Winding Ways A Newsletter from the Leicester Branch
Issue 59 February 2011
Your Waterways need YOU!
The Big Freeze
You will have read elsewhere about the fundamental changes that British Waterways is facing as they move towards the ‘Third Sector’. It is probable that within the next fifteen months the structure of the organisation will more closely resemble The National Trust than the unwieldy under-funded mammoth that we have known for years. Indeed this reorganisation will arguably be the biggest that the waterways have faced since nationalisation in 1947.
The early onset of winter certainly caused havoc to the nations Christmas and New Year holiday plans, not least to those dedicated boaters who look forward to spending at least some of the holiday period on a boat, recharging exhausted batteries and soothing the frayed nerves often associated with the lead up to the festive season.
What to call the new set-up will be one of many far reaching questions. There is much to be said in favour of naming it “British Waterways” as that would save the huge amount of cash that it seems to cost these days to re-brand any entity. On the other hand there will be those who will be anxious to shed any negative connotations that may have been associated with that name over many decades. Your suggestions are invited.
be opportunities for those with experience in public relations, computing, heritage management and lock-keeping to name but a few of the many skills required.
Thousands of words have been, and will continue to be, written about the changes by many scribes who are better qualified than me, but there is one aspect of the matter that can potentially affect us all: volunteering.
Some of us are boat owners and I know that we often gripe about the ever increasing cost of boating. In our hearts we know that our licence charges make only a small contribution to the cost of keeping the waterways open, so don’t let that get in the way of contributing in other ways. We live in hard times: if we want to continue to enjoy the waterways we love then I feel we should be prepared to put something back into them.
No longer will we have to beg for permission for groups to occasionally collect litter from the towpath or perform similar tasks. Those who manage the waterways system, whatever their name, will rely, to a huge extent, on the likes of you and me to ensure the smooth running of ‘the track’ and to enhance the experience of those coming into contact with it. Yes of course there will still be a need for litter pickers and the like but there will also
BW have already appointed officers who are responsible for managing the work of volunteers and our ex-chairman Ian McDonald has agreed to act as our own Volunteer Co-ordinator. An invitation from him appears elsewhere in this issue, together with his contact details.
So how about a belated new year’s resolution? A few hours a month isn’t a great deal to ask. . . . . and as a bonus you will almost certainly enjoy the experience. Please let Ian have your name today! John Evans (Acting Chairman)
The deep and sudden freeze took many of us by surprise and for those who don’t have their boat nearby, it necessitated a quick mental check to reassure that everything had been left to cope with severe weather conditions, or an unplanned visit to put things right. For others, who live on board, the situation caused other far more pressing problems, particularly frozen water points, ever filling holding tanks and so on. We were OK, apart from the disappointment of not being able to spend New Year in the middle of nowhere as planned, We did spend a very pleasant evening with friends in the yard and Andrew had had a bit of fun breaking 3” thick ice, helping to move some boats around, and NB Upton is just fine BUT what about you? Did you cope all right? Any mishaps? Any advice to others in preparation for ‘next time’ Drop Andrew a line with any anecdotes you may have. Meanwhile, back at Birstall, the canal, and parts of the river (see below) were well and truly frozen over. If you look very closely you can see the paw marks of two very cheeky young foxes who were using the ice as a short cut from the tow path to the copse on the off side. (Sorry, no photo, I wasn’t quick enough). Debbie Shephard
IWA LEICESTERSHIRE BRANCH
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday 10 February 2011 Commencing 7.30 p.m. The Wheatsheaf Thurcaston
Your attendance is earnestly requested!! Birstall Lock – All Frozen Up
Photograph – Debbie Shephard
Melton & Oakham Waterway Society 2010 AGM The mood at the well attended AGM on Saturday 13 November was upbeat, with the Chairman reviewing the past year and outlining plans for the future. The speaker was none other than Leicester Branch acting Chairman, John Evans, who entertained the crowd with amusing anecdotes of his many years spent on the waterways. Although admitting he was unaccustomed to public speaking, the response at the end suggested he may have a new career path to follow!
