Chester & Merseyside Branch
June 2017
Easter Gathering at Ellesmere Port Boat Museum
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!! ! Dear Member ! It! gives me great pleasure to advise you that the Chester and ! Merseyside Branch of the Inland Waterways Association is celebrating th ! its 30 Anniversary this year. The Committee have decided to mark ! special occasion by organising an event on the recently restored this ! Daniel Adamson which will be moored at Ellesmere Port, adjacent to ! Boat Museum. the ! ! This will take place on Wednesday 20th September from 7-00 p.m. ! onwards and a supper of Scouse with bottle of Danny Beer will be ! provided. The cost will be £15.00. per head. The bar will also be ! open. Tours of “The Danny” will take place during the evening and will ! be a wonderful opportunity for you to see the beautiful restoration ! which has taken place over the last few years. ! ! Please let me know if you wish to attend by e-mailing me on ! lesley.taylor@waterways.org.uk and I look forward to seeing you all on ! this special occasion. ! ! Kind regards ! ! Lesley Taylor ! ! Inland Waterways Association ! Chester & Merseyside Branch ! !
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Autumn Programme starts on Tuesday 10th October, when Ray Buss will tell us about his travels on the Mighty Murray River in Australia. All meetings are at the Holiday Inn Ellesmere Port 7,30 for 7.45pm start. !
! It should be noted that the views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the IWA. They are published as being of interest to our members and readers. The IWA is a registered charity No 212342
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Editors Musings
JUNE 2016
Welcome to our summer edition of the Chester Packet, although as I write, the wind and rain are beating on the windows, so I hope that all those on the water are moored up safely until this system blows over. We have only had two outings so far this year, the first being to the Easter gathering at Ellesmere Port, and the second at the end of May Bank Holiday for the National Trailboat Festival. This year it was held at Moira Furnace and was attended by 27 boats from all over England. We had two full days of Festival celebrations and on the Monday morning enjoyed a mini bus trip to the top end of the Ashby canal and a very pleasant and informed walk to Bridge 62 led by Geoff Pursglove. Good progress is being made with the restoration work, I am told there are only six miles to go before the Moira stretch can be finally joined to the main system. Unfortunately there are a number of obstacles in the way, but I am confident it will happen in the not too distant future. All they need is money and you can donate to the next building project by buying a brick for the Gilwiskaw Aqueduct. Details will be on the Ashby Trusts web site. The trip to Ellesmere Port in April gave us the opportunity to try out the new slipway at Chester Basin. We had to make arrangements with the builders to use it for both slipping in and out and when we arrived for the first launch, they had made the access available to use. We had no problem with getting Olive into the water, although observers were a little perturbed as we kept stopping. This was mainly for me to take pictures, the actual launch was smooth and trouble free. Ray & Gwynneth Buss kindly videoed the procedure for us, which we can show at the club sometime next Autumn, recovery on the Wednesday after Easter was just as easy. Happy Cruising
Jeanne Smith
3 Chairman’s Report from the March AGM. The Chairman is at present cruising around the Canal system and I am sure that some of you will have spotted him at the Canal Cavalcade over the May Bank Holiday. I am including some excerpts from his annual report and I am sure we will be getting further details of his summer in the Autumn Newsletter. Firstly it is with great sadness as I reflect on the passing of Mike Carter who lost his brave battle with cancer in February. Mike was an active member of the Branch Committee, and had been our Regional Chairman up until January when illness forced him to relinquish that post. Mike was a champion of the waterways and a great asset to the IWA at Branch & Regional level, and his boundless enthusiasm will be sorely missed by all. One of his visions was to hold a rally in Liverpool which came to fruition in the guise of the Eldonian Festival last year. This idea was met with some trepidation at the beginning but Mike proved everyone wrong and a great waterways event was produced and accredited with the status of National Campaign Festival. This was indeed the highlight of the Branch activities in 2016 and because of Mike, and all the other members of the branch who played a part, we were nominated and presented with the CRT North West Partnership Chair's Special Award at a glittering ceremony in Blackburn in October. The Award was one of several that were created to celebrate the Bicentenary of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. Peter Bolt and Jim Mole represented the Branch at the ceremony. The branch has now also been put forward by IWA Head Office for the CRT Living Waterways Awards 2017 for our efforts at the Eldonian Festival so we wait with anticipation for the results which are due in September. The volunteering continued with monthly work parties sprucing up our waterways from Chester to Liverpool and also the Sankey Canal. The Sankey canal project aims to open the southerly part of the canal to navigation by linking the sea lock at Widnes to the other river access at Fiddler’s Ferry.
