Cleanup report on the BCN

The annual BCN Cleanup returned after two years’ absence, concentrating this year on keeping the Walsall Canal clear of bikes, trolleys and the rest...

Return of the BCN Cleanup

Every year in the early spring, many of our volunteers take a brief break from restoring canals to spend a weekend looking after some of the waterways that are already open and used by boats. Or rather, they’d be used a bit more by a few more boats if they didn’t have an unfortunate tendency to attract rubbish from an anti-social minority of the local residents. We’re talking about the offthe-beaten-track bits of the Birmingham Canal Navigations (BCN) system, a fascinating network of industrial and ex-industrial canals covering the Birmingham and Black Country areas. Not only do they have their own loyal fan-club among boaters dedicated to exploring them, but these canals can also make a contribution to improving the environment in some rather deprived areas. However that relies on them being kept in decent condition –otherwise they’ll descend into a vicious circle of attracting rubbish and deterring boaters and other users.

So the role of the annual Cleanup is to break that circle and keep the canals open – basically by several dozen people descending on particularly bad sections, armed with grappling hooks, and pulling out as much rubbish as they can. And it attracts volunteers from WRG, local canal groups and the local people, and is supported by the BCN Society and the local Canal &

River Trust team who provide workboats to take the rubbish away for disposal or recycling.

We’ve missed two years’ worth of Cleanups as a result of Covid and other issues, but we returned to the BCN in March 2023. Leader Chris Morgan takes up the story...

BCN Clean up 2023

Well, we did it. We didn’t think it would happen but it did!

After two years off (2021 and 2022) we got the event out of the bag after the Canal & River Trust local management’s enthusiasm to have it again on the Walsall canal prevailed.

We had about 27 volunteers between the accommodation and the three visiting boats as well as day visitors and 10-plus CRT volunteers and management in fine new blue sweatshirts.

The WRG volunteers had to go through a second safety talk at Ocker Hill by CRT after myself and my team leader Dave ‘Moose’ Hearnden had done the obligatory one at the accommodation, so all were well prepared.

Saturday saw us throwing our grappling hooks in between Ryders Green Locks and Moorcroft Junction. There were the usual antics at the Great Bridge Asda site as the reef of trolleys was dislodged and grappled free of the BCN mud; I swear some regulars had tears in their eyes when the parfum de BCN hit the senses, they had genuinely missed this annual fix!

22 trolleys emerged from the depths in all. CRT inform us that they are in talks with Asda who now have their own team to deal with this issue… [ Post-Cleanup note: on Monday after the event the BCNS boat crew going back up the locks collected 6 new trolleys deposited in the same place so I think talks need to continue.]

Saturday evening saw some crews disappearing to the Fountain Inn to meet up with BCNS volunteers for a debrief, whilst others went off for a guided walk taking in the Lost Line of the canal from Tipton Green to the New Main line, thanks to Martin for enabling this.

Back to the accommodation and some great grub cooked by Maria and George, and the local ale from Ma Pardoe’s and The Black Country Ales Brewery.

We all got together to sing a song to Maria, who announced this was her last BCN as Cook as she wants to get her grappling hook out next year, so Any volunteers please contact me or Moose. Seriously this event will not happen unless we can get a new cook, please. Maria is happy to share advice and tips so please get in touch if you are interested.

What a sterling job Maria has done - 20 plus BCN Cleanups as cook - and no one has gone hungry, and the greedy ones always get extras! Thank you Maria. (and assistant George obviously).

On Sunday after breakfast we were all dropped at Midland Rd Bridge in Darlaston to hit the bridge holes, it was Tesco’s turn to delight and entertain with a variety of new and nearly new trolleys extracted from the depths.

Plastics, fences, ironing boards, bikes, tyres, strimmers, scaffold poles, car seats were all included in the detritus pulled out. It was a 3 mile walk back to Ocker Hill sign-on point and we all made it. Well done to Jim and his bad knees: I know he cursed Moose at every bridge, thank goodness for the non-vandalised benches.

We said our goodbyes to CRT and thanked them for keeping us so ultra safe and headed to the accommodation for lunch before we decamped.

I’d like to thank Moose and Maria, without either of whom this camp would not have taken place, also to George for assisting Maria and all the van drivers for getting us safely to and from site, the intrepid BCNS (Birmingham Canal Navigation Society) volunteers who had two full days and two very full boat loads but also cleared the towpath of mud, a task that often goes unmentioned - we couldn’t do it without them.

The staff at the accommodation were as friendly as usual, despite some toilet hiccups that were sorted when reported.

I would like to thank the regulars who turned up and made up for those who were missing somewhere in Shropshire, and yet still all the beer was drunk and paid for!!

It was great to see Verena and Jenny from head office on their first camps, and I think they enjoyed it. I would have to say I was expecting us to pull more out having had two years off, but for a small group we were kept busy. It really was great to see you all after the break.

Where to next year? We will see… we need a cook, or perhaps Karen will (LOL)…. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm for the BCN.