Shroppie Fly Paper March 2009 by The Inland Waterways Association

Shroppie Fly Paper

The Newsletter of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch Spring 2009

Sonia Rolt prepares to unveil a plaque to commemorate the narrowboat CRESSY

The New Canal Age

his is a story which started on the Montgomery Canal 80 years ago, a complicated story which has to be made simple. We have called it the story of the start of the New Canal Age. Narrowboat CRESSY was built at Trevor for the Shropshire Union company during the first World War. When they gave up carrying it joined the fleet of boats running to Peates' Mill at Maesbury: this was the last fleet on the Montgomery Canal and ran until 1933 when the mill switched to road transport, but by then CRESSY had been sold to Kyrle Willans, uncle of Tom Rolt. After he bought it, Willans had the boat converted at Beech's dock at Welsh Frankton, and Harry Arnold's book* has a splendid picture of CRESSY lying

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outside the dock with a full-length cabin. Today we are used to boats looking like that, but was this the first? In 1939 Tom Rolt bought CRESSY and at Tooley's yard at Banbury had it converted from a holiday boat into a comfortable home for himself and his wife Angela. They then set off on a journey around the canal network. Narrow Boat, the book of this journey, was published in 1944 and after reading it a number of other enthusiasts contacted Rolt and together they formed the IWA. Among the early campaigns was a canal-busting trip up the Llangollen Canal in 1947 when the Rolts on CRESSY were accompanied by the Grundy family on HERON (which had come off the Montgomery only two years earlier) but the canal proved impassable beyond Hampton Bank. CRESSY succumbed to old age in 1951, the year that Tom's marriage ended. He became involved in the Talyllyn Railway, the first railway preservation scheme, and married Sonia who had herself worked on the boats in the war and is now a Vice-President of the IWA. This is the story that is now told at Welsh Frankton with a plaque to commemorate the conversion of CRESSY and all that came from it. The plaque was unveiled by Sonia Rolt on 17th January. This was an event for which we had so much help from so many people: Sonia Rolt herself, who allowed me to persuade her to leave the comfort of her home to commemorate a boat she had not travelled on, and which she had not seen for 58 years; David Stevenson, former National Chairman, who transported Sonia to and from Gloucestershire; Mike and Susan Lambourne who allowed us to view the site of Beech's dock in their garden (but if you go to Welsh Frankton please remember that this is private property) and to cross from there to the lockside; Beryl Ybarra in ANAGRAM who helped us across the pound so that Sonia could unveil the plaque from the boat; and the SATURN team who brought their lovely boat, cousin to CRESSY. We were joined (amongst others) by Cllr David Lloyd, leader of Oswestry Borough Council, Francis and Fiona Peate, whose company had owned CRESSY, and Crick Grundy who had travelled with CRESSY all those years ago, is the last surviving signatory to IWA's constitution, was manager of the Southern Stratford for the National Trust, and whose wife worked on SATURN in its hotel-boat days. It is only through the dedication of IWA campaigners over the years that we have the canal system of today. In this New Canal Age, when our waterways are busy with visitors from across the world and more boats than ever, it was our privilege to mark this at Welsh Frankton. Michael Limbrey *'The Montgomery Canal and its Restoration' by Harry Arnold, Tempus Publishing Ltd 2003"

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The Branch Committee Chairman

Alan Platt, Argoed, Pen y Cefn Road, Caerwys, Flintshire CH7 5BH 01352 720649 email alanjplatt@tiscali.co.uk Vice-Chairman Michael Limbrey, Greenfields, Weston Lane, Oswestry SY11 2BD 01691 654081 email michael@limbrey.net Region Chairman Alison Smedley, Hazelhurst Cottage, Denford, Leek ST13 7JT (Ex-officio) 01538 385388 email alison@hazelhurst3.fsnet.co.uk Secretary Dawn Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 email shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk Treasurer Denis Farmer, 8 Kingbur Place, Moseley’s Yard Audlem CW3 0DL 01270 811157 email janden1@btinternet.com Heritage and Planning Officer Peter Brown, 34 Waterside Drive, Market Drayton TF9 1HU 01630 652567 email iwa@peter-quita.demon.co.uk Social Secretary Janet Farmer, 8 Kingbur Place, Moseley’s Yard Audlem, CW3 0DL 01270 811157 email janden1@btinternet.com Membership Secretary Dawn Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 email shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk Newsletter Editor David Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 email david@aylwin.me.uk Committee Members Gerallt Hughes (General Secretary Committee for Wales) Ty’n y Coed, Arthog, Gwynedd LL39 1YS 01341 250631 email gerallt.hughes@waterways.org.uk

Shroppie Fly Paper The Shroppie Fly Paper is the newsletter of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch of The Inland Waterways Association with a membership of about 390. Nationally the IWA has about 18,000 members and campaigns for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the inland waterways. For further information contact any committee member. Copy for the Shroppie Fly Paper is welcome in manuscript form, on floppy disc, CD or by email. Photographs may be in any common computer format or as prints. Please supply a stamped addressed envelope if you require photographs to be returned. ‘Letters to the Editor’ intended for publication are invited, as are comments for the Editor’s private guidance. The Inland Waterways Association may not agree with the opinions expressed in this Branch newsletter but encourages publicity as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as official policy unless stated otherwise. The Association accepts no liability for any matter in this newsletter. Any reproduction must be acknowledged. The Inland Waterways Association is registered as a charity No 212342.

Next Copy Date: 1st June 2009 for the Summer Edition

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Editorial

eing a relative newcomer to the area I only had the honour of knowing John Martin for a short time. I met him at the Llanymynech Visitor Centre and, like many others, soon found myself on the rota of volunteers. It is just one year since the IWA recognised his work by the award of the ‘Titania Salver’ (see page 15) and the Visitor Centre will remain for many years as a lasting tribute to his very full life. The branch has recently received a generous donation from Jean Evans in memory of her parents who loved the Shropshire canals. Several ways to apply the money are being considered with the help of Ms Evans and the result will be published in a future edition. A very different canal character, Joe Jones, also died recently. His unusual funeral is recorded on page 31.

