SHROPPIE FLY PAPER
Newsletter Spring 2023
Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch
President Michael Limbrey michael.limbrey@waterways.org.uk 01691 654081
Chairman Michael Haig michael.haig@waterways.org.uk 07801 415573
Secretary Philippa Bursey philippa.bursey@waterways.org.uk
Membership Secretary
Treasurer & Welsh Liaison Officer
Dawn Aylwin dawn.aylwin@waterways.org.uk
Alan Platt alan.platt@waterways.org.uk
Webmaster Alan Wilding alan wilding@waterways org uk
Newsletter Editor Andrew Smith andrew smith@waterways org uk
Committee Members
NW Region Chairman
Heritage & Planning (noncommittee position)
Susan Wilding
Graham Russell susan wilding@waterways org uk graham.russell@waterways.org.uk
Sir Robert Atkins robert atkins@waterways org uk 01995 602225 or 07770 254444
Peter Brown
iwa@peterquita co uk
Branch Web pages
https://waterways.org.uk/shrewsburynorthwales
https://www.facebook.com/shrewsburynorthwales
If you would prefer to communicate with the branch in the traditional way, please write to the chairman c/o IWA Chesham address at foot of page
Shroppie Fly Paper is the newsletter of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch of The Inland Waterways Association (IWA). IWA is a membership charity that works to protect and restore the country's 6,500 miles of canals and rivers For further information contact any committee member
Copy for Shroppie Fly Paper is very welcome, preferably 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. Copy and letters submitted for publication may be edited.
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 a nonprofit distributing company limited by guarantee
Registered in England no. 612245. Registered as a charity no. 212342
Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA
Tel: 01494 783 453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk
Front cover : Daffodils
at Gnosall by Barry Witts
THE EDITOR'S CUT...
It seems hard to believe but this issue marks 6 years as Editor! My first issue was Summer 2017. It's certainly been an eventful 6 years. Looking back through my previous 17 issues, it's interesting to see regular events which are still happening such as the Winter Walk in January, the Montgomery Canal Triathlon and the Norbury Canal Festival in May, the branch Lock Wind in August and the Whitchurch Boat Rally (now Canal Festival) in September.
Another recurring event is the branch quiz. We attended for the first time this year and were pleased to be part of the winning team. We were really aiming to come second to avoid having to set the questions next year. Oh well...
Of course there have also been other events that we hope very much were oneoffs such as the Covid19 lockdowns (with the Spring 2020 issue only appearing in digital form as the printer could not access his workshop). Interestingly, I note that we held our first online committee meeting in June 2018, long before they became the norm. We haved saved a lot of time and miles since then.
Another major event that we reported on in my second issue was the Middlewich breach in March 2018. That took until December 2018 to repair causing major disruption to boaters hoping to "do" the Four Counties Ring. Looking again at the photos, it is amazing the repair did not take longer!
We have our fingers crossed that there will not be any major disruptions this year. As last year, we will be taking our boat to the Norbury Canal Festival as the start of our main summer cruise. After that we will be heading south to explore the Birmingham Canal Navigations and then on to Stratford on Avon.
We look forward to seeing you at one or more of this year ' s events.
Andrew Smith
Next copy date: Friday, June 23, 2023
SHROPPIE FLY PAPER BACK ISSUES ONLINE!
Did you know that you can access back issues of this magazine at issuu.com? The link to find issues back to 2009 is But if that’s too much to type in, try this shortened version!
https://issuu.com/waterwaysassoc/stacks/ ff499dbd5f2941bba5e738cf88c600d6
https://bit.ly/2Pn5arf
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IWA SHREWSBURY DISTRICT & NORTH WALES BRANCH DIARY 2023
You can find details of the various events mentioned below in the magazine.
To reduce travelling and cost many of the branch business meetings now take place online. If you would like to join us online, please contact our Chairman at:
michael.haig@waterways.org.uk
Apr 17, 2023
April 29 May 1, 2023
May 20, 2023
June 2, 2023
July 1416, 2023
July 2930 2023
Aug 45, 2023
Sep 23, 2023
Branch Committee Meeting (online)
Norbury Canal Festival Page 26
Montgomery Canal Triathlon Page 21
Crickheath official opening
Gnosall Canal Festival Page 14 & Back cover
Gathering of Historic Boats, Audlem
Branch Lock Wind
Whitchurch Canal Festival Page 22
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Distribution of Shroppie Fly Paper in all forms is handled by IWA headquarters staff. So, if you would like to change the way that you receive this magazine, please email membership@waterways.org.uk. 2
FROM THE STEERER
By the time you get this issue of our newsletter we will have had our annual meeting, so my column this month is a good opportunity to mention some of the highlights of the last year and look forward a bit into the future.
As you know, this year we chose to hold our annual gettogether in Audlem, with the popular Shroppie Fly pub as our venue. While AGMs are not everyone ' s cup of tea it was pleasing to see a room full of some 24 branch members at this our first inperson meeting since 2019. We might have had even more if not for some conflicting alternatives in the calendar, not least the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust AGM. I’m pleased to report that those who did attend the Shroppie Fly enjoyed an entertaining and informative day. Our thanks go to landlord Mike and his team for welcoming us and looking after us so well.
Before commencing the formalities of our own AGM, we spent a few moments recalling the contribution to the branch from the late Denis Farmer, who gave his time and skills selflessly in so many roles over 25 years. Michael Limbrey wrote eloquently about Denis in the Autumn/Winter issue of Shroppie Fly Paper, so all I will mention here is that I was privileged to be invited to join family and friends at The Bridge Inn at Audlem in December, at which I hope we bade Denis a fitting farewell.