4 The Sankey canal project aims to open the southerly part of the canal to navigation by linking the sea lock at Widnes to the other river access at Fiddler’s Ferry. At the same time improving the environment for all canal users by the addition of new pathways, educational and recreational centres at both lock sites. This is very active and we continue to support SCARS in their magnificent efforts. The Reciprocal Agreement for CRT Licensed Craft is a thorny issue and representations have been made to BCC regarding their high handed attitude to the situation and talks with CRT continue but there does not seem to be an amicable solution forthcoming in the near future. This attitude of Peel Ports (owners of the BCC) has continued with the closure of the Bridgewater canal west of Boothstown where they have stopped navigation until mid-May. This means there is no direct northerly route to the Leeds & Liverpool canal, Liverpool itself and the Ribble link for four months. This is hugely disappointing after all the efforts put in at our Eldonian Festival and The Liverpool Riverside Festival to encourage boaters into the city. The 2016/17 social programme of talks commenced in October but since the New Year numbers attending have fallen substantially without a common factor being recognised. It may be the fact that we are holding these meetings here at the Holiday Inn rather than the Boat Museum but the costs at the Boat Museum have risen alarmingly and disabled access to the Rolt Room has not been addressed.
Overall it has been a great year for the branch and I must thank all the committee, both current and recently retired for their time and effort to make the branch as successful as it is at present. We are looking for new committee members to fill the gaps left by those recent retirees so please, if you can spare a few hours a month to allow the branch to continue in the manner we have grown accustomed to, please make contact with the branch and we will be delighted to hear from you. May I finish with wishing the branch continued success in 2017 and that we will make the waterways of the future sustainable for all to enjoy. Thank you Jim Forkin (Branch Chairman)
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Mike Carter – Volunteer extraordinaire !! 1 When Mike first joined the IWA Chester & Merseyside branch committee, he was so enthusiastic and passionate about the waterways that we had to stop him volunteering to do everything! However, after a couple of years, when the IWA North West Region Chairman’s post became available he immediately volunteered to take it on. Although this meant travelling all over the North West, supporting the other IWA branches in the region, he embraced the challenge. Resulting from this experience he also set up a North West Managers meeting so that issues could be discussed with the three Managers on a regular basis, rather than seeing each one on an individual basis although he often did this as well. 2 In the beginning of his time on the committee though he started the IWA Chester & Merseyside branch work parties – throwing himself into the project with huge enthusiasm resulting in the Chester canal and Tower Wharf, along towards Ellesmere Port, receiving regular attention. Litter was removed, railings were painted, bulbs were planted which all made a real difference to the area. Barbridge and Nantwich as well as other locations all benefited from his hands on activities. 3 He became the Branch liaison person with the then British Waterways regions that the Branch covered. He obviously attended forum meetings but also engaged with the local staff on a regular basis to see what was happening. 4 Mike worked with Paul Mills’ Small Tasks Team on towpath improvements as he was a very “hands on” person. 5 His first IWA festival as part of the organising committee was at Northwich in 2010 and he spent hours organising pontoons for the many boats that were going to attend, despite the river being in flood on occasions! The final result was a masterpiece of herring-bone mooring. 6 At IWA’s Chester Festival he again organised all the moorings and boat bookings, managing to squeeze over 120 craft into an incredibly small space. 7 Following the Chester Festival he has worked tirelessly to try and get a tidal gauge installed at the River Lock – which is supposed to be a lasting legacy of the Festival for boaters.
