navvies 257

Issue No 257February-March

2013

Issue No 257February-March

2013

waterwayrecoverygroup

waterwayrecoverygroup

navviesnavviesvolunteers restoring waterwaysvolunteers restoring waterways

Spotlight on theUttoxeterCanal

Spotlight on theUttoxeterCanal

Visit our web site www.wrg.org.uk for

NavviesProductionEditor: Martin Ludgate, 35 Silvester Road,East Dulwich London SE22 9PB020-8693 3266 [email protected]

Subscriptions: Sue Watts, 15 Eleanor Rd.,Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester M21 9FZ

Printing and assembly: John & TessHawkins, 4 Links Way, Croxley Green,Rickmansworth, Herts WD3 3RQ01923 448559 [email protected]

Navvies is published by Waterway RecoveryGroup, Island House, Moor Rd., CheshamHP5 1WA and is available to all interested inpromoting the restoration and conservationof inland waterways by voluntary effort inGreat Britain. Articles may be reproduced inallied magazines provided that the source isacknowledged. WRG may not agree withopinions expressed in this magazine, butencourages publication as a matter of inter-est. Nothing printed may be construed aspolicy or an official announcement unless sostated - otherwise WRG and IWA accept noliability for any matter in this magazine.

Waterway Recovery Group is part of TheInland Waterways Association, (registeredoffice: Island House, Moor Road, CheshamHP5 1WA). The Inland Waterways Associa-tion is a non-profit distributing companylimited by guarantee, registered in Englandno 612245, and registered as a charity no212342. VAT registration no 342 0715 89.

Directors of WRG: Rick Barnes, JohnBaylis, Mick Beattie, James Butler, SpencerCollins, Christopher Davey, George Eycott,Helen Gardner, John Hawkins, Judith Palmer,Michael Palmer, Jonathan Smith, Harry Watts.

ISSN: 0953-6655

© 2013 WRG

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all the latest news of WRG's activities

Chairman MKP on CRT and ‘comfy camps’ 4Coming soon Easter camps, Cleanup 5-6Uttoxeter Feature eight pages on an up-and-coming Staffs restoration including WRGForestery and New Year camp reports 7-14Food safety and hygiene 1540 interviews FT’s Clive Alderman andEssex’s John Gale face the questions 16-23Diary canal camps and weekend digs 24-26Letters more on this ‘working together’thing - and why are we doing people’sgardening for them? 27-33Progress projects around the country34-35Invasive plants advice on how to deal withforeign flora on your worksite 36-37Directory WRG and canal societies 38-41Camp report Cotswold New Year 42-44Boat Club news from WRG BC 45Noticeboard 46Infill with Dear Deirdre 47

Contributions...

...are always welcome, whether handwritten,typed, on CD, DVD or by email.

Photos welcome: digital, slides,prints. Please say if you want prints back.Digital pics are welcome as email attach-ments, preferably JPG, but if you have a lotof large files it’s best to send them on CD orDVD or to contact the editor first.

Contributions by post to the editorMartin Ludgate, 35, Silvester Road,London SE22 9PB, or by email [email protected].

Press date for issue 258: 1 March.

Subscriptions

A year's subscription (6 issues) is availablefor a minimum of £3.00 to Sue Watts, 15Eleanor Road, Chorlton-cum-Hardy,Manchester M21 9FZ. Cheques payable to"Waterway Recovery Group" please.

This is a minimum subscription, thateveryone can afford. Please add a donation.

ContentsIn this issue...

Above: London WRG and KESCRG try to avoid goingoff the rails on their Christmas Party dig on theUttoxeter Canal (see our 8-page Uttoxeter Canalfeature on pages 7-14) Left: one of the larger itemspulled out of the BCN during last year’s Cleanup. See‘Coming soon’ on p5-6 for details and a booking formfor this year’s Cleanup on the Stourbridge Canal.Below: ‘Beware of the flowers, because I’m surethey’re gonna get you’ - see our piece on invasiveplants on p36-37. Front cover: clearance at Bridge70, Uttoxeter Canal, on the New Year camp (photo byMartin Ludgate). Back cover, top: Lock 11 on theBasingstoke is renamed Redway Lock by Surrey &Hants Canal Society in memory of our old friend PeteRedway (SHCS) bottom: the amazing Meccanobridge built at Nob End by a team led by ManchesterBolton & Bury Canal Society volunteers (MBBCS)

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ChairmanWelcome to 2013 – I guess that the most

important expectation from any Chairman commentin each Navvies is that the question “what are wedoing this year?” will be answered. And that is usuallythe intention, though it often succumbs to the tempta-tion to drivel on about higher concepts, big picturesregarding the whole network and suchlike. Ofcourse, one of the great things about Navvies is thatit manages to deal with both, but this time I’ll aim forthe nitty-gritty and not the blue sky stuff.