Then on to the business, in which our current treasurer, Alan Platt, presented the branch accounts to members. These showed a healthy bank balance at the end of last December (IWA’s financial yearend) amounting to some £7,000. This included receipt of a £1,000 grant from Acton, Edleston & Henhull Parish Council towards our project to replace as many of the deteriorating seating benches along the Nantwich towpath as we can afford. More on this topic later.
Our fundraising is significantly boosted each year by sales of IWA Christmas cards and the branch’s calendar at local towpath festivals, our summer lock wind and, very importantly, the popup charity card shops in Shrewsbury and Oswestry that run over the late autumn. We’re very grateful for the support we get from our customers, but also our volunteers who help us mount all these activities.
I’d like to pay a particular mention to Roy Stokes, who cheerfully steps forward each year to manage the logistics of the Shrewsbury shop at St Mary’s Church and accounts impeccably for stock and sales.
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Fundraising is an often overlooked aspect of IWA’s activity but, in common with all the other charities with whom we compete for the public’s support, it is absolutely vital. Our recent interim CEO, Jonathan Smith, commented last year in our national Bulletin newsletter that IWA needs to get better at embedding a fundraising ethos across the charity – without adequate funds, there will be no IWA. If you think you could help us in any way at the shops, at towpath events, or if you have any fundraising expertise that you could offer locally or nationally, please contact me or Philippa, our branch secretary, at shrewsandnwales@waterways.org.uk.
Another aspect that I was keen to mention to the meeting was the campaigning that we do; after all, IWA at its heart is still a campaigning charity and there remain many challenges across Britain’s waterways affecting maintenance, protection and restoration.
Your branch continues to support the restoration groups in our area, and in the last twelve months we have donated to SUCS, SNCT and the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust (MWRT). We are represented in the Montgomery Canal Partnership, which brings together the various groups interested in completing the restoration of the canal, including CRT (the owners), the county councils, statutory agencies involved with the built and natural heritage, wildlife trust and canal restoration groups. The latter are leading the Restore the Montgomery Canal Funding Appeal, in which we also participate.
From this newsletter, you will know as well that during the last twelve months we have taken up the cause of improving the canalscape in Audlem and Nantwich. We played a key role in persuading CRT to effect significant repairs and enhancements to the area around Audlem Wharf and the Town Pound, in time to enable the community to retain its Britain in Bloom regional award, and we are now working with the Audlem District Amenities Society to facilitate a longerterm community partnership agreement between it and CRT.
In Nantwich, I have already mentioned the Parish Council grant towards our bench replacement project. For members unfamiliar with the area, these were installed by Shropshire Union Canal Society some 25 years ago, and now are showing inevitable signs of deterioration.
I’m delighted to report that in February we successfully applied for a further £1,000 award
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from Nantwich Town Council’s Community Grant scheme, so, together with matchfunding from our own sources, we can replace the majority of the eleven benches that are most severely dilapidated.
Recently we held a very productive meeting with CRT’s local operations team to progress the detailed logistics plan for the installation of the replacement benches, and we ’ re grateful that we are being supported in this by ABC Leisure Group, the new owners of the Nantwich Canal Centre, which has agreed to provide storage facilities for the project materials.
With the advance of summer, we will also be taking up with CRT once again the condition of the Nantwich embankment towpath. Our conversations to date with them are currently paused in a somewhat unsatisfactory impasse – we hope that we can get agreement for some short term remedial work on the towpath even if addressing the condition of the embankment itself looks set for the longer term.
Following the above report, with none of the existing committee coming to the end of their terms in post, we welcomed IWA trustee, deputy chair and national treasurer Nick Dybeck, who had a discussion with attendees regarding matters affecting and being advanced by IWA nationally.
Michael Haig Branch Chairman
Membership Matters
A warm welcome to the following new members to the branch:
◊ Simon Barker and Victoria Sorrell from Much Wenlock
◊ Simeon Berger from the Shelby Narrowboat Hire Company
◊ John and Jan Halford from Market Drayton
We look forward to meeting you all at various events; why not join us at our annual lock wind in August?
Dawn Aylwin
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REGION CHAIRMAN WRITES
Is Spring in the air?
The Met. Office tells us that it starts on March 1st and, as I write, the sky is cloudless but it is jolly cold, with snow threatened. So I remain unconvinced. But optimism prevails and we can begin to look forward to warmer boating soon.
The IWA has a new Chief Executive, taking over from Jonathan Smith who stood in for a few months with his usual skill and professionalism. His name is Dave Pearce and he is already ensconced in Head Office and taking stock of what needs to be done.
At the top of his Agenda will be finance and membership, both of which are beginning to cause headaches amongst your National Trustees. Indeed, we have a special meeting, just on those subjects, in April.
We are not alone in suffering reductions, as many charities and voluntary organisations are in the same position, but there has to be a thorough review of our problems in this regard and what we need to do to address them. Your thoughts and views would be much appreciated.
There was a major debate on the waterways in Westminster Hall last month. The venue is an adjunct to the House of Commons and provides the opportunity for MPs to debate (usually) noncontroversial but important matters for 90 minutes. A number of Members contributed and the debate was wound up by the Minister, who was not as helpful or forthcoming on future funding as she might have been. Economic pressures are great at the moment, as we all know, but the finance necessary for the future of CRT etc. is important. More lobbying will be needed.
I attended a meeting of the North West Regional Advisory Board of CRT last month and much criticism was heard of the state of the waterways in our region. Whether about delays in the restoration of the Anderton Boatlift, the closure of some canals or just the excessive green algae in some places, concerns were expressed and actions expected.