River Clearance Vessel Although the official launch is not scheduled until Spring, the new river clearance vessel is already undergoing 'sea trials' in Melton. She was brought to Melton and launched with the help of The Loughborough Land Rover Club, whereupon her initial level appearance in the water suggested that our calculations were spot-on re overall weight, distribution and ballasting. The first river cruise revealed that a different prop may be needed to make the best use of the engine's capabilities. Whilst the boat was still in the workshop at Bardon, 6 people attended a training course and are now competent to operate the boat. Following the launch, the bucket and arm were put to good use deepening her home mooring. We look forward to our first full season using the new boat and are much indebted to Greg and his team at Truck Hydraulic Services for their hard work.
MOWS Merchandise Look out in 2011 for the launch of a range of MOWS branded leisurewear and a DVD Guide to the navigation.
Happy New Year from all at MOWS.
Droitwich Barge Lock In January 2008 the Branch was able to make a donation of £120 to the Droitwich Barge Lock Appeal, qualifying us as a Bronze Supporter. In September of that year after lots of effort, particularly by Waterway Recovery Group, the lock was opened. The Droitwich Barge canal, with its eight locks leading from the River Severn into Droitwich Spa at the Barge lock, was reopened last year, and it is hoped that the Junction Canal from the town to the Worcester & Birmingham Canal will be reopened later this year. This will then create a 22 mile cruising circuit.
SOCIAL EVENTS Social Programme – What we’ve been doing in recent months In November, John Pomfret gave a presentation on “Waterways of the North East.” We enjoyed a large number of photos of nearly all the rivers in the area in question, along with a lot of helpful advice for those who might be considering a boat trip to this part of the country. December saw us getting together for our Christmas celebration at The Wheatsheaf, our normal meeting venue, where we had a choice of a traditional Christmas meal, or various alternatives. Afterwards, we were able to mingle and chat with friends. A report on our January meeting is provided separately by Richard and Trish Smith. See ‘The Waimangu Story’ on page 3.
Social Programme – Forthcoming Events Our meeting on 10th February will be our Annual General Meeting. This will be followed by a presentation by Beryl McDowall entitled “A Year in the Life of the Leicestershire Branch of the IWA, 2010 – 2011”. This will also include contributions from other members of the Committee. Our meeting on 10th March will be an illustrated talk entitled “Wild Flowers of the Waterways”, given by Mary Matts, whom many will know from Foxton Boat Services.
Chairman’s Bit I make no apology if this issue appears to contain many cries for help and here are some more! You may be tired of hearing or reading my requests for ‘new blood’ on our committee but with another AGM approaching I am trying again! Maggie Young and Peter Dand were co-opted last year and are now standing for election. So my cries have not all been in vain. Their contribution to date has been greatly valued and it has been good to get a different perspective on our activities. But we are still below strength and more ‘fresh faces’ would be warmly welcomed. There are currently a number of very worthwhile waterway projects, both locally and nationally, that are worthy of financial support by our Branch . . . . . . but a lack of funds prevents that from happening. In the coming months your committee will be taking a fresh look at ways in which we can give our fund raising efforts a boost. If you have any ideas or, better still, if you feel able to co-ordinate these activities, do, please get in touch with a committee member. Our attendance at festivals and events presents an ideal opportunity to raise both funds and awareness of our cause but we can do neither affectively without your help. We will once again have our stand at the Loughborough Canal and Boat Festival (31st April/1st May) and the Leicester Riverside Festival (4th/5th June) and urgently need volunteers if we are to make the most of the opportunities presented. We also hope to run children’s WoW activities at both events so if you are good at communicating with youngsters we’d especially like to hear from you. If you are not familiar with the WoW scheme please take a look at www.wow4water.net I look forward to hearing from you. John Evans (Acting Chairman)
Beryl McDowall
Are You e-nabled? Yet another increase in postal rates has recently been announced and it is fast becoming prohibitively expensive to communicate with members by this means. Electronic communication has proved its worth and overall reliability and the majority of members are now connected to ‘the net’. With this in mind and considering the shortage of funds mentioned elsewhere, your committee have made the decision to use e-mail whenever possible and this will include the distribution of Winding Ways. We therefore request that, if you have an e-mail address and it is not already registered with IWA, you send it as soon as possible to Head Office (enquiries@waterways.org.uk) or to one of our Branch Officers.