“How do we restore a heritage canal?” is the title of a Forum, organised by the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust, to be held at Welshpool on 1st June. It is not intended to review what has been done in the past but to ensure that the ‘Heritage-at-all-costs’ and the ‘Get-there-anyhow’ arguments are both aired. An important date for your diary; more details on page 22. British Waterways has now completed its annual pricing review for mooring permits. The cost of BW leisure moorings will, on average, increase by 6.1% (a 3.8% increase on 2008 prices taking into account the December 08 reduction in VAT). Residential mooring sites are to increase by 9% or more for about half of all customers (6.7% after VAT reduction) reflecting the high demand for a limited number of residential berths. They have also changed the rules for the Anderton Boat Lift. From 28th March if you just turn up on site and take the next available slot then, as long as you have a license, passage is free. However if you book in advance there will be a £5 administration fee. A season ticket enabling any number of bookings will cost £40. For more details go to www.waterscape.com. Have you ever felt like giving up your regular routine and trying something completely different? That is just what a school teacher friend of mine did last summer by becoming a Thames lock keeper. Her amusing account of working on the river is on page 28. David Aylwin Cover Picture: SATURN at the Cressy Plaque unveiling by Denis Farmer Acknowledgements: photographs by Janet & Denis Farmer, Alan Platt, Peter Brown, David Aylwin, Martin Grundy, Maggie Ellis, Fiona Pearson. Thank you to all who contributed articles.

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From the Steerer

he winter is the time when we hold social events and, for the boat owners among us, plan where we are going to cruise this year. This winter has been busy with a talk, our new year walk, a quiz, regional bowls and our annual dinner. Your committee has had plenty to keep them busy with BW User groups and various meetings to attend. We were very pleased in January to welcome Sonia Rolt to unveil a plaque Who’s a pretty boy then? commemorating CRESSEY’s conversion to a leisure boat at Welsh Frankton, when the weather smiled on us before the recent snow and storms. Our thanks are due to all those who helped with these events. That brings me to the regular appeal for new people to help out with our activities. All are more than welcome at our regular committee meetings, just check with any committee member first in case we change the date. Pressure to join will be gentle, but it is your Association, and for it to continue to flourish, we need help, whether it is to join the committee, or just to lend a hand at an event. The IWA has just updated and improved its website; a great deal of work has gone into it to be informative and interesting. There is an excellent section for the branch maintained and updated by David Aylwin who is skilled in such things. I commend you to add www.waterways.org.uk to your favourites if it’s not already there. There is enough bad news around at the moment, and I am sure the last thing our members want is to be reminded of the economic doom and gloom currently prevalent. However I would be remiss if I did not touch on the current situation as it affects the Waterways. You may have seen an extensive report on successive days in The Times towards the end of January, and a comment from Clive Henderson, our National Chairman, in the letters column.

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The stark fact is that there is a current deficit of £30 million in British Waterways’ books, and that is bound to mean a shortfall in maintenance of the system, despite the present and future increases in mooring and licence fees falling on boat owners. So crudely we will be paying more and getting less. There is no real possibility of any funds from BW towards restoration, and despite the best efforts of local management any initiatives for restoration will have to come from the voluntary sector. Funds will either have to come from hard pressed national or local government bodies or from the Lottery or EU sources, where they will face stiff competition. The Treasury’s current Operational Efficiency Programme Review may conclude that BW’s property holdings are best transferred to another government department where they may be sold off to mitigate the current central government deficit. Whatever their fate, it is questionable at best whether BW will be adequately compensated. The income from these properties forms a significant portion of BW’s income, and therefore there is a real danger of a significant drop in their funds, and consequent ability to maintain the system. So what does all this doom and gloom mean to us, and what, if anything, can we do about it? The government has a stated commitment to the value of the Waterways as a national asset, and the IWA both nationally and locally must try to make sure they don’t forget it. We are not asking for a national subsidy for a middle class hobby. The boat owner pays an increasingly large part of BW’s total costs, whereas few of the other users pay anything. We are not asking for charges to be levied on walkers, cyclists, and those taking the dog or family out to enjoy the canal; that is impractical. What we are asking is that it is recognized by national and local government that the system of rivers, canals and the surrounding natural and built environment, including countryside, wildlife and historic structures is indeed a valuable asset that will not maintain itself. It is a source of economic and social benefit to our society and worthy of attention and finance, even in these troubled times. We should try not to let them forget this. Hopefully the situation will improve when the recession eases, and the same may currently be hoped for the weather. It is a little hard to believe at the moment of writing that spring is nearly here, but hopefully soon the woolly hats and scarves can be exchanged for something a bit lighter and we can get out and enjoy a summer on or by the waterways. Alan Platt

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George Washington – Canal Pioneer!

must confess that canals were not in my mind when we decided to visit Washington DC last November. Our habit in a new town is to get on the red tourist sightseeing bus to get an idea of what to see in more detail. From the top deck, I was more than a little surprised to hear the commentary point out ‘The Lock Keeper’s House’. This is a small un-remarkable dwelling on Constitution Avenue about a hundred yards from The Federal Reserve Board and in the shadow of the great obelisk of the Washington Monument. The Lock Keeper’s Cottage There was once a canal, and Constitution Avenue presumably a lock, here in what is now The Mall, a marshy area when the city was first planned under the supervision of the first President. All other trace of this canal has now vanished but George Washington founded the ‘Patowmack Company’ in 1785 to make the Potomac River a viable route into the hinterland by means of canals skirting various falls and rapids. This made 218 miles of that river navigable; in the early 19th century serious thought was given to a more dependable route west through the Allegheny Mountains to link up with the Ohio river, and thence to the Mississippi. Thus the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company was founded in1828 and work began. Named after the proposed termini in the Chesapeake Bay and the Ohio River, neither was attained! The canal ran for 184.5 miles to Cumberland Ohio and operated for 74 years through various difficulties including the Civil War, (one hazard not shared with its British counterparts). A flood in 1924 delivered the coup de grace but in 1938 the government placed it under the care of the National Park Service and in 1954 Supreme Court Justice William O Douglas instigated restoration and the canal is now a National Historic Park. We encountered it when visiting Georgetown, a dollar bus ride from Washington and a suburb favoured by the well to do, and consequently full of good shops. While enduring the latter in a shopping mall, I saw a sign ‘Canal Walk’ and a minute later was on a towpath. This took us down to one end of the canal where