As always, thanks to all of you for your continued commitment and enthusiasm.
Enjoy the Spring when it really comes!
Sir Robert Atkins Chairman, North West Region
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Canal & River Trust to levy charges on waterways events
More or less as we were gathering for our Annual General Meeting, CRT announced that it is "introducing charges for thirdparty events to help cover the charity's costs of processing and facilitating events on its land". We are unaware of any consultation prior to this announcement.
The branch is deeply concerned by these plans which will impact many events in our area and nationwide. Apart from small, free community events for less than 25 people there is a minimum administration fee of £95 (+ VAT). This would impact our annual lock wind possibly making it unviable.
There is then a fee per head for land based walks, runs and similar sporting events. This would clearly affect the popular Montgomery Canal Triathlon.
We feel that it is counterproductive for CRT (as a charity) to levy these charges on other charities who are predominantly raising money to protect and restore the waterways for which CRT is responsible.
As a branch, we will be lobbying IWA to raise this with CRT at the highest level. This seems to be a prime example of how "Only IWA" operate at a national level in support of the many local waterways restoration groups.
It would be most helpful if individual branch members could support this effort by sending your own emails to key individuals at IWA headquarters and at CRT.
Some suggested contacts are:
CRT Chief Executive Richard Parry richard.parry@canalrivertrust.org.uk
IWA CEO David Pearce david.pearce@waterways.org.uk
IWA Chair of Trustees Les Etheridge les.etheridge@waterways.org.uk
IWA Deputy Chair of Trustees nick.dybeck@waterways.org.uk
The CRT document listing the proposed charges can be found at:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/refresh/media/original/47755ratecard.pdf
Update
An initial response from CRT's Chief Executive Richard Parry states that "the introduction of charges for events is not aimed at our key partners, where we actively support events.". They then offer "individual discussions on your local plans".
Howevcr this seems to be a very inefficient approach with scope for grievances, with some organisations upset that they have been charged while some with more 'influence', or louder voices, are not.
We will continue to pursue this with IWA headquarters and with CRT.
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January Winter Walk
In the warm sunny days of late Summer/early Autumn it was decided to restart social activities beginning with the Winter Walk. As the Crickheath section of the Montgomery Canal had just been restored and rewatered it seemed the ideal opportunity to explore and visit the area.
The first port of call was Canal Central; Iain and Fiona readily agreed to be used as a starting point, as long as cars were parked in their field leaving the small car park for regular customers. Next SUCS was contacted and Chris Hesketh and Fred Barrett agreed to help. So all set and arranged as members, and nonmembers alike booked in.
Then it rained and rained and rained.
It soon became obvious that Maesbury Marsh was living up to its name as the field became more and more waterlogged. So with a possible 23 cars arriving, plan B had to be hastily formed. Luckily, and much appreciated, Dave & Ros Koring agreed that their driveway could be used, and as the Navigation Inn was closed we were given permission to use their car park. The rest had to be accommodated at Canal Central somehow and David drew the short straw!
Guess what! Overnight and on the morning of the walk it rained, however all but two couples braved the weather driving through sheets of water on the Maesbury Road, while 5 other canal enthusiasts arrived on spec making a total of 38 walkers (plus several dogs) and the two guides. Fortunately by 10.30 the skies cleared and the sun shone down on us. Before the start of proceedings Branch Chair, Michael Haig, presented SUCS with a cheque for £500 in appreciation of their work at Crickheath and towards the next stage of the restoration.
Two groups of walkers were formed; one started inside with a demonstration of the techniques used in restoring the canal and the other outside listening to a short talk; then the groups swopped over. Both presentations were excellent and generated questions galore, before the groups set off down the canal through Crickheath and on to Schoolhouse Bridge.
An excellent start to social activities the next was the Branch pub quiz in March.
Dawn Aylwin
PS: You can see a video of the walk at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nAqJHGpshA
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Branch lunch and pub quiz
This long overdue event, delayed from 2021 and 2022 because of the Covid restrictions was finally held on Saturday 2nd March at the Narrowboat Inn at Whittington Wharf.
Unlike previous years this was a table quiz with six rounds of questions on a variety of nonboating subjects, with each team pondering the questions while enjoying a very tasty pub lunch.
Five teams took part but with some very close scores at the end it was the combination of Dave & Ros Koring and Andrew & Alison Smith who came out the winners.
This quiz was arranged by the winning team from 2020 The Famous Five, so we look forward to next time when the questions will be set by this year ’ s winners – All at Sea!
Val Fletcher
Branch Chairman mentioned in Parliament!
During a recent parliamentary debate on the future of the UK's canals and waterways, our very own Chairman got a name check!
The debate was opened by Michael Fabricant, MP for Lichfield and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways. Michael Haig was mentioned during a brief contribution by his local MP Sir William Cash.
IWA was disappointed by the response by Rebecca Pow MP, the Defra Minister with responsibility for the waterways in England and Wales as she was unable to confirm any timescale for the announcement of Defra's review into Canal & River Trust's funding which was originally due to conclude in July 2022.