It is appreciated that there are those who, for a variety of reasons, are unable or prefer not to use e-mail and we would reassure you that you will not be left ‘out in the cold’ but the economics are such that we must make savings wherever possible. We should also add that individual branches of the Association do not hold the personal details of its members; all information is kept on a central database and the requirements of the Data Protection Act are strictly adhered to. If we have your e-mail address this should be the last hard copy of Winding Ways that you receive but if, for any reason, you wish to continue to receive a paper copy please let us know. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. - J.E.
Volunteers Requested
Leicester Riverside Festival
IWA/WRG STAMP BANK
As you are aware it looks as if people are going to have to get stuck in and help BW with work on the waterways owing to the reduced funding levels. I have said I will act as Volunteering Co-ordinator for the Branch and I would be delighted to have names, phone numbers, email addresses (preferred) and snail mail addresses of those of us who are willing to give a hand within our area.
Once again the Branch is supporting Leicester City Council by arranging activities on and by the river at its Riverside Festival which this year will be held over the th th weekend of 4 & 5 June
The Stamp Bank aims to raise money for waterway restoration through finding a market for used stamps that people normally throw away. The trick is collecting together enough bulk. If you have enough of something, it can be worth a commercial organisation buying it.
Going on previous experience, BW are not always able to give much advance warning of when they could do with help so there could be short notice though they have already let us know that between 16th & 20th May and 12th to 16th September they want help removing Pennywort. BW normally work Monday to Friday and they are therefore more likely to want help on these days. We will also be subject to working in full compliance with BW’s Health & Safety requirements, but they will provide Personal Protection Equipment and training but volunteers will need to provide their own waterproofs and boots when appropriate. So fellow members, please get in touch with me to let me know if you are willing to help and please indicate if you can help during the week or only at weekends. It can be great fun and is remarkably rewarding to achieve something that goes towards improving our waterways. Ian McDonald 07950 003383 ianmcdonald@uwclub.net 68 Leicester Rd, Thurcaston Leicester LE7 7JG
“The Waimangu Story” At our January meeting, David Hastie took us on a conducted walk down the Waimangu (Translates as Black Water from Maori) Valley in New Zealand, North Island -near Rotorua. The valley is a rift valley, formed in 1886 during the eruption of Mt. Tarawera, and is ten miles long; it has since regenerated entirely without interference by man (an example to others). David’s slides showed that the scenery is amazingly lush, and enlivened by steam, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide gases escaping, together with hot and very acid pools and the consequent steam: wow ! After the break, the absence of ‘boat’ was remedied as we went on a trip with the only boat allowed on Lake Rotomahana, a fresh water lake formed from flooded craters again, stunning scenery. Beryl McDowall proposed a well-deserved vote of thanks, and then David continued informally to show various slides of New Zealand taken on visits to family. Richard & Trish Smith
The Festival will have an ‘environmental’ theme this year with the BBC ‘Springwatch’ exhibition on site and a variety of relevant activities taking place. It is anticipated that Riverside Housing, the event’s major sponsor, will once again make available valuable cash prizes for the winners of the Decorated Boat Competition which itself will have the theme ‘Wildlife’. Boat-owners now have plenty of time to get their thoughts and ideas together! Enclosed with this Newsletter you will find a boaters entry form for the festival and it is hoped that many boatingmembers will be able to plan their cruising around that date. If you do not own a boat please keep the date free (see our plea for assistance elsewhere) and it would be appreciated if you would hand the form to a non-member friend who may be able to use it.
Look for a Sign A major early success of the River Soar / Grand Union Partnership has been a successful and substantial ‘Green Infrastructure’ bid. The greater part of the available funds will be spent on improved river access and signage in the Watermead / Thurmaston area. We have previously made the point that we want to avoid a plethora of obtrusive and superfluous signs. Assurances have been given that many of the existing signs will be removed and in some areas we could end up with fewer but better signs. Many of these will be remote from the navigation giving directions to it. A major point of debate in this connection relates to whether or not the signs should be ‘branded’ i.e. of a similar style and with the same logo throughout or whether there should be a degree of variation. As one of the funding conditions states that it has to be spent this year and much design work has to be done opinions on the subject are being urgently sought. Your (Acting) Chairman comments. J.E.
awaits
your
Inglesham Lock Appeal Inglesham Lock is the first lock on the Thames & Severn Canal as it leaves from the head of navigation on the River Thames near Lechlade. The Branch has made a donation of £50 to the Inglesham Lock Appeal to help kick-start restoration of that canal at the opposite end from the work already taking place near Stroud. We will look forward with interest to progress
Used postage stamps are sold in different ways. Current UK issues are sold by the kilo to dealers when enough are collected together. Overseas and older stamps, which have greater value, are separated and sold to the trade or through philatelic organisations. The annual target for stamps is £1,000 and this has been consistently exceeded over the past few years. The Branch has supported this initiative for a number of years and aims to increase its contribution. Stamps can be given to any committee member or brought along to Branch meetings. Alternatively, the Treasurer, David Brewer (0116 230 3144) will arrange for them to be collected.
Boaters Raise Funds for Breast Cancer. The Friendship Cruising Club recently held a BBQ and Live Music evening to raise funds for the Breast Friends Cancer Charity. The event a great success and raised £705.
Cash for Members! As part of a major new membership campaign, IWA Head Office is offering a significant cash bonus to branch funds for every new member recruited by that branch. As our Chairman points out in his column, each branch has control of how its funds are spent and although there are restoration projects that we would like to support, shortage of funds prevent us from doing so. A supply of the latest Membership Application Leaflets is awaited and will be available at the AGM. If you are unable to attend the meeting or need a supply in the meantime you only have to ask. The Assistant Editor is offering a bottle of bubbly from his own cellar to the branch member who signs up the greatest number of new members between now and the 2012 AGM. To this end please make sure that your initials and branch identity are clearly marked on each form you distribute.
Loughborough Wharf Development
The London Boat Show
By Beryl McDowall Most of us are now accustomed to the sight of the student accommodation block and the Basin (Japanese) Restaurant and Bar alongside Loughborough Basin. A Planning Application has now been submitted for the remainder of the site. This includes a Travelodge, planned for 6 storeys high, and an attached commercial space (likely to be a retail/restaurant building), between the hotel and the waterfront visitor moorings. I was invited to a Consultation Event held on 30th November in The Basin Restaurant. The event was held on behalf of H2O Urban, a nationwide joint venture company between British Waterways and developer 'bloc'. I had the opportunity to look at architect’s impressions, and discuss the proposals with BW staff and the architects. I raised concerns about the height of the proposed Travelodge building, particularly the imposing nature of the structure, when seen from the water, and the likelihood that it could put the water space in shadow for a considerable amount of time.
I also enquired about parking for the Travelodge, and was told an arrangement would be made with two local car parks. Other points I raised at the event were: * The apparent lack of any additional soft landscaping, which would help to create a more inviting aspect to the area, particularly when approached by water or along Canal Bank. I was informed the existing landscaping was deemed to be sufficient.
Excel is massive and the London Boat Show was very slick, bright, and climate-controlled. There was a narrow boat of sorts, a widebeam replica Dutch barge, outside on brokerage, all shut up and unattended. There were shiny boats from floor to ceiling – some almost reaching the roof of the vast hall. As they say, “If you need to ask the price you can’t afford it” – so we didn’t ask.
* The IWA's desire to see interpretation on the site, reflecting the original use of Loughborough Wharf in the days of cargo transportation by water. When asked what I had in mind, I suggested well-designed information boards, with a mix of text and images of the past. This could enhance the experience of visitors to the site.
We spent most of our time at “The Outdoors Show” exhibits and at the water-sports pool, the kayaking demonstration and the stand-up paddling sprint races were great fun to watch. It was a good day out but would I go again? I don’t think so. I much prefer a river or canal-side field (muddy or not), a marquee and a pint of real ale rather than the carpet and champagne. Maggie Young
The Planning Application has now been submitted to Charnwood Borough Council, and the IWA Leicestershire Branch will be submitting a response on your behalf.
Carbon Monoxide, the Silent Killer A cautionary tale from Ian McDonald You must have seen adverts on TV and in magazines about this gas danger, and on boats we are very much at risk too, which is why our boats are required to have low and high level ventilation. On Lily Pad we installed a combined Smoke Detector/Carbon Monoxide alarm as we completed her fit out in Autumn 2003. Tests on this device gave piercing noises, followed by verbally “Warning, Carbon Monoxide”.
