East Yorkshire Branch
WOLDS WATERS The newsletter of the East Yorkshire Branch
APRIL 2015
Weed cutting on the Pocklington Canal
INLAND WATERWAYS ASSOCIATION EAST YORKSHIRE BRANCH Chairman’s report for 2014 presented to the Branch AGM Friday 20th March 2015 I am pleased to report that we have enjoyed another year with stable membership and a modest contribution to our branch funds BRANCH COMMITTEE We have had excellent attendance at our bi-monthly meetings where we plan the year’s social events, stall outings and receive reports from the committee members about the waterways in their areas. I thank all our committee for their help and support throughout the year. We continue to maintain good relationships with the Canal & River Trust, the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as well as the local waterway societies. This has been especially important during 2014 as we, together with support from others within the IWA, have been working hard to bring about the re-opening of Elvington/Sutton Lock on the River Derwent. Good progress on this issue has been made and we hope to see positive actions in the coming months. If you would like to become more involved by joining the committee you are welcome to put forward your name tonight. There is always a space for willing volunteers.
MEMBERSHIP As mentioned above, our membership has remained steady throughout the year. We welcome our new members and remember
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those who are no longer with us. I would like to mention in particular, Bob Huntsman who died in December. Bob was a member for 40 years. For much of that time he was a committee member and a regular at our social meetings. His enthusiasm and energy will be sorely missed. SOCIAL MEETINGS We hold eight indoor social meetings each year as well as two outdoor events and our annual dinner. Attendance at our social meetings was slightly down on the previous year and we hope it does not fall away further. Our two outdoor events, a walk in June and a trip on the River Hull in July were very enjoyable. Please do try to support these this year. Watch for details in our magazine. Our annual dinner was held at the Trout Inn Wansford where we will be again this year. As well as an excellent meal there is a chance to see the Driffield Navigation. WOLDS WATERS Our branch magazine, Wolds Waters is published three times a year and superbly edited by Barry Robins. If you have any articles, stories, pictures or comments you think could be interesting to our readers, please forward them to Barry. His details are in the magazine. VOLUNTEERS We are always looking for extra help with our various activities It could be helping on the Beverly Beck litter pick, manning our stall at events, balsham bashing on the Pocklington Canal, getting involved with the waterway societies or fundraising for our branch. Whatever you can do you will always be made most welcome. Roger Bromley Branch Chairman 3
Inland Waterways Association East Yorkshire Branch Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Friday 20th March 2015 at Cottingham Methodist Church, 8p.m. Present: Roger Bromley (in the chair), Jack Wootton (Treasurer) and Chris Stones (Secretary) plus 17 members including Peter Scott (Region Chairman) and Elaine Scott. Apologies: Adrian Koster (PCAS), Jenny Burns and David Hamilton (Driffield). Minutes of previous meeting (Friday 21st March 2014): These had been circulated before the meeting. Proposed as a true record by the members attending. These were then duly signed. Report of the Chairman: This had been printed and given to those members present at the start of the meeting. An opportunity was given for members to comment. Acceptance of the report unanimous. One point: Barry would like lists of events that are happening in various societies i.e. PCAS etc, this is for the next branch magazine. Report of the Secretary: This had been printed and given to those members present at the start of the meeting. An opportunity was given for members to comment. Acceptance of the report unanimous. Report of the Treasurer and presentation of the accounts for 2014: Jack went through the accounts that had been circulated. Balance was at year end ÂŁ2958-90. Surplus for the year of ÂŁ554-24. Thanks to Jack from everyone. Accounts accepted.
