IWA East Yorkshire Wolds Waters January 2019

WOLDS WATERS The newsletter of the East Yorkshire Branch of the Inland Waterways Association

January 2019

A wintry scene at Canal Head, Pocklington Canal (Photograph by Roger Pattison)

waterways.org.uk/east_yorkshire

Chairman’s Report I hope our boating members have enjoyed the long hot summer out on the waterways. Maybe on occasion it was too hot? When I did more boating I also enjoyed the winter days. Especially with a log fire on the go. So I hope many of you will be boating throughout the winter months.

Our region has seen a number of exciting developments in 2018.

The Pocklington Canal now has two extra miles of navigation and two more restored locks. The Pocklington Canal Amenity Society (PCAS) has worked tirelessly with the Canal & River Trust (CRT) to enable boats to be able to reach the Bielby Arm. PCAS were generously supported with a grant from the IWA of over £100,000 from the legacy left by Tony Harrison. They have now launched another appeal to fund the restoration of Sandhill Lock. For details of happenings on the canal visit http://www.pocklingtoncanalsociety.org/ or use the link from our Branch webpage.

Progress is steadily being made regarding discussions about developing Mortimer’s Warehouse at Driffield. More events are now taking place on the navigation both at River Head and elsewhere. This can only do good by raising the profile of what the waterway has to offer.

On the Beverley Beck the Beverley Barge Preservation Society (BBPS) has had another busy year. Unfortunately bad weather forced them to cancel the World Barge Pulling Championship but many more boat trips have taken place both downstream to Hull and upstream to the Driffield Canal. Short trips on Mermaid are also often available on Sundays on the Beck.

We have had another successful season of social meetings where attendance remains steady (but never enough?) Thanks must go to all our speakers/presenters for producing a wide range of topics for us to enjoy.

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I again thank our committee members for their work throughout the year but also sound a warning. Age and health is affecting the availability of volunteers to ‘man’ the stall at local events. Also some of our committee are considering how long to remain in their posts. I have said I will not continue after the 2020 AGM at the latest and if we have another candidate for chairman I will happily stand aside at 2019 AGM. In January we will be sending you a questionnaire so you can tell us what you want from your branch. If you have given your email address to IWA, it will come by this method and can be completed and returned online. For others, you will receive it in the post together with the link to the online document. If you can, fill it in online, otherwise return to me in the post.

Please do try to fill this in and return to me. We can only keep an active branch by getting your support and guidance about what you want. Please also consider joining our committee. There is a serious risk that without more support things may dramatically change.

To recap, fill in online if possible or return to me at 40 The Dales Cottingham HU16 5JS I can also be contacted at roger.bromley@waterways.org.uk You do not have to put your details on if you wish to remain anonymous and your answers will only be seen and used by the committee.

Finally may I trust you all had a Happy Christmas and I wish you good health for 2019.

Roger Bromley Branch Chairman 3

Fancy a ‘Waterways Weekend’?

Testing the water.

Why? Following on from our Branch Chairman’s article in this issue of Wolds Waters in which he expressed the concern, felt by all of the Branch committee, that there are many members who we have never met and are not aware of their particular waterway interests. Ours must be one of the most far-flung branches in IWA. We tried to overcome this with some meetings at Whitby but they were not as successful as we had hoped so how about a different event.

What could we do? Perhaps instead of an afternoon we could try something which included one of our social meetings with an overnight stay linked with some waterway-related visit(s).

A suggestion The social meeting on 17th May is a shanty evening with ‘The Spare Hands’. We could make this into the start of a weekend which could include something like a visit to Hull Marina and the Town Docks Museum (Maritime), A visit to Beverley Beck and Riverhead at Driffield or a visit to the recently rstored section of the Pocklington Canal with a trip on ‘New Horizons’. It might be possible to arrange one visit on Friday afternoon, a shared meal together and a second visit on Saturday morning before the journey home. Members or friends could arrange their own accommodation (there is a very good b&b in Cottingham not far from our meeting venue) or by a group booking (with a discount) at the local Innkeepers Lodge which is about 2 miles from Cottingham (sorry, I am still in imperial!). There is a

carvery attached with an area reserved for guests in the motel. It should be possible to arrange transport for those travelling by train.

