The Packet Boat January 2018 by The Inland Waterways Association - Issuu

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Chester & Merseyside Branch

CHESTER & MERSEYSIDE BRANCH

JANUARY 2018

JANUARY 2018 JANUARY 2018

Bottom left: The blocked slipway access at Chester Basin.

Other photos: Taken during the November waterways walk NB This page also features our new IWA logo!

2 Chester & Merseyside Branch Chairman’s Report Looking forward to 2018

By Jim Forkin, Branch Chairman I am writing this report in advance of Christmas but you will be reading it in January so I trust that you all had a wonderful Christmas and wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Let’s hope that the winter weather isn’t too cold and that we can look forward to warmer times as spring arrives and the nights start drawing out again.

I think that we are all aware of our successes over the last two years, the Eldonian Festival and the installation of the River Dee Tidal gauge to mention a couple, so now I would like to look forward to see what the branch can achieve in the future but I do have some trepidation.

Although we are still having our monthly talks throughout the winter season I was disappointed at the low attendance at the Christmas social where there was only half of the expected crowd.

It may have had something to do with the freezing temperatures or the lying snow but I would welcome any feedback. The social attendances have been dropping away over the last twelve months; what is the cause? Has the format become stale? Are we at the wrong venue? I would welcome any ideas and comments from the membership in an effort to reverse this trend. My email address is – jim.forkin@team.waterways.org.uk - so please make your views known to me.

The speaker at the Christmas Social was Sir Robert Atkins who is our new Regional Chairman. He introduced himself to those present and outlined his parliamentary history as well as his waterways involvement, being a boater himself. During the question and answer session he was interested to hear our concerns and stated that he is willing to take issues forward on our behalf to ‘higher authorities’ in order to try and resolve them. If you do have any waterways issues that you wish Sir Robert to take forward on your behalf, please contact me and I will pass them forward to him.

The Branch AGM will be in March and I am asking for members to come forward and join the present committee. This would give us a chance to infuse some new blood onto the Branch committee and perhaps come up with new ways of presenting the Branch image.

We are still looking into the possibility of a local boat gathering in the Chester Basin in June this year but with the lack of volunteers to help organise the event this will only be a small get-together at present.

In 2018 I wish to push forward with two objectives, one on the River Dee is the incorporation of a lock into the Chester Weir to allow navigation as far as Farndon Bridge. There is a potential site for the new lock in the old mill race at the south end of the Dee weir. If this lock was built, canal boats and suitable low air-draught sea-going craft could come up to Chester’s Riverside and cruise the upper Dee as far as Farndon.

Secondly with the opening of the Mersey Gateway Bridge between Runcorn and Widnes this will provide an ideal opportunity to revisit the restoration and re-opening of Runcorn Locks down into the Manchester Ship Canal. The major obstruction, Victoria Bridge, at the current head of navigation of the Runcorn Branch of the Bridgewater Canal, will become redundant under the new road layout so could be removed to allow access to the top of lock flight To reiterate if you have any issues, with the Branch, the waterways, boats, walkers, cyclists do get in contact, we can’t move forward unless we know what is wrong.

Jim Forkin Branch Chairman. v It should be noted that the views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the IWA. is a registered charity No 212342

They are published as being of interest to our members and readers. The IWA

3 Events planned for 2018

A Winter Waterways walk Thursday, 18th January - from Neston Start location: CH64 6QJ Arrival: 10.00 am for a start at: 10.15 am.

This circular walk starts along the famous Parkgate Parade on the River Dee estuary, following the edge of the Old Sea Wall down the coast and through the old baths car park. The golf course is passed on a high level footpath eventually leading to Neston Ropewalk, probably the location of an 18th century rope works at the port of Neston.

The walk will be about 4½ miles long, and will proceed at a slow pace. Some of the footpaths may be a bit muddy so wearing boots will be best. Half way through the walk we stop for 'bring your own' refreshments.

All walks are open to members and non-members alike so please bring along your friends and relatives. This walk is also excellent for dogs as there are no stiles, but isn't suitable for buggies & wheelchairs..

Having booked your meal before setting off on the walk and at the end you can enjoy lunch in the pub!

We are able to use the pub's facilities before and after the walk if needed.

How to find it: If you will be using a map first find Cheshire, then Neston in the Wirral. This circular walk starts from The Old Quay pub on Station Road in Parkgate; north Neston. Grid ref: SJ 281 779. If you are using a SatNav, enter the post code CH64 6QJ or the co-ordinates: 53.29281, 003.08070.

section of the disused Sankey Canal.