There has been some discussion, continued inthis edition, regarding just what the ‘new’ CRT isdoing. Much has been guesswork based on wordsfrom either the old BW or the transitional organisation.Neither of those is really very satisfactory for getting areal answer out of them. BUT it’s been a while now:Trustees are in place; policies have been worked out;staff and departments have been re-arranged; businessplans have been approved. So now should be the timefor CRT to provide a clear vision on what volunteersmean to them. So I have asked them, and CarolineKilleavy has agreed to write an article for the nextNavvies giving just that. Not vague hopeful wordswith disclaimers but a real insight into what the CRTcommunity engagement business plan says; what aretheir actual priorities and how do they think it will affectanyone who currently volunteers on waterways?

Still on CRT (and nearly making it to practicaldetails) is that I have to declare a conflict of interest. Asa member of CRT Council (the volunteering rep) I havehad to sign official documents from DEFRA saying (toparaphrase) that if it all goes belly up then I have to payfor it. Now admittedly the amount is limited to £10 so Ileave you to decide just how much I will be influ-enced by this but I thought you should know!

You may have noted above that I put newCRT in inverted commas as quite a few people seemrather sceptical about it really being new at all. So farI have seen lots of change but recently I encountereda contretemps that reminded me of a very old schoolBW. It involved poor communication, wild accusa-tions, stubborn egos, pissed off volunteers, all theusual stuff. And to be frank, from my distant view-point it looked like a typical skirmish, both sidesarguing over something that really didn’t deserve itand could be sorted out with a few clever words at afew well-run meetings, etc.

But what was most worrying was that, whenescalated to senior levels in our ‘new CRT’, it wasjust the same old regime. Lots of “don’t tell us howto run our waterway”, “we have to make responsibledecisions” and even the hint that this “was a health &

safety matter”. Absolutely no recognition that it was aPR own goal and running entirely at odds with boththeir new approaches of “you tell us how to run thewaterway” and “we really want our volunteers to beproperly integrated”.

Anyway I’ve deliberately avoided namingnames or even waterways as I hope that it will besorted out soon by someone who realises it’s justsouring the national situation. Best of all it looks likethe ‘few clever words at a few well-run meetings’ willactually come from the IWA so who knows, theremay be life in the old dog yet! Actually that is ofcourse rather unfair of me. Here in Navvies weshould definitely applaud the recent increase in IWAworking parties all over the network. Alison Smedleyis doing great work in getting people actually on thetowpath repairing things and I can’t recommend toohighly checking the IWA website, picking up thephone, dusting off your boots and getting involved.

Aha: it’s finally happened – I have actually gotto talking about definite details, wellies on the ground,real work, etc. So what are we doing this year? Wellmuch more of the same really. While there seems tobe so much interest in what we might considerperipheral activities it seems only sensible to concen-trate on making a real success of the core stuff we doso well. So we have a great set of Canal Camps, ourtraining events look good: we already have a decentagenda for our Leader Training day and the Trainingweekend is going to include some very big bendytoys. The Regional groups are also doing well andhave got some great work on great sites lined up.

One area we are interested in putting a bit ofeffort into are the twin areas of ‘Family Camps’ –where you can bring children and the activities mightbe arranged to suit both the kids and the adults, and‘Comfy Camps’ - where the work is much like anormal camp but you get a decent bed at the end ofthe day. Both of these ideas are possible but it reallydoes depend on whether they will attract enoughvolunteers. So before we put too much effort intoorganising either of these we really do need to knowwhether you are interested in either. Please email meor Jenny at Head Office if you are and we will see ifit can be progressed further. No obligation yet, wejust want to know the levels of interest.

And back to things that are definitely happen-ing we have picked dates for our Logistics weekendswhen we try and clean, repair, rebuild the CanalCamps kits. This year we will be working on the kitsin May11/12 and June 1/2nd. More details to followin the next Navvies but if you are handy with a paintbrush then we’d love to hear from you.

One other change for 2013 - I look forward tomeeting you all on a site somewhere this year.

Hugs and KissesMike Palmer

Easter Camps

Our apologies for a slight mix-up about the dates of the Easter canal camps in the ‘ComingSoon’ pages last time. There are, as we said, three Easter camps this year. Camp 201303 ison the Lichfield Canal, running from Friday 29 March to Saturday 6 April. We’ll be woringin Darnford Park on the edge of Lichfield city, where a new length of canal including a set ofstaircase locks is being created as a way of getting the restored waterway across the A51and A38 main roads. The work for the camp will include creating the base for the locks andthe channel leading up to them, so there will be block-laying, machine operation and scrub-clearance, with leaders Martin Thompson and Bob Crow in charge.