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What next? I am willing to make arrangements at this end if there is sufficient interest shown so please if you are at all interested and would like to make your own suggestions please contact me by email bandrrobins@gmail.com or at 90 Carr Lane, Willerby, Hull HU10 6JU. If there is sufficient interest by the end of January I will contact all who respond.

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Some news from Beverley Beck Preservation Society The three boats have been busy with trips this year. Sun, with the new lift for wheelchairs, has been able to offer access to many people who would otherwise not have been able to board the boat.

This year’s Barge Pull had to be cancelled because a very adverse weather forecast caused concern about safety, for ‘pullers’, spectators and Syntan.

Syntan will be 70 years old in 2019 and a celebration is planned for April which it is hoped will involve Comrade, Amy Johnson and other visiting boats which should make quite a spectacle on the Beck.

And from the Driffield Navigation River Head which could be a tourist attraction with a few boats and others using the waterway has become silted up and urgently needs dredging. As always with dredging the nature of the silt and sites for disposal are timeconsuming and expensive. Negotiations are taking place with the Environment Agency and contractors.

Further down the navigation two weedcutters, provided by the Environment Agency, have been kept busy reducing weed growth and improving navigation.

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East Yorkshire Branch Annual Lunch

December 2nd saw Branch members get together in the charming village of Walkington for our annual Lunch. In previous years we have been looked after very well at the Trout Inn at Wansford, which was organised by David Hamilton, and we all enjoyed their excellent food and many thanks to David for all his efforts. This year, however, after 6

requests to try a different venue to cut down a little on travelling time, we decided to try the Dog & Duck in Walkington. I think it turned out to have been a good choice, especially having an exclusive room – The Hayride Room – where we could natter and chat to our hearts content without disturbing other customers. The room was ideal, although the size of the room does restrict the numbers who would be able to attend to around 24. In my view, the food was excellent with a reasonable choice, and the staff looked after us very well. All in all, I think most people were well pleased and the venue will certainly be on the short list when the time comes to organise next year’s get together!

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News from the Pocklington Canal The official opening of the two miles to Bielby took place on July 25 th.

This was very well attended by up to 200 people including VIP’s who were involved by cutting a ribbon, making speeches and providing many photo opportunities. The following weekend PCAS held a boat rally at Melbourne which had around 20 visiting boats to join the boats permanently in the basin. The weather was unsettled(!) but the weekend was thought to have been very successful and also raised funds towards further restoration. Attention now moves to Sandhill lock for which an appeal for £150,000 has been launched for lock restoration.

The weedcutting boat has been active throughout the season and despite a number of breakdowns, has helped in keeping back some of the weeds.

With the section from Melbourne to Beilby now open, the trip boat has a wider choice of routes and has run several trips on the reopened section.

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East Yorkshire Branch Social Meetings Starting at 8-00 pm at the Methodist Church Hall,Cottingham,HU16 4BD

***Please note that we have been asked to enter the Church Hall via the front doors from now on*** Friday January 18th

‘Lost Canals’ presented by Paul Waddington

Friday February 15th

‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong?’

Presented by Iain Campbell

Friday March 15th

AGM, buffet and a talk from our Region Chairman Peter Scott ‘Boating without a boat Licence’

Friday April 26th

‘Elvington Air Museum’ presented by Ian Richardson The fourth Friday because of Easter

Friday May 17th

An evening of sea shanties and boating songs By the well-known group ‘Spare Hands’

For further information contact Roger Bromley 01482 845099 roger.bromley@waterways.org.uk

Note: The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Association & should not be construed as such unless otherwise stated.

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