6 8 Having taken part in Mersey Convoys in the 1990’s, he organised several himself to promote Liverpool as a destination once the new Canal link was opened. 9 He joined Liverpool’s CRT Explorers team to enable him to pass on his passion for the waterways to local children, assisting at events in Bootle and also going into schools with the team to do water-safety assemblies. 10 Mike was then the prime mover in engaging with the Eldonian Housing Association, leading to the branch taking our 2016 Canal Festival to Liverpool. Working with the Eldonian community and engaging with other local groups ensured that the Festival was a huge success with many locals telling us that it was the best thing that had ever happened there. We are delighted that the Eldonian Village group were so delighted with the success that they plan to have their own event this year on 1 July. 11 Mike was invited to speak about the power of waterways in regeneration at the World Canal Conference in 2016 and despite being unwell, made the trip and did his presentation which was very well received. 12 Mike was a volunteer in other areas too. He had worked for years in athletics, supporting young people with disabilities. He also enjoyed rock climbing and playing the guitar in between his waterway activities. His loss will be felt and mourned by many, both within the waterways movement and outside it
7 River Cruise
River Cruise from St Petersburg to Moscow July 2016 After flying from Manchester to Amsterdam and then on to St Petersburg we arrived on a glorious evening to be greeted by our Saga rep on board our cruise ship MS Victoria, which was to be home for the next eight days. All the cabins were blessed with a balcony, so we were able to watch the river sights gliding by from either there or on the top deck. St Petersburg with so much to see, from the Winter Palace and the Hermitage Museum to the wonderful golden spires of the churches. We spent a full day sightseeing before setting off from the quayside and at dusk glided out on to Lake Ladoga, which is the largest freshwater reservoir in Europe, cruising overnight towards our first stop. Mandrogi Island is a reconstructed village of old wooden houses, where we spent a few hours, before boarding for the long River Svir section. I had expected the spires in St Petersburg, but had not anticipated all the small villages down the river having churches with golden spires, each one a different design, glinting in the sunshine. Kizhi is at the top of Lake Onega and is an amazing Island, just six kilometres long and one wide. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site comprising log cabins, windmills, granaries & chapels. The churches are made of wood even down to the roof tiles which are all hand made from different varieties of tree, which give them their vibrant individual colours. After a morning here we set sail back across the lake and on to the Volga River passing through six locks. Goritsy with its Russian Orthodox monastery founded in 1397, now a museum of art & architecture. It still has a community of monks in residence, continuing down the river our next port was:Yaroslavi, with its ancient churches and fortresses, we visited the Transfiguration Monastery and the church of Elijah the profit, popular for its ancient intricate frescoes. Uglich, we arrived in the morning to explore the town which founded in the 12 th century and is famous for the manufacture of clocks and watches. It holds a notorious place in Russian history as it was here that Tsar Ivan the Terrible’s son Dmitry was assassinated.
8 Moscow, Our final port, we had a full day here visiting Sparrow hill, Red Square, which is overlooked by St Basil’s Cathedral, as well as visiting the Kremlin complex, which was once a small wooden-walled enclosure that surrounded the city in the Middle Ages. Back to the boat for evening meal and then we were able to do a night tour of Moscow, which included visiting several underground stations. They say save the best for last and this trip was wonderful. The stations are full of works of art, bronze statues, certainly nothing like our London Tube stations. I could have spent a full day going round looking at the magnificent sights, but unfortunately we had to return to Manchester the following day. Jeanne Smith
St. Petersburgh Church
One of many sunken churches
Oreshek Fortress. R Neva
Museum of wooden architecture
St Basils Church Moscow
A Moscow underground station
9 Launching Olive at Chester Basin for the Easter Gathering
Launching Olive with help from the builders Waterways Walks Our first walk of the Autumn Season will take place on Thursday 19th October. Venue will be announced at a later date. Keep an eye on our Facebook Page for information. Everybody is welcome; bring your friends families and also the dog. Walks are easy, about four miles long, and at a slow pace; always on Thursday mornings and starting and finishing at a pub.
Walking party on a river Dee walk 20th April. opy Copy date for next magazine Monday 18th September.
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Editors Musings JUNE 2016 Some Dates & Events for your Diary nd July come Welcome our summer editiononofSat the22 Chester Packet, although I write, WelshpooltoCanal & Food Festival & join us andashelp to the rain on the windows, raisewind someand funds forare thebeating Mongomery Canal Appeal.so I hope that all those on the water are moored up safely until this system blows over.
