East Yorkshire Branch
WOLDS WATERS The newsletter of the East Yorkshire Branch
September 2016
Waterways Wildlife
From our Branch Chairman I hope the boaters amongst you have been able to get out and about on the waterways this year. All too soon the summer seems to be drawing to a close and autumn starts arriving. We start with another season of social meetings on September 16th, details elsewhere in this newsletter. If you are able to get to Cottingham, do please come and support our speakers. It would be great to see some new faces. A lot of time and effort goes into finding presenters, and keeping the social meetings going is a way of offering something extra to our members. Some branches have stopped providing social events due to lack of support, please don’t let this happen to us. Talking of support, East Yorkshire Branch currently has a good size and hard working committee. Again, something not all branches can claim. However we are all getting older and we need to find committee members for the future. We meet only six times per year at a private house and our meetings normally last a couple of hours ending with refreshments and scones kindly baked by secretary Chris. Ideally we should have at least one or two more members prepared to take on the roles in the future. It will not take up much of your time and we get a lot of pleasure from being involved with the local waterway groups and helping them whenever we can. Please let me know if you would like to help. Drop me an email at roger.bromley@waterways.org.uk if you can offer to help or want some more information. Whilst appealing for help and support, let me ask you what you would like from your Branch? We may think we are doing the right things but are we? Feedback, good or bad, would be most welcome. Have you a story about your boating experiences or anything about the waterways in general. If so send your thoughts and comments to Barry Robins, editor of this magazine. Roger Bromley Branch Chairman. 2
Goole Folk Sail Weekend
The annual Folk Sail Festival was held at the Goole Waterways Museum over the weekend of July 30th-31st. The Festival attracted a record number of boats with the highlight being the traditional sailing barges “Comrade” and “Amy Howson”. The perfect weather encouraged many visitors, who appreciated the spectacle of the fleet of boats moored alongside the museum, and also the many other attractions, including folk singing, sea shanties performed in style by a colourful bunch of pirates, and even a model boating pool for children of all ages. As in previous years, our Gazebo was a prominent attraction - seen in the photo alongside the barge “Comrade” - and over the two days raised over £230 for branch funds. Howard Anguish
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Waterways Wildlife Cruising the Macclesfield Canal this summer I started to think of how the wildlife on and alongside our waterways has faredin the 40+ years I have been cruising. I can remember many hours spent sitting at the front of the boat with a camera, a tripod and a powerful lens waiting to spot a heron and photograph it. We spotted one, slowed the revs to reduce speed and sound and I had just got the heron in my viewfinder when it opened its wings and flew 200 metres up the canal. This carried on three or more times before it reached the end of its territory and flew inland to descend on the canal bank where we had first spotted it! How things have changed. The heron on the cover and below was photographed under 3 metres from our boat and just ignored us. Are herons becoming more prolific and more accustomed to we humans?
Sadly, seeing a kingfisher has become even less common than it was in the 1980s. I made many efforts to photograph one of these but never got beyond a tiny dot perched on the front rail of a cabin cruiser moored at Huddlesford Junction. 4
The Canada Goose is a bird I do not remember seeing in the 1970s but it made its presence known in many ways while we were cruising this summer and there seemed to be far fewer ducks and swans than in the past. Is there a link?
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As I write this article it has been announced that water voles are to be released at Malham Tarn in the Yorkshire Dale National Park in the hope that they will get a toe-hold and regain some of the territory lost to wild mink. It used to be such a joy when cruising or moored up to see these little creatures swimming amongst the vegetation at the side of the canal .
I remember many years ago one of our social meetings at which we had a talk on water voles, the threat which mink were and attempts to try to save them. I could go on, but instead you could attend the social meeting at Cottingham on 18th November which will cover this topic and become more aware of the changes which are taking place in waterways wildlife. Footnote For over 20 years much of my cruising was done with groups of secondary school pupils from Hull. There was plenty of wildlife then – of a different sort. Barry Robins
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News from the Driffield Navigation It has been a busy few months with plenty of activity amongst the Trustees and volunteers. The successful fund-raising Gala held at North Frodingham in early May brought plenty of visitors and a healthy contribution to the finances. The fine weather obviously helped and the “Navigator” was fully booked for the weekend. With the renewed spirit of cooperation between the various volunteer groups, the Driffield Canal Partnership arranged a tour of the Navigation bringing together representatives of ERYC, Driffield Town Council, IWA, DNAA and DNT. The tour culminated with a short trip along the waterway on board the “Navigator”. The main activity is now to bring the upper section of the Canal from Driffield down to Wansford into use, with the aim of creating a heritage centre based at Riverhead. The Trust has recently purchased a lifeboat, previously used on the North Sea Oil rigs, and converted for use as a work boat and trip boat. This 8.5m makes an ideal craft for clearing overhanging branches and is a stable work platform. It is currently being refitted by the volunteers to remove rough edges from the hull and fit internal decking where required .
THE BOAT arriving at Riverhead ready to be lifted into the canal. 7
THE BOAT moored at Town Lock showing work in progress. You can see the rough edges where the GRP cabin roof has been removed, these are being covered with a hardwood coaming. Next year being the 250th Anniversary of the 1767 Act of Parliament we are planning a Gala event at Riverhead. Much work needs to be done, not least of which being significant dredging and weed removal in order to accommodate visiting boats and allow passage down to Wansford and back. At present the accommodation bridge at Whin Hill is an obstruction which will need to be remedied in the near future.
So, plenty to do!
David Hamilton Chairman DNT
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Pocklington Canal News PCAS restoration project Progress on the project to extend the navigable length of the canal to Bielby has not been as fast as was hoped. The original plan was to use sheet piles to isolate Thornton Lock and this would have required the use of very heavy plant. The difficulties of gaining access to Thornton Lock for such large and heavy equipment meant that a different approach was needed. Instead of using sheet piling, the decision has been made to use stone to create embankments at either end of the lock. These will incorporate a plastic membrane to make them watertight. Although the change of plan has caused some delay, the revised method is likely to be cheaper than the original plan. It is expected that the time lost can be made up, as there is a fair bit of slack in the programme. The installation of the dams will be carried out by Hagrapat, a local contractor, and four loads of stone have been delivered to the site. Once the dams have been installed, the lock can be drained, allowing the condition to be assessed and measurements taken for new gates. These will be made at the Canal & River Trust’s workshops at Stanley Ferry. The project is being funded by the PCAS Bicentenary Appeal for £250,000. Half this amount had been raised by July 2016. A Waterways Recovery Group work camp had been planned for August with a brick laying team to carry out the repairs to the fabric of Thornton Lock. Unfortunately, WRG were not able to find a camp leader with the correct skills, so the work camp will not take place. Help for Heroes Help for Heroes is a charity that supports injured and sick servicemen and women. Funding has been received from the People’s Postcode Lottery to carry out four projects on Canal & River Trust waterways. The aim is for them to acquire the skills that will equip them for future 9
employment in civilian life. Discussions are currently taking place with Help for Heroes with a view to them undertaking the work that we had expected WRG to do. We are also looking at a range of other works on the towpath and at locks that are suitable for them to undertake. A date early in September has been fixed for the start of this work. Canal & River Trust’s Lottery-funded project CRT has been granted nearly £500,000 for the second stage of a project to protect habitats and heritage on the Pocklington Canal. Much of the work will focus on improving the canal between Canal Head and Melbourne. The Site of Special Scientific Interest has deteriorated because the channel had become overgrown with vegetation and excessive shading by trees. Work will be carried out on two of the bridges and offer opportunities for volunteer training. An important part of the project is to help visitors to the canal appreciate the historic and natural heritage of the canal with the help of new interpretation signs, printed and online information and a variety of community events. Lizzie Dealey has been appointed as Project Officer to coordinate the three . Piles of stone at Thornton Lock ready for work to begin
Alistair Anderson 10
The Pocklington Canal Amenity Society offer trips on ‘New Horizons’ on Sundays until the end of October from the Melbourne Arm.
And for those who like to walk but appreciate a guide the River Foss Society offer guided walks, some of which are listed below. Thurs 1 Sep Strensall E Tues 6 Sep Allerthorpe D D = Day walk E = Evening walk Details of these and more walks are available on www.riverfosssociety.co.uk or contact Peter Hopwood on 01904 768071, chrisandpete@haxby147.fsnet.co.uk -0-0-0-0-0-0-
Do read the back page There are many reasons for people to be members of IWA. For the majority it is probably boating but other interests include history, the social influence of waterways, canal architecture, nature, a place of peace. Well, look on the back page and see how so many of these interests are covered by our current social programme. It is also good to meet with like-minded people. Do join us. 11
PROGRAMME September 2016 to April 2017 Venue (unless stated otherwise) Cottingham Methodist Church Hall, Hallgate, Cottingham HU16 4BD 8.00-10.00 pm. Use entrance down side of church. 16th Sept
Ferries across the Humber - Kirk Martin
21st Oct
Braunston – canal age transport hub by John Pomfret
18th Nov
Waterways Wildlife - Phillipa Shipp
4th Dec
Annual Christmas lunch at Wansford Arms
2017 20th Jan
Tunnels – Paul Waddington
17th Feb
A presentation by Iain Campbell
17th Mar
AGM and ‘The life of Sir Peter Scott’ by Peter Scott
21st Apr
North East Waterways by John Pomfret
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. bandrrobins@gmail.com Note: The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of the Association and should not be construed as such unless so stated. 12