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Issue 27 www.waterways.org.uk/lichfield
Spring 2019
Lichfield Lines
Hard at work on the Offside Veg Clearance (Page 7)
The newsletter of
IWA Lichfield Branch The IWA may not agree with opinions expressed in this magazine but encourages publication as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as policy, or as an official pronouncement, unless specifically identified as such. The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342 Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk
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Branch Chairman’s Report - April 2019 I must start by apologising to all of you who came to our AGM in March for my absence, due to being in hospital at the time. Thanks to Helen Whitehouse for conducting proceedings at very short notice and for everyone that helped on the night. I gather that I was re-elected for another 3 years on the Branch Committee, along with Margaret Beardsmore, and a most welcome new recruit in Lynn Evans. At our subsequent meeting existing Officers and other committee posts were confirmed unchanged for now, although I will be looking to pass on the website editor job when the promised new national website begins later this year. Our public meetings this year have had talks on several restoration schemes; the Chesterfield Canal in January, our local Lichfield Canal in February, and Stafford Riverway Link after the AGM in March. By the time this appears we will also have heard about the Göta Canal in Sweden. Our winter meetings programme will resume in September with a talk about the River Trent. Whilst we have fewer activities over the summer due to so many members being away boating, don’t miss our bi-monthly walks in May, July (an evening walk) and September. We are also repeating our enjoyable annual A beautiful sunny day at last year’s lock wind Lock Wind and barbecue in July, again at Barton Turn, and we would welcome your help on our publicity and sales stands at Brownhills in May and at Huddlesford in September. Details of all these events follow this article. Our small but dedicated team of volunteers completed the Offside Vegetation Clearance work parties in March, having achieved their 2-year objective of cutting back overhanging trees and bushes all the way from Fradley to Great Haywood, recovering the full width of the canal and making navigation easier. This has been a great example of IWA and CRT working together for a common cause, notwithstanding that CRT’s management reorganisation has created difficulties at times. The uncertainties of CRT supervision, and redeployment of Barry who we have worked so successfully with for some years, has meant that work parties on our adopted length at Rugeley have been on hold lately, although we are hoping this will be resolved soon. CRT, and its predecessor BW, seem to re-organise about every 5 years and the latest
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upheaval started in November 2017 with the announced reduction from 10 waterway units to 6 regions, followed by restructuring of senior management. However, it took a year before the new region boundaries were confirmed and frankly, basing them on county boundaries which cut randomly across many waterways, does not seem to make much sense from an operational standpoint. The West Midlands Region has grown to take in about 30% of CRT’s waterway mileage, but the Llangollen and Montgomery canals are split by the Shropshire, Cheshire and Welsh borders and, within Lichfield Branch, we have lost the Ashby Canal to the East Midlands Region. But the biggest problem with the re-structuring has been the prolonged uncertainty about who now does what, and which areas they cover. It also seems that CRT’s communication with users has broken down, as illustrated by the confusion over summer stoppages on the BCN. There has long been an agreement locally that short stoppages in the summer were acceptable on certain lock flights where there was an alternative route close by, and provided plenty of notice was given. But this applied only to the Smethwick, Spon Lane, Brades and Factory flights (any one of the 4) and possibly to Aston, Ashted and Garrison (any one of 3), it was never intended to include Rushall, Walsall, Ryders Green or Parry Barr where alternative routes are more extended. However, last year CRT closed Rushall for a month in late summer at short notice without proper consultation, and tried to do so again this year in May, cutting off a main access to the Brownhills Canal Festival. Fortunately, our Region Chairman was one of the few invited to the consultation meeting and was able to get the Rushall stoppage postponed to next winter, although locks at both ends of the Walsall Canal will be closed in July. Such consultations need to involve IWA Branches, canal societies, boat clubs, boatyards, etc. and provide plenty of notice, as they used to do. Phil Sharpe Forthcoming Events Thursday 9th May 2019 – Penkridge and Rodbaston College Walk. This is an easy 5½ mile walk with 5 stiles on quiet lanes, farmland, towpath and a disused railway. We initially head south along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal before leaving it at Otherton Marina. From there we head west, crossing first the A449 (caution!) and then the Wolverhampton to Stafford railway line to follow a footpath southward to Mere Lane Farm. We re-cross the railway line and
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the A449 (caution again!) and follow the main drive through Rodbaston College and back to the canal at Rodbaston Lock. After about a mile we leave the canal at a disused colliery line, which we follow for a further mile before returning to our starting point. Meet at 10:15 for a 10:30 am start in the car park of The Cross Keys, Filance Lane, Penkridge ST19 5HJ. Contact Clive Walker on 07866 201873 or clive.walker@waterways.org.uk
Saturday & Sunday 18-19th May 2019 – Brownhills Canal Festival. We will be taking a gazebo containing our Branch stand with sales items and information displays about IWA to support this local canal festival and boat rally. But we will need help from members on the stand, so if you can spare a few hours on either day, or on Friday afternoon for the set-up, please contact Helen Whitehouse at helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk or on 01543 491161 as soon as possible Wednesday 17th July 2019—A summer evening walk around Hartshill and the Coventry Canal This is an easy 3 ¾ mile dog-friendly walk with no stiles, across fields, quiet country lanes and the towing path. Our starting point is The Anchor Inn on the B4111 between Hartshill and Nuneaton. We first head in a northerly direction towards Woodford Lodge, crossing over the railway line in the process. We then turn right and follow a field boundary in the direction of Caldecote. Outside the village we again turn right and head slightly uphill, passing underneath the railway line this time, towards the canal at Spring Haven Marina, from where we return alongside the Coventry Canal to our starting point. Meet 6 pm for a 6:15 pm start in the car park of The Anchor Inn, Mancetter Road, Hartshill, Warwickshire CV10 0RT. Contact Clive Walker on 07866 201873 or clive.walker@waterways.org.uk Sunday 28th July 2018 – ‘Lock Wind’ at Barton Turn Lock. Our annual fundraising and social event on the Trent & Mersey Canal, from 10 am to 4 pm. Help from experienced lock users will be appreciated to assist boaters through this very busy lock, talk to them about IWA and hopefully receive lots of donations. We also need help with the sales stand and several volunteers to bake us some home-made cakes, which always sell well. We will have a small gazebo beside the lock with refreshments available, and a barbecue at 4 pm outside the pub for those taking part. If you can assist on site, even if only for a couple of hours, or with baking, please contact
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Helen Whitehouse as soon as possible at helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk or on 01543 491161. Thursday 5th September 2019—Walk "Shuttington and the Coventry Canal." This is an easy 5 mile walk with 2 stiles across farmland, on pavements, and along a towpath. Leaving the car park we head downhill towards Shuttington bridge, and take a recently signposted path past Alvecote Pools Nature Reserve to join the Coventry Canal at Robey's Lane. We then head west along the tow path and leave it at the skew bridge, now heading north towards Amington Hall Farm. We soon change direction slightly to approach Statfold Farm. This enterprising business has its own private railway, which is open to the public on selected weekends. We continue south-eastwards along a welldefined track, which marks the boundary between Warwickshire and Staffordshire. At a point marked as Laundry Cottages (now demolished) we head uphill back to our starting point. Meet 10:15 for a 10:30 start in the car park of The Wolferstan Arms, Main Road, Shuttington, Warks. B79 0DP. Contact Clive Walker on 07866 201873 or clive.walker@waterways.org.uk Wednesday 18th September 2019 – “A Narrowboat on the Trent”. An illustrated talk by John Lower. Following his well-received talk on the Chesterfield Canal, John returns to tell us about how we go about accessing it, based on his personal experience of 40 years boating on the River Trent. 7.15 for 7.30 pm at Martin Heath Hall, Christchurch Lane (off Walsall Road), Lichfield, WS13 8AY. Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd September—Huddlesford Festival
The bi-annual Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trusts’ festival will be held at the usual venue of Huddlesford at the junction of the Coventry Canal and the short arm of the Lichfield Canal. The Branch will have a stand at the festival and any volunteers to assist in manning the stand will be welcome. Contact Helen Whitehouse on helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk or on 01543 491161if you can help. Recent Activities Wednesday 20th February—Focus on the Lichfield Canal Our February talk was given by Bob Williams of the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust on the progress and challenges in restoring the Lichfield Canal. Apart from being a very interesting talk the meeting was extremely well attended with many members of the L&H joining us for the evening. A cheque for £100 was
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presented to Bob to add to the current “Tunnel Vision” appeal. Altogether a very enjoyable evening. Thursday 14th March 2019—Handsacre and the Trent & Mersey Canal Walk Heavy rain the day before had caused a number of attendees to phone before assembling in the car park of the The Olde Peculiar pub in Handsacre. In the event the weather was dry, if somewhat blustery, as we headed along the Uttoxeter Road to join the canal at bridge 58. After passing a number of moored boats we negotiated a stile in a hedge and headed across farmland in the direction of Echills Farm. Fortunately, we had the wind behind us as we trudged across a ploughed vegetable field, because strong gusts sent small pieces of parsnip and loose stones scudding above the soil and into the backs of our legs. Arriving at the farm Phil explained how the route of HS2 follows an embankment at this point, completely changing the landscape in the process. Here the route of the walk was to follow a footpath which crosses a field; the field was full of horses, penned in by an electric fence. The exit gate from this field was half off its hinge, and it had been secured to the gate post by a series of chains. The only way through would have been to limbo dance under the electric fence directly in front of the crumbling stile. Deciding against such acrobatics, and because discretion is the better part of valour, we took a shortcut instead and headed east along a farm track and out onto Shaw Lane. At Shaw Lane Farm we paused to view some lovingly restored buildings which are directly in the line of an HS2 viaduct and will be demolished if it proceeds. At a fork in the road we turned right to rejoin the Trent & Mersey canal at bridge 55. The canal is tree-lined on both sides at this point and in winter you can see the outline of Cannock Chase in the distance. The towpath here is also unusually wide and we headed back towards Handsacre, this time with the wind in our faces. We returned to the Olde Peculiar pub where we enjoyed a meal and refreshments. (Report and photo by Clive Walker)
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Wednesday 20th March 2019—Branch AGM, Social Evening and Talk The 20th March saw our Branch AGM take part before our usual social and talk. Unfortunately our Chairman Phil Sharpe was unavailable due to illness and our Region Chairman Helen Whitehouse was press ganged into running the meeting. The formalities were soon dealt with (see Page 14 for minutes, Chairman’s and Treasurer’s reports). The only change to the committee was that Lynn Evans volunteered to join as a potential Minutes Secretary. She recently attended a committee meeting and wasn’t put off by what she found (she enjoyed the cake as well). The planned slide show covering the year’s events could not take place as this was to have been presented by Phil Sharpe. The space was filled by various members describing the events and work parties they had been involved with. After the break the speaker was Ivor Hind Chairman of the Stafford Riverway Link who gave us a fascinating talk on the plans, progress and challenges faced by the organisation. October 2018 to March 2019—Offside Veg Clearance Last winter (2017/18) we dealt with the section between Great Haywood and Handsacre. With the work not beginning until late December we had to miss doing the lesser overgrown parts due to time constraints, because the work has to cease around mid March due to wildlife beginning their nesting. This winter we were able to begin much earlier (October 12th) so consequently we had a further 10 weeks in order to carry out the work. We began this time at Fradley
It’s a hard life this Offside Veg Clearance! Photo Derek Beardsmore
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Junction and together with the CRT lock volunteers, each party doing a day a week, we worked our way towards Rugeley. Having learnt so much from the previous time, our newly gained experience meant that we were much more proficient. Each person had a specific role which meant we worked better as a team, we altered the configuration of the boats with moving the chipper from the hopper boat to the workboat, and in December two of us became qualified in the use of a pole chainsaw which proved to be a far quicker method than using handsaws and manual pruners. Despite this, progress was sometimes painfully slow as there were a lot of hawthorn type trees and brambles, both of which are difficult and time consuming to deal with. However, with having the additional time, we managed to do a thorough job, and mindful of the fact that it will be a few years before the work is carried out again, we cut back much of the vegetation beyond the edge of the canal so as to allow as much as possible for future growth. When we reached Handsacre, the place where we had finished last winter, we continued to Great Haywood trimming the vegetation that we had had to miss last time, and re-trim places where the vegetation had begun to encroach again. We have received much positive feedback from passing boaters and on the various internet social media platforms too, all of whom appreciate what we have done, and this helps to make those aching bones, freezing cold and often wet days all worthwhile. We believe that next time we will be working on the Coventry Canal starting at Fradley and working our way south. This is yet to be confirmed by CRT, and with their extensive reorganisation it may of course change. Wednesday 17th April—Our Barge on the Göta Canal Our last meeting of the season was a fascinating account by 50 year IWA member Nick Bostock of an epic voyage from Amsterdam to Stockholm on his Dutch Barge “Hoop Op Zegen”. The talk concentrated on the portion of the journey from Gothenburg to Stockholm through the lakes of Sweden and the Göta Canal. Just to get to Gothenburg to start the transit of Sweden was an epic voyage in itself consisting of a journey around the coast of Holland, through the Kiel Canal, through the Danish islands and an open sea crossing of the Oresund from Denmark to Sweden. The talk
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was accompanied by Nick’s own photos of the beautiful Swedish countryside and the locks of the canal. A brilliant end to our season of talks—see you in September. News From The L&H Lichfield Canal played a starring role in television’s Britain in Bloom. A new series of the BBC2 show began in the spring and the episode at 6.30pm on Thursday April 4 featured Blooming Lichfield’s gold award-winning entry in the Small City section of the Heart of England in Bloom competition. A TV crew filmed at several sites in the city in spring 2018 then followed up as the competition judges made their round in mid-summer, visiting Swinfen Hall Hotel with its newly constructed Victorian -style greenhouse, Dovehouse Community Garden’s flowers and food crops, Beacon Park’s formal display, the gardens associated with Swan Mews, Netherstowe Allotments and St Chad’s churchyard. The series presenter, Chris Bavin, was particularly impressed by one of the biggest projects in the whole series, Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Presenter Chris Bavin talks to Peter Buck of L&HCRT Restoration Trust’s Garden of Reflection, at Gallows Wharf, including Rose Willow, the floral recreation of a 70ft narrowboat next to Tamworth Road. Chris and his crew followed the progress of the work at Gallows Wharf, from building site in May to beautiful garden on judging day in July.