Audlem Festival of Transport -Gathering of historic Narrowboats and vehicles. – 30thonly July.had two outings so far this year, the first being to the Easter 29th have We
gathering at Ellesmere Port, and the second at the end of May Bank Holiday Whitchurch Boat Rally September 7-10th details from the website for the National Trailboat Festival. This year it was held at Moira Furnace wwwwhitchurchwaterway.uk or e mail rally@whictchurchwaterway.uk and was attended by 27 boats from all over England. We had two full days of Festival celebrations and on the Monday morning enjoyed a mini bus trip !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Saturday Monday to the top end of the 26th Ashbytocanal and a28th veryAugust pleasant2017 and informed walk to Bridge 62 led by Geoff Pursglove. The annual Festival of Water is coming to Ilkeston over the 2017 August Bank
Good progress is being made thewill restoration I amErewash told there are Holiday Weekend and over 100with boats be mooredwork, along the Canal. only six miles to go before the Moira stretch can be finally joined to the main Unfortunately there areyour a number obstacles infor thejust way, but Joinsystem. the weekend festivities and book boat or of campsite pitch £30, I am confident it will happen in the too distant Allonline they need is including evening entertainment. Tonot book either fill infuture. our new booking money and you can donate to the next building project by buying a brick for form and pay using credit / debit card or PayPal or download and return the. the Gilwiskaw Aqueduct. Details will be on the Ashby Trusts web site. Please note that the maximum draught for vessels on the canal is 4’ 0” (albeit there The trip to Ellesmere Port in April gave us the opportunity to try out the will probably be Chester some silted areasWe thathad might a struggle to get through) and not new slipway at Basin. to be make arrangements with the anyfor lesser which may out be quoted elsewhere. builders to use it bothdepth slipping in and and when we arrived for the first launch, they had made the access available to use. The IWA Festival of Water will be free to attend and will have an array of
We had no problem Olive into thedaywater, although observers attractions on and offwith the getting water providing a fun out for all the family. Many were a little perturbed as we kept stopping. This was mainly for me to take boats, including leisure, trade, heritage, and working narrowboats, are expected pictures, the actual launch was smooth and trouble free. and there will be a wide range of craft stalls and activities on site. There will also be a market and fundraising stalls and IWA would like to hear from boaters,
Ray & Gwynneth Buss kindly videoed the procedure for us, which we can charities andclub localsometime groups who areAutumn, interestedrecovery in having on a stall fundraisingafter for show at the next theand Wednesday their chosen cause. Easter was just as easy. Happy Cruising
General enquiries Jeanne Smith 01635 414567 event.enquiries@waterways.org.uk
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE
President.
Ron Ron Evans
Branch Chairman
Jim Forkinj jim.forkin@team.waterways.org.uk
Secretary
Vacancy
H. 01270 650054M.M. 07803 928929
Treasurer, Social Sec && Assist Planning Jim Mole 16-elizabethan@tiscali.co.uk 07580 162355 OOfficer H. 01606 40955M.M. 07580 162355 Publicity Officer
Jim Forkin
Editor Packet Boat
Jeanne Smith jeanne.smith32@btinternet.com 382058 955931 H.01244 01244 382058M.M.07746 07746 955931
Planning & Navigation Officer
Geoff Gittus geoff.boatman@btinternet.com
Membership Secretary Merseyside Liason Scars Liason Chester Liason
H. 0151 605 1094M.M.0 07808 859751
Lesley Taylor lesleytaylor22@btinternet.com H H. 0151 342 6651 Dave Smallshaw flatbat@aol.com H. 0151 924 2036 M.M.0707941 461509 CColin Greenall colingreenall@btinternet.com 731746 H.01744 01744 731746
101162 M.07944 07944 101162
John Herson hersonjohn@gmail.com
Bridgewater Canal I Ian & Vera Short veinarde1@btinternet.com L Liason Committee Member Margaret Pitney mar gar et.pitney@talktalk.net H. 0151 608 6487
Committee Members Vacancies