The walk will be about 3½ miles long, and will proceed at a slow pace. Some of the footpaths may be a bit muddy so wearing boots will be best. Half way through the walk we stop for 'bring your own' refreshments.

All walks are open to members and non-members alike so please bring along your friends and relatives. This walk is also excellent for dogs as there are no stiles, but isn't suitable for buggies & wheelchairs.

You are welcome to join us at Weatherspoons at the end of the walk if you wish to enjoy lunch at a pub!

You can Google them for the menu and service is very quick one you have ordered.

It’s located quite close to the car park if you wish to use the pub's facilities before and after the walk.

How to find it: If you will be travelling by car using a map first find Newton-Le-Willows in north Cheshire.

The walk starts from the southern suburbs in the centre of Earlestown at a free shopper’s car park in Lord Street. Grid ref: SJ 573 953. If you are using a SatNav, enter the post code WA12 9NJ which is close, or the co-ordinates: 53.45311, 002.64401.

For further information telephone 07746 955931 or email derek.smith@waterways.org.uk

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The IWA Chester & Merseyside Branch will be holding an informal

For further information telephone 07746 955931 or email derek.smith@waterways.org.uk ……………………………………………………………

A Spring Waterways Walk Thursday, 15th February - from Newton-Le-

BOAT GATHERING At Tower Wharf, Chester Saturday 9th – Sunday 10th June Make a note in your diaries now

Willows Start location: WA12 9NJ

Further information to follow.

Arrival: 10.00 am for a start at: 10.15 am.

Despite being on the edge of a large urban area this circular walk is mainly through green spaces and along well used footpaths. The footpath from the car park leads down to the Sankey Valley Trail which is the longest footpath on this walk. Passing under the famous nine arched Sankey Viaduct and following the Sankey Brook you soon find yourself walking along an isolated

It will only be a small event limited to around 50 boats

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Keep up to date with our events by looking at our web site and Facebook pages

4

Programme of Meetings 2018 All meetings will be held at 7.45 pm on the second Tuesday of the month.

Meetings are at the Holiday Inn , (Mercer Suite,) Ellesmere Port. CH65 2AL A bar and coffee making facilities are available before and during meetings.

No prior booking required. Open to non-members. Free admission.

2018 Tuesday, 9 January Gillian Renshaw & Ani Sutton, Canal & River Trust, Manchester, Pennine & Potteries Waterways.

Gillian and Ani will give a presentation on the community engagement programmes and projects taking place across the two waterways, from the health benefits that the canals bring to the youth engagement opportunities, volunteering and how the Trust is putting this into practice to show the wider benefit of the canals to all.

Tuesday, 13 February Ian Hawley, Canal Boat Adventure Project, Runcorn Ian will be talking about the history and restoration of the Standedge Tunnel. He has a wealth of personal experience on this topic and it should be a very interesting evening.

Tuesday, 13 March Branch AGM followed by Andrew Watts of the Etruria Boat Group Following our AGM Andrew will be talking about Nbs Lindsay and Keppel. They were the last pair of narrowboats built by the then British Waterways Board for carrying on narrow canals. We find out about their restoration and current active lives.

Tuesday, 10 April Derek Arnold - the mystery of the Marie Celeste revealed Derek is always an extremely entertaining speaker and his take on what happened to the crew of the mystery ship, found floating in the Atlantic, fully seaworthy and with a last supper hastily abandoned will be well worth listening to Tuesday, 8 May Phil Clayton of the BCN Society - Joeys, Joshers and James Phil will give us an introduction to the Birmingham Canal Navigations, their history, development and changes in recent years.

THE INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION CHESTER & MERSEYSIDE BRANCH Notice is hereby given that the thirty-second

Annual General Meeting of the Chester & Merseyside Branch of the Inland Waterways Association will be held on Tuesday, 13 March 2018 at 7.45 pm at the Holiday Inn Hotel, Ellesmere Port

AGENDA 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Apologies for absence Approval of the Minutes of the 31st AGM. Matters arising Chairman’s report for the year 2017 Presentation of the Accounts Adoption of the Accounts Notice of the Committee size: Election to fill vacancies on the Committee – are there any volunteers who would like to come on the committee Any other business

(Items that members wish to raise at this point should have been sent to the Chairman by 31 January 2018). However questions will be taken by the Chair.