A full transcript of the debate can be found at:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/20221122/debates/FE3F3FA411FF4A45B69794E60F145B6E/UKCanalsAndWaterways
(Photo by Paul Rodgers)
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Telford Followers
In the North East corner of Brewood Churchyard are three headstones of canal employees. All are next to each other. Their inscriptions plainly read as follows:
HUGH ROSE Engineer
Late of Crich Bonar Bridge
North Britain
Departed this life at Brewood
AUGUST 26th 1832
AGED 60 YEARS
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD
This stone is erected to his memory
By his surviving widow CHRISTIANA ROSE
THOMAS WILLIAMS
Many years a lock keeper
At WHEATON ASTON
HE DIED FEBRUARY 19TH 1847
AGED 59 YEARS
Also ELIZABETH Wife of the above
Died March 20th 1855
Aged LV111
In Memory of ANDREW YOUNG Of LANGHOLM, DUMFRISHIRE SCOTLAND
WHO DIED AUGUST 14TH 1847
AGED 72 YEARS
Also ROBERT his Son
Who died December 26th 1839
Aged 21 years
Also SOMERVILLE McINDOE
Relict of the above
Andrew Young
Who Died August 15th 1875
Aged 94 years
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I have only been successful in finding Andrew Young’s family. His death certificate records his occupation as clerk to a canal company at Autherley Junction where he died of a "disease of the Abdomen". His son James was the informant.
The birth records of his children reveal that his son Robert was baptised on Februay 16th 1818 in the Kilmallie district of Argyll. This is Banavie, at the time Telford was constructing the Caledonian Canal. Two older children, namely Anne & Andrew were born in the same district on July 16th 1810 and August 9th respectively.
The punchline occurs when we find a daughter Mary born at Conway Caernarvon on June 6th 1824; this would be when the Conway & Menai Suspension Bridges were built.
The 1861 census for Aldersley New Junction lists:
James Young Head age 40 Widowed Canal Tonnage Clerk born Scotland
Somerville Young Mother Age 80 Widow
It is interesting to note how Hugh Rose is proud to claim he is from North Britain, yet Andrew Young, being close to Telford’s Birthplace near the English Border is firmly a Scot.
Samuel Fenn Branch member
Gathering of Historic Boats, Audlem July 2930, 2023
At least 30 narrowboats dating from about 1900 to 1962 are expected to gather in Audlem at the end of July.
Some are restored to their original carrying condition, but others are converted with cabins for living or holidaying on. The boats will stretch from the main road bridge to the bottom of the flight of locks.
The event is free for both spectators and participating boats.
Please do not try to park at the canal wharf, as there is no public parking, but park in Turnpike Field by the canal bridge, just by the A529 turn to Market Drayton. Parking is free!
Further information available at:
http://www.audlemmill.co.uk/audlemmillgatheringofhistoric boats.html
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Knighton factory to close
The canalside factory at Knighton was built in 1911 by Cadburys to make chocolate crumb. Boats brought mass chocolate (ground cocoa beans made into blocks) from Bournville and sugar from Liverpool and Nottingham to Knighton, where the ingredients were mixed and milk added. The factory is now owned by Premier Foods, who use it to manufacture privatelabel powdered drinks, accounting for 60% of the production, with the remainder comprised of ingredients and branded products under the Birds, Angel Delight, Smash and Marvel lines. Premier Foods have announced that the factory ‘is not aligned to the group ’ s branded growth model strategy and is marginally unprofitable at trading profit’. Closure is planned for 2024, with the loss of about 300 jobs.
As can be seen on the map, the wooden canopies and adjacent brick building are within a designated Conservation Area. This does not give as strong protection against demolition as being listed, of course, but it is notable that the Appraisal for the Conservation Area has five explicit mentions of these canalside buildings.
For example, in paragraph 14.2 it states:
‘At the northern end of the Shebdon Embankment is the unexpected Cadburys Factory at Knighton. Built in the early 1920s [actually 1911], the factory was used for the production of chocolate, and conveyed its products to Bournville in Birmingham by boat. It is thought to be one of the last buildings to be constructed for the conveyance of goods by canal and its monumental Art Deco tower forms an impressive waterside feature. The introduction of this building into the otherwise rural landscape reminds us of the functional purpose of the canal and its industrial heritage.’
The Branch will strongly urge the retention of the buildings within the Conservation Area. One suspects that there will be an application for constructing housing on the rest of the site, despite its being relatively isolated. We shall try to ensure that any application respects the canal.
Peter Brown, Branch Heritage & Planning Officer
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The wharf in 2002, with Ethel and Starling in Cowburn & Cowpar livery, although Ethel was actually an exLMSR boat. (Peter Brown)
Map of the Shropshire Union Canal Conservation Area at Knighton. (Stafford Borough Council)
Don’t talk about it, do it!
This article about new branch corporate members Shelby Narrowboats was previously published in Towpath Talk and has been reproduced with their kind permission
What do you do if you want to change direction in life and start a new business? Set up a narrowboat hire business, of course! At least that is what Simeon Berger did two years ago when he decided he’d had enough of running his business as a quarrying contractor. After 25 years of working in this heaviest of industries, he decided that enough was enough. Both the quarry business and a holiday home transportation business were closed, and the new venture began.
Over the preceding years, Simeon and his family had enjoyed around ten holidays on the canal system holidays some might argue he enjoyed a bit too much! However, with this in mind, he and his wife Sharon, currently employed by Royal Mail, began establishing a hire fleet by buying former hire boats and making them ready to enter service under new ownership.
With the view, ‘don’t talk about it do it’, a new company called Shelby Narrowboats was formed with the name chosen due to Simeon’s choice of headwear that bears a striking resemblance to the caps worn in the TV series Peaky Blinders. Now, one year on, the fleet has expanded to three boats with more planned. So far, all of the boats are former ABC narrowboats and are moored at Aqueduct Marina, a short distance from Simeon and Sharon’s new home, a former lock cottage beside the Trent and Mersey.