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it goes down a flight of locks to join Rock Creek, (Yes they really do have names like that, there’s also a Foggy Bottom nearby) which in turn flows into the Potomac. As this is tidal a tidelock formed the nominal start of the canal. Locks were to accommodate 12 ft beam boats, similar in design to a wide beam barge over here. They had accommodation for the captain and crew/family at the stern, and a small stable for the mules at the front. These worked in pairs or threes in about six hour shifts, and belonged to the captain so swapped with a fresh team, usually at a lock. Mules were preferred to horses as apparently they have double the pulling power per kilo than horses, which offsets their notoriously cantankerous nature. Cargoes were farm produce, stone, cement, timber and coal from Cumberland. At the height of operations 500 boats were operating. Included in the canal The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal were 74 locks, 11 aqueducts and a ¾ mile tunnel that took 12 years to complete. Water supply seems to have come from the ‘dams’, which I take to mean weirs from local rivers. In addition some back pumping seems to have been needed. The locks had double gates top and bottom as one would expect from a wide beam canal. When we were there it was winter; the locks were empty with gates left open, (except for the top gates of all), and the intermediate pounds drained. With their hard winters, I assume this was to prevent ice damaging the locks. This was also the practice when the canal was operational, as the canal would

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have been frozen solidly for some time, and there are pictures of people skating on it in winter and swimming in summer, so it seems to have been a recreational resource. The mile or so I walked seems in good shape with a sound towpath and trip boat traffic operates in summer. A museum and information boards show it is still valued. With high walls and buildings by the towpath and the odd factory on the offside, it could have been on the BCN (except for the single towpath), but I cannot recall ever seeing a canalside sushi bar on our system. Alan Platt

THE GEORGETOWN trip boat

Footnote: Factual Information from ‘The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal’ by Mary H Rubin by courtesy of Arcadia

Tracing the Miles on Telford's Turnpike

hen we think of Thomas Telford, we think of canals: the Shropshire Union Main Line or the Caledonian Canal and the did-he-didn't-he on what we today call the Llangollen – especially at Pontcysyllte. (“Did-he-didn't-he?” Weren't you at Peter Brown's fascinating talk last autumn?) Members who live in Shrewsbury may think too of the Castle or the story of Old St Chad's, the downfall of which he predicted to sceptical parishioners. To others though, Telford was The Colossus of Roads, a builder of roads and bridges and particularly the Holyhead Road, the new road from Shrewsbury to Holyhead built, like the Main Line, after the great expansion of the turnpike system. By the time Telford was building the Main Line, the coaching journey on the WONDER from London to Shrewsbury was the fastest in the kingdom: you could leave the Bull and Mouth in St Martin le Grand, then pick up in Islington at 6.45am and arrive in Shrewsbury at 10.30 that evening, cantering at speed

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across Wyle Cop (then even narrower at this point) into the courtyard of the Lion Hotel. Excluding stops for meals etc, but allowing for the change of horses, this was an average speed of ten miles an hour. (Today, 183 years later, you can leave Marylebone at 6.45am and you will be in Shrewsbury at 10.03, twelveand-a-half hours sooner* – though you no longer end up at the Lion.) Like the railways which came after them, turnpike roads had to mark each mile. Even today as you travel the Holyhead Road – say from Telford's toll house in Oswestry, past the site of the next (now at Blist's Hill) to the next at Wellington – you can see mileposts beside the road. Those north of Shrewsbury have one face, and are difficult to read from the car, while east of Shrewsbury the posts – which I suspect are older – are angled so that as you approach them they tell you the distance to Shifnal (where the WONDER arrived at 8.51pm), or Salop (Shrewsbury) if you are going the other way. What is interesting about this is that angled mileposts are generally said to have come later, because they were more convenient to read. So why did Telford use an earlier pattern? On a road or railway, the posts could easily be placed on one side of the track, but canals too were required to mark the miles. Here, where the towpath changes sides, it seems that companies using the angled style might use only one casting, so that in some cases the face you read when approaching would tell you the distance to your destination, and at other times would tell you how far you had come. You will see milestones like this on many canals, most notably the Trent & Mersey, and it is this pattern that was copied when we came to place sponsored mileposts on the Montgomery Canal. As the Montgomery towpath only changes once, at Heath Houses, most mileposts show you the distance to your destination. Most boats would of course travel slower than the WONDER – and certainly slower than today's motorist on the A5 – so the boatman could read an angled milepost whichever way round it was and he would know perfectly well the direction he was travelling in. Does this therefore mean that the question which has vexed some people – whether canal mileposts should be one way round or another – never mattered at all? Michael Limbrey * Someone will remind me that the comparison of these times is unfair, since the coachman ran before the adoption of universal “railway” time and carried a chronometer calculated to adjust to local time for his journey, so he would arrive in Shrewsbury ten-and-a-half hours after the sun was overhead there.

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Gobbledegook

embers will have seen David Blagrove's comments in last winter’s Waterways on the report of the man injured in a boat explosion on the Llangollen Canal. Effie Cadwallader, a Community First Responder from St Martins, used her car to get along the towpath and then flagged down a passing boat to take the injured man to the ambulance at the next lock. David described the title of Community First Responder as “bureaucratic gobbledegook” which, he said, seemed “merely to mean the person who first bales out of an emergency vehicle on arrival at an accident scene”. This has caused concern to a number of people, not least the Community First Responder involved in the incident, and the recent Waterways includes an apology for this. We are very lucky that there are Community First Responders in our area who can be called on in the case of emergency. They are all members of the local Community, trained to be the First to Respond in case of medical emergency. These volunteers are trained in lifesaving techniques, including the use of a defibrillator, and can be sent as a primary response to anything except road accidents or overdoses. While they go about their daily lives they can be called at any time to any emergency within a two or three miles radius. In the case of a heart attack every minute counts, and a responder can make a big difference, especially in rural and difficult-to-reach areas which an ambulance will take longer to get to – just like so many miles of canal. The Ambulance Service provide these volunteers with all necessary support, training and the loan of medical equipment, but their groups are financially self-supporting and responders may not even get petrol money. There are two Community First Responders in St Martins: the village itself is 16 minutes from Oswestry Ambulance Station (on a good day), and the responders are called out if they can get to the incident within 7 minutes. Effie went out to narrowboats four times last summer alone, all to patients who needed rapid attention which she was able to give. She says that she has been called out nearly 300 times, that is up to 20 times or more a month - and that includes nights and Christmas Day too! The exploding narrowboat was one of her most challenging calls, but that some others have been seriously horrid or scary incidents. We should therefore feel profoundly grateful for what these volunteers do. If you can, please support your local Community First Responders group. Michael Limbrey

