Shroppie Fly Paper - November 2024
DearIWAmember,
From The Steerer
Welcometothiseditionofyourbranchnewsletter,ShroppieFlyPaper.Youdon’thavetobe eagle-eyedtospotthatit’sverydifferentfromthenewsletterthatwehavecustomarily deliveredthroughyourletterboxortoyourinbox.Somuchsothatperhapsweoughtto nicknameittheShorterFlyPaper!
Whether this format turns out to be temporary or permanent depends, in large part, on whetherwearesuccessfulinfindingoneormorevolunteerspreparedtotakeoverthe editorialrole.Couldyouhelpus,individuallyoraspartofateam?
Writing this in the October half-term break, the festival season has finally ended, and we can soonexpecttoseeboatmovementstailoffonourcanals.Butinthemeantime,wehopeyou enjoythereportsofoursummeractivities,updatesfromourlocalrestorationprojects,and somefuturedatestolookforwardto.
Contents
MembershipMatters
Gnosall C-Fest and Gnosall Towpath Restoration AnnualLockWind WhitchurchCanalFestival NantwichEmbankmentRepaired Waterways Photographic Exhibition Restoration Round-up – Montgomery Canal CalendarsandChristmasCards WinterWalk2025 BranchSteeringTeamandSituationsVacant
Membership Matters
We’re delighted to welcome the following new members, who joined at our waterways events overthesummer:
Mr&MrsGerrardfromColwynBay
MsGwinnett-WebbfromAlton
MrCoburnfromWrexham
ThankyouforjoiningIWA.Wehopeyouenjoybeingpartofthecountry’sonlyindependent, national waterways charity and that we’ll see you at future branch events, either as visitors or perhapsevenasvolunteers.
We’resorrytobesayinggoodbyetotwotremendoussupportersofthebranchforthepast20 or so years, Dawn and David Aylwin. David has undertaken, with distinction, many different rolesinthebranchsteeringteam,includingchairman,newslettereditorandboatfestival harbourmasterbackinthedayswhenweinitiatedandrantheNorburyCanalFestivalinthe early2000s.Dawnwasamostdiligentbranchsecretaryformanyyears,keepinga succession of branch chairmen on the straight and narrow and participating widely across all thebranch’sactivities.DawnandDavidarenowmovingtoaverydifferentpartofthe countrytobeclosertotheirfamily.Wethankthemfortheirmassivecontributionsandsend themourbestwishesforthefuture.
And,sadly,wesayfinalfarewellstotwowaterwaysstalwarts,JuneDickinandPatWilson. Both have been staunch supporters of IWA and their favourite waterways causes for decades,
andbothwillbemuchmissed.Weofferourcondolencestotheirfamilies.
Gnosall C-Fest – 20-21 July
Ourpresentbranchsecretary,Philippa,claimsthat,overtheyears,shehasgotbetterat arrivingontime.Somuchsothat,havingreachedGnosallatthespecifiedhour,itturnedout thatIWAwasthefirstthere,withtheresultthatourgazebowassetupatthebackofthepub gardenrightnexttothemusicians’tent.
Thislocationcombinedwithsomuchofinterestgoingonalongthetowpathmeantthatwe werenotwell-placedtoattractpassers-by.Nonetheless,theeventisclearlygoingfrom strength to strength and the organisers have ambitious plans for its development, so, for the future,IWAneedstoplaceitselfclosertotheheartoftheaction.
AbigthankyoutoGrahamandJill,AndrewandLinda,andAndrewandAlisonfortheir help.
[Photo©KevMaslin/ChasingtheBoats]
Gnosall resident Barry Witts, one of the leading organisers of C-Fest and, incidentally, one ofourbranchmembers,commented:
Afewyearsago,wethoughtitwouldbeagoodideatohaveacanalfestivaltocelebrateour canal,showoffourworkandhavefun.Itisnotintendedtobeamajorfundraiser(forus).As wellasallthetradeandhistoricboats,wewelcomegoodandlocalcausesandendeavourto createafunandfriendlyatmospherewithcommercialismkeptatbay.
