 2012

All walks take place on the 4th Thursday of the month commencing at 10.15 am and are open to IWA members and non-members alike. Each walk starts and finishes at a pub. Anyone requiring lunch at the pub at the end of the walk can book his or her meal just before we set out on the walk. Halfway through each walk we stop for welcome ‘bring your own’ refreshments February 23rd – Chester The Grosvenor Arms, 32 Handbridge, Chester CH4 7JE is the starting point for this new walk which initially takes us upstream alongside the River Dee on The Marches Way, a long distance footpath which stretches from the railway station in Chester to Cardiff. The return half of the walk uses an attractive old carriageway called the Chester Approach. The walk is 4.2 miles long, mainly on the level. Map reference OS Explorer 266 407 658 March 22nd – Dutton From The Tunnel Top, Northwich Road, Dutton WA4 4JY the walk heads south over Preston Brook Tunnel before dropping down onto the towing path of the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Leaving the canal the walk passes through Longacre Wood. Using footpaths, bridle paths and lanes, the walk returns to the pub after a distance of 3 miles. Map reference OS Explorer 267 537 794.

April 26th – Daresbury The Ring O‟Bells, Chester Road, Daresbury WA4 4AJ lies about 4 miles south west of the centre of Warrington. From the pub, the walk heads for Daresbury Firs, a wooded hillside leading down to the Bridgewater Canal. The walk alongside the canal provides distant views before turning uphill on a narrow lane. From the top of the hill, more level walking with open aspects takes us back to the pub after a walk of 3.5 miles. Map reference OS Explorer 276 579 828.

Additional interest: the „Lewis Carroll‟ church is opposite the pub.

May 24th – Church Minshull Another new walk starting from the recently refurbished and reopened Badger, Cross Lane, Church Minshull CW5 6DY. From the pub this 3.3 mile walk heads south to cross the River Weaver and the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal before circling to rejoin the canal before passing through Eardswick Wood onto Cross Lane for the return to the Badger.

There are about 6 stiles on the walk: one or two are tricky to negotiate. Map reference OS Explorer 267/257 666 605.

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CHESTER & DISTRICT BRANCH PROGRAMME JANUARY—JUNE 2012 Branch meetings, except April 2012, are held at 7.45 pm on the second Tuesday of the month in the Tom Rolt Conference Centre at the Ellesmere Port Boat Museum 10 January

‘Property Development and how to do it right’

14 February

‘Chester and its Canal – an Ambiguous Relationship’ John Herson, Chairman of Chester Canal Heritage Trust

13 March

Annual General Meeting followed by ‘How the IWA Saved the Route to the Canal Port and What Happened Next’ Norman Stainthorp, former Conservation Officer to Ellesmere Port Council, and Boat Museum guide

**17 April

‘The Yangste River before and after the Dam’ Audrey Smith, IWA Vice President and former Chairman

Mike Coates, BW Investment and Development Officer—Property Marcus Chaloner, BW Urban Design Manager—Property

**Please note this is the third Tuesday of the month due to avoidance of 8 May

‘A Good Day for doing the Wash’

22-24 June

Northwich River Weaver Festival

October-May

Waterway Walks

Easter week

Jennifer and Peter MacGillivray from IWA Chester & District Branch

To take place on the River Weaver, Northwich, on the site of the Floatel, in conjunction with River Weaver Navigation Society, Developmen of the Arts in Northwich (DAN) and Broken Cross Boat Club. (See details on Page 22).

A Branch waterway walk and optional pub lunch will take place on the fourth Thursday of each month except December. See details on Page 23.

Details of other activities such as lock winds and canal clean-ups can be obtained from the Branch Secretary, Gillian Bolt, Tel: 0151 678 9300