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Waterways Wanderings : The Teme Aqueduct

he Leominster Canal was engineered by Thomas Dadford Junior (c1761– 1801) whose father had learnt engineering under James Brindley. He followed their conservative practice in his work on several Welsh and Border canals including, later, the Montgomeryshire. The river Teme was crossed on a three-arched aqueduct (Ordnance Survey map reference SO537688) some four miles west of Tenbury Wells. Each span was 35 feet across the widest part. The facings of the structure are stone but the undersides of the arches are brick. Brought into use in 1794, the aqueduct was formally closed in 1858. The central arch of the aqueduct was blown up during The Teme Aqueduct the Second World War as a defence measure — I have been told that this proved so difficult that the people from Clee Hill Quarry had to be called in. If this is true, it proves that its construction was sounder than Rennie’s critical report in 1795 implied. The ruined aqueduct shows clearly the method of construction used in the first generation of canals. The earth embankment continued over the arches with a clay-lined trough containing the water, creating a heavy structure. The easiest way to view the aqueduct is to park at Gosford (SJ535682), walk along the main road (A456) for about 200 yards, then take the footpath across a field to the old railway line. Cross the line and follow the curve of the canal towards the river. Despite the closure of the canal 150 years ago, the embankment here retains its profile, just as if the canal had been drained only last year. Clearly visible too on the left (north-west) side is an extensive but shallow depression showing where the earth was scraped from the field to create the embankment. When you reach the aqueduct it is an easy scramble down to examine the structure from underneath. One geographical quirk: the river bank on the north side of the aqueduct is in Herefordshire whereas the south bank is in Shropshire — the opposite of what one would expect. Peter Brown

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John Martin

t was a sad day for many when John Martin passed away on Wednesday, December 17th, aged 74. He had led a very active life and was much liked by many people. John enjoyed a very varied life. Following his early days as a farm student and then in agricultural employment, John became a teacher of Special Needs and Rural Studies at a school in Portishead. Three years later in 1973 he enjoyed the post of Warden and Assistant General Secretary at a 100 bed YMCA in Reading. In 1976 John was appointed agent in Great Britain for the Corrymeela Community for reconciliation in Northern Ireland, creating an office and becoming responsible for a small staff. His enthusiasm gained him a large network of supporters, raising a quarter of a million pounds for the work of Corrymeela in Northern Ireland. The work gave him a fine opportunity to develop his PR and speaking skills. In May 1992 John turned to canal interests when he became Manager of the Visitor Centre at Aldermaston Wharf on the Kennet and Avon Canal. This was a seasonal contract and during winter months John found retail office work, he also assisted at a Wokingham School helping with exams. When his wife Paddy retired in autumn 1997, the decision was made the following year to move to Llanymynech where his canal enthusiasm was soon to benefit the area. John certainly didn’t have retirement in mind and his canal experience soon gave him the idea, through a Heritage Project, to build a replica of the packet boat DUCHESS COUNTESS. He was soon to form a Trust in the boat’s name and no time was wasted to encourage many individuals and organisations to give their support. Because of John’s tireless efforts the Trust is now firmly established operating through the Visitor Centre at Llanymynech Wharf. Many visitors have since called at the Centre and enjoyed a trip on the nb GEORGE WATSON BUCK along this section of the canal. In April 2008 John was awarded the “Titania Salver” in recognition of his work at the visitor centre and the Duchess Countess Trust. This award is given to the non-IWA member thought to have contributed most to waterways over the year. But this was not John’s only interest. He was actively engaged in Parish Church and ecumenical matters as well as numerous Community activities. John is survived by his wife, Paddy, and his two sons and our thoughts and prayers are with them in their sudden loss. Bryan Lawson Chairman Duchess Countess Trust

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John Martin receives the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Titania Salverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from Peter Bolt, former region chairman of the Inland Waterways Association and Alan Platt, chairman of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch, in recognition of his work at the Llanymynech Visitor Centre and for the Duchess Countess Trust.

New Members

e extend a warm welcome to the following members who have joined the Branch between November 08 and February 09: Mr Boroughs & Ms Shanagher from Shrewsbury, Mr & Mrs Casbolt from Whitchurch, Mr & Mrs Chapman from Rhyl, Mrs Craddock from Telford, Mr Hart & family from Denbigh, Mr & Mrs Ledger from Market Drayton, Mr Meinertzhagen from Shrewsbury, Mr Morris & Mrs Whiting from Nesscliffe, Mr & Mrs Palmer from Cheswardine, Mr Parker & family from Banbury, Mr & Mrs Silvester from Audlem, and Mr Walton from Brynrefail. It is good to see new people interested in the waterways. If you would like to take an active role why not join us at one of the events advertised in this magazine? We look forward to meeting you. Dawn Aylwin

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The IWA’s first campaign rally?: Llangollen 1952

ack in 1952 it was the Llangollen Canal which was under threat of closure, so the IWA North-Western Branch organised a rally. The phrase ‘campaign rally’ wasn’t adopted until many years later, but this is what it was. The aims were just the same as for Monty08: to raise awareness amongst the decisionmakers, both national and local, to show the people living nearby what a superb asset they had, and to give pleasure to those taking part. On Wednesday 18 June some twenty-five boats assembled at Llangollen, the rally site being on the off-side by the winding hole. Boats were ‘of every size and shape ... decorated with bunting and alive with activity’. On the Thursday there was a film show, before which the boaters were welcomed by the Chairman of the Council. The following day Mr Roberts organised a horsedrawn boat to take those attending the rally up to Horseshoe Falls, giving all the income to the Branch funds. That evening there was a dinner at the Bridge End Hotel costing 8s.6d a head which was attended by fifty-nine boaters and guests, after which more films were shown. Unlike Monty08 there was no attempt to organise a public event. Nevertheless, the local residents evidently enjoyed walking along the towpath, looking at the boats and chatting to IWA members. John Alderson, the son of one of the boaters, raised five shillings in tips by ferrying people across the canal to the rally site in the family dinghy. Mr Moore’s Old Welsh Flower Shop hosted a well-attended waterways exhibition — just as in 2008 an exhibition was held in Welshpool Library.