Camps 201302 and 201304 are both on the northern reaches of the Lancaster Canal,from 29 March to 6 April and from 6 to 13 April. Paul Shaw and Sarah Ashman are yourleaders for the first week, and we’ll be carrying on the work at Stainton, where a 225-metredry section of canal is being cleared, re-profiled and lined ready to re-water it and connect itup to the existing length that the Canal Trust’s trip-boat is already operating on. You’ll get towork on stonework, vegetation clearance, and earth moving with diggers and dumpers.

Book for these camps via Head Office on 01494 783453 or [email protected].

BCN-ish Cleanup 13-14 April 2013

So why’s it a ‘BCN-ish’ cleanup, not a BCN Cleanup? Well, our annual weekend of throwinggrappling hooks into the Birmingham Canal Navigations, pulling out bikes, prams, and what-ever other junk we can retrieve is... well... it’s actually not happening on the BirminghamCanal Navigations this year!

But fear not, it’s still happening - it’s just that it’s a couple of miles away on theStourbridge Canal, which technically wasn’t actually part of the BCN system, although it’s avital route for boats heading on or off the BCN. We’ve got two lengths to clear: one is asection of the Stourbridge Main Line above the 16 Locks, and an important part of thethrough route; the other is a little-known and seldom-navigated dead end, the Fens Branchwhich leads to a nature reserve and a useful mooring - or it would, if it wasn’t so full ofrubbish - and that’s where we come in!

The Cleanup is a joint effort between WRG, the local IWA branches, the BCN Societyand other local canal groups, and the Canal & River Trust (ex BW) which will be supplyingwork boats, skips to empty them into, and grappling hooks and gloves for volunteers. Andafter a slight mixup last year when BW inadvertently cleared some of the worst bits beforewe arrived, we’re promised some top quality rubbish to pull out this time! In past years we’vefound a coffin, a toilet, a sword, a vacuum cleaner, a kitchen sink, a set of goal posts, sixteenshopping trolleys all still locked together, and a bike that was good enough for the editor toride home on. What will we find this time?

We’ve arranged overnight accommodation and catering in the historic canalside BlowersGreen Pump House owned by the Dudley Canals Trust. Its address is Blowers GreenPumphouse, Peartree Lane, Dudley, DY2 0XP. Full joining instructions will be sent out toanyone who books on for overnight accommodation (booking form overleaf), and lifts canbe arranged from the nearest station at Cradley Heath (on the Birmingham to Stourbridgeline). Alternatively those who just want to come for the day are welcome to turn up at thesigning in point which is expected to be near the top of the Stourbridge 16 locks.

For more details see wrg.org.ug or contact WRG leader Aileen Butler 07703 567764.In the meantime feel free to fill in the form overleaf and send it in!

Coming soonCleanup, training, camps

Book now for Easter camps,

Training weekend, and the

not-quite-the-BCN Cleanup

on the Stourbridge Canal and

the Fens Branch.

waterway recovery group in association with BCNS, CRT and IWA

I would like to attend the 2013 Canal Cleanup on April 13-14 on the Stourbridge Canal

Forename: Surname:

Address:

email:

Phone: Any special dietary requirements?

I require accommodation Friday night / Saturday night / both nights

I enclose payment of £ (pay 'WRG') for food (£13 for whole weekend)

Do you suffer from any allergy or illness, such as epilepsy or diabetes, about which we shouldknow, or are you receiving treatment or under medical supervision for any condition? YES / NO(If yes, please attach details)

In the unlikely event that you should be injured, who should we contact?

Name: Phone:

Signed:

Please send this form to:National Cleanup bookings, WRG, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA

Leader training day 18 May

It’s open to experienced leaders, assistants, MUPs, cooks, anyone who wants to find aboutmore about leading, and also local canal society working party organisers - so everyone,really! The Leader Training Day is the main way we get information to our leaders so it’suseful that if you’re thinking about leading a camp this year you can manage to attend. Wetry really hard to vary the content year on year and make it interesting. Training also goesthe other way and there tends to be a lot of feedback and discussion from the leadersthemselves on how we can all do things better. Contact Jenny at Head Office on 01494783453 or [email protected] with your name and any dietary requirements etcif you want to attend.

WRG Training Weekend 22-23 June

The summer Canal Camps programme might sound a long way off, but it’s time to startthinking about what training you might need to help you get the best out of the summercamps. Every year we run a training weekend just before the start of the first camp, bywhich time we’ll have got a good idea of what the work will be, and therefore what skillswe’re going to need this year. But in the meantime if you know what you’d like to learn, be itmachinery operation (such dumpers or excavators); construction skills (for examplebricklaying) or any of the other many subjects from First Aid to cooking that we’ve coveredover the years, then the sooner you get in touch and tell us what you want to learn, themore likely it is that we’ll have time to set up suitable training for you.

