Chiltern Grapevine Issue 36
Chiltern Branch tops the Region for donations Chiltern Branch has a long tradition of putting effort into fundraising so that we can make donations towards waterway causes. We made donations of £3175 in 2013 which was a record for the Branch and more than twice as much as any other branch in the London Region. Of course, we are only able to make such contributions because of the effectiveness of John Brice and his team in raising funds throughout each year. In 2013, while the overall outcome for the National Festival at Cassiobury was disappointing, our Chiltern Boat Jumble did well, raising over £2000 and this would have been much higher if the attendance had been in line with expectations. Our involvement in the Rickmansworth Festival and the Marsworth Lock Ransom plus other activities added almost £1500 more to give a total for the year of £3490. As a result, Chiltern Branch Boat Jumble helped boost funds was pleased to be able to donate a further £2000 to the Wendover Arm Trust, while earlier in the year we donated £1000 to the Canal & River Trust as contributions towards the costs of repairing Lock 12 on the Aylesbury Arm and the repairs to Reeds Bridge over the Slough Arm. Careful management of our finances means that we still have funds in reserve and some of these will be used over the coming months to restore the seats by Marsworth Bottom Lock. In 2014 we’ll be continuing to campaign and raise more funds. We hope that you’ll join us and get involved in these enjoyable and worthwhile activities.
Chiltern Branch Newsletter February 2014 www.waterways.org.uk/chiltern
Chairman's Ramblings I hope it is not too late when you receive this issue of Grapevine to wish you all a Happy and enjoyable Waterways year! Well wasn’t that rash! Last October I said “the River Thames is at the lowest autumn level we have known for the past 14 years”; well it isn’t now! As I write, our mooring is 18” underwater and the Thames path is 8” deep where it runs through our garden (see photo). If you look beyond the hedge there are two tall up-risers to which ‘Peddler’ would normally be moored. In January 2003 when we had narrowboat ‘Wren’, the water came up just to the house side of the centre circle; and the boat roof was some 6 to 8 inches above the top of the up-risers! On the other side of the river you can see a bungalow surrounded by water. This is one of a small community including the Bounty pub; there is no vehicular access to these properties but they have moorings and garages on our side of the river. They all use small craft to ferry themselves and visitors but can also use a footbridge. Well, today they must wear waders just to get out of the house! Just up river from us is Bourne End Marina (BEM). Despite the state of the river, this morning we noticed the BEM tug go very quickly downstream; some time later it came very slowly but clearly working hard against the stream and on either side of the tug was a small boat. This is a regular event when the river is in flood; the marina staff will be called out by the EA to rescue craft that have broken away from a mooring and come to rest against the weir protection. They seem to take this dangerous task in their stride! However, looking on the bright side, we should all enjoy a good water supply through 2014 for cruising anywhere on the system and I am very glad that ‘Peddler’ is currently in a paint shop in Rugby! Once the work is done, we will leave Peddler in the Midlands until the spring and then plan to attend the IWA Campaign Rally in Chester (see IWA web site for details). This event is followed rather too quickly in July by the Stratford River Festival at which IWA is planning to have a significant presence; no prizes for guessing where that will be! As there will be no National Festival in 2014, these two events will, along with Rickmansworth and Cavalcade, be very popular with boaters who like to meet and swap boating stories with old friends. Please let us know if you plan to attend either of these events and we could then arrange a review of one or both Real Ale bars! Elizabeth Jane Howard, the novelist who died on 2nd January aged 90” – “was the Inland Waterways Association’s first employee”. I do recommend you to read the note on EJH on the IWA website. Weren’t our founders an interesting bunch! I note that none of them were accountants! Dave Chapman Page 2
CHILTERN GRAPEVINE
News Chiltern Branch Committee: The Branch AGM will be held on 26th March. Peter Winter is standing down so we are looking for: • Newsletter Editor to lead the compilation and publication of Grapevine • Website Manager to keep the Chiltern Branch pages up-to-date. New Members: Chiltern Branch is pleased to welcome the following new members: Mr & Mrs R Chapman Mr & Mrs J Ellis Mr & Mrs O Frith Mr G Smith Ms A Walsh Mr P Findlay & Ms R London Ms M Nelson Mrs G Simpson Mr C Methven Recent Meetings: Mike Beech’s presentation on ‘The Old Grand Union and the Foxton Inclined Plane’ was enjoyed by well over 50 people. Canal & River Trust Open Boater Forum The Canal & River Trust’s Chief Executive, Richard Parry, will be hosting a series of open meetings for boaters and other waterway users. One of these will be at 6pm on 26th February at The Old Auctioneer, 44
Parson’s Street, Banbury, OX16 5NA. Contact fran.read@canalrivertrust.org.uk
if you would like to attend. South East Waterway Forum (previously called 'User Group'): The dates for the Spring 2014 meetings have been confirmed as Tuesday 8th April in Tring and Tuesday 15th April in Braunston. For further details go to http://canalrivertrust.org.uk/southeast-waterways. South East Boating Sub-Group The Canal & River Trust formed the above Group at the end of last year. The intention is that the Sub-Group will work to help develop the South East Waterways for the benefit of boaters. Applications were sought from various types of canal users and boating traders. Following interviews, appointments were made to the Group, which is now established and the Chiltern Branch is represented. Wendover Arm Trust The Chairman of the Trust, Paul Leech, has had to submit is resignation after only a year in office due to ill-health. Paul was very enthusiastic in his duties as Chairman and in attending many waterways events to promote the aims of the Trust. The wet weather has been a bit of a dampener on the progress of the canal restoration itself, so the regular monthly workparties are switching some resources to provision of pathways so that the public will be able to visit the Whitehouses site.
PLEASE Sign up for IWA Chiltern e-News Postage costs are the biggest expense in bringing Grapevine to you, so why not get your news by email and receive an enhanced version of Grapevine as well as regular bulletins about what’s going on. This means that you get a better service while reducing costs. That has to be good, so sign up at www.waterways.org.uk/chiltern. And remember that you can always get a hardcopy version by coming to one of our evening meetings when copies are always available. F EB RU AR Y 201 4 I S S U E
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From the Region Chairman Sitting down in the dark days of winter, the summer and the opportunity to go boating seems a long way off. Certainly with all the rain we should not have a lack of water this year! This year I will have completed three years as your Region Chairman and will be coming up for reelection. IWA being a democratic organisation gives you a say who leads the Region and if you would like a chance to become the Region Chairman please lookout for the call for nominations in Waterways later in the year. In previous notes I have talked about the role of the Trustees and some of the Association’s major committees. I thought this time I would talk a little about the work of the branches and regions. Most people are familiar with the social meetings and work parties organised by the branch committee. This is the public face of the local IWA but what you may be less familiar with is the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to protect the canals in your area. The branch committee regularly works with, and lobbies CRT on a range of issues from the standard of maintenance of structures to cutting of vegetation and general cleanliness of the canals in your area. They also monitor planning applications and lobby local authorities and developers for changes where they feel that the development would be detrimental to the canal or its environs. Your branch does a lot of work supporting the Wendover Arm Trust in its efforts to restore the Wendover Arm. The Region carries out a co-ordination role ensure that all branches across London are working together and have a common approach when dealing with CRT and regional authorities like the GLA. Finally both the Region and Branches raise funds to allow them to make donations to waterway causes that support IWA’s objectives. Last year I set the objective for the London Region to find a solution to the mooring problems in London. I have to report that so far we have failed to achieve this. We are still having regular meetings with local residents, boaters without a home mooring who wish to stay in a narrow geographic area, CRT and our friends in RBOA and NABO under the auspices of The London Waterways Better Relationships Group. This year the GLA produced a report on the problem which was generally supportive of our position. There has been some progress; CRT have started, in Central London, to clearly mark bollards for use by boats operating locks by painting them yellow. This should help eliminate the dangerous practice of mooring on lock landings. The Better Relationship Group is now moving on to consider the use of designated visitor moorings. We will keep up the pressure to find a way forward. Finally, as I said last year we always need volunteers to help us run events such as Cavalcade, and to carry out the numerous activities that help IWA’s continuing campaign to ensure our waterways prosper. Paul Strudwick Page 4
CHILTERN GRAPEVINE
News from the Aylesbury Arm Aylesbury Arm Re-opens
As reported in the Spring Edition of Grapevine, on 28th March 2013 the towpath side of the lock chamber at Lock 12 (Buckland Lock) subsided and pushed the lock wall into the chamber by about 3 feet, leaving the lock impassable. After nearly 8 months the lock was reopened on 23rd November. During the closure, the Canal & River Trust arranged two boat lifts; one in April and the other in September, enabling boats to escape or return to the Arm
Aylesbury Canal Society moves to Circus Field On Friday 16th August and Saturday 17th August, a procession of boats left Aylesbury Basin, passed through Locks 15 and 16 en route for the Society’s new home at Circus Field. At 3 o’clock, the new Basin was officially opened by Cdr. Peter Everett RN OBE, the Society’s President, and then the boats proceeded to take up their moorings. Celebratory refreshments followed even though strong winds had destroyed the temporary shelters. Fortunately, the rain held off. Those attending were given the opportunity to have a look around the new facilities. Since then, work continues finishing off the Basin and making the new Club House watertight. It is hoped that work will commence on the interior shortly. I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour back in December and was very impressed. What a difference from the old club hut in town.
The Canal & River Trust website states that the lock has been rebuilt and strengthened with steel piles and that over 7,000 bricks and 450 tonnes of concrete have been used in the lock’s rebuild. The top lock gate has also been replaced and the bottom gates refurbished. Other repairs have been carried out on the Arm during this enforced stoppage. The official opening of the new ACS Basin at Circus Field F EB RU AR Y 201 4 I S S U E
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News from the Aylesbury Arm (continued) I believe that discussions are taking place regarding the construction of new pontoons for use by visitors to the Basin.
Bridge Strike Within a couple of weeks of the Arm reopening disaster struck again in the form of a “hit and run” driver. On 9th December, Bridge 15 on Boats take up their new moorings at Circus Field Broughton Lane was hit and, as the driver left no contact deBack to Aylesbury Basin tails, CRT will have to repair it at an estiEarly in January, I walked from Highbridge Walk footbridge towards the Basin. Immediately apparent on the non-towpath side is the large brick building, which forms a Travelodge Hotel and a Waitrose supermarket. The towpath throughout its length and the stretch of bank opposite between the bridge and the basin is being upgraded. There are about half a dozen boats moored on the Permit Holders Moorings on the Damaged Bridge 15 towpath but otherwise there are no boats. The status of the moored boats was unclear mated cost of £30,000. This is the third as only one winter mooring permit was occasion that it has been hit in recent times. visible. It had only just been rebuilt after the previVarious works were being carried out ous strike. Such occurrences mean that prearound the Basin in connection with the cious resources are lost from other canal further development of the area. maintenance. Judy Clegg Advertisement
Narrowboat Share for Sale Four week share in 58ft semi-trad boat Built in 2001, up to six berths, reconditioned BMC engine in 2013, complete repaint and blacking in January 2014. Excellent condition. £2,600 plus £92pm Contact Peter Winter 07722 184117 Page 6
CHILTERN GRAPEVINE
Get Set for Ricky Here we are in the depths of Winter, but at least that means it can’t be too long to the warmer weather and that heralds one of the best waterway festivals and it is held right in the heart of Chiltern Branch territory. It is, of course, the Rickmansworth Festival which takes place over the weekend of 17th & 18th May. This is one of the friendliest and most popular events on the waterways, typically featuring over 100 boats, the famous boat tug-of-war competition, a funfair, trade stalls and a diverse range of live entertainment. The Rickmansworth Waterways Trust organises the event to generate revenues so that it can fund a range of activities including its award winning education programmes that benefit around 1000 children each year. Chiltern Branch has been proud to support the Trust over many years and John Brice takes a lead role in organising the Waterspace. For the last few years Chiltern Branch has had a marquee on the towpath just below Batchworth Lock where we have successfully promoted the work of the IWA, the activities of our Branch, and run various competitions. But we’re going to introduce a few changes for 2014. This year we’re moving off the towpath, where space is reAlways plenty to see at Ricky stricted, and going into the Environmental Area. This means that we can have a bigger presence and we are planning to stage a co-ordinated IWA display with other Branches within the London Region and and to arrange a range of Wild over Waterways (WoW) activities for children. In addition we will be holding the Chiltern Boat Jumble. The Boat Jumble used to be Chiltern Branch’s main activity at the Wendover Arm Trust’s Tring Festival, but that sadly is no more. Last year, we were able to bring it back for the National Festival at Cassiobury Park, where it was a great success in spite of the poor attendance. Our intention is that the Boat Jumble will become a regular feature of our participation in the Rickmansworth Festival. So now is the time to sort out your jumble. Put aside those items that you don’t want but which will be appreciated by others. Anything related to boating would be great, but we can take most things including good quality clothes to sell. Please contact Liz Norris, Mob: 07977 374116 email: liz.norris@waterways.org.uk and we will arrange collection and storage. If you have jumble of some value, we can also work on a split proceeds basis. F E B R U A R Y 20 1 4 I S S U E
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Trip to the Cutty Sark & Docklands Chiltern Branch is organising a special one day coach trip into London to visit the Cutty Sark and Docklands. The day will begin with the coach making pick ups in High Wycombe, Amersham and Watford for the journey to Greenwich for a visit to the Cutty Sark Exhibition. You may have been to see this famous tea clipper before the fire, but the new restoration is a truly amazing display that illustrates the history of the ship and tells its story about world trade. And you get to walk underneath and see the hull. Next on the agenda is lunch time. There are many good pubs and eateries in Greenwich close to the Cutty Sark for you to make your own arrangements or you might organise a picnic to eat in the Old Naval College Park. There will be free time to explore some of the many other attractions Greenwich has to offer, most of which are free. For example there’s the Maritime museum, the Old Naval College with its fabulous Painted Hall and the Royal Observatory to name just a few. After lunch we will all meet up for a boat trip on the Thames Clipper to the O2 where we transfer to the Emirates Airline cable car. Our 10 minute flight will take us across the Thames at an altitude of 300ft affording fantastic views West into London and East to the Thames Barrier, before arriving at Royal Victoria Dock for the next part of the tour. From the cable car the party will split into two. One half will visit the ‘Crystal’ which is close by. This is one of the world’s most sustainable buildings, a knowledge centre and the largest exhibition dedicated to urban sustainability. Explore tomorrow’s cities today. Whilst one group is visiting the Crystal, the others will be enjoying a luxury cream tea at a private apartment from which you can enjoy panoramic views over the River Thames, the River Lee, Canary Wharf and the Royal Victoria Dock. After an hour the groups will swap over. Meanwhile the coach will make its way over to collect you for the return journey. This trip will take place on Sunday 22nd June and places will need to be booked in advance. The cost for this exceptional day out is just £49 per person. Full details of the schedule will be available shortly, but to make sure of your place please contact John Brice Tel: 07740 733214, email: ‘Flying’ in the cable car with the Crystal below john.brice@waterways.org.uk. Page 8
CHILTERN GRAPEVINE
The view from Bourne End Marina Bourne End Marina is situated on the Thames between Marlow and Cookham. We provide moorings for all size of boats, including some narrow and wide beam canal boats! Besides moorings we offer services to the river including diesel, calor gas, sewage pump out, water and a useful chandlery We also have a crane that is able to lift up to 6 tons; this allows us to carry out maintenance work such as antifouling and general repairs. During the last 10 years since we were redeveloped we have noticed many more canal boats on the river which is a welcome sight. Our Tug is a narrow beam and in its past had been working on the canals; it is powered by a 120hp diesel engine which gives it the power to operate in the floods, such as the ones we have just experienced. We have been called out by boats to undertake river towages and even to free boats that have grounded overnight due to changes in water levels! We have just survived the ‘January’ floods when the river rose more than five feet over the normal; the boats are fine as we have floating pontoons. However, it was not always possible to gain access due to the high level on the paths that led to them. The rise was enough to flood the office by some 4” but not enough to stop us operating! This is a difference between the river and the canals. Just imagine if the levels in a canal rose 5 feet. The floods bring different challenges; in flood the river runs fast. This year we had to send the tug to pick up an 8 wheel amphibian vehicle that was doing a ‘Marie Celeste’ travelling at 8 knots. It became a task and a half to take it in tow whilst avoiding the marina boats and taking control before encountering the Bourne End railway viaduct just downstream of the F E B R U A R Y 20 1 4 I S S U E
marina. All Boys Own stuff really! We also patrolled the river banks to check on private boats within the reach as if the ropes are not altered to match the river levels they can sit at strange angles and ultimately sink. Besides boats floating downstream having broken their moorings the floods also bring debris as it washes the banks; mainly trees and logs but also bottles, general rubbish, tables, chairs you name it. As our marina is on the river as opposed to a basin the debris clogs up between the boats with much effort being spent removing it. Some of the trees are so big that we can only clear them by towing them away with the tug. One year we had a sunken boat washed down under two marina based boats! The changes in river levels and the strength of the flow are all part of the ‘fun’ of the river. If you have not ventured onto the Thames, it is a different experience which I am sure you will enjoy. In the event that you do make a visit, why not call by, having ensured your kettle has just boiled first? For details about Bourne End Marina visit www.bourneendmarinaltd.co.uk or phone 01628 522813.
Peter Osborne Page 9
The Waterways of Northern France and Belgium – another view Judy Clegg reflects on her experiences In November last year, my husband, Chris, and I attended Roger Squires’ informative presentation “The Waterways of Northern France and Belgium”. We had been to the same area in our narrowboat in 2012. During the presentation, we became aware just how different his experience on a large cruise ship was from ours on an 18 metre narrowboat. Roger travelled with a Waterways World/Kingdom Tours cruise, which commenced at Ostend in Belgium, passing through Bruges, circumnavigating Ghent, and then passing through Tournai, Douai, and Lille en route to Dunkirk in France on the modern canal network designed for use by large commercial craft. They tend to be rather bland and straight and avoid habitation and are busy and so keep road transport down. The Belgians are justly proud of their
Scheepdalebrug, Bruges Page 10
canals, which they continue to upgrade. In Belgium, the earlier canals are now superseded, but have been retained and in a couple of instances restored and are now back in use and well used. In France, some have also been retained but are less well used whilst others have been turned into water features in town centres. These are now used mainly by pleasure craft. Generally, we used the smaller canals (38.50 metres x 5.05 metres) and the larger ones when necessary to reach another canal. The smaller canals tend to be more picturesque twisting and meandering through the countryside, towns (including parts of Ghent) and villages. On these canals, there are ample moorings and other facilities including some large marinas. Being flat, there are few locks in northern France and Belgium but, in Belgium, there is a plethora of lift and swing bridges. There does not appear to be a standard design and Roger showed pictures of some interesting examples. Since his visit, numerous bridges have been upgraded and their means of operation changed. One which stood out was a major CHILTERN GRAPEVINE
Judy & Chris’s boat Balador in Belgium
road in the centre of Bruges, which swung up and down in a matter of a few minutes (see picture). In the past, the bridges have been operated by a bridge keeper at each bridge but now there are either roving bridge keepers or they are operated remotely with the aid of CCTV cameras. Sometimes it was necessary to telephone the bridge keeper and advise of our presence but on other occasions, we formed part of a convoy passing through a series of bridges together. Being slower than most other boats, we were worried that we would not be seen and the bridge would close in front of us or worse, on us but fortunately, that never happened. The canal users seem to have priority but the swing/lift bridges cannot be operated during rush hour in Bruges. Roger commented more than F EB RU AR Y 201 4 I S S U E
once that they saw very few pleasure craft. In Belgium, there are plenty but they mostly confine themselves to the smaller canals. It is a bit scary to be meeting commercial craft substantially bigger than oneself. We never had any problem and the boatmen were happy to let us know what was happening at locks and bridges – even if the language could be a problem. However, we did see instances when other boaters acted incorrectly and were severely admonished by the boatmen. In both France and Belgium, a narrow boat was a constant source of interest and subject of a great many photos and, consequently, we had many conversations with the locals and boatmen, which gave us a greater insight into the culture. It occurred to us that as a passenger on a cruise ship, one would not have this interaction nor be involved with navigational issues; it would not even be necessary to visit a supermarket.
Ascenseur de Strepy-Thieu Page 11
Northern France & Belgium (continued) There were some excursions from Roger’s cruise to some of the smaller canals. One visit was to the Roubaix Canal, which at the time of the visit was not opened throughout its length. Fortunately for us, it was opened at the time of our visit. Many millions of Euros have been used in the restoration of this canal. However, it is necessary to book a passage and we were accompanied throughout the canal’s length by two lock keepers (one spoke excellent English) operating all the mechanised locks and lift or swing bridges. The two lift bridges that were the most memorable were on a major roundabout in Roubaix and when both were raised together to allow our passage, the whole of the town centre became gridlocked! Except at the Belgian end, the canal is not pretty and passes through the outskirts of Roubaix and one wonders how much use it will get but it was part of a regeneration programme for the area. Another of Roger’s excursion was to the “Ascenseur des Fontinettes” on the “Liaison au grand gabarit” in France. This lift is similar in design to that at Anderton. When the canal was enlarged, the lift was replaced by a lock with a rise of 13.13 metres and the lift and the canal, upon which it was situated, closed but remained as a tourist attracPage 12
tion. We did not stop here as we had already visited and ascended the 4 similar lifts La Louviere on the “Canal du Centre Historique” in Belgium. These lifts were replaced by the “Ascenseur de StrepyThieu” (see picture), a gigantic lift rising 73.15 metres on the “Canal du Centre”. Even though one of the four lifts had been seriously damaged in an accident and was out of use prior to the opening of the new lift, the four lifts have been restored and are still available for use as part of a tourist attraction (see picture). This enabled us to complete in about half a day a circle comprising one lock and 5 lifts.
Old Canal du Centre Lift No. 3
We were lucky enough to have more time and freedom to visit this area than Roger who was restricted by the itinerary and duration of the cruise and size of the ship but I am sure we all enjoyed our very different experiences. CHILTERN GRAPEVINE
Branch & Region AGMs Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Chiltern Branch of the Inland Waterways Association will be held on 26th March 2014 at Little Chalfont Village Hall, Cokes Lane, Little Chalfont, Bucks, HP8 4UD. commencing at 8.00pm. AGENDA 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Apologies for Absence Approval of the minutes of the AGM held on 27th March 2013 Matters Arising Report of the Branch Chairman Report of the Branch Secretary Report of the Branch Hon. Treasurer and presentation of Accounts Adoption of Accounts Business of the meeting notified under byelaw 1.3* Election of Committee members Address on behalf of the IWA Trustees Any Other Business
Elizabeth Norris, Hon. Secretary, IWA Chiltern Branch. The committee has a number of vacancies and Nominations for election to the Chiltern Branch Committee are welcomed preferably in advance to the Hon. Secretary (Elizabeth Norris) 6 Tillers Link, Shephall, Stevenage, Herts SG2 9BA. The AGM will be followed by a Ploughman’s Supper and by a presentation from Jeff Whyatt, South East Area General Manager, Canal & River Trust, who will give an update on developments in our area.
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the London Region of the Inland Waterways Association will take place on 12th March 2014 at The Primary Room, United Reformed Church Hall, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon, CR0 5LP. AGENDA 1. Apologies for absence 2. Approval of the Minutes of the 2012 AGM plus Matters Arising 3. Report from the Chairman 4. Presentation of accounts 5. Business of the meeting notified under byelaw 1.3 * 6. Election to fill posts on the Committee 7. Questions from the floor
The London Region AGM will take place after the Annual General Meeting of the South London Branch which commences at 8.00pm. * Note: Byelaw 1.3 provides that any member of a region or branch may propose business to appear on the agenda of an AGM of their region or branch, provided that notice of such business is delivered in writing to the Chairman of the Region or Branch at least six weeks before that meeting. F EB RU AR Y 201 4 I S S U E
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Become a Chiltern Branch Volunteer Chiltern’s involvement in volunteering is on the increase, as is the variety of projects that we are currently undertaking or in the planning. We are looking for volunteers of varying levels of skills for the following projects: • Assistants for Branch Stand duty at the Rickmansworth Festival • Assistants to help run Wild over Waterways (WOW) activities at Rickmansworth • Himalayan Balsam removal at Rickmansworth and Bulbourne • Bench seat replacement at Marsworth • Lock Painting at Marsworth • A Charity Lock Wind at Marsworth Besides doing a good deed for your waterways you will also have an enjoyable time, and it’s a great way to make friends. We have a Copy Date Register of Volunteers, so if you have enjoyed the for the next issue waterways and feel you would like to give something back, this is an ideal opportunity by putting The next issue of Grapeyour name on our Register. We will then send you vine will be published in details of events as they arise with the volunteering opportunities available. Then it’s up to you to de- early May. Please send cide if you want to do it; no pressure, it’s your de- news items, articles, phocision. If you would like to sign on to the Volunteer tographs and advertiseRegister or have any questions please email ments to the Editor by john.brice@waterways.org.uk or call 01494 15th April. 873298
Chiltern Branch Meeting Venue Chiltern Branch evening meetings are held at Little Chalfont Village Hall, Cokes Lane, Little Chalfont, Bucks HP8 4UD. Directions: Little Chalfont Village Hall is in Cokes Lane which runs south from a mini-roundabout junction with the main A404 road between Rickmansworth and Amersham. The hall is located by the Library and there is a Car Park. It is approximately 600m from Chalfont & Latimer railway/tube station. Access to the hall is on the flat and so offers easy access. There are also toilet facilities for disabled members. Page 14
CHILTERN GRAPEVINE
Diary 26th February 2014 at 8.00pm
Devizes to Westminster: The Story of a Canoe Race Paul Ralph This talk concerns a race along the Kennet & Avon and down the Thames that has been run since 1948. Last Easter over 400 took up the challenge. Paul knows all about it and for the last thirty years he has designed and built racing kayaks.
century and continued into the 1800s. Jeremy Batch returns for a fourth visit to the Branch; a recognition of the excellence of his presentations. Jeremy keeps lock at Limehouse and is a boater and sailor.
3rd to 5th May 2014
Canalway Cavalcade
12th March 2014 at 8.30pm
Come along to this unique waterways and community festival arranged by IWA at Little Venice in London since 1983. Entry is free of charge.
London Region AGM
3rd to 5th May 2014
See page 13.
Rickmansworth Festival
26th March 2014 at 8.00pm
See page 7.
Chiltern Branch AGM
22nd June 2014
Our AGM will be followed by an address by Jeff Whyatt, SE Area General Manager of the Canal & River Trust and a Ploughman’s Supper. See page 13. rd
Day Trip to the Cutty Sark & Docklands See page 8.
23 April 2014
16th & 17th August 2014
London’s More Important River
Marsworth Lock Wind
Jeremy Batch The river in question is the Lee, which runs from Hertford to the Thames at Limehouse Basin. Development of the navigation began as early As the thirteenth
Our annual weekend fundraiser.
The IWA is a registered charity (No. 212342) whose work is supported by member's subscriptions. The IWA campaigns for development of Britain's waterways for use by all. The IWA may not agree with the opinions expressed in this Newsletter but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy or an official announcement unless stated, otherwise the IWA accepts no liability for any matter in this Newsletter. F EB RU AR Y 201 4 I S S U E
26th to 28th September 2014
Chiltern Branch Weekend Away See next issue for details.
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The Back Page
Get Here: By Boat: Just pull up outside! By Foot: On the towpath opposite Bourne End Marina. By Car: Park near Bourne End train station and cross over the railway bridge, then turn right along the towpath, The Bounty can be found about 300 metres away.
Your Committee Chairman
Dave Chapman
01628 850842 07808 780555
dave.chapman@waterways.org.uk
Secretary
Liz Norris
01438 238187 07977 374116
liz.norris@waterways.org.uk
Treasurer
Ken Aylmer
01923 232515
ken.aylmer@waterways.org.uk
Programme Secretary
Colin Bird
01932 248178
colin.bird@waterways.org.uk
Fundraising & Waterway Events
John Brice
01494 873298 07740 733241
john.brice@waterways.org.uk
Planning Officer & Membership Secretary
Carolyn Leonard
01628 526512
carolyn.leonard@waterways.org.uk
Publicity Officer
Judy Clegg
01442 875818
judy.clegg@waterways.org.uk
Newsletter Editor
Peter Winter
07722 184117
peter.winter@waterways.org.uk
Assistant Newsletter Editor (non-committee post)
Shara Lewis-Campbell
07951 483836
shara.lewiscampbell@waterways.org.uk
IWA representative to WAT (non-committee post)
Jenny Brice
01494 873298
jenny@johnbrice.co.uk
www.waterways.org.uk/chiltern