From foreground: GLEN ROSA (Ray Slack) OBSESSION (Dr Wallis) ULASS (Lt Comm Sharpe) Page 16

The rally was organised by Stan Offley (Branch Chairman), Ray Slack (Branch Secretary) and Bill Thistlethwaite (Branch Treasurer); the harbour-master was Reginald Grundy. Bert Kennerley’s self-built OAK DAY won the cup for the boat which had travelled the furthest distance. Like Monty08, the local authority was very supportive and the staff of British Waterways (then the Docks & Inland Waterways Executive) were most helpful in preparing the canal for the extra visitors. It generated a lot of awareness locally but did not get wider publicity — unlike Monty08 it was not reported in the Shrewsbury Chronicle, for example. However, it must have been partly instrumental in persuading the various local bodies the following year to form the Welsh Border Preservation Committee to lobby for the preservation of the canal. Let us hope that Monty08 is as successful in its long term aims. Peter Brown

ROMA (Colin Evans), GLADYS (Mr Alderson), GLEN ROSA (Ray Slack) and HERON (Reginald Grundy)

Photos thanks to Martin Grundy — Rally plaque thanks to John Alderson

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Tugboat Ted

thelted and myself are usually invited to spend Christmas away from LEO at the home base, unless of course, the humans are spending time boating over the festive season. This year felt very different with our new base being at Audlem – we did our best to look festive, sporting our Christmas outfits and sitting tidily on the window seat amongst some, not so tidy surroundings. Amongst the general chaos, were Happy New Home cards as well as Christmas cards and the humans would like me to tell you how much they appreciated the interest of friends in their move. It had all been a bit problematical, to say the least, and the good wishes and visits all helped them to believe that it had at last happened and helped to make 8 Kingbur Place feel like home. You may have heard about the proposed new marina near Audlem. There seems to be mixed feeling locally and we suspect that there is some way to go. However, the fact that there isn’t a marina between Nantwich and Market Drayton seems to have collected approval from local councillors as well as IWA, SUCS and BW. Ultimately, the effect on Audlem could be interesting and we hope to the good. We are not getting too excited yet! We will soon be back on LEO, at present in Whixall marina, and will be looking forward to an outing. As I write there is a coating of snow over everything. Very pretty but we think it will need to warm up a bit before the humans get enthusiastic. However, with movement through the locks at Audlem it does whet the appetite – especially when the sun decides to shine. This year, there has already been a New Year walk guided by Peter Brown that was much enjoyed by those taking part. A frosty day in Llanymynech can be very picturesque and a warming lunch at the Cross Keys very welcome – just what was needed after the festivities and it was nice to welcome some new faces. The Quiz in January found Ethelted and me looking after the raffle and promoting IWA as usual. Numbers were a bit disappointing but that didn’t stop those who did attend from having a fun evening. Alan Platt and Peter Brown set the questions, of which the “Carlsburg” team managed to answer the highest proportion. As winners, that team are keen to set the questions for next year. Sadly, the “Teddy Bears” didn’t do anything for our reputation and came last. Next year will be different!

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We are looking forward to the Regional Skittles Match at the Bickerton Poacher at the end of February. The prestigious challenge cup may only be Teddy sized but it is much sought after! Then comes the AGM which looks promising with some canal type entertainment following the meeting. The Narrow Boat Inn will provide a meal before-hand for those who want it and is always a welcoming venue. Our first official boat outing to Norbury will be in early May and we are picturing this in lovely weather. Whatever, we look forward to meeting people at all events and wish everyone a good summer – even bears like to feel the sun on their backs. Tugboat Ted

Manchester Ship Canal Cruise Saturday 11th July 09

oin us on a memorable cruise on the 35-mile stretch of the Manchester Ship Canal which includes a lively commentary giving a revealing insight into the facts, the history and the dramas of one of Britain’s major waterways. The cruise takes in spectacular scenery leaving passengers with an awe-inspiring sense of how the canal’s construction shaped the city of Manchester and the North West of England. Leaving Seacombe, Wirral at 11.00 am the boat arrives at Salford Quays in Manchester around 5.00 pm. A bus will return all visitors to the free car park at Seacombe. Refreshments and snacks are available on board. A fantastic day out for £35 or concessions £33 (subject to availability). Plus a further discount if more than 20 people want to go. We need to book early to avoid disappointment so please contact Alan Platt (01352 720649 or 07860 250152) by 10th April if you want to join us. We plan to meet in the car park at 10.50 pm. Maps and directions to Seacombe can be found on www.merseyferries.co.uk . If you don’t have access to the internet please let Alan know when you contact him and he will send you the details.

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Marina Opening Draws Crowds

he new Aqueduct Marina in Church Minshull, Cheshire, officially opened its berths to boaters on 14th February 2009 with a party attended by over 300 boating enthusiasts from around the country. Some came to admire this new 147-berth narrowboat marina on the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, whilst others came to inspect their new berths for the season or try and secure one of the few remaining. After running Church Minshull Canal Boat The Parton family Storage on his 100-acre farm for three years, Aqueduct Marina owner, Robert Parton, finally open the marina swapped dairy farming for the boating community and began construction of the marina with the help of local building surveyors, Denton Clark. “It was a British Waterways Engineer, fixing a local bridge, who pointed out just what a great location this would be for a marina,“ explains Robert. “We are on the outside of a bend, with clay ground and in the middle of an extensive network of canals. With the popularity of the waterways increasing, it was not a hard decision to make.” The marina has all the modern facilities including wireless broadband connections to all berths, a comfortable reception and facilities building with a café and shop. Robert is still offering canal boat storage along with workshops, slipway and a fully equipped boatyard that is already home to on-site boat repair services, painters, welders, fitters and the latest arrival, a narrowboat holiday company. The new marina also has its own green credentials, with a water source heat pump, taking heat from canal water to heat the marina facilities building. Solar thermal panels have also been installed to provide hot water, reducing CO2 emissions for the newly built marina. “The interest in Aqueduct Marina has been incredible, we have only 10 of the original 147-berths still available for rent. The reason, of course, is that we are in such a great location. Nantwich is just six miles away and both the Trent and Mersey and the Llangollen canals are just two locks away. We offer boat owners easy access to hundreds of miles of the regions waterways in all directions.” For further information on Aqueduct Marina or to view the marina live on webcam log into www.aqueductmarina.co.uk or call 01270 522 284. Claire Davies, Aqueduct Marina PR Officer