Contact Ali Bottomley on [email protected] and tell her what you want to learn!

Coming next: Summer Canal Camps preview

Our main summer camps programme gets under way on 29 June with another week on theLichfield led by Mark ‘MK2’ Richardson and Becky Parr. We’ll have details of that and all theother camps in the early part of the summer in our first Camps Preview article in the nextissue of Navvies. In the meantime see wrg.org.uk and the WRG Facebook group for updates.

Camp reportWRG Forestry Camp

Our eight-page feature on an

up-and-coming restoration

scheme in Staffordshire

begins with a week’s tree

felling in October...

Spotlight on the Uttoxeter Canal

Uttoxeter Canal Camp reportWRG Forestry Team October ‘12

This may seem a rather formal reportbut Clive has twisted my arm for it, andreckons that his Dad may make a usefulteam member rather than sitting at homereading the paper, that’s his biological fatherrather than his adopted canal dad (Mr JohnHawkins)!! So here goes.

You would (should) have read in thelast edition of Navvies the Editorial about theSpirit of co-operation and the mention of theChurnet Valley where WRG Forestry Teamhad been in action. Those with many yearsin Navvies will remember WRG playing a partin the restoration of the Froghall Basin on theCaldon Canal which is the start of theUttoxeter Arm. The local society the Caldon& Uttoxeter Canals Trust, chaired by JulieArnold and with Alison Smedley as WorkParty Organiser, have notbeen idle since then andhave produced an outlinefeasibility study for therestoration through toUttoxeter, supported by thelocal authority – with a planto create a long distancewalking path using the canaltowpath where possible inthe interim.

Alison contacted co-ordinator Clive Aldermanwith a view to doing someclearance work at Bridge 70,near to JCB World HQ (couldhe get access to play withbig boys’ toys?). Unfortu-nately there is a South StaffsWater borehole adjacent tothe site, and permission tofell could not be arranged

until 2013. A rethink and an approach to theChurnet Valley Railway resulted in an agree-ment to work on the line at Bridge 27 whereit was known that Jackson’s Wood Lock onceexisted at the top of the railway cutting side.

The challenge presented, though, washaving accessed the railway siding sitethrough a quarry there followed a 3/4-milewalk up the line to the worksite - then to getonto the lock area as trees and scrub existedright down to the permanent way (PW), nolineside maintenance having been carried outfor many years. The agreed solution camein the form of two PW trolleys which couldbe used to transport the brew kit/shelter(most important), chainsaws and tools upthe line; unfortunately though these had tobe manually hauled up the gradient to thesite. It was agreed, as we would be clearingone side of the embankments to access thelock site work, to clear the opposite side and

WRG FT clear trees from the railway cutting sides

Clive Ald

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Spotlight on the Uttoxeter Canalthe bridge would be done also to improve thesight lines and stabilise the bridge structure.

Accommodation came in the shape of thelocal cricket pavilion, basic but it had showers!More importantly it was conveniently adjacentto the three pubs in the village. Very necessarywhen you’ve arrived and need to find anevening meal on Friday night.

Saturday morning saw us on a short

van ride to site, loading kit onto the trolliesand hauling/walking the line to site wherethe brew tent was erected.

Health & Safety issues had been agreedwith the railway prior to occupation. Nopassenger services ran on this section of lineand only occasional stock movements takeplace. To this end phone contact was madeevery morning to establish any movements

Caldon & Uttoxeter canals

and associated railways

The Story: First on the scene was the Caldon Canal: a branch of the Trent& Mersey Canal opened in 1778 from Etruria in the Potteries to Froghall (wherea horse tramway linked the Cauldon Low quarries) with a branch added later to Leek.Next came the Uttoxeter Canal: an extension of the Caldon from Froghall to Uttoxeter, andnot a great success (it was actually only built to stave off plans for a rival canal), opened 1811.Next arrival was the North Staffs Railway, which bought out the Trent & Mersey in 1845. Inaddition to its main north-south line through Stoke it built lines from Macclesfield via Leek toUttoxeter, Stoke to Leek, and Leek to Cauldon Low, closing the little-used Uttoxeter Canaland using part of the route for its line. The other railway lines created routes parallel to theCaldon and Leek Branch and Cauldon Low tramway, taking away much of the canal’s trade.By 1960 the Caldon Canal was falling derelict – but thanks to the Caldon Canal Societyit was restored and reopened in 1974.Meanwhile the railways had closed to passengers, but the lengths from Stoke to Leek Brook Junction,Leek Brook to Oakamoor, and Leek Brook to Cauldon Low survived for freight trains serving quarries.These ended in about 1990, but the rails were never taken up.In the 1990s the Leek Brook to Froghall railway was reborn as the Churnet Valley Railway runningpreserved steam trains. More recently a partner railway company, Moorlands & City Railway, hasbeen set up with the aim of reopening the Cauldon Low – Leek Brook – Stoke line for quarry freight, andStoke – Leek Brook – Alton for park-and-ride passenger trains to Alton Towers theme park.In 2005 the Caldon Canal Society, now the Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust, with WRG support reopenedthe first lock and basin of the Uttoxeter Canal at Froghall, and set its sights on reopening through to Uttoxeter.That means between Froghall and Alton both railway and canal are proposed for opening.This will be tricky in the places where the two shared a route, but thanks to (a) the fact that it’s a narrowcanal (b) the railway only being interested in opening a single track of the original twin-track line and (c)a move towards some useful cooperation between the two organisations, it looks entirely possible. Andthe current work at Jackson’s Wood is aimed at exploring how to deal with one of those tricky places.