WearegratefultothelocalpubsandNorburyWharffortheirsupportandtothenumerous peoplefromourvillagewhohelpinamultitudeofways.
This year’s festival was generally deemed a great success although as organisers we always tendtonoticetheglitchesratherthanthegoodbits.I’dliketosharethreeglitchesthatwe hopetoaddress:
1.Lackofadvancepublicityforthebandsforpeoplewholikemusicbutarenotbothered aboutthecanalandboats.
2.LackoffootfallinthegardenoftheNavigationInn,mainlyduetocongestionandthe largenumberofattractionsonthetowpath.
3. Insufficient promotion of the disused railway as an alternative entrance for walkers and cyclists,maybewithmoreattractionsinthatarea.
Restassuredthatwe’lladdresstheseaswellafewothertweaksfor18-20July2025.Weare ofcoursehappytohearmoreideasforimprovements.WehopeyouliketheKevMaslin picture.
Gnosall Towpath Restoration (GTR)
Barry added some context and information about the canal improvement works in Gnosall:
Waybackin2012,CRTcameintobeingandoneoftheirearlyinitiativeswastogetlocal groupsto“adopt”theirstretchofcanal.In2016,arisingfromourBestKeptVillage(BKV) group, Gnosall Parish Council adopted our stretch and GTR was born. Much like BKV, we are semi-autonomousbutsupportedbytheparishcouncil.
Wehaveapoolofabout15volunteersandanysessionvariesbetweenabouttwoandsevenof us.WehavebeenluckytobejoinedbysomeDukeofEdinburghAwardyoungstersandithas beenapleasuretoseethemgrowintothework.
Ifyou’dliketojoinus,you’dbeverywelcome.Noteveryonecandoeveryjobandnot everyonecansparetimeeveryweekbutthereissomethingforeveryone.Wemeetmost SaturdaysandTuesdaysat10:00bytheherbgardenatthefootofthestepstotheNavigation Inn.Orcontactusviatheparishcouncil.
Annual Lock Wind – 2-3 August
Branchvolunteersandkeenboaters,AndrewandAlisonSmith,havebeenever-present helpersthisyear,andthewholeteamisincrediblygratefulforalltheirsupport.Hereare Andrew’s words about our annual lock wind, followed by Alison’s report on the Whitchurch CanalFestival.
This year’s lock wind took place once again at Cholmondeston Lock which, according to Canal&RiverTrust,isthethirdbusiestlockonthesystem.
Lastyear,wehadtocanceltheseconddayoftheeventduetoforecasthorrendousweather. Thisyearwewereluckierandhadtwofulldayshelpingboatsthrough.
Overall, we helped 86 boats through the lock with the Friday being noticeably busier than the Saturday – presumably due to hire boats returning to base. Interestingly, the transits up and downwereperfectlybalancedat43eachway.
[Photo©PhilippaBursey]
Withthemarinabeingjustbelowthelock,itisalwaysaguessinggametodecidewhether thatboatapproachingundertherailwaybridgeisgoingtocomestraightupthelock,gointo themarinaorpauseattheservices.Keptusamusedanyway!
Donations and sales raised just over £360 for branch funds. We also signed up new members andsoldsometicketsfortheMontgomeryCanalraffle.
WeweretheonlymembersattendingbyboatonNBVegvisir,sonoeveningbarbequeaswe usedtohavebackintheday.Buttherewasadecentturnoutofvolunteersmakinguseofthe marina’scarpark–thankstothemforallowingthis–andoverallitwasasuccessfulevent.
Whitchurch Canal Festival – 31 August-1 September
TheadvancepartyarrivedonFridayafternoon,readytosetupforopeningat10amon Saturday.Tent,flagsandbannerinstalled,tablessetupandbric-a-bracsetoutready:more expensiveitemssuchasIWAChristmascardsand2025CalendarsmovedonboardNB Vegvisirovernight.