With so much competition out there, the question has to be asked as to what makes Shelby Narrowboats different from other fleets, to which Simeon answers, “location”. The couple looked at several locations from which to operate but concluded that they needed to be based somewhere that offered the best choice of routes and provided options should there be any closures. But it would seem that in addition to this selling point, the other reason to use the company is Simeon himself. Feedback from those who have already holidayed on one of the couple’s boats has highlighted that his enthusiasm and determination to help and provide the best possible holiday is obvious. As Simeon puts it, “the only thing I can’t control is the weather”.
His love of the canals is evident, and he does his best to impart this to those who hire one of their boats. Much of this is done at handover, with him taking hirers through at least one lock and, if they are still unsure, staying with them through others to ensure they are entirely comfortable. He feels this should make even the most nervous and anxious crew more comfortable.
The obvious question is, where does Shelby Narrowboats go from here? It would seem that alongside completing the cottage and getting the existing boats ready
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for the coming season, the plan is to continue to expand the fleet. They hope they can get to 5 or 6 boats over the coming years. This will enable the couple to have a sustainable family business. Simeon and Sharon are keen to provide a legacy for his family, and given the rate of growth so far, there is little doubt they will achieve it.
And just in case Simeon should get bored, he’s also keen to “give something back” by offering up his extensive experience gained when running his business linked to quarrying, to waterways recovery groups, or to CRT themselves. Energy and enthusiasm don’t seem to be in short supply. So it would seem that the biggest question, having met this couple, is where will they get the time from? A question many of us ask.
Gnosall Canal Festival (CFest) 1416 July 2023
Planning is well underway for this year ' s festival.
Keep up to date with progress on the website. www.gnosallcanalfestival.co.uk
We plan to have a branch presence at the festival. If you can help with this please let us know using the contact details on the inside front cover.
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Gnosall Gnews
Our winter towpath repairs are finally drawing towards an end. At time of writing, it looks like we have enough stone to complete the bend between the water points and the railway bridge and almost enough gravel to complete the moorings beyond the railway.
Many thanks again to Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust for lending us the boat to make it all possible.
Last October, we planted more daffodils between br34 (The Boat) and br35 (The Navvy). Many of them are now starting to look splendid but there are still some gaps we’d like to take care of at the next planting.
As well as daffodils blooming and snowdrops (now drooping), we have a few crocuses planted opposite The Boat and eight other beds, each looking good at differing times of the year. Many thanks to all the volunteers who regularly tend to them, whose efforts should not go unnoticed.
If you’d like to join us, you’d be very welcome. Not everyone can do every job and not everyone can spare time every week but there is something for everyone.
We meet most Saturdays at 10:00 by the herb garden at the foot of the steps to the Navigation Inn. Most volunteers are from the village, but all are welcome.
Please contact us via the parish council web site.
(https://www.gnosallparishcouncil.org.uk/index.php?page=GTR)
Barry Witts
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SNCT Update
We are grateful to Bernie Jones for this update on the continuing excellent work by the Shrewsbury and Newport Canals Trust.
WRG Forestry did a fantastically professional job of dismantling a large dangerous Goat Willow at our Berwick Tunnel North Portal site.
This will enable us to more easily access the towpath with excavators and dumpers now.
Work continues at Wappenshall too.
We have installed 3 large sewage treatment plant tanks and connected the foul drainage to them from the toilet block.
The latter is coming on well now with both inner and outer walls, complete with insulation, are over half way up and the new windows have been installed.
We have almost completed replacement of all spalled brickwork on the outside of the small warehouse and quotes are now being obtained for doors and windows.
Once the toilet block roof is on and all doors and windows are in, the building will be weatherproof and ready for inside work to commence.
Bernie Jones
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Good progress on the new toilet block
The 3 sewage treatment tanks being covered with concrete
The stump of the Goat Willow after dismantling
The Montgomery Canal for Tomorrow
Railway companies no longer ask you to “Shew Your Tickets” as you leave the platform (shewing rhyming with your mother’s sewing machine) and despite the claim on Ellesmere’s warehouse you no longer expect the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company to carry your goods to Chester, Liverpool, Manchester etc.
That’s Heritage, and that’s what we do when bringing to life a canal closed 87 years ago. Fortunately the Montgomery substantially survived the lost years of closure where other valiant restorers are having to reconstruct canals lost for many decades or a century or more.
In the twentyfirst century canals are largely used for leisure not commerce and boaters need moorings, sanitary stations, fuel … facilities never needed by the working boatman. Those boaters bring many benefits: the recent IWA report Waterways for Today (https://waterways.org.uk/campaigns/waterwaysfortoday ) drew on the experience of reopened canals to give no less than twelve social, environmental and economic benefits of restoration.
So restoration is a compromise. While we want to safeguard structures which remain from its working days to tell the story of the canal you can see compromise at Queen's Head: the concrete bridge on the A5 bypass and the more modest bridge by the pub which opens up the canal to Aston – that is essentially a concrete culvert with brick facings. Schoolhouse Bridge will be arched, but would it have been if it had been designed for construction by contractors? And what will we see at Walls or Williams, Maerdy and Arddleen?
Caring for the canal’s ecology is a feature of restoration. We must all be aware of today’s concerns for loss of habitat and the decline in flora and fauna which government policies and regulations try to reverse, but our care for the canal’s natural heritage goes back nearly forty years to 1984 when we agreed with the then Nature Conservancy Council to integrate conservation with restoration.
The twenty years following that agreement saw restorers on both sides of the border working to implement those policies (including WRG creating the original Aston reserve).