and approximate times, also warning tapeswere placed across the line prior to theworksite. On arrival of a train all work wasstopped and personnel kept clear of the linebefore the train proceeded. However theywere only too pleased to allow us a tour ofthe engine and a photocall.

Trees were cut and scrub bashed andthe bonfire gangs had their bonfires lit todispose of the vast amount of brash created.So lunch time approached and a volunteerwas found to freewheel a trolley back to theaccess point to load up lunch brought to siteby Mitch then haul it back. Work continuedtill mid-atternoon when the kit was reloadedon the trolleys and we walked the line backto the transport. Returning to base and awelcome shower followed by one of Mitch’sfine dinners which really revived us volun-teers, so much so that we felt that it wasimperative that we supported the local hos-telries and local brewers.

The rest of the week followed muchthe same pattern – more trees, more brashburnt. The parapet of the bridge lookedstrange without its vegetation, and peopleattacking the ivy clinging to the walls had atough job trying to dislodge it. Julie andAlison visited the site with a StaffordshireWildlife Trust officer – all part of the ChurnetValley Living Landscape Partnership - andwere happy. Friday – more of the same –with more emphasis on tidying up in readi-ness for the next dig, the London WRG /KESCRG Christmas dig where they would beconcentrating on exposing the lock site itself.

The outcome of the week by the groupwas the satisfaction of a job well done, animproved vista for any photographer specialsand a bridge structure stabilised. For theCanal society it’s a step nearer to their longterm plans, and working in harmony with theRailway.

Thanks must go to the volunteers withthe chainsaws who made such a mess, thesupport team clearing it up on site, and ourcatering team back at the accommodation.Last but not least, our two brave D of Evolunteers Kimberly and Ruchir who passedtheir Gold residential.

Jim Alderman

a Navvies special feature

Some serious aerial forestry work by WRG FT

Spotlight on the Uttoxeter Canal

Dig reportChristmas party dig

London WRG & KESCRGChristmas dig

WRG Forestry having set the scene with theirweek’s camp in October, it was then the turnof the London WRG and KESCRG mobilegroups to turn up mob handed in earlyDecember to take over where they had leftoff and continue the clearance work.

A chilly morning saw several dozenvolunteers arriv at the foot of the quarryincline near Oakamoor and load their kitonto the rail trolleys, which promtly derailedon the crossings, but after a brief lesson inhow to work the points they were on theirway again and were soon at the worksite atJacksons Wood.

WRG Forestry had done a good job ofclearing the railway cutting sides, but itwasn’t terribly clear exactly where theremight have been a canal through the site.Our job was to to remedy this by uncover-ing the site of the canal, which approachedthe railway cutting from a slightly higherlevel, and merged with it on the approach toa farm bridge over the railway cutting. Or so

we were told. Some hours of scrub-bashinglater, and one could indeed see that theremight just have been some kind of ledgemeeting up with the side of the cutting.

This being the Christmas dig, we re-turned to the accommodation (the splendidWhiston village hall) for an excellent Christ-mas meal (our thanks to the cooks!) withfancy dress and party games based on a‘fairground and theme park rides’ theme, inrecognition of the close proximity to AltonTowers. The Day family won the prize for thebest costumes with their Pirate Ship theme,but honorable mention must go to (a) theSmedleys with their entry based on theChained Oak (complete with hand-outstelling the story) and (b) Bush Baby and Mk2

for their re-creation of the ‘Oblivion’ ridebased on the hall’s wheelchair lift - whilethe sense of vertigo might not have beenquite as authentic, the screams certainlywere!

Back on site on Sunday and it wasan even chillier morning with a whitefrost, but the bonfires were soon goingagain. By the end of the day it wasn’t justlooking like there was some kind of ledgeup the side of the railway cutting, but itcould clearly be seen where the canalchannel merged with the railway, and itwas even possible (without to muchstretch of the imagination) to see whereJacksons Wood Lock must have been.