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Election of Committee Members: Alistair Anderson (Web Manager) and Chris Stones (Secretary) were retiring by rotation. Both re-elected unanimously. A.O.B: None. Address of the Region Chairman: Peter Scott spoke about matters concerning IWA now and in the future. He answered questions from members at the meeting. Date of next meeting: Friday March 18th 2016. N.B. It was a very enjoyable AGM especially the input from Peter and Elaine Scott with their joviality. It made it a very relaxing and informative evening. -0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Money Matters This is a very brief summary of information given in the annual accounts presented by our treasurer, Jack Wootton, at the AGM. Our opening balance on 1st January 2014 was £2404.66. The closing balance on 31st December 2014 was £2958.90 showing a surplus over the year of £554.24. By far the greatest part of this surplus came from the income from the branch display and stall which some of our very faithful members have taken to various events in the area. Your committee has invited application from local waterway societies to help finance their work. Money towards a particular project rather than injection of funds to general activities is what is on offer as it is felt the IWA members would like to feel ‘We helped fund that’. It is expected that requests for finance will be discussed at the committee meeting in May. 5
ROBERT HUNTSMAN. It was with deep sadness that we learned of the death, on Jan. 4th 2015, of our long-standing member, Bob. After joining I.W.A. in January 1974, Bob became a stalwart of our branch and served on the committee for very many years. It was only as a consequence of his declining health in recent years, that he stood down. Bob was born in 1924, and raised in East Hull. His father worked in the shipping industry in the Hull docks. It may have been this influence that sparked his first interest in boating. It was then developed further when his family acquired a holiday home on the East Riding coast. We all know of his commitment to the inland waterways movement. It's perhaps less well known that his boating interest extended seawards as well. For many years he aimed to plan a North Sea crossing to Holland in his own boat. I recall, about ten years ago, being invited to crew for him. I said yes, of course, but it never materialised. I think he was always just too busy with other things. In his teens Bob joined the A.T.S. This then led to enlistment in the R.A.F. Trained in communications and the infant Radar technology Bob had a wartime posting at Castle Rock. He served with a squadron engaged in maritime surveillance in the North Atlantic and Arctic waters. It was at Castle Rock that he met his future wife Audrey, also on a posting there. With the end of hostilities they returned to Yorkshire and set up home in Anlaby. From his father, Bob inherited a keen entrepreneurial drive. He now directed this into the food industry and secured a
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post with the Danish Bacon Co. as their area representative. This led to their move to Cherry Burton, being more central to his customers. He also saw an opportunity to establish his own retail operations in the village with a dairy and provisions outlet. This grew and developed, eventually encompassing the village post office. A key element in the local community In 1974, tragedy struck. Bob’s beloved Audrey was killed in a road accident. In the years that followed, although Bob continued to grow his business, he also turned his attention to the poor navigational status of the local waterways. Particularly the River Hull, Beverley Beck, and most significantly, the Driffield Navigation. In due course and by invitation, he was appointed a commissioner of the Driffield Navigation Authority ( forerunner of the D.N.T. ). He served that body with tremendous commitment for many years, devoting much of his time to it. By this time Bob had become a key branch committee member. A vital link between I.W.A. and all those involved with the 'Driffield'. Bob will be remembered by all who knew him, as a very dogged campaigner with an unstoppable conviction in what he believed to be the best way forward. It was an attribute that greatly endeared him to many of us, myself included. However it's inevitable that holding and exercising such conviction can sometimes put you on a collision course with others who hold opposing, maybe softer, views. It was during the nineteen eighties that health problems struck Bob. A series of heart operations became necessary, leading to triple bypass surgery. This had far less effect in 7
slowing Bob down regarding his waterway activities that it would for most of us. Definitely a measure of the man. The surgery seemed to have been very effective and he picked up very quickly. He remained very active both in the Branch and the D.N.A. right through the first decade of this century. Unfortunately, around five years ago, his health started to deteriorate. He found it a more arduous task to be so actively involved in waterways activities. This, very reluctantly, led him to resign the position he had held on our branch committee for many years. I always found Bob to be very warm, friendly, and most of all welcoming to newcomers. He always showed an interest in projects that others were involved in. Advice and recommended actions were freely available to all. He was very practical and 'hands on'. I recall him once giving me good advice about some building work I was doing. Many of us in this branch will miss him greatly. If the I.W.A. Is to prosper, we are going to need to engage more members with the drive, determination, and sheer doggedness that Bob brought to bear. We extend our sympathies to Bob’s family. Jack Wootton -0-0-0-0-0-
Waterways Museum , Goole Sadly there are financial problems at the waterways museum linked with the Sobriety Project and it may have to close. If you have not visited the museum recently then now is the time to put that right!