Then it became necessary to review those arrangements. Lengthy discussions over two or three years led to a new Conservation Management Strategy. Following those earlier agreements the Strategy was designed to meet the needs of all interests – including navigation and nature conservation – with protection for the canal’s natural and built heritage, and creating opportunities for recreation and regeneration for local communities and their visitors. It was launched at the Senedd and the House of Commons: “ a canal without boats is like a sandwich without cheese”, said the Welsh Minister.
It’s those boats that bring a waterway to life. You will know those places where onlookers sit, glass in hand, and watch the boats go by. And you will know that boaters cannot generally travel far from the canal. Waterways for Today quotes a recent CRT/British Marine finding that the contribution to the UK economy from boatbased tourism and leisure is no less than £2.5bn a year. Powys can look forward to a share of that £2.5bn when boats from the national waterway system return to midWales.
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The years since the Strategy was published have brought new environmental legislation in England and Wales – most recently the Environment Act 2021, the UK’s new framework of environmental protection to replace EU regulations –with rules requiring biodiversity enhancement (‘net gain’, which I mentioned in SFP last summer). The next few years will see Local Nature Recovery Strategies to create and restore habitat. Issues like biodiversity and carbon impact will become more important, not least to funders, so there will be a review of CMS arrangements to align the Strategy with them.
Don’t think this means that there will be horses on the towpath! There would be so many difficulties feeding and accommodating the horses and training them to tow boats (today's boats are quite unsuited), with problems for walkers, anglers and other towpath users, and for horses where reopened bridges do not have a towpath or when horses might cross each other on the way – the solution of the DuchessCountess was the famous knife to cut through the rope of an oncoming boat!
The Strategy is clear that restoration is to protect and enhance the built and natural heritage, to create jobs and business opportunities, and to provide an amenity for recreation and wellbeing for residents and visitors: in short, all the social, economic and environmental benefits that should come from any wellmanaged project designed for greatest public benefit. Confident that the Strategy is a robust framework for restoration IWA has promoted it to other restorations across the country, most recently at last year ’ s IWA/CRT Restoration Conference.
The Strategy seeks to protect one of the best collections of canalage structures around the system. Many – locks, weirs and aqueducts – are essential to its function as a water channel (vital for water plants and wildlife); others tell the story of the working canal as part of our canal network.
The Strategy protects the canal ecology too. Visitors to the Aston Locks reserves will see the facilities designed to show off flora and fauna and it will be exciting to see them develop. (It’s such a shame that the pandemic interrupted the programme to establish the reserves.) The LevellingUp project will provide equivalent reserves in Powys specifically designed to protect Floating Water Plantain, a rare plant which CRT has successfully conserved on the restored Rochdale Canal for twenty years. As living things, plants and wildlife will be able to spread into those reserves (and will be encouraged to do so) just as they moved to establish themselves in the canal: we are sure conservationists will be delighted with both moves.
It is over fifty years since restoration started and for forty of those years there have been agreements to create safe habitats for the special flora and fauna. Through that time we have sought to work with everyone interested in the future of the canal to ensure that it brings the widest possible benefits for residents and visitors. That’s the sort of canal the IWA signed up to in 1984 and for which it has campaigned over many years; and that’s the sort of canal we should all be talking about.
Michael Limbrey
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LevellingUp Update/Postscript
I am pleased to hear that the disappointing intervention by nature conservationists about the restoration has been followed by a meeting between the local Wildlife Trust, CRT, the County Council and other ecologists. The Conservation Management Strategy is clear that some boat movement helps rare aquatic plants where unchecked natural succession would lead to their loss, and that would be especially fast in a narrow artificial channel. I understand there are to be followup meetings to review works before they are carried out.
Michael Limbrey
Presentation to Parliament
Our branch President Michael Limbrey MBE, wearing one of his other hats as Chairman of the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust, recently gave a presentation to the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Waterways (APPGW).
The presentation took place on 28 March in a hybrid meeting attended in person by parliametarians including the APPGW Chair Michael Fabricant (MP for Lichfield) and APPGW ViceChair Simon Baynes (MP for Clwyd South).
IWA provides the Secretariat for the APPG, and our new CEO, David Pearce also attended the meeting in person.
Michael Limbrey joined representatives of other waterways organisations in attending the meeting online.
His presentation titled "The Montgomery Canal A practical example of inland waterways contributing to the Environmental Improvement Plan" can be seen in the above picture if you look very carefully!
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Image Credit: Simon Baynes MP
Schoolhouse Bridge Update
Some of us won’t know what do do with ourselves if Schoolhouse Bridge should ever be built! (Not true, of course!) You have lived with reports about the bridge from the very start: each report will have told you about the processes we have had to work through. You have read how we struggled after the pandemic and then how it was decided that the project would only work if contractors were brought in. For a while now we have been working with the contractors through the preliminaries that would apply to any engineering work and the conditions laid down by the Council and CRT. Formal notices have already been published for highway closure though the road will not actually be closed until work is to start: we think that should be later this spring with work under way through the summer.
The start of work will be marked with a photo and a huge sigh of relief! At the moment we are looking for someone important to turn the first sod. The obvious people for this are two boys, now about 14 and 12 years old, who in the summer of 2019 made 400 cakes in a sponsored bake for the appeal. Unfortunately no contact details were given when the donation was made so we have appealed for the boys or their mother to get in touch again.
The appeal for Schoolhouse Bridge goes on. Until the contract is signed we won’t have a final figure from the contractors; there will also be work at the end of the project for volunteers. We are so grateful to volunteers who have worked on preparations at the bridge and to the donors who have supported the appeal, including many who still contribute monthly donations. We are most grateful for substantial contributions from Friends’ funds and from individual members – the Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal is still open!