Martin LudgateVague signs of a channel start to emerge

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The ‘Pirate Ship’ and ‘Chained Oak’

Julie A

rnold

a Navvies special feature

Camp reportPlaying Trains at New Year

...finally a week’s camp

between Christmas and New

Year made more progress at

Jacksons Wood and also on

a new site near Crumpwood

Uttoxeter Christmas andNew Year Camp

We were set two tasks by the Caldon &Uttoxeter Canals Trust (CUCT).

Firstly, to continue the good work pre-viously started by WRG Forestry, LondonWRG and KESCRG at the site of Jackson’sWood Lock. This is the now infamous sitewhere access is only accomplished by drivingthrough the demolition site that isMoneystone Quarry,to the Oakamoorsidings of theChurnet Valley Rail-way at the bottom ofthe disused conveyorslide; followed by aone kilometre walkalong the railwaytrack whilst pushingtwo track trolleysladen with the kit forthe day.

Secondly, toestablish a platform,under the close scru-tiny of South StaffsWater, to carry outforestry tasks at thesite of Bridge 70 located within touchingdistance of Crumpwood Pumping Station.

Wednesday: Approximately 90% of volun-teers arrived on the first day constituting abetter than expected Boxing Day Service. Thesettling in, timetable and administrationprocess was soon completed and prepara-tions were made for the first day on site.Chef Gorgeous George (it’s an ironic nick-name) explained that he would be providinga buffet car style luncheon, served directlyfrom the trolley and consisting of a wide

variety of hot & cold snacks, very reasonablypriced.

Thursday: Surprisingly the WRG train ar-rived on time at the quarry and a barriercrossing process was soon established withTim Philpot, the demolition contractor.

Scrub bashing commenced in earnestwith Sarah admirably managing to start afire, despite her obvious handicap and shehad an injured wrist. Soon the bottom of the

lock started to appearand although theground was com-pletely saturated andit rained more oftenthan not, a reallygood start was madeby all.

In the mean-time, Paul and Garywent off to meet thechaps from SouthStaffs Water (SSW) toagree the risk assess-ments & methodstatements, decide onan induction processand to flag & addressall the main points of

the operation.Viv, Jason and Emma joined us for

dinner as did Laurence, after he eventuallymanaged to find an escape route from a carpark he somehow got stuck in for two hours– don’t worry, we didn’t understand it either!

Friday: Chainsaw Ian arrived and this sig-nalled the start of the Bridge 70 forestryteam: Ian and Paul on chainsaw duty, Sarahacting as lookout and Lynda, Daniel & Emmaclearing brash and storing logs. The aim wasto clear all the trees and scrub away from the

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waterway recovery group Caldon & Uttoxeter Canals

Spotlight on the Uttoxeter Canalbridge to facilitate a futuresurvey in order to establish itsstructural condition. The canalwas full of water and the raindidn’t let up for long. Thepumping station was in fulluse supplying nearbyUttoxeter and the weir was araging torrent.

Back at Jackson’s Woodand with the addition of threeextra volunteers, significantprogress was made despitethe seemingly continuous rainand endless mud.Saturday: Phil and Martinboth joined the team and thisenabled some serious bowsaw work to commence at themain site. A second fire wasnecessary as the scrub piledup and Sleeper Dave had a close shave withone of them – nothing seriously burnt that atrip to the barbers wouldn’t fix.

At Bridge 70, the tirfor winch was infull use as trees were felled and draggedacross the canal for logging.

Sunday: Ian switched to the main site aschainsaw requirements mounted up there,whilst Sue, Andy, Peter and Evelyne com-pleted their fourth full day of hard graft inthe lock.

Laura, Ellie and Martin swapped sitesand moved to Bridge 70 for the final daythere. The last remaining trees were cutdown and the whole site was left clean andtidy as planned. Offending branches wereremoved to make the public footpath lesshazardous and the “grasscrete” was revealedfrom the mud so that the hard standing areawas more easily identifiable for the turningSSW vehicles.

Meanwhile back at Jackson’s Wood,shunt driver Adrian made an unexpectedannouncement right in the middle of the

rush hour: the 15.35 SAD service fromOakamoor Sidings to Whiston Village Hall isterminating here, all change please!

Basically, there was a technical fault inthe engine compartment and a replacementbus service was urgently needed. The pas-sengers walked up the conveyor and throughthe quarry to wait for the bus whilst Pete,Phil and Adrian stayed with the strickenengine. Unfortunately, their valiant efforts toresolve the problem failed and the in-housemaintenance vehicle [i.e. Gary’s truck] wasdeployed to recover the engine back to theaccommodation.

Spirits remained high and the evening’sentertainment consisted of table tennis fol-lowed by a well-earned pub trip.