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Progress Reports Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust: Wappenshall Wharf saved Great news about Wappenshall Wharf! These historic buildings near Wellington are the most important on the whole of the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals and were under threat of being converted to domestic use. Thanks to the efforts of the Trust, Telford & Wrekin Borough Council has bought the wharf which will be leased on to the Trust . They are now working to agree the terms; transfer is expected by mid-April. The warehouses will become the Trust’s base and education centre. The infilled triangular wharf is to be dug out again and a section of the canal restored. This visible progress shows the commitment of the Trust, the Council and the local community, which will make fund-raising for the restoration of the canal from Norbury Junction easier. The IWA Branch has committed £500 towards the restoration of the buildings. Whitchurch Waterway Trust: Water Park progress Planning is proceeding for the Water Park for fishing, nature conservation and quiet enjoyment. This will be designed in such a way that it can be connected to the canal arm in a second phase, with moorings being created for the visiting boats. Severn Navigation Restoration Trust: To Bewdley? The SNRT is working with All Rivers Hydro to develop proposals for a series of weirs associated with hydro-electric power generation. These weirs would be inflatable, so if flooding was threatened they could be lowered allowing the excess water to pass unimpeded. At other times they would keep the water level up, to the benefit of nature and all river users. A lock would be built alongside each weir, thus retaining the existing right of navigation. The first such weir and lock could be at Blackstone, below Bewdley. The site would be just south of the bridge on Bewdley Bypass, where Worcestershire County Council owns the land on both sides of the river. For a cost estimated at £5.4m (of which £0.5m would be for the lock), about 5,000,000 KwH of electricity would be generated in a year, equivalent to the average consumption of 1,000 houses. This would enable shallower-draughted boats to reach Bewdley throughout most of the year. However, to make Bewdley an assured destination for all pleasure boats it would be necessary to raise Lincomb weir (at the first lock south of Stourport) by about two feet. Peter Brown

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Dates for your Diary

ranch committee members will be at the following events. If you can spare a few hours to join us for the fun of it or to help on our stall, please get in touch with any committee member. Saturday 28th March – Litter Pick This year the Branch has decided to support the Friends of the Montgomery on their ‘Litter Pick’ which starts at Welshpool Town Wharf at 10.30am. All necessary equipment will be provided by British Waterways. Plus there will be free refreshments at the end of the session. Please support this initiative – just turn up or phone Freda Davies on 01938 552817 if you want further information. 25th April – Western Region AGM So you missed the Branch AGM and social evening with Barry Skinner & Anne Henry but you are still in time to book for the last Western Region AGM which includes a buffet lunch and the opportunity to stroll (or walk) round Rudyard Lake or take a three mile trip on the steam railway. See page 30 for more details. 2nd/3rd May –- Norbury Boat Gathering The Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust is organising a boat gathering over the Bank Holiday weekend. Please contact Chris at CKeaneUK@aol.com for details. 17th May – Llanymynech Discovery Day The branch will be organising the children’s WOW activities so if you fancy helping to make fog horns or supervising the making of boaters’ paper plates please get in touch. Further details on page 26. 1st June – The Montgomery Canal Forum The forum will start at 2.30pm at the Royal Oak in Welshpool. How do we restore a heritage canal? Box culverts or brick bridges? Plastic liner or clay puddle? Where does heritage stop? You are invited to a panel discussion to consider standards for future work on the Montgomery Canal. 7th June – Montgomery Meander & Dinghy Dawdle Dawdle to the limit this year – travel to the deep South and the very end of the navigable Montgomery Canal! Garthmyl (Penllywn Lodges) to Freestone Lock, Aberbechan. For entry forms send a SAE to Terry Wain, Malt House, Berriew, Nr. Welshpool, Powys, SY21 8PG. Or email waincil@aol.com

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21st/22nd June –- Welshpool Steam Fair See page 27 for details. Volunteers are needed to man the Branch stall. 1st/2nd August – Lock Wind The Branch is organising a fund raising lock wind at Quoisley Lock over the first weekend in August. More details will be in the summer issue of this magazine but please pencil in the date today. Apart from being good fun and meeting a lot of new people the event raises quite a lot of money for the Branch. So please support us even if you can only spare a couple of hours. Please note the change of date to accommodate those who wish to attend the Audlem music and arts festival. 12th/13th September – Ellesmere Festival Once again the Branch book stall will be at the Ellesmere Festival which is at Ellesmere not Ellesmere Port (see ‘First Find your Festival’ in the Winter 08 edition). A good opportunity to ‘bring and buy’ unwanted paperbacks and acquire new. 19th/20th September – Whitchurch Boat Gathering Branch members will be attending by boat and running the sand game and book stall. Please come along and support the event and the Branch. And there’s more which we support in spirit if not in person: 22nd March to 18th April – Canal Art Exhibition at Audlem Mill. 27th March to 3rd April –- SUCS Work Party on the Middlewich Arm Volunteers will be installing leisure facilities close to Cholmondeston. Please contact Paul Mills 01948 880723 if you are willing to help. 28th March –- Spinning Course at Audlem Mill Contact Audlem Mill 01270 811059 or sales@audlemmill.co.uk 4th/5th April – SUCS Montgomery Canal Work Party In fact SUCS organise a work party on the Montgomery Canal on the first weekend of every month so please contact Mike Friend 01948 880723 if you find you have a free weekend and loads of energy. 4th April –- Peg Loom Weaving at Audlem Mill Learn how to make a scarf, cushion or bag using this simple traditional hand weaving loom.

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7th April – Needle Felting at Audlem Mill Learn a fascinating technique using a special barbed needle to turn loose wool fibres into firm felt with a multitude of uses including pictures, cards toys and jewellery. The course costs £42 plus a small charge for materials. 18th/19th April – Traditional Canal Bonnets Course at Audlem Mill Here is your chance to make a canal boatwoman’s bonnet. The course costs £90 which includes all materials but you need to take your own sewing machine. 19th April – Friends of the Montgomery Canal visit to Whittington Castle Tickets cost £10 which includes a quiz/treasure trail and buffet lunch. Please contact Alan Hill on 01938 590461 to book your place.