By the time you read this – though after I write it – the contractors who will reconstruct the bridge, Beaver Bridges of Shrewsbury, will have agreed the programme, inspection regime and other details with the Council’s consultants who will be supervising the work. We should then have the final signoff of a long list of Council preconditions and work should have started. And if it hasn’t, it should soon! Please remember that, while the towpath will be diverted round the site (– and not much good for towing!?) the road will be closed and the site will be subject to all the usual construction regulations.
Dolfor Update
Last year the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust acquired the derelict section from Freestone Lock (which belongs to CRT) to the gates of Hafren Dyfrdwy’s Newtown Sewage Treatment Works. This section includes the derelict Dolfor Lock and we are grateful to the Welshpool TRAMPS for help with fencing repair and other maintenance tasks. Powys County Council will be restoring the bridge by the lock with rightsofway funding but there have to be ecological surveys first. We would like to build a team in the Newtown area to work at this section, initially on maintenance but then restoring or rebuilding the cabin on the lockside. Do get in touch if you could help or know someone who could.
Michael Limbrey
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Montgomery Canal Triathlon Saturday 20 May 2023.
Entries are now coming in for this year ' s Montgomery Canal Triathlon.
This popular event is organised by the Friends of the Montgomery Canal and brings entrants from across the country to cycle, canoe and run or hike along the canal from Newtown, midWales, into Shropshire.
The Triathlon starts at Hafan Yr Afon, Open Newtown’s riverside venue in Newtown, with a 12mile cycling section to Belan Locks, south of Welshpool. This section includes 5 road crossings where the canal was blocked after closure.
There follows 5.5 miles by canoe through Welshpool passing through 2 locks and two reopened bridges. After leaving the canoes at Pool Quay the final 11 miles is on foot across the Welsh border to the finish at Morton, south of Oswestry. The finish this year is about 1.5 miles further than in 2022 and will take entrants past Schoolhouse Bridge, Crickheath, which will be under construction, and the new section which will be under restoration by the Shropshire Union Canal Society. There will be further road crossings on this section, including bridges to be rebuilt as part of the current LevellingUp Fund project.
Christine Palin, Chairman of the Friends of the Montgomery Canal said, “The Montgomery Canal Triathlon is one of the biggest events on the canal each year. It is a popular family event which brings entrants aged from 8 to 80 from across Great Britain and sometimes further afield. Regulars who come each year often bring friends to join in for the first time.
“While we were finalising the arrangements for this year ’ s event we already had people queuing to join and in the short time since bookings opened we have had bookings from as far away as Manchester, Birmingham, Hertfordshire and Wiltshire as well as the local area. To make the event manageable for those taking part – and for the organisers – we do have to limit the number of people who can join, so we encourage everyone to book early.
“This is the biggest event on the canal, and we have to provide a lot of support for entrants. We have a regular team of volunteers who help with stewarding and transport, but we are always looking out for more – this could be an ideal opportunity for anyone who thinks that 28½ miles by bicycle, canoe and on foot is not for them.”
Booking is online through https://themontgomerycanal.org.uk/friends/montgomerycanaltriathlon/ .
As usual, entrants who complete any section will receive a commemorative medallion of local slate, printed in gold for entrants who complete all three sections, silver for those who complete two, and bronze if only one section is completed.
The Montgomery Canal Triathlon is organised by the Friends of the Montgomery Canal and is supported by the Canal & River Trust. Organisers stress that the Triathlon is not a race, and entrants will have to take care both on the towpath and when crossing roads where they currently block the canal.
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Sustainable restoration for people and wildlife on the Montgomery Canal
There is a very interesting webpage and video about sustainable restoration on the Montgomery Canal at https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/aboutus/wherewework/walesandsouthwest/themontgomerycanalrestorationproject
It explains the role that a restored Montgomery Canal can play in enhancing biodiversity as well as supporting the cultural heritage of the canal, creating additional jobs and boosting the economy. Restoration is critical to ensure the sustainable longterm future of the canal.
With increased economic and social purpose, the canal can be better managed and protected, saving it from falling into the disrepair that in turn would be harmful to the protected flora.
The video is available on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/dXxGq4XzjY
Image courtesy of CRT
Whitchurch Canal Festival 23 Sept 2023
The branch will be represented again at the 2023 Whitchurch Canal Festival.
Last year, we ran the trip boat. The trips were popular (and free!) but raised a substantial amount from donations.
We also enjoyed the boater's meal and ended up winning the quiz!
It's an enjoyable event so why not put the date in your diary and come and help staff our stall?
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Taking a stroll along the Montgomery Canal at Aston Locks
We need your pictures!
We have just finished selecting images for the 2024 branch calendar. We had many excellent pictures to choose from but we want more!
Where do we use pictures?
Shroppie Fly Paper content
We use a lot of pictures in the Shroppie Fly Paper in a mix of landscape and portrait format (as seen opposite). These do not need to be high resolution as they are printed fairly small.
Shroppie Fly Paper cover
Portrait format
Each issue we like to feature a nice waterways picture on the front cover. This picture needs to be portrait format. But remember the top of the photo will be cropped to accommodate the IWA logo and header.
Branch Calendar
The calendar has 13 high quality images of the waterways in our branch area (12 months plus the front cover).
Landscape format
These must be landscape format and high resolution as they will be printed at A4 landscape size. Typically this means that the pictures needs to be 4000 x 3000 pixels (this equates to 12 megapixels which is achievable with most smartphones these days!