Aslastyear,gratefulthanksareduetoABCLeisure,wholoanedustheirtripboatforthe weekend.IWAprovidesqualifiedhelmsandcrewtoruntripsthroughoutthefestival:trips arefree,butdonationstotheWhitchurchWaterwayTrustareinvited.Asever,thetripswere hugelypopular,totheextentthataseachdaywenton,theywerebookedupoveranhourin advance,andthewaitingqueueneededcarefulmanagement.
[Photo©MikeHaig]
Thestallwasalsobusy,withmanyopportunitiestochattovisitors,whetherboatersornot, aboutIWAandalsotheFundBritain’sWaterwayscampaign.OntheSaturdayevening,it wasquitearelieftoshutupshopandwalkuptoChemistryFarm,whereaTraders’Dinner wasprovided.Anexcellentspreadandagoodchancetochatwithfriendsoldandnew.
Theweatherwaskindallweekend,andthetowpathbusythewholetime.Allinall,avery successfulevent,althoughacoupleofextrahandseachafternoonwouldhavebeensuper welcome.IfanymembersaretemptedtohelpoutatanIWAstand,mayIrecommendthis friendliestoffestivalstocomeandjointhefun?
Our core team comprising Alison, Andrew, Philippa and Mike were joined at various times overtheweekendbyBarry,Edward,Michael,FionaandAnne.Manythankstoall.
AsAlisonsays,thishasbecomeaverysuccessfulandfunevent–weraisedalmost£250for branchfunds,plusthetripboatdonationsbroughtinnearly£200forWhitchurch Waterway Trust: a record amount according to the WWT chairman. Unsurprisingly, we’ve beenaskedbacktodoarepeatperformancenextyear,butwereallyneedtoincreaseour
volunteer numbers. We need a minimum of six people available throughout each day: two ontheboat,twoashoretodealwithqueuecontrol,andtwotobeonthestandandprovide coverforbreaks.Wouldyouliketojoinus?IfyouhaveanRYAInlandHelmingcertificate youwouldbedoublywelcome!
Nantwich Embankment Repaired
Nantwich resident and branch member Graham Russell brings us up to date on a hardwonsuccess.
Inearly2019thebranchfirstraisedwithCRT’slocalandregionalmanagementthe increasing cracks and large undulations that had appeared in the tarmac towpath between theAqueductovertheA534andNantwichJunctionBridge92.
OnNovember15,2019,theNantwichNewsreported-
Concernedresidentsandbusinessownershavebeenurgednottoworry despitetowpathcracksappearingonthe200-year-oldShropshireUnion Canal embankment in Nantwich. The cracks, which have been examined by engineers near the Thomas Telford designed aqueduct on Chester Road, are “nothingatthisstagetobeconcernedabout”saysCanal&RiverTrust.
Engineershaveinstalledmonitoringpinsintotheaffectedareasofthe embankment at Nantwich aqueduct. These will aid the monthly inspection of theembankment.
Theinstallationofthepins,whichcouldbeclearlyseeninthetarmacandadjacentgrass,did nothingtoallaytheconcernsofNantwichTownCouncilanditsresidents,especiallythose living below the embankment who were understandably concerned about its stability and the likelihoodofamajorbreach.
From 2019 onwards, in its regular meetings with CRT management, the branch continued to raise concerns about the cracks which were continuing to widen, and the undulations which wereincreasinginheight.Partsofthetowpathwerebecomingdangerousforanyonewitha disabilityorusingwheeledassistance,suchasamobilityscooter.
Unbelievably, on more than one occasion we were told by local management that the surface couldn’t be repaired as the weight of the required equipment and materials could destabilise thestructure.(Thesemeetingsweren’tonApril1-nordidwesuggestthatusersofthe towpathwereweighedtoensurethattheembankmentwasn’tatrisk!).
OnJuly3,2022,theNantwichNewsreportedSpecialist contractors are working to stabilise the damaged Nantwich canal embankment.It’sbelievedalargecrackandunevensurfaceofthetowpath closetoNantwichaqueductaboveWelshRowhasbeencausedbymovement of the embankment. Canal and River Trust say the damage is being monitored byspecialistcontractorsandassessedbyengineers.
