Wolds Waters, E. Yorks, September 2018

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

September 2018

Lord Halifax re-opens the restored section of the Pocklington Canal

waterways.org.uk/east_yorkshire

Chairman’s Report By the time you read this the summer will be coming to the end and most events will be in the past.

The branch stand has been out five days this year with the World Barge Pulling Contest still to happen at Beverley on September 23rd. This is a fun filled day with lots happening.

We also approach the start of our new season of social meetings with the first one on Friday September 21st. Over the last year attendances have been quite encouraging so please do try to support these meetings and perhaps bring a friend or two as well. Your branch, through its committee, tries hard to offer opportunities to our members to get something back for being a supporter/member of the IWA. There is a change of venue for our annual Christmas Lunch this year. After a few years of excellent meals at the Trout at Wansford this year we will have the advantage of a private room at the Dog & Duck at Walkington. As it is a private room spaces are a little more limited but we hope it will be easier to converse with fellow members in our own room. Secretary Chris will be taking bookings as normal.

Membership of the IWA is unfortunately not currently increasing although in our branch area we are just about maintaining numbers. Members can now join from just ÂŁ3 per month. If you compare this with many other large organisations, it is very reasonable. More members are always welcome and membership forms are at all our meetings.

I look forward to seeing many of you at our meetings and events.

Roger Bromley Branch Chairman 2

Pocklington Canal Bicentenary The official reopening opening of the two miles of canal between Melbourne and Bielby was held on Wednesday 25th July, making use of the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society’s trip boat New Horizons to carry guests to Thornton Lock, where the Canal & River Trust had laid on a buffet. Mary Harrison, widow of the late Tony Harrison, unveiled a memorial plaque mounted on one of the balance beams. Tony had made a bequest to the Inland Waterways Association, from which PCAS had received a generous donation towards their restoration project. The event was attended by Neil Edwards, Chief Executive of IWA and a patron of PCAS.

Ascending Thornton Lock after re-opening

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Speeches were made by Adelle Rowe (Area Manager for Natural England), David Renwick (Head of the National Lottery, Yorkshire & Humber), Lord Halifax (Patron of PCAS) and Richard Parry (CEO of the Canal & River Trust), who navigated the boat through a blue ribbon stretched across the canal at the top of the lock. Immediately following the reopening, a couple of PCAS members’ boats headed up the canal to Bielby with some of the earliest members of PCAS on board. The event was well attended and many photos were taken by the press and those attending. The opportunity was taken to publicise the recent Green Flag Award for the canal, recognising partnership work to maintain and enhance the heritage and wildlife interest of the canal.

Mary Harrison unveiling memorial plaque

The event was also attended by familiar faces from the Canal & River Trust, and Lizzie Dealey, their Project Officer for the current lottery-funded project, coordinated the event.

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The canal had last been used commercially in 1932 and soon became impassable after that because of the poor state of the locks and swingbridges. The main tasks in the restoration project were the restoration of Thornton and Walbut Locks, reinstatement of No.8 Swingbridge and dredging of the canal. Most of the work was funded by a successful appeal for ÂŁ250,000 by PCAS. The Canal & River Trust funded the dredging work from their current grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The purpose was to improve the weed-choked canal as a habitat for wildlife, since it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, but the dredging has also made it possible for boats to navigate the canal. It was not possible to install landing stages at the locks and swingbridge in time for the event but these should be in place by the end of this year.

PCAS hoped to have this length of canal reopened years ago, but did meet some opposition from the authorities. Suffice to say that everyone is now pulling in the same direction and funds are now being raised to restore Sandhill Lock, which is in a derelict state. Some work will also be needed at Coates Lock, which has been restored but there is a problem with one of the cills. The full reopening of the canal is now a realistic possibility and the ongoing task is to raise the money needed to restore the three derelict locks.

Unlike other canal restoration schemes there are no physical obstacles to restoration.

PCAS held a boat rally during the last weekend of July and the Melbourne Arm was crammed with visiting boats in addition to those that moor there normally.

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Boats at the PCAS celebration boat rally

The attractions included a barn dance, morris dancing by Ebor Morris, handspike dancing by visiting boaters from South Pennine Boat Club in Mirfield and a performance by the Driffield Silver Brass Band. There were a variety of stalls including the IWA East Yorkshire Branch and a large barbeque. The PCAS trip boat New Horizons ran short trips on the Saturday and Sunday, and the Canal & River Trust held a variety of activities over the weekend. A great deal of effort was put in by PCAS members and all profits will go to support the restoration of Sandhill Lock.

All visiting boaters who wanted to take their boats on the newly reopened canal to Bielby were able to do so, and it is now 200 years since the canal was completed in 1818.

Alistair Anderson

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THE GREAT CLEAN UP ON THE DRIFFIELD CANAL Waste and litter have become very topical issues in recent years. We are all familiar with Council refuse vehicles on the streets; some collecting rubbish for landfill sites and others various forms of green waste for recycling. If you are very lucky you can spot conscientious locals collecting rubbish in parks and increasingly on our beaches. But I have never before been involved in a litter “tidy up� on a waterway.Well this gap in my experience was ticked off on a recent Sunday when I joined some 25 members of local kayaking and canoeing club, drawn from across East Yorkshire and Scarborough, on the Driffield Canal. We met at Riverhead in Driffield and took a leisurely paddle down to Wansford Lock. The tidy up had been organised by Ken Oliver who had succeeded in bringing together paddlers of all ages. From as young as 6 to AOPs like myself. There was a great variety of boats, all types of kayaks, open canoes and SUPs (stand up paddle boats), which presented a very colourful flotilla making its way down the canal.

At first, as I paddled along the canal in mid stream, the water seemed pretty free of waste materials and debris, and I thought this was going to turn out to be as nice leisurely trip on the waterway. But as we moved down the canal everything changed. All manner of waste materials had gathered in the weeds, water plants and 7

quieter flows of the canal where the wind had blown it. Plastic and glass bottles of all types, fast food containers, balls of all sizes and colours, bits of wood and much that was unidentifiable. Of course there were the inevitable tyre and supermarket trolley decked out in green slime like something from a backdrop in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’.

It did not really become apparent just how much waste we had managed to collect until we returned to The Riverhead and started unloading and piling up our ‘harvest’. The pictures give some idea of the quantity collected; so much so that we had to use one of the kayaks (mine !!!) to transport a lot of it back to base. We managed a great team photo when all the work was finished, triumphant with all our spoils of waste and refuse.

Every person had given up their Sunday to work so hard and indeed to make a real difference to this unique and beautiful waterway and wildlife environment.

Sadly it is a relentless, ongoing task to keep it so.

Thanks to all who joined us and especially Ken our organiser.

Acknowledgement also to Ken for some quotes in this write-up.

Martin Hunt, Scarborough Kayak Club.

A report f rom M arti n

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Branch Summer Outings

Waterstart taking on water at Bramwith

Following the success of our trip last year from Knottingly to Selby, we decided to offer two trips this year, one from Thorne to Doncaster on June 15th, and one from Thorne to Goole a week later. Like last year, both trips were on “Waterstart”, a purpose built wide beam trip boat run by the Waterways Museum at Goole as part of their “Canal Roots “ series of trips, exploring our local waterways.

Both trips followed the same pattern, with a 10 am rendezvous at the Waterways Museum in Goole before being transported to the boat by the museum’s minibus. We were well looked after throughout the day by our very capable, and knowledgeable crew who did their best to allow us to enjoy the adventure.

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Happy Passengers make a happy ship!

Thorne to Doncaster Waterstart was waiting for us on the visitors mooring, just below Thorne Lock and as soon as the 9 passengers boarded we were underway and into the nearby lock. Once safely through we passed the old established Stanisland Marina and boat yard, full of craft of all shapes and sizes, with the dry docks and slipways still active and in great demand by local boater owners.

Just past Thorne Cruising Club and its attractive basin we came across the New Inn at Stainforth, but unfortunately it was too little early to stop and quench our thirsts, so after stopping above Bramwith Swing Bridge to top up with water we entered Bramwith lock with some of our passengers assisting the crew to operate the gates.

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Barmby Dun Lift Bridge

At the junction of the canal we turned left to enter the New Junction Canal, a much wider navigation, and in many aspects it feels more like a river. Onwards past the imposing structure of Barmby Dun lift bridge and through Long Sandall lock before the moored boats at Strawberry Island Boat club heralded our arrival at Doncaster.

Our minibus was waiting for us at the mooring and we returned to Goole Waterways Museum, where we went our separate ways after an enjoyable and interesting cruise.

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Thorne to Goole Our second trip on Waterstart started at Thorne and this time took us to Goole.

It turned out to be another glorious day weather-wise and this time we had 11 passengers, some of whom had been on the previous week.

The first part of the journey was identical to the first trip but this time at the New Junction, we turned right instead of left. The scenery was excellent, aqueducts, bridges, and locks kept us all interested along the route. A few other boats were on the move, one trying to enter a lock chamber we had not yet left!

Several passengers had a go on the tiller but on the last part of the journey on the Aire & Calder we were happy to leave it to the crew to see us safely back at Goole. An excellent 180 degree manoeuvre into a space only slightly longer than Waterstart brought us moored outside the Waterways Museum, to find our cars and make our way home after a great day out.

Many thanks to Roger for organising both trips which were appreciated by the members on board, who certainly enjoyed the opportunity to get out on the water in good company, and making the most of the good weather which, as it turned out, was just a taster of the glorious summer we have enjoyed so far this year.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0Is this the furthest north?

On a recent journey on the Strathspey Railway from Broomhill to Aviemore the paused at the aptly named ? Boat of Garten station where I spotted a narrowboat (on dry standing). With Loch Ness not suitable and the Scottish canals not fully navigable the boat would have a long journey to Lancaster or Ripon to take to the water. Has a narrowboat been spotted further north?

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Christmas Lunch – a date for your diary

Dog & Duck

This year’s Christmas Lunch will be in the Hayride Room at the Dog and Duck in the village of Walkington. The date will be Sunday 2nd of December at 12:30 for 1:00. More details, including menus and prices, should be available at the October social meeting but if you would like to join us please put a marker in your diary, and please note that our booking has been made for around 20 people so don’t forget to book to guarantee a place!

Chris (Tel 875894 ) will be able to give details and take bookings from mid-October.

-0-0-0-0-0-0PCAS volunteers with the Green Flag Award

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Flying the Flag As well as the PCAS boat rally our branch stall attended the annual Folk Sail weekend at Goole.

This time the weather was glorious and with the resident and visiting vessels it was a lovely setting. Our stand looked very smart with new banners and flags showing off the new IWA logo. We hope we spread the word about the good works done by the IWA but the visitors at times were few and far between.

We are grateful to the members who attend the various boating activities with the gazebo publicising and raising funds for our Branch.

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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 21st September

The Yorkshire Coast Fishing Industry Alan Hopper

Friday October 19th

My Life on the Pocklington Canal Malcolm Slater

Malcolm will draw from his extensive collection of photographs to portray the journey of restoring another two locks and two miles of the Pocklington Canal.

Friday November 16th

Adventures on the Manchester Ship Canal Tony Porter

"The shortest route is sometimes the most interesting. 'Holderness' traveled from Liverpool to Manchester via the Liverpool Docks, the River Mersey and the full length of the Ship Canal to save going back the same way as they had come! Not an easy thing to organise, but one of those trips that just had to be done. Tony will relate the trials and tribulations and the excitement of the trip with pictures to prove it."

Sunday December 2nd

12.30pm for 1.00pm Lunch at the Dog & Duck Walkington. See notice on page 13.

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2019 Friday January 18th

Lost Canals

Friday February 15th

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Paul Waddington

Iain Campbell

Friday March 15th

AGM, buffet and a talk from our Region Chairman

Peter Scott

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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