Online (Facebook & webpage)
Our Webmaster Alan Wilding will always welcome images (or videos) for use on our Facebook page and our website and these may be seen by lots of people. Send these to alan.wilding@waterways.org.uk.
Locations & Subjects
Most of the pictures that we use are of waterways in our branch area. Luckily that gives you lots of choice as our branch covers a wide area. This includes:
◊ Llangollen canal
◊ Montgomery canal
◊ Shropshire Union canal from Barbridge Junction in the north to bridge 3A (Pendeford) near Wolverhampton Boat Club
◊ Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union from Barbridge Junction to Wardle Lock at Middlwich.
When choosing the images for the 2024 branch calendar, we would have liked more pictures from the Montgomery canal. The subject of the photos can be anything waterways related. This could be boats, bridges, other architecture, wildlife or anything else that catches your eye. For the calendar, we need a mix of seasons reflected in the images.
Please send any pictures or questions to andrew.smith@waterways.org.uk
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Anderton Boat lift receives major grant
While the Anderton Boat Lift is not in our branch area, the most recent stoppage this winter highlights its importance as a popular visiting and cruising location
The Canal & River Trust (CRT) has been awarded a £574,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the development of a major repair and refurbishment project, with extensive community engagement plan, at the boat lift.
This funding will enable CRT to carry out essential repairs to the boat lift to secure its longterm future, prepare a detailed plan to update facilities and interpretation at the popular visitor centre and extend a community outreach programme.
The scheduled historic monument, which each year carries around 3,000 boats between the Trent & Mersey Canal and the River Weaver Navigation, needs a major upgrade to keep it operational. The whole iron structure requires blast cleaning, repairing and repainting, the timber control cabin replacing and IT operating system updating.
Also included in the proposals are plans to replace the large marquee, which is used to host school groups and events, with an alternative flexible building, including new toilets, plus updates to the visitor centre and grounds to improve the visitor experience, as well as the development of new learning, skills and outreach programmes.
Daniel Greenhalgh, Canal & River Trust North West director, said:
“The essential repair and upgrade work is critically important to maintaining the lift as an operational structure. Constructed in 1875, it holds a unique place in waterway history as the world’s first commerciallyoperated boat lift and our mission is to ensure that it continues to delight and engage future generations.”
Over the next 14 months, the waterways and wellbeing charity will be developing a comprehensive plan for ‘Engineering the Future’, with the intention of applying for a further grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the entire £13.4 million project. If the bid is successful, the plan will be to start an 18month programme of works at the end of the 2024 boating season.
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CHANGES TO LLANGOLLEN MOORINGS
Canal and River Trust (CRT) are proposing changes to the current Llangollen mooring arrangements, and opened a consultation process to which the branch has made a formal response. The proposals include:
◊ Increasing the mooring fee from £6 to £12 a night, the first since the basin was opened more than ten years ago. As this includes access to electricity, the increase in energy costs are blamed for this.
◊ Allowing longer stays from the present 2 days maximum to 5 days on some moorings.
CRT also commented that residents complained about running engines, a traditional complaint, to which we remarked that extending mooring periods might increase this, reminding CRT that many boats’ hot water supply is based on calorifiers.
We have commented that while we understand the justification for charging for electricity, the IWA in principle objects to charging for moorings on ‘honeypot’ sites, this being included in the substantial licence fees; we also pointed out that the current system of paying for moorings in Llangollen during office hours is inefficient and encourages boaters to arrive late and leave early without paying.
We also pointed out that there seems to be an increase in the number of waterborne traders, which IWA supports but we have noticed they can fill up long term moorings, e.g. at Trevor Basin and the rules for overstaying need to be enforced. We also suggested that they need to accommodate boats powered by more environmentally positive means than diesel by the future provision of charging points.
The consultation ended on March 27 and it is intended to ‘trial’ the changes from Spring of this year.
Alan Platt – Welsh Liaison Officer.
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Norbury Canal Festival 29 April 1 May 2023
Our branch will again have a stall at this festival organised by the Shrewsbury & Newport Canal Trust (SNCT).
As well as a range of stalls including SNCT, IWA, RNLI, Stafford Riverway Link, Staffordshire Bat Group, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and the Woodland Trust, there will be 36 boats ranging from traditional to modern including the partlyrestored heritage boats, Bainton and Berkhampstead.
Many of the boats will be traders with a wide range of products and food available. Further information is available on the Festival Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/norburyfestival/
Boat Trips
There will be boat trips available throughout the festival
SNCT Trip Boat from the towpath every day
10 30; 11:45; 12:30; 13:15; 14:00; 14:45; 15:30, 16.30
Shropshire Star from Norbury Wharf every day
11:00; 12:30; 14:00; 15:30
Food
There will be a wide range of food offerings available from curries, burgers and ice creams to a mini street food area, plus great meals in both the Wharf Cafe and the Junction Inn.
Entertainment
Entertainment includes a busker playing on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, plus Kerry Young – 15.30– 18.30 on Saturday and Stone Cold Sober ish – 15.30 – 18.30 pm on Sunday in the pub. "Half Cut Folk" will be on Norbury Wharf from 13:00 on Monday playing a wide selection of English, Irish folk and canalrelated music on Monday.
Parking
There is free parking at the festival expertly managed by the Air Training Corps courtesy of a local land owner so please don’t park on the lanes as this causes traffic jams – especially if farm vehicles can’t get past parked cars!
This is a fun event so why not get the date in your diary. Better still how about volunteering to help staff the stall? Even offering an hour or two would be most helpful and it's a great way to get involved.
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