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World Barge Pulling Championship Looking for an event to mark the start of the boating season, the Beverley Barge Preservation Society have organised the World Barge Pulling Championship on Beverley Beck on the 4th May, May Day Bank Holiday Monday. Teams of 4 (men, women or mixed) will be invited to pull the barge Syntan over a 200 metre course in the quickest possible time. The barge has an estimated weight of 64 tons and it will be up to the teams to decide their own tactics working within the rules of the competition. The event is being held in conjunction with the NURSES charity who will be holding their own event, the raft race, at the end of July. For this and other activities of the Beverley Barge Preservation Society including trips on the River Hull please see the Society website, www.syntanbarge.org.uk
-0-0-0-0-0Pocklington Canal News Weed cutting The non-navigable length of the canal has become progressively overgrown with vegetation over many years. Weed cutting was carried out by Aquatic Solutions of Rugby, contractors to the Canal & River Trust in February, using two amphibious Truxor weed cutting boats. The work has been funded by Natural England and the Canal & River Trust. Cutting was done between Thornton Lock and Walbut Bridge and then between Silburn Lock and Top Lock. Although the work was carried out to improve the Site of Special Scientific Interest for wildlife, the cutting between Thornton and Walbut locks will assist with plans to make this length navigable, by showing the depth of water available in this section.
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Lottery Funding CRT has appointed Rachel Walker as Development Officer, who will work with Jane Thomson in preparing a bid for ÂŁ500,000 to be submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund in November. Rachel used to work at the Yorkshire Waterways Museum at Goole. Consultants have been appointed to prepare a Visitor Interpretation Plan, based on the consultation carried out by Marion Blockley several years ago. Another consultant has been appointed to write a Conservation Management Plan for the natural and built heritage of the canal. This preparatory work is required for the bid to be considered by HLF and has been entirely funded by HLF. Boat Rally PCAS will be holding a boat rally at Melbourne on the Pocklington Canal over the weekend of 25/26 July and we encourage IWA members to bring their boats to the canal for the event. Further information including a booking form can be found on the website: . Those who book in for the event will receive a commemorative brass plaque. Alistair Anderson
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Pocklington Canal Amenity Society 250th Anniversary Appeal The Pocklington Canal Amenity Society today launched its appeal fund to raise £250,000 to restore a two mile section of the Pocklington Canal. Since the Canal Society has been able to prime the fund with £80,000 from its accumulated funds, the amount remaining to be raised is £170,000. The money will be spent on installing new wooden lock gates for Thornton and Walbut Locks, and ensuring an adequate depth of water in the length, much of which is presently overgrown with vegetation. Other items will include measures to bring the locks up to modern safety standards, including the provision of lock landings to allow boaters to disembark before entering the locks. The Society has chosen this year to launch its appeal as it is the bicentenary of the passing of the Act of Parliament enabling the building of the Pocklington Canal. It is proposed that the works will be completed by 2018, in time to mark the bicentenary of opening of the canal. The project is being promoted with the support and encouragement of both The Canal and River Trust (the owners of the Pocklington Canal) and Natural England, which has a regulatory role, since the works are to be carried out within a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Work will be designed and scheduled to minimise interference with wildlife. Appeal leaflets will be widely distributed in Pocklington and the villages close to the Pocklington Canal. Support will also be sought from the Society’s own members and from waterways enthusiasts nationwide, as well as from charitable trusts. Further information about the Bicentenary Appeal can be found on the PCAS website: www.pocklingtoncanalsociety.org/appeal
Note: Don’t forget that the trip boat New Horizons is now cruising at weekends from Melbourne.
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PROGRAMME Jan to April 2015 Venue (unless stated otherwise) Cottingham Methodist Church Hall, Hallgate, Cottingham HU16 4BD 8.00-10.00 pm. Use entrance down side of church. Friday 17th April The South Pennine Ring An illustrated presentation by Iain Campbell Friday 15th May
Pocklington Canal – A Gem In The Landscape Rachel Walker, Pocklington Canal Development Officer will talk about the development phase of the Heritage Lottery Fund Project to develop the Pocklington Canal, and how Canal & River Trust are working with their partners PCAS and Natural England. She is highly likely to show you some pictures of her beloved narrow boat ‘Ethel Rosina’ too! Friday 18th June Evening visit to the Barmby Barrage with the possibility of a pub meal
July
Cruise on the Humber?
Future meetings 18th Sept, 16th Oct, 20th Nov, 6th Dec Christmas meal at Wansford?, 15th Jan, 19th Feb, 18th March (AGM) For more information about the Inland Waterways Association use the website www.waterways.org.uk or contact Barry Robins on 01482 658254 or 07885941983. For more information on the above meetings contact Roger Bromley on 01482 845099. The Branch email address is roger.bromley@waterways.org.uk This newsletter is edited by Barry Robins, 90 Carr Lane, Willerby, Hull HU10 6JU. Note: The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Association and should not be construed as such unless so stated.
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