CRTpostedwarningnoticesaroundthecanal,butitdidn’ttakelongforthemto‘disappear’, and despite repeated requests they were never replaced. Nor, despite our further enquiries, werethe‘specialistcontractors’everseentobeworkingtostabilisetheembankment.
In recent years, especially with CRT’s serious funding problems, the branch had almost given uphopethatthecontinuingdangerousdeteriorationofthetarmacsurfacewouldeverbe repaired.Someofthecracksbecamesowidethatashoecouldeasilyfitintothegapand withoutcaretheundulationsweremajortriphazards.
[Photo©MikeHaig]
[Photo©GrahamRussell]
Suddenly,onedaylastAugust,areasofthetowpathwerefencedoffandequipmentusedto cut out the damaged tarmac. New wood edging strips were inserted between the towpath and thegrassandmaterialsarrivedtoin-fillandtocompactthenewtarmacwithvibrating equipment.Theearlierregularconcernsthattheweightoftheequipmentandmaterials woulddestabilisethestructurehadobviouslydisappeared-orneverexisted.
After over five years of branch lobbying, the tarmac towpath between the Aqueduct and Bridge92hasnowbeenreturnedtoasafeevensurfaceforeveryonetoenjoywithout worryingabouttheirsafety.AstotheoutcomeofCRT’sassurancein2019thatthe embankment’sstabilityisbeingmonitoredmonthly-whoknows?
Waterways Photo Exhibition in Shrewsbury
Athree-monthlongexhibitionofsuperbwaterwaysphotographsisonshowinthetopfloor galleryofTheatreSeverninShrewsbury.EntitledCanalBoatLives,therearearounda hundred pictures of people who live and work on canal boats and there are extended captions tellingthestoriesofeachpersonfeatured.
Photographer Gill Shaw of London started taking these pictures during the pandemic and graduallybuiltupthisextensivecollection,creatingwhatsheterms,‘adifferenttypeof exhibition.’
In her introduction, Gill writes: ‘I’ve recently taken time out from photographing royal and media celebrities to focus my lens on some fascinating and surprisingly diverse characters wholiveandworkonourhiddenwaterways.’Sheadded:‘Theonethingthatunitesthemis theirlovefortheiroff-gridlifestylechoice.’
Mostofhersubjectsarenotknowntothepublic(althoughthereareoneortwomore familiarfaces)andtheyrangefromacouplewithapuppettheatrebargetoabikerepairer,a baker,aformerflatdwellerwhohasnowlivedafloatfor32years,amusicalduo,afueland chandleryretailerandaforeigncorrespondent–tonamejustafew.
Thecolourfulphotographsandindividualstoriesgiveavividinsightintothevalueofour richheritageofinlandwaterwaysforthemanypeoplewhospendmostoftheirlivesafloat rather than just taking brief leisure or holiday cruises. After visiting the exhibition, Michael Limbrey, a waterways enthusiast for over 50 years (and our Branch President), said he was veryimpressedandcommentedthatitwas,‘areallydifferenttakeonwaterways.’
[Photo©AlanWilding]
OurIWABranchhasbeenallowedtohaveapull-upbanner,showingthemanycanals around Shrewsbury, alongside Gill’s exhibition which runs until 29 November 2024. There is freeadmissiontothegallery,whichisadjacenttothetopfloorfoyer,facingtheriver.Theatre SevernisinFrankwell,neartotheWelshBridge.
CanalBoatLiveshasalsobeenpublishedasabookanddetailsareonthewebsite, www.gillshaw.co.uk
Restoration Round-up – Montgomery Canal
We’re grateful to Montgomery Canal Partnership Chair, John Dodwell, for this progress report.
Members will recall that the Restore the Montgomery Canal! Group (of which the Branch is a member)launchedaPublicAppealinJunelastyearfor£250,000tohelptowardsthecosts ofthenextphaseoftherestorationinShropshire–tohelptoclosetheShropshireGap.We arepleasedtoreportthatasat31October2024£168,000hadbeenraisedsofar(including theinitial£50,000).
Includedinthefigureisa£25,000legacy(toMontgomeryWaterwayRestorationTrust) fromtheEstateofDavidGibson.DavidGibsondidnotliveineitherShropshireorPowysbut innorthernLancashirewherehewasmuchinvolvedintheNorthernReachesrestoration efforts.Previously,hehadbeenHonSecretaryofthe(then)London&HomeCounties Branch of the IWA and, among other things, was much involved in preventing the infilling of PaddingtonBasin.Inaddition,helefta£25,000legacytotheShropshireUnionCanal SocietyfortheMontgomeryCanal(notincludedinthe£168,000above).Itappearsthat DavidGibson(awidowerwithnochildren)leftmoneytoanumberofwaterwayscharities.
We hope members will be interested in following David Gibson’s example. Please go to Leaving money to charity in your will - The Inland Waterways Association for further information.
Wecontinuetoneedtoaskforfurtherdonations–toenableustocontinuewiththe speeded-up work of restoration (e.g. 2023 – re-opened to Crickheath; 2024 – Schoolhouse Bridgerebuilt).Donationscanbemadebygoingto www.localgiving.org/charity/restorethemontgomerycanal - or by sending a cheque (payable to“RestoretheMontgomeryCanal”)toTixallLodge,Tixall,Stafford,ST180XS. Wheneverpossible,weusethemoneyaspartofwhatiscalled“matchfunds”–i.e.wematch grants from governmental sources. With the recent Rural Prosperity Fund grant, the match was30%.
Thismeantthatforevery£25donated(with£5GiftAid),wecouldget£100of workdone.Amultiplieroffourtimessoundsgood,doesn’tit?
Largerdonorswillreceiveaframedcertificate–Goldfor£1,000ormore;Silverforbetween £500and£999.
The £168,000 above includes a further £5,000 from the Friends of the Montgomery Canal. Thistakesthetotaloftheirdonationsoverthelastfewyearsto£35,000.
GRAND DRAW
Since the spring, Restore the Montgomery Canal fund-raisers including your branch, SUCS and Friends of the Montgomery Canal have been selling raffle tickets offering cash prizes to theluckywinners.TheGrandDrawitselftookplaceonFriday,November1,ataSUCSwork partyatCrickheath,withtheDrawbeingmadebyShropshireCountyCouncillorJoyce Barrow.
PROGRESS IN POWYS
CRT has applied for planning permission for the new Carreghofa Lane Bridge (replacing the causewayacrossthecanalbyWallsBridge(whichwillremain)).Weunderstandthatthere were no objections and that many supportive comments were received. We also understand that,asaresult,theapplicationdidnotneedtogotothePlanningCommitteeandthat–at thetimeofwriting–thegrantofplanningpermissionisimminent.
CRThasalsoappliedforplanningpermissionforthebuildingatWernPondofoneofthe intendedtwonewnaturereserves,theothertobeintheVyrnwyarea.Designworkcontinues fortheVyrnwynewreserveandforthenewverticalliftbridgeatthesiteofWilliamsBridge.
ThefollowingsketchshowstheCarreghofaLaneBridgeproposalswiththeCanalshownin blue.TheoriginaljunctionoftheroadoverWallsBridgewiththemainroadisunacceptable formoderndayneeds;hencethebuildingofanewloopofroadtoanewlocationforthe bridge–andabetterlocatedjunction.
AverydifferentsolutionisproposedforthenewWilliamsBridge.Thecanalhereisonan embankment. Rebuilding a fixed bridge with adequate headroom would mean creating large –andexpensive-approachrampsoneithersideofthecanal–andastheareaissoggy,that
[Photo©FredBarrett]
wouldhavemeantremovingalotofspoilandthenbringinginalotofstone.Thesolution(an artist’simpressionisshownbelow)isaverticalliftbridge,liftingonallfourcorners.Those whoknowGilshawLaneBridgeontheRochdaleCanal(installedduringitsrestoration)will seesimilarities.