Audlem Mill From a watercolour by Sheila Webster Copyright Audlem Mill

21st/25th May – SUCS Lock Wind at Cholmondeston Lock As well as the physical work it’s a chance to take unwanted items for sale or recycling including stamps, coins, ink cartridges and mobile phones. There will be a second lock wind during the August Bank Holiday weekend if you can’t make this one. For more information please contact Paul Mills 01948 880723. 23rd/25th May –- Music and Arts Festival There will be musical and artistic activities at various locations in Audlem. 26th July – Audlem Transport Festival In addition to the usual vintage/veteran vehicle display the festival will include an informal gathering of historic boats. Just turn up and enjoy the day.

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Honour is Restored

fter several years of rather lacklustre performance by the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch skittles team they are back in their rightful place as champions of the Western Region inter-branch challenge. The months of arduous training were rewarded with a stunning and exciting display of skill not seen since the 1966 world cup. Following an excellent carvery dinner at The Bickerton Poacher, to build up stamina, they went on to score a magnificent 183 points. Stoke-on-Trent Branch came second with 175 and, despite a highest individual score of 24 by Kay Sinclair, Chester Branch trailed with 170. Our thanks are due to Janet Farmer for organising the event and to Denis for his decision not to run a third heat when it was clear that our Branch was winning. Although the Western Region ceases to exist after the April AGM it was agreed that the three branches might continue with this enjoyable annual event. Therefore, for the benefit of the other teams, here are some helpful hints on technique. David Aylwin

The run up

The straight arm delivery

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The follow through

Winter Walk A record twenty-six people took part in the traditional IWA Winter Walk, this year held on 3rd January on a beautiful sunny and crisp morning. The driver of the 10.45am bus was surprised to see a crowd waiting at the stop by the Llanymynech Heritage Centre for the short journey to Four Crosses. From there the group walked up to the historic canal settlement at Clafton Bridge, then along the towpath over the Vyrnwy Aqueduct and past Carreghofa Locks back to Llanymynech, where lunch was had at the Cross Keys Inn. If anyone would like a copy of the specially-prepared walking guide, the organiser, Peter Brown, would be pleased to supply it. (Contact details are on page 4.) Next year’s Winter Walk is already scheduled for 2nd January 2010 and will probably start in Whitchurch. Walk back via the Wharf area, park, the site of the proposed Water Park, the Whitchurch Arm, the main canal and down the six locks at Grindley Brook. Lunch at a suitable hostelry. Further details will be published in the waterways press and Shroppie Fly Paper nearer the time. Peter Brown

Discovery Day 2009 Sunday May 17th 1.00 – 5.00pm by the Canal Wharf and in the Heritage Area *Canal boat trips *Children’s WOW trail *Lime burning *Guided walks *Practical hands on lime plastering *Storytelling (with apples!) *Music and song *Railway, Canal and Steam Engine exhibitions/demonstrations *Maypole dancing *Craft stalls* Powysland Museum *Pond dipping *Geology *BBQ *Teas *‘Real’ ice cream *Beer tent On site parking restricted so use the ‘Park and Walk’ service plenty of signs at approaches to village!

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Steaming again at Welshpool

he Montgomery Canal in Welshpool will be alive with the puffing of steamboats over the weekend of 20th/21st June. The steamboat gathering (now in its 4th year) is the 'waterborne transport' section of the Welshpool Festival of Transport which takes place on the Powis Castle Showground. Maggie Ellis and Chris Bushnell, members of the Friends of the Montgomery Canal and IWA, hope that their 55ft steam launch ICTUS, which is resident on this land-locked section of canal, will be joined once again by trailable steamboats from around Wales, the West Midlands and even further afield.

Slipping in at Welshpool's Town Wharf, the visiting boats will moor beyond the Town Lock next to the Showground by Whitehouse Bridge (Bridge 120) for as long as they can resist the temptation to buzz up and down exploring the canal. It's hoped that some of the boats will be on static display on the Showground itself, joining the varied collection of other steam vehicles, classic and vintage cars, motorcycles, lorries, tractors and, for the first time, members of the Sealed Knot re-enacting battles of the 17th century Civil War. IWA and Friends of the Montgomery Canal will have stands at the Festival (free passes for volunteers helping to man the stands) and the moored boats can easily be approached at the canal end of the parking and camping area. For more information about the Transport Festival see www.welshpoolfestivaloftransport.co.uk. Contact Maggie Ellis on 01938 590543 or email paradm@aol.com for information on steamboats.

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Living with a Goddess

hen I’ve spoken to people about living on my narrowboat and being an assistant lockkeeper on the Thames for the summer of 2008 I’ve had almost identical responses. The first was along the lines of ‘how idyllic’, which I knew it would be, and ‘living the dream, eh’ which I was not so sure about. It could turn out to be a nightmare. I was scared about being on my own. Would I be able to handle the boat on a big river by myself? Will the engine fail right by a weir? I will be creeped out at night. Maybe the boat will sink while I sleep. There could be a gas explosion. I might slip or trip overboard and get tangled in the propeller or washed away in the current. And a jumbo jet near Heathrow might crash on me! The challenge was to get over these fears. I am now proud to say that I am a competent and confident river boater and even know how to get out of a weir, in theory anyway! I pretty much failed to conquer the rest. However, I did gain something that I didn’t expect, a real passion for the Thames, or Isis, the Goddess, as I prefer to think of her. I spent four glorious months with her. She demanded respect but in return, wrapped her stunning beauty around me and shared her power with me. With her, I was never on my own. The second response was, ‘Have you enough strength to push the gates?’ I explained that the gates are electrically operated by push buttons. People then said’ What, you get paid for that?’ So, was that all I did, for a minimum wage? While Isis constantly busies herself tumbling over the weir, there’s as much action the other side of the island, at the lock. There’s cleaning, sweeping, repairing, painting, weeding, digging, planting and mowing. Then there’s helping sightseers with their many, many questions. My favourites were, ‘where does all the water come from?’ and, ‘if I get a boat………?’ In between all this work the boats arrive, the battering rams, the upturned jelly moulds, and the strange contraptions that the proud owners have made themselves. There are the disco and jazz boats full of people more interested in partying than sightseeing and the tiny hire boats, full of clueless, or drunk or both, people. There are canoeists who eventually give up trying to paddle up the weir and begrudgingly come through the lock. Occasionally a proper riverboat turns up. Some of the boaters know what they’re doing, some don’t. Some need help and ask and some need help but don’t. Some don’t know they need help and others reject any help offered. Some are keen to do the work and some try to do as little as possible. Some are having a great time and others are absolutely petrified. Some have got no control over their crew, their kids or their dogs and some think barking

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orders at everyone is helpful. Most are friendly, polite and appreciative and a few are downright nasty. What dull souls some must have to be untouched by Isis’ majesty. Whether we have souls or not, a lock is not the place to find out, and it’s the lock keepers responsibility to ensure a safe and speedy passage through the lock for this motley crew. So, how do they do it? A constant lookout for boats so that the lock is prepared before arrival. The lockkeeper knows the dimensions of the lock and can generally tell by looking at the boats how they will best fit in. The boats are welcomed in accordingly, not necessarily in order of arrival. This may seem unfair but it actually is the safest and fastest way to get everyone on their way. The very big boats go at the front so that they’re not so intimidating and if there’s a problem they only bump into the gates, not smaller boats. The plastic boats go in before the metal ones, as it’s preferable for a fragile boat to collide with a strong one. Low boats will be directed near some steps so the crew can use them to get out to do the ropes. Lockkeepers are not obliged to do the ropes but most are happy to help. Engines are turned off for a variety of reasons but mainly for ease of communication. In the event of an emergency they must be heard. The doors are shut and a visual check. Is everyone ready? Are the ropes done properly? Are the novices, children, dogs and drunks safely within the confines of the boat? Are the gongoozlers at a safe distance? Are their dogs and children under control? All being well the lock is emptied or filled. As the water level changes the lockkeeper continues to look out for possible incidents and is ready to act swiftly. Due to the lockkeeper's vigilance accidents are very rare, and due to good training they know how to respond in an emergency. During this time the lockkeeper is also required to ensure everyone has a current licence and to log all the traffic passing through, for statistical purposes. The final responsibility is to watch the boats safely leave waving goodbye as they go. On a busy day, a lockkeeper can walk ten miles round the lock! It’s really nice to be thanked, especially as so much has been going on. The main responsibility though is managing Isis herself. Her levels are constantly monitored and the weirs adjusted accordingly. She may be a Goddess but she’s also like most female mortals. Treated well she is loving and caring, disrespected she will find a way to cause major suffering. Picture London flooded! No I didn’t just press buttons and I certainly earned my keep. And yes, I want to do it again. It was idyllic and I did live the dream. Lilac

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Western Region AGM

he Stoke-on-Trent Branch plays host to the 19th IWA Regional AGM on Saturday 25th April 2009. The meeting will be at the Rudyard Lake Activity Centre, The Dam Head, Rudyard, ST13 8XU, where coffee will be served at 10.00am. The Regional AGM commences at 10.30am and, for those who require it, lunch will be around 12.00pm. Lunch takes on buffet format this year to allow us the chance to mingle. Menu Hot Soup and Buffet Selection

After lunch there will be the opportunity to take a leisurely stroll along the lakeshore or for the energetic a 5-mile all the way round. You may like to take a ride on the Rudyard Steam Railway - 3-mile return trip or one way and stroll back. Visit www.rudyardlake.com and www.rlsr.org for more information N.B: The Activity Centre has free parking for 10 cars. All others are charged at £1. Let us be environmentally friendly and car share. Thank you.

IWA Western Region AGM Confirmation of Lunch Booking Name ............................................................................................................. Address ......................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................... Telephone ...................................... Email ................................................... Cost: £7.00 each. (Cheque payable to “Inland Waterways Association - SoT Branch”) Number of Diners ........................ Cheque enclosed - for £ ......................... Please send by 10th April 2009 to Sheila Gordon, Social Secretary, 25 Meadow Lane, Trentham, Stoke-on-Trent. ST48 DH Tel: Mobile 07785 536 440.

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A Boater’s Funeral

oe Jones was a well-known figure on the canal and his funeral on the first of December was a poignant affair, strangely like something from another age. He was a small wiry man with a little beard, always ready for a chat and a joke. He was never without his brown felt hat, which travelled ceremoniously on top of his coffin. The coffin itself was specially made of wickerwork, with round handles which resembled port-holes. It was loaded on to the roof of his boat, WILL CROOKS, in Trevor basin and transported over the aqueduct at Pontcysyllte, past his usual mooring, to be unloaded into the funeral car in the basin before the lift bridge. There was a crowd of about thirty, including old school friends from Surrey, most of whom walked alongside. He was married in 2002 to Jackie, a boater’s wedding of course. Details and pictures of the wedding can still be seen on the web site www.pagination.plus.com/wedding/. Since the wedding he had been seen less on the water, as Jackie was not so keen. I remember meeting them on the Grand Union not long after they were married and Jackie said, ”I thought I’d better come and see what was so great about it!” His funeral was a unique occasion, and he will be sadly missed by all who knew him. Anne Pilsbury picture by Fiona Pearson

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Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch Diary of Events 28th March

Litter Pick at Welshpool Town Wharf Contact Freda Davies fredaatvillas2002@yahoo.co.uk

25th April

Western Region AGM Rudyard Lake Activity Centre (page 28) Contact Sheila Gordon 07785 536 440.

2nd & 3rd May

Norbury Junction Rally Details on www.sncanal.org.uk

17th May

Llanymynech Discovery Day Details on page 26

1st June

Montgomery Canal Forum Details on page 22

7th June

Dinghy Dawdle Garthmyl to Freestone Lock Contact Terry Wain waincil@aol.com

20th & 21st June

Welspool Transport Festival Details on page 27

11th July

Manchester Ship Canal Cruise Details on page 19

1st & 2nd August

Lock Wind, Quoisley Lock Contact Dawn Aylwin 01691 830403

12th & 13th September

Ellesmere Festival Contact Paul Mills 01513 361049

19th & 20th September

Whitchurch Boat Rally Contact 01948 830837

More details of some of these events can be found inside this newsletter. Committee meetings are usually held at 7.30pm on the second Monday of each month at the Narrow Boat Inn (Maestermyn Marina), Whittington. Members are very welcome to join us and will not be pressured into any of our vacant jobs unwillingly. Please confirm with a committee member before attending.