Monday: The purple fairy arrived for thelast 5 minutes on site [an annual tradition]and all operatives cracked on with getting asmuch done as possible on the final day. Ashuttle service was in temporary operation toferry passengers to and from the accommo-dation and miraculously it stopped raining

By the end of the camp Bridge 70 was uncovered for all to see...

Trust Churnet Valley Railway M&CR

a Navvies special featurefor most of themorning. All the logswere either moved tothe required storagelocation or newhabitat piles werecreated. Tree stumpswere trimmed downand made safe andlocal Julie took theobligatory teamphoto and washed allthe hi-viz tabards -good effort.

A half day wasdeclared due torestricted availabilityof showers and thisallowed time for allthe kit to be cleaned,checked and packedsafely in the trailer.

A sumptuousnew year’s dinnerwas prepared andserved by Georgeand Sue consisting ofseveral roast options,ten types of veg and an assortment of des-serts – fabulous.

Julie and Steve from the CUCT and Timfrom the quarry all joined us for dinner andstayed for the arrival of 2013.

Martin, our esteemed editor, preparedand presided over the now traditional Christ-mas Quiz, which this year consisted of apicture round of 20 different WRG sitesactive in 2012, 20 questions on the year2012 and 20 questions on the obligatoryrailway theme – fantastically entertaining asusual.

Tuesday: New Year’s Day required an early-ish start as there was a lot to do. Cateringkit, personal kit and housekeeping all doneand homeward bound by 11.30 - see you all

next year!Many thanks to everyone who attended,

helped and contributed, to make the camp sosuccessful.

The Jackson Wood site was moved onconsiderably and SSW were very pleasedwith our efforts, so we have successfullypaved the way for future visits.

Finally, did you manage to spot all of the30 railway industry related words andphrases that were deliberately included inthis report? See page 47 for the official list.

Gary Summers & Pete FlemingWordsearch words provided by

Miss Amy Howarth

...and a distinct dip in the ground showed where Jacksons Wood Lock was

Spotlight on the Uttoxeter CanalAnd finally...

Thank you from the Locals

Welcome back to the Churnet Valley WRG!

On 23 July 2005 we celebrated the re-open-ing of the first lock and basin of theUttoxeter Canal together at Froghall. Sevenyears on and lots of “behind the scenes”work later, the Caldon & Uttoxeter CanalsTrust (CUCT) now has an outline feasibilitystudy plus some Heritage Lottery Fundinglinked to working with lots of kindred organi-sations on a variety of Churnet Valley LivingLandscape projects - and is delighted that somany WRG friends old and new have visitedin the last few months as we embark on thenext phase of restoration of the UttoxeterCanal.

Thank you to all who led, assisted,cooked, undertook logistics and came to dig“up the line, down the Churnet Valley” on allthe work parties since last October - from oldhands to new blood and the D of E-ers ontheir first residentials.

Thanks again also from the volunteersof the Churnet Valley Railway. At the AGM oftheir North Staffs Railway Company, shortlyafter Forestry’s camp, they said a first public“Thank You” to the expert arborist volunteerswho began the work on the vegetation thatwas overtaking the Jackson’s Wood railwaybridge and lock site. WRG were also men-tioned as being a subsidiary of the “BritishWaterways Association”, an eerie slip! I clari-fied the canal and river situation, explainingthat it is “Inland Waterways…” with Tom Roltbeing the visionary engineer IWA and herit-age railways have in common!

In addition to all the work on site atJackson’s Wood and Bridge 70 that has beenachieved, much useful expert advice has alsobeen provided: from dormouse habitat crea-tion to PWay Hut roofing solutions - plus lotsof engineering diagnostics! Thank you, theinformation has been noted and it will allhelp to get things done in the future.

Meanwhile, the festive season featuredsome innovative “Magic & Sparkle” back atthe accommodation. Whiston Village Hall’sChristmas decor appeared in time for the

KESCRG / London WRG party weekend –who last celebrated here during the Froghallrestoration when eerily the theme was Un-derground Stations. This year the topicsmainlined, with theme park rides inspiring anumber of Ghost Trains. (Though it was aPirate Ship that triumphed!)

The New Year was welcomed in withrailway inspired fancy dress, Emma’s beingjust the ticket – collected from every one ofher 2012 train journeys (See below), thoughnone from the line to Jackson’s Wood!

To which end, the train about to departfrom platform… more news of a specialrailway journey to Jackson’s Wood lockshortly!

Thank you.Julie Arnold

ChairmanCaldon & Uttoxeter Canals Trust

Emma’s costume for train theme New Year party

Julie A

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Cooks, Cooking and Food Safety

The great thing about being a WRG cook is that it does feel like cooking for a big groupof mates with the best bit being that they generally like your food and then do the wash-ing up afterwards. The one thing we haven’t seriously considered and documented isfood safety.

Health and safety on site has been a part of what WRG do ever since the year dot.It has had to develop over time to meet regulations, insurance requirements and indi-vidual site requirements so that we no longer trip over the first aid box whilst giving theHealth & Safety talk on site but have a detailed considered DVD followed by a site spe-cific talk.

Like site safety, we really need to consider food safety in more detail too. We havenever had any reported cases of food poisoning via Environmental Health from our cook-ing but if we did – would our systems stand up in court, or would WRG have to pay outa big fine?

Whilst many cooks have some sort of food hygiene training and have had for sev-eral years, and many cooks generally have good hygiene skills and put them to use inthe camp kitchen, we haven’t always considered all of the other factors that come with acamp – like having standard operating procedures to deal with, say, people that havebeen brickying all day or are covered in mud – then come and helpfully wash up stillwearing site clothes.

See what I mean?A group of cooks, logistics people and some wannabe cooks have had their heads

together at various times over the year and discussed many aspects of cooking. Thesewent right through from “is there a kitchen or do we have to build one (again)?” to “willour big grundy tins fit in that domestic cooker?” (no), to hygienic design of kitchenutensils (I hate wooden spoons!), to catering for people with specific dietary likes, dis-likes, lifestyle choices and allergens, to working out how to easily keep an eye on fridgeand cooking temperatures so that it would minimize the chance of food poisoning, sat-isfy Environmental Health if they ever popped in but not make it feel like a major choreto the person in charge of the food.

To this end, a small trial was run over the summer camps last year where severalcooks used some of the procedures and paperwork we had put together and someslightly different equipment was bought and used.

So from this year’s season of camps, there is going to be a file of useful and foodsafety based paperwork for whoever is going to do the cooking.

There is also going to be an updated cooks handbook (see separate article, page45) to help all cooks, old and new and information about passing food on to the nextcamp so that the Beast of a Food Box does not end up with 33Kg of spaghetti or 22 jarsof garlic puree.

If any cooks or potential cooks want to see some of what we have been doing, letme know via my new WRG cooking email address below and can give you access to theprocedures and information that we have done so far.

Of course, this does not stop you toasting cheese sandwiches on kebs or marsh-mallows on twigs over the site bonfires because you are big enough and ugly enough tolook after yourselves!

Viv [email protected]

Cooking...and food safety

“We have never had any

reported cases of food poisoning

via Environmental Health from

our cooking but if we did –

would our systems stand up?”

WRG at 40Forty views for forty years

“So many people prepared to get

so dirty and so wet; and

everybody enjoying themselves –

it was just fabulous!”

– Audrey Smith on Ashtac

40 Views for 40 Years

Interview number 29 took me on a day trip to Essex (as did 30 in fact – same day too) tocatch up with Clive Alderman. Best known these days for brandishing a chainsaw, Clive’sbeen digging for years and was happy to tell us about the days when a bowsaw was themost he was allowed.

Q: How and when did you first get involved with canal resto-ration?A: It was all my brother’s fault: Garry Alderman. He’d done his GoldDuke of Edinburgh with Ian [Williamson] and Brian [‘Ernie’] Hearne andhad such a lovely time he came home raving about it. At that time I was avolunteer on the Bluebell Railway Steam Preservation Society, working upthere since I was 16. He said come and try this canal digging lark – weturn up, we get drunk, we go home again and in between we do a bit ofwork. I thought I’d give it a whirl, that was May Bank Holiday 1990 andI’m still doing it.

The first dig was on the Droitwich working at the Ladywood Lockoutside Bill’s house doing work there - reinstating the towpath, brick laying– a KESCRG weekend. The next dig after that was the National atGloucester. Turning up very late Friday night, walked into the bar (wewere using the rugby club as accommodation) about 5 to 11 and said “What time do you stop serving?” Hesaid “when you stop drinking”. The rest of the weekend was a bit messy I think. I remember being intro-duced to AJ (Mr Jervis) and Mike Palmer. I think the next dig was on the Basingstoke finishing off beforeone of the many openings.

Q: What motivated you to go back after that first weekend?A: It was a good laugh - it gets in under your skin. You ask every navvy and they can all give you ump-teen reasons but at the end of the day it’s that you enjoy the company, you enjoy the beer and it’s a goodcraic. You play hard and you work hard.

The Steam Preservation is same place, same thing, different weekend. The advantage with the canalrestoration is different place, different people, different weekend. Moving round the country you get to seedifferent bits you’ve never been to; trying different beers and working with different people every weekend.With the way life moves I ended up working with Graham Robinson [‘Sparky’] and Tenko [The late DaveJohnson]. Back in ’91 at the Big Dig I remember watching them and thought ‘I wouldn’t mind having a go atthat’. But that was with NA [Navvies Anonymous] – back then they were the real bad boys and of courseUncle Mick Beattie with his bottle of Pernