Navvies News WRGNW’s way forward

navvies News

A way forward for WRG North West? And the possible revival of a couple of regular WRG events that haven’t happened since before the pandemic

Coming soonish? (1) The Reunion/Bonfire Bash

As we went to press WRG was still hoping to organise some kind of event to fill the slot in the calendar traditionally occupied by the Bonfire Bash, also known as the Reunion, but possibly with some changes...

Firstly it won’t necessarily just be a big scrub-bash like it usually is. In fact there’s been a suggestion that we might combine it with a BCN Cleanup type event (an annual weekend - usually in springtime but not held since March 2020 - spent throwing grappling hooks into the Birmingham Canal Navigations and pulling out all manner of junk), with both rubbish removal and vegetation clearance - perhaps on the Bradley Canal.

And secondly it won’t necessarily take place on its traditional date of the first weekend in November.

But no decision’s been made on whether it will take place at all. Watch this space.

Coming a little less soon? (2) Christmas Canal Camp

This is another event that’s been a popular part of the WRG calendar in the past, but like the Bonfire Bash it’s a big social gathering as well as a working party - which means we’ve been more wary of re-starting it since the pandemic. However we are keeping a watch on how things develop - and we do have one possible site, a new one for us, on the Stover Canal in south Devon. Again, watch this space.

WRG North West

WRG North West’s ad hoc meetings are famous (or infamous), not for the scintillating conversation or the business achieved, but more for the amount of tea consumed and the buffet food eaten. Due to Covid, we had not had an inperson ad hoc meeting since January 2020 and we were all missing them.

In addition, as mentioned in the last Navvies it was felt that we needed to regroup and discuss if we wanted WRGNW to continue and if so, how we wanted the group to move forward, especially due to having low numbers turn out to our last few digs. The meeting was organised with over two months’ notice to everyone on the WRGNW mailing list. Nearer the meeting date we received several messages of support from people who could not attend (mainly due to their location) with some useful suggestions for publicising the organisation and the work that we do.

On the evening of the meeting, there were ten people in attendance. The previously received messages of support had already been circulated and were also available in paper format at the meeting. We discussed these first. The general consensus of the meeting and the support messages was that we should definitely continue and the discussion quickly turned into how the group could be revived – the two main issues being:

How to recruit more and especially·

younger people How to re-start our working parties·

WRG NW

navvies News

More on the efforts to secure the future of WRG North West; and thanks for an unusual and unexpected piece of fundraising for WRG

A particular problem was seen to be that we have no young people at our working parties, and that consequently any young people we recruited would not want to become regulars – a Catch 22 situation. It was felt that we must start by trying to use personal Facebook accounts to advertise our work parties to our own friends and contacts. Paid Facebook advertising was considered, but the options known to our Facebook users had little to commend them.

We also decided to try to advertise to local canal societies and the various CRT “adopt-a-canal” groups in the hope that their volunteers may also want to try working with us at a different site. Details of these groups will be collated by Carolyn in a shareable document so that we will be ready to advertise to them. If anyone has any details they would like to add to this list, please email wrgnorthwest@gmail.com.

In addition, we felt that the current IWA website is not very user friendly and is difficult to navigate. We felt that we needed a simpler site where we can give brief information about the group, list of dig dates and information about them. We now have a Facebook page (in addition to our group) which will have information only and can be viewed by anyone, on or off Facebook, without the need to “join” anything. [To find it, just search for “Waterway Recovery Group North West”] A very simple website may follow in the near future.

For our working parties, it was decided to try to organise something each month, with a mixture of local one-day “digs”, joint digs with other groups (if they are happy for us to join them) and a couple of “away weekend” working parties of our own. We also considered that we may not have a van (or a driver) to travel so we need to ensure public transport provision is included and the offer of lifts in cars where possible.

Are other WRG groups having similar difficulties restarting after Covid? Please let us know your thoughts by email to: wrgnw@waterways.org.uk Thank you... Some readers of Navvies may recognise the name of Peter Bowers (or by his many nicknames!), or seen him in photos. Over the years he has worked on many Canal Camps; and also with the local canal trusts on the Wendover Arm and River Gipping.

A few weeks back he decided that he would, in some of his ‘spare time’, walk along the towpath of the canal between Edinburgh and Glasgow – staying in B&Bs along the way. Whilst he was talking about his project with some friends at Dunstable Cruising Club it was suggested that some members would be prepared to give donations for his walk; and also some ‘matched funding’. As a result of this Pete decided that any moneys donated would be passed to WRG.

Our thanks to Pete and all folks who have donated. John Hawkins WRG NW

Kind donation to WRG NW volunteers from a neighbour at Nob End. If that doesn’t help swell numbers...