Calendars and Christmas Cards
Our2025charitywaterwayscalendarisnowavailableattheCharityChristmasCardShops inShrewsburyandOswestryor,ifyoucan’tgettooneofthose,bymailorderoronlinedirect fromthebranch.
TheShrewsburyshopiswithinStMary’sChurchinthecentreoftownandopens MondaystoSaturdays,10.15am-4pm,25October-7December2024.
TheOswestryshopiswithinStOswald’sChurchinthecentreoftownandopens MondaystoSaturdays,10am-3pm,26October-7December2024.
BothshopsalsostockagreatrangeofIWAChristmascardsbutforthewidestchoice,visit early!Whenthey’regone,they’regone.
Ourever-popularcalendarsoldoutbeforeChristmaslastyear–canyouhelpusachievethe samethisyear?It’samainstayofourbranchfundraisingsowereallyhopeso.
Thecalendarisproducedonqualitypaper,spiralboundandopenstoA3sizewithsuperb photographs of some of the wonderful waterways within our branch area. It makes an ideal companionforallnextyearonyour,oronyourfriend’s,wall.
[CalendarcoverphotobyGrahamMitchell]
Formailorder,simplyemailshrewsandnwales@waterways.org.ukwiththenumberof calendarsyouwouldlike,theaddresstowhichtheyshouldbeposted,andhowyou’dliketo pay(BACStransferorcardpaymentviaSumUp).Wewillreplywiththeamountpayable, plus the branch bank details or a secure SumUp payment link depending on your preferred paymentmethod.
Ifyouliketostickwithtraditionalmethods,wecanstillacceptcheques.Sendyourcheque, made payable to The Inland Waterways Association, to SDNW Calendars, 7 Barnton Edge, StoneST158ZR.Don’tforgettoincludeyouraddress!
Thecalendarsarepricedatjust£8each,pluspostageasfollows:
1calendar-£3
2calendars-£4
3calendars-£6
4calendars-£7
5-8calendars-£9
And–newthisyear–youcanbuythemfromouronlinestoreathttps://iwashrewsburynorthwales.sumupstore.com
Winter Walk 2025
We’replanningtoofferaWinterWalkonaSaturdayinearlyJanuarytohelpblowoffthose festivecobwebs.Keepaneyeonyouremailinboxforfurtherdetails.
Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch Steering Team
PhilippaBurseySecretary philippa.bursey@waterways.org.uk
MikeHaig Chair michael.haig@waterways.org.uk
MichaelLimbreyHon.President michael.limbrey@waterways.org.uk
AlanPlatt Treasurer alan.platt@waterways.org.uk
PhilTarrantEventsCoordinatorphil.tarrant@waterways.org.uk
AlanWildingOnlineEditor alan.wilding@waterways.org.uk
SusanWildingMember susan.wilding@waterways.org.uk
SITUATIONS VACANT
Our long-serving treasurer is hanging up his abacus at our next Branch AGM in Spring 2025. Couldyouhelpus?
Alanassuresusthatbasicnumeracyisthekeyattribute–alltherestcanbelearnedquickly andeasilyandthereisnoneedtohaveanyaccountancytraining.Itwouldbeidealifanyone interestedcouldshadowtheroleoverthewinter.Pleasecontactanymemberoftheteamto findoutmore.
Wementionedatthestartofthisnewsletterthatwe’restilllookingforoneormorepeopleto takeuptheeditorialopportunityandkeepShroppieFlyPaperontrack.Youdon’tneedto signuptotheBranchSteeringTeamtobeeffectiveinthisroleandfullguidanceandsupport willbegiven.Coulditbeyou?Pleasecontactanymemberoftheteamtofindoutmore.
STAY IN TOUCH
Youcankeepuptodatewiththelatestnewsfromthebranchat
https://waterways.org.uk/shrewsburynorthwales or
https://www.facebook.com/shrewsburynorthwales
Please email membership@waterways.org.uk with any change to your email address or if you donotwishtocontinuereceivingsuchinformationbyemail.
The Inland Waterways Association Unit 16B Chiltern Court, Asheridge Road, Chesham HP5 2PX