Fire Angel, the manufacturer, has a great help line, and they sent to us a reference alarm with digital read-out, which duly showed greatly fluctuating “gas” levels. A friend brought his alarm aboard, as he had never heard his sound, but it did on Lily! We were perplexed and puzzled.
Carol loves cooking. Unfortunately, this frequently triggers the smoke detector, (obviously, no reflection on Carol’s cooking intended here – Ed.) resulting in a piercing noise from the alarm. (Worryingly, nobody ever came to see if we were OK!) But never did the CO alarm sound, until this October, when all of a sudden it did. PANIC!! We were running our diesel powered stove, so maybe it was emitting fumes, though it had only been cleaned a couple of days earlier. It was turned off quickly, but a short while later the alarm went off again. But how could the boiler be getting fumes into the boat? It had to be a faulty alarm, but I only binned it after I had replaced the battery, after which it still sounded.
So, points to note:
I bought a new alarm from B&Q, and this went off too! I then started looking up CO detectors on the internet, & found they also react to other gases, and that they also need to be replaced after about 6 years, as there is an element within them that wears out.
We went to the IWA National at St. Ives and bought a boat, Crick Boat show a couple of years later because that is where we were moored at the time, but we had never been the London Boat Show. When offered some complimentary tickets this year I thought why not – I knew there was not a great deal at the show concerning narrow boats but my eldest Matthew was keen to go to see the Canoe/Kayaking bits.
At which point, we noticed our battery charger was working hard, and then that our batteries were “gassing” and there was a pretty awful pong on our back deck. I had recently fitted a porch over the semi-trad stern, and this was collecting the gas. New traction batteries fitted, problem solved, but very empty wallet!
CO detectors need replacing about every 6 years CO detectors certainly react to Hydrogen & Hydrogen Sulphide Ventilate your batteries overboard (we still need to do that). Final point, but more of a question. At what level should the CO detector be fitted? Looking on the net gives a choice of places, most recommending at height, but some at about knee level, which seemed to fit with our investigations, as the gas was entering through our rear doors & then down to the living level. Ours worked at skirting level, at waist level & at high level, so maybe it doesn’t matter too much where it is fitted, more that one is fitted! Lastly, Fire Angel were great, they quickly sent the reference detector, and also enclosed a reply paid envelope, all for a problem with a device we only paid around £25 for in B&Q. Ian McDonald
Leicestershire Branch Committee Branch Chairman (Acting): John Evans Highfields Farm, Woodhouse Road, Quorn, Loughborough, LE12 8AL Tel: 01509 416647 jandwevans@quornvillage.com Vice Chairman & Membership Secretary: David Stevenson Tel. 01530-458257 dj.stevenson7@ntlworld.com Secretary: Peter Dand (Co-opted member) Tel. 07860 210341 peterdand@fsmail.net Treasurer: David Brewer Tel. 0116-2303144 dandlbrewer@talktalk.net Social Secretary: Beryl McDowall Tel. 07710-029247 beryl@nbwasp.co.uk Planning Officer: Ian McDonald Tel. 07932 156539 ianmcdonald@uwclub.net MOWS & Restoration: Mick Clowes Tel. 01509-414140, M.S.Clowes@Lboro.ac.uk Archivist: Jim Evans Tel. 0116 273 9838 Co-opted Member: Maggie Young Tel. 0116 224 8755 maggie3751@hotmail.com Newsletter Editor (Non Committee): Andrew Shephard Tel. 0116 267 2630 andrewshephard@madasafish.com Website Editor: Richard Pearce r.pearce@tesco.net
Winding Ways Winding Ways is the newsletter of the Leicester Branch of the Inland Waterways. The next issue will be out in April 2011. All contributions are welcome. Please send to: Andrew Shephard, 41 Roman Road, Birstall, Leicester, LE4 4BB Or email to: andrewshephard@madasafish.com Opinions expressed in Winding Ways are not necessarily those of the Association, and the Editor reserves the right to edit or refuse to publish material submitted for inclusion.