Coming soon Christmas?

Sorry no Bonfire Bash, but London WRG and KESCRG are plotting a Christmas extravaganza, and next year’s Camps are being planned...

Sorry, no Bonfire Bash / Reunion

OK let’s get the bad news out of the way first. You might not actually have received this issue of Navvies in time (sorry!) but just in case you have, and you are wondering what’s happened to our usual early November big Reunion / bonfire bash weekend working party and get-together... I’m afraid we’ve been unable to find a site with suitable work and (actually the trickier of the problems) suitable accommodation for a large working party. So I’m afraid there won’t be one this year. If anyone’s got a site and accommodation and would like to host us in 2023, please do get in touch - it’s never too soon. I remember when once or twice we were so well organised that we managed to announce the venue in the Canal Camps Brochure that came out before the previous Christmas! It would be great to be able to do that again. And speaking of Canal Camps...

Any news on Canal Camps 2023?

Well, the news is that there’s no news just yet but there will be quite soon. As per last year, it seems likely that the Canal Camps Brochure giving full details of the programme of weeklong camps for the whole year will be published with the February-March issue 317 of Navvies. But like last year, we plan to include a ‘pre-preview’ in the pre-Christmas issue 316 giving as much information about the likely sites as we can, so you can start thinking about which ones you want to go on.

But I get it, you want some actual information NOW about some actual canal restoration work with WRG and the other mobile groups. So what are they up to?

Any mobile groups’ working parties?

Yes - London WRG and KESCRG have got a couple of weekend working parties planned before Christmas. In fact they’ve got the same couple of weekend working parties, because they’re joint digs by both groups. On 5-6 November and again on 3-4 December both groups will be combining their efforts. The first of these will definitely be on the Wey & Arun Canal; the second might end up there too, depending on whether our original choice of site can find us accommodation. See either group’s Facebook group for details, or for London WRG contact london@wrg.org.uk or phone Tim Lewis on 07802 518094 or for KESCRG contact Ed Walker on ed@edwalker.org.uk.

Oh, and the December date is the traditional combined working party and Christmas fun and games fancy dress extravaganza, with a theme of ‘Royalty’ to mark the approaching coronation of the new King.

In the new year the two groups will go their separate ways again. London WRG have pencilled in 14-15 January for their first weekend and are looking to see if the Chelmer & Blackwater has work and accommodation, while the Cotswold and Lichfield have been proposed for later in the winter, while the Shrewsbury & Newport is a possibility for a weekend in the spring. See the next Navvies for more details.

Meanwhile KESCRG are also planning for 2023: they haven’t chosen sites yet, but the weekend dates are 4-5 February, 4-5 March, 25-26 March, 6-7 May, 10-11 June and 1-2 July.

Anything else?

Yes, we’re still hoping to find a site for a Christmas camp, and to run a BCN Cleanup next year