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Free to a good home HP 920XL Printer Cartridges I have recently replaced my HP OfficeJet printer and have some spare colour cartridges which don’t fit the the new one. So if anyone uses HP 920XL cyan, magenta and yellow cartridges they are available free for collection from Rugeley or at one of our events, or for the cost of postage. Contact Phil Sharpe – see Committee page. Planning Matters This report covers the more significant of about 50 planning matters dealt with from mid-January to mid-April 2019. All of them are summarised in the monthly notes on the website Planning page. On the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal the Examination into the proposed West Midlands Interchange warehouse development between Gailey and Calf Heath ‘kicked off’ at the Molineux in Wolverhampton in February and I attended the Preliminary Meeting and an Open Floor Hearing. The Inspector has to conduct this complex enquiry by himself and report within 6 months, but his preliminary questions showed a good grasp of the key issues and details, including the effects on the canal and noise impacts on the residential and leisure moorings at Gailey. If anyone has personal knowledge of the affected moorings, please give me a ring so I can better represent their interests. On the Trent & Mersey Canal in Rugeley the Granurite tyre recycling site has been given retrospective permission but with a limit on the height and extent of external tyre storage stacks as we requested. At Burton on Trent 4 houses are proposed between the canal and the A38 embankment to the south of Horninglow Basin. Although large, 5 and 7 bedroom houses, they should be well screened by existing canalside trees. On the Coventry Canal the North Warwickshire Local Plan Examination continues and I made the case for Conservation Area status for the all canals in the Borough. The Council promised to consider this and a Conservation Officer has now been appointed. Our objection in principle to the large housing site proposed on both sides of the rural lower section of Atherstone Locks appears unlikely to succeed, given the pressure for housing allocations from Government. However, our request that any development should have a broad buffer zone of open amenity land along both sides of the canal to help protect its heritage, wildlife, amenity and recreational value was received sympathetically by the landowners, Merevale Estates, and the Council which promised to involve IWA as a key stakeholder in the preparation of a Masterplan for the site. At Atherstone above the top lock, the derelict former hat factory Britannia Works
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received consent in 2017 for part refurbishment and part demolition and rebuild for residential use. New plans would now provide 70 extra care apartments in a 4 storey block along the canalside with retention of the more historic buildings facing Coleshill Road. On the Wyrley & Essington Canal at Pelsall proposals for replacing Yorks Bridge have been around since 1993 and we have commented numerous times as they have evolved. The existing bridge is structurally unsound, weight limited and dangerous for pedestrians, and present plans are to build a new one alongside whilst retaining the historic bridge for access to The Fingerpost pub. Following our earlier suggestions, the plans now include brick cladding on the Yorks Bridge at Pelsall new bridge, an access path to the towpath and extra parking for users of the Common, and we have given this our support. On the Birmingham & Fazeley Canal at Peddimore we have objected to aspects of the application for a very large employment site on open fields north of the canal at Minworth. The canal is on embankment here with clear views of the site and loss of the rural setting will damage its recreation and tourism value. Mounding and landscape planting will provide some screening but there is a major gap near the canal where earthworks would also raise the ground levels, making the proposed warehouses up to 23m high even more visible. We have asked for lower ground levels, smaller units and better screening near the canal. On the Cannock Extension Canal, we have opposed an application to demolish the historic office building and manager’s house of the former Grove Colliery to make way for a gypsy traveller site. Although in poor condition the buildings are substantial and attractive and could still be repaired for a commercial, domestic or community use, such as an outdoor activity, mining heritage and wildlife centre appropriate to their proximity to the canal. The Lichfield Canal restoration remains threatened by the Deanslade Park housing site plans making no provision for a road bridge over the canal or the cutting needed for the canal channel. We submitted further detailed criticisms of the Officers Report and their reliance on the applicant’s selective and distorted legal opinion prior to a
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special meeting of the Planning Committee on 4 March. All the Councillors expressed support for the canal and the work of the Trust and most were genuinely concerned about being put in the position of deciding between the housing development and the canal restoration, but showed little real understanding of the planning issues in dispute and voted to approve the application. Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust now has 6 weeks (from 26 March) to decide whether to apply for a Judicial Review, and an experienced Barrister is being consulted on the prospects of success before the Slipway at Tamworth Road final decision is taken. IWA will continue to support the Trust in their campaign for justice, not least because of its implications also for other sites and for other restoration projects. Following our objection to the proposed housing at Tamworth Road adjacent to the Lichfield Canal, the landowners have very helpfully amended their plans to transfer ownership to the Trust of the winding hole, a 5 metre construction and maintenance access track along the canal frontage, and access to the slipway. They will also now retain the existing sheds and compound and lease them to the Trust for 25 years. This will secure the continuing restoration of the canal at Tamworth Road and we have therefore been able to withdraw our objection. Phil Sharpe, Planning Officer HS2 High Speed Rail Update – April 2019 Phase 2A (West Midlands – Crewe) Additional Provision 2 I have responded for IWA to a consultation on the HS2 Phase 2a Additional Provision 2 Environmental Statements.
The AP2 changes include reduction in the height of the Kings Bromley and River Trent viaducts and the intervening Bourne Embankment, as requested in IWA’s consultation response in September 2017 and our petition in February 2018. This will reduce visual impact and to some extent noise propagation. Other changes include moving a balancing pond access track away from the canal at Fradley, which will be beneficial, and at Great Haywood including some additional land
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for construction on the north side of HS2 between the canal and the existing railway, which will marginally increase construction impacts on the canal. Changes to the track layout at the Handsacre junction to connect HS2 with the West Coast Mainline slow lines instead of the fast lines may have minor additional visual impact on the canal. Community Impact Assessments are provided for various locations including Ingestre Park Golf Club, and we have suggested these should include the community of moorers at Great Haywood Marina where there are over 200 boats many of which are occupied residentially for varying periods of time. However, the main concern with AP2 is the possible impacts from dewatering of 3 large ‘borrow pits’ lowering the water table beneath the Trent & Mersey Canal from Wood End, Fradley to Handsacre. HS2 think the canal is lined with a metre of puddle clay based on very limited historical references. No detailed records survive from the construction of the canal in this area in the 1770s. However, clay lining is probably limited to the towpath bank and elevated sections across embankments, culverts and aqueducts, with much of the bed and offside bank being just cut into the original ground where it is relatively impervious, without much or any clay lining. The ‘threatened’ section of canal between Wood End and Handsacre is largely at ground level and, apart from where is crosses a few streams, may well be largely unlined. It is likely that the canal water level and local groundwater have been in balance for centuries, and lowering the water table now by several metres could therefore significantly increase leakage and seepage. Whether this would be marginal or catastrophic is uncertain. HS2’s main solution is pipelines to discharge treated water pumped from the borrow pits back into the canal, but that could cause local scours or overtopping unless very carefully controlled. IWA has requested installation of a series of canalside water table monitoring boreholes with regular readings taken from before and throughout the period of borrow pit operations, along with monitoring of canal water levels at intermediate locations and flow measurements at each end of the affected section. This would provide early warning of any issues and enable appropriate avoidance or mitigation measures to be taken.
It cannot be assumed that recirculation of water to compensate for increased leakage will be practical at the indicated locations without detailed hydrological and engineering design work. This should therefore be regarded as a last resort and the priority should be to avoid causing significantly increased water loss from the canal in the first place. The suggested alternative measures include wet working of the borrow pits that avoids the need for dewatering or the installation of groundwater cut-off
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structures, presumably deep piling. IWA’s full response on AP2 can be downloaded from the website at: https:// www.waterways.org.uk/lichfield/news/2019_news Phil Sharpe, Planning Officer IWA LICHFIELD BRANCH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING - 20th MARCH 2019 at 19.30. At Martin Heath Hall, Christchurch Lane (off Walsall Road), Lichfield, WS13 8AY Present Pete Gurney (Treasurer), Pat Barton, John Stockland, Margaret Beardsmore, Derek Beardsmore, Helen Whitehouse (Region Chairman) + 33 other members of the branch plus the National Chairman Ivor Caplan and his wife Joan. In the absence of the Chairman due to illness Helen Whitehouse chaired the meeting.
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Apologies for absence: Phil Sharpe, Neil Barnett.
2.
Approval of the minutes of the 2018 AGM and any matters arising from these minutes: Proposed: Adrian Wedgwood, Seconded Eric Wood. The minutes were approved unopposed. There were no matters arising from the minutes.
3.
Report from the Branch Chairman: Please see the report attached. Eric Wood thanked the Chairman Phil Sharpe for all the excellent work he has done for both the branch and the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust.
4.
Financial report from the Treasurer: Please see the report attached. The Branch were asked to approve the Treasurer’s report and did so unopposed. There were no questions arising.
5.
Elections to the committee: a) Members completing 3 years in post and eligible for re-election: Phil Sharpe and Margaret Beardsmore have been in post for 3 years and will be standing for re-election. Proposed: Sheila Cook Seconded: Barbara Hodgson Phil Sharpe and Margaret Beardsmore were re-elected to the committee unopposed. b) Members co-opted since the previous AGM: None
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Any other candidates: Lynn Evans Proposed: Margaret Beardsmore Seconded: Derek Beardsmore Elected unopposed
6.
Any resolutions requested by members of the Branch (provided the Branch Chairman was notified in writing of the item at least six weeks prior to the AGM): No resolutions had been received.
7.
AOB: Eric Wood proposed a vote of thanks to the committee this was supported unanimously.
The meeting was closed at 19.50 BRANCH CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
The composition of our Branch Committee has been stable for the past year which has enabled us to continue ‘as usual’. However, our age profile is rather high so we really could do with some younger members to join us, to bring new ideas and energy, and to fill the vacancies. Chief amongst these is a Minutes Secretary, which Pete Gurney has largely had to deal with, on top of his other duties as Treasurer, Newsletter Editor and producer of publicity posters. We would also like somebody to assist Helen in organising our presence at local shows and events, in particular the Brownhills Canal Festival on 18/19 May. I’ve also been doubling up in being Chairman, Acting Secretary, Planning Officer and Website Editor, which is far from ideal, as the planning job in particular is very time consuming. So whilst we have managed to keep the Branch ticking over, we would function better with some more reinforcements. So please bear in mind that it is still not too late to put your name forward this evening, or we can co-opt people at any time. Talk to any committee member about how we operate and by all means sit in on a meeting or two before deciding. But meanwhile, let me pay tribute to the other members of our current committee. Pat Barton as Speakers Secretary has continued to find us some interesting speakers for our public meetings, but I’m sure that any suggestions will be gratefully received. Derek Beardsmore as Navigation Officer has had a difficult time maintaining lines of communication with CRT as they have been going through a prolonged reorganisation. The uncertainties with CRT have also affected Margaret Beardsmore’s organisation of our volunteer work parties as part of the Rugeley Project, but Margaret was able to
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arrange another day of Community Boat trips in Rugeley. Our main volunteer work party input this year has been to the joint IWA/CRT Offside Vegetation Clearance project, and Neil Barnett’s persistence with CRT has enabled most of them to proceed, and the aim of fully clearing the Trent & Mersey Canal from Fradley Junction to Great Haywood to be achieved. John Stockland as Membership Officer has welcomed our new members and reported back on other changes. Clive Walker continues to arrange interesting canal based walks for us every 2 months, without needing to actually be on the committee. Helen Whitehouse too, despite the many demands on her time as West Midlands Region Chairman and a national Trustee, still somehow manages to run our Sales Stand which is our main source of income to support the grants we make to various restoration projects. Our newsletter Lichfield Lines enables us to keep you all informed about our forthcoming events and to report on recent activities, and thanks to Pete Gurney’s editorship we have again published 4 issues this year which we hope you all enjoy. The Branch pages of the IWA website also allow some of these reports to be viewable within a week or two and those of you who use Facebook may see things even quicker thanks to Margaret’s input. As well as the newsletter, website and social media, Neil also publicises our activities through the waterways magazines and local press, John sends out a monthly email, and Pete distributes posters, so the publicity job is a team effort. Thanks also to those of you that put up the posters in various places for us. It works well as we generally get good attendances and our walks in particular attract potential new members. I should also express appreciation for all those of you that have contributed to the running of our meetings, in the kitchen, setting out and clearing chairs, to Sue and others for running the raffle, to Helen, Pat, Margaret and Derek for organising various social activities including the Lock Wind and our Branch Christmas lunch. The statistics are that in the last 12 months we have had 7 public meetings, 6 walks, 3 work parties at Rugeley, and 6 on Offside Clearance, the Lock Wind, Community Boat Trips and Xmas Lunch, so you can see that our Branch is still healthy, thanks to the assistance of many of you. Philip Sharpe, Chairman BRANCH TREASURER’S REPORT 2018 was another good year and we were able to donate £1460.00 to canal funds as follows:-
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£1000 to the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust for their “Tunnel Vision” appeal £150 to the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust £100 to the Shropshire Union Canal Soc for Montgomery Canal (In lieu of speaker expenses) £100 to the Stafford Riverway Link £50 to the Baswich Canal Group £30 to the Birmingham Canals Navigation Society (In lieu of speaker expenses) £30 to the Canal & River Trust (In lieu of speaker expenses) We made a profit on the year of £22.83. At the end of the year we had £3243.86 in our bank accounts, £387.55 of which is allocated to work on our Rugeley project in 2019/2020 and the £1,000 bequest from the late Peter Chandler is yet to be allocated to a memorial/project. I would like to thank you all for your contributions to the raffle and refreshments. These amounted to £572.42 which more than covered the £199.50 cost of the room hire for the monthly meetings and also speaker’s fees of £25. The income from fundraising events (£170.40) and donations (£454.36 excluding the bequest from the late Peter Chandler) was £624.76 with expenses of £150.00. Therefore, the overall proceeds for the year from fundraising events & donations, after all expenses had been deducted, were £474.76, made up from the following £ 67.36 from donations at our walks £170.40 from the Lock Wind £110.00 from the Community Boat Trip (The cost of the boat trip was more than covered by a grant of £260 from Rugeley Council) £127.00 General donations Other items of income were £160.00 from advertising in Lichfield Lines £706.24 income (profit of £302.48) on Branch Sales – thanks to Helen. We still have £1,244.42 stock at retail value. The remaining income of £621.85 relates to the 2018 Christmas Dinner income less adjustments for the 2017 Christmas Dinner. Barclays are currently still giving us interest on our accounts and so far we have received the grand sum of £6.58. Summarising the expenses from above we paid out £1460.00 in donations £255.39 expenses for meetings and work parties £615.00 expenses for the postponed 2017 Christmas Dinner
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£706.10 expenses for the 2018 Christmas Dinner. Both of these events were fully funded by the attendees. £150.00 expenses for events and fundraising activities £403.76 cost of Branch Sales £78.77 on the Rugeley Project A change in our outgoings is that we no longer pay for the printing of Lichfield Lines this is payed direct by Head Office So, in all a successful year and hopefully 2019 will be even better. Pete Gurney Treasurer Carry on Camping! The IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) has released it’s programme of weeklong residential working holidays for 2019. This year WRG are running 23 Canal Camps across 13 different waterways that all need the support of up to 20 volunteers each week. In 2018, over 390 volunteers joined WRG up and down the country, to undertake 2262 volunteer days (18096 hours) restoring canals. If time had a value, that’s over £260,000 of labour costs! But of course the time and effort of all IWA and WRG volunteers is priceless. The aim of the Canal Camp programme is to support the admirable work of local canal restoration societies. In Staffordshire, the Lichfield Canal Camp runs from 6-13 July & 13-20 July 2019. During this camp, volunteers will be undertaking works such as lock maintenance, excavating the canal channel, restoring the towpath wall and reinstating the towpath. Across all the Canal Camps in the UK, volunteers will have the chance to learn new skills, meet new people and get stuck into tasks such as restoring locks, relining canals, creating towpaths, removing vegetation and uncovering archaeological artefacts.
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Leading the way! Volunteers are the life blood that keeps WRG alive and each year over 90 volunteer leaders, assistants and cooks are needed. The leadership teams bring invaluable experience, passing down their knowledge and skills to the next generation of Canal Restoration volunteers. WRG’s leadership teams are responsible for making sure each canal camp is a fun-filled, enjoyable experience – they run the canal restoration site, organising social activities in the evenings, and ensure that everyone is still smiling by the end of the week! With support from IWA’s Technical Support Officer, Mikk Bradley, the leadership teams ensure each week is a well-planned, working closely with the host canal restoration society. Mike Palmer, Chair, Waterway Recovery Group, says, “We are looking for volunteers from all walks of life to help us with our canal restoration projects. In return for helping to preserve our industrial heritage and restoring our beloved canals, we can offer volunteers a fantastic chance to learn new skills such as bricklaying, restoring a flight of locks, building a new section of canal, or even rebuilding a bridge. It’s also a great opportunity to have fun and mix with different people who all share a common goal – to bring our waterways back to life.” Family Canal Camps 2019 The IWA recognises families would like to get involved with canal restoration and aims to provide an opportunity to introduce children to restoration work. By offering family volunteering the charity hopes to engage children from a young age and enable them to find out about canal restoration and heritage, working outdoors and learn new skills. The aim of family residential weekends are to introduce a new generation to the world of waterway restoration and maintenance. After three successful weekends and fantastic feedback in 2018, WRG has extended the programme for 2019 to cover three residential weekends for families. If you would like to book up a Camp in this area or further afield, please visit WRG’s website www.wrg.org.uk. Alternatively, you can call WRG head office on 01494 783453 ext 610, or email enquiries@wrg.org.uk.
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Save the Date! Forthcoming Camps (Nearby camps highlighted) 21st-23rd June 21st-23rd June 6th-13th July
Lichfield Training Camp Uttoxeter Family Camp Wey and Arun Canal Lichfield Canal Grantham Canal 13th-20th July Wey and Arun Canal Lichfield Canal Grantham Canal 20th-27th July Wey and Arun Canal Derby and Sandiacre Canal Grantham Canal 3rd-10th August Shrewsbury and Newport Canal 10th-17th August Grantham Canal 16th-18th August Grantham Family Camp 17th-24th August Grantham Canal 24th-31st August Swansea Canal Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation Grantham Canal 31st August-7th September Monmouthshire Canal 7th-14th September Monmouthshire Canal 19th-26th October Grantham Canal 25th-27th October Wendover Family Camp 2nd-3rd November Reunion Weekend 26th December 1st January 2020 Christmas Camp
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Editorial Notice Lichfield Lines is the newsletter of IWA Lichfield Branch, it is produced 4 times a year to keep members informed about our forthcoming public meetings, walks, work parties and other activities, to provide reports on recent meetings and events, and to include articles of general interest to our members. The editor, Peter Gurney, welcomes articles, letters or photographs of waterway activities in our Branch area which can be emailed to pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk (Please note there is a 10MB limit for emails with attachments sent via this address). The copy date for the next newsletter will be 15th July 2019, for publication in August. Advertising Lichfield Lines is posted or emailed to about 400 Branch members. It can also be read and downloaded by anyone from the Branch website pages. If you would like to publicise your waterway related business to our members, and others that read the newsletter online, we can offer advertising space at the following rates: Full Page - £20 per issue
Half Page - £10 per issue
Please contact the editor to discuss artwork and layout. By advertising you will help to sponsor IWA's charitable activities and reach potential customers who are all committed to the waterways. The IWA has a range of corporate members some of whom offer discounts to members. The discount details can be found on the IWA website at www.waterways.org.uk/support_us/corporates. Corporate members in our area are— Lichfield Cruising Club Stafford Boat Club Ltd Truman Enterprise Narrowboat Trust Ashby Canal Trust Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust Canal Transport Services Ltd Waterways World Ltd Fingerpost pub Pelsall Clifford Arms Great Haywood Hargreaves Narrowboat Trust
Longwood Boat Club Ashby Canal Association Tamworth Cruising Club Ash Tree Boat Club Countywide Cruisers (Brewood) Ltd Elite Furnishings Birmingham and Midland Marine Services River Canal Rescue Ltd Midland Chandlers Glascote Basin Boatyard (Norton Canes Boatbuilders)
Please mention the IWA when contacting any of these Corporate Members.
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Your Committee Chairman and Acting Secretary Tel: 01889 583330 Email: phil.sharpe@waterways.org.uk
Philip Sharpe
Treasurer Tel: 01785 255101 Email: pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk
Pete Gurney
Planning & Website Tel: 01889 583330 Email: phil.sharpe@waterways.org.uk
Philip Sharpe
Newsletter Editor Tel: 01785 255101 Email: pete.gurney@waterways.org.uk
Pete Gurney
Volunteer Coordinator Tel: 07581 794111 Email: margaret.beardsmore@waterways.org.uk
Margaret Beardsmore
Speakers Secretary Tel: 07947 337491 Email: pat.barton@waterways.org.uk
Pat Barton
Navigation Officer Tel: 07847 470112 Email: derek.beardsmore@waterways.org.uk
Derek Beardsmore
Membership Secretary Tel: 0121 308 0293 Email: John.stockland@waterways.org.uk
John Stockland
Publicity—Press & Magazines Tel: 07808 846434 Email: neil.barnett@waterways.org.uk
Neil Barnett
Committee Member Tel: 07933 236785 Email: lynn.evans@waterways.org.uk Ex Officio: Region Chairman Branch Sales and External Talks (non-committee posts) Email: helen.whitehouse@waterways.org.uk
Lynn Evans
Walks Coordinator (non-committee post) Tel: 07866 201873 Email: clive.walker@waterways.org.uk
Clive Walker
Branch Contact Address Email: lichfield@waterways.org.uk
IWA Lichfield Branch 34 Old Eaton Road Rugeley, Staffs WS15 2EZ
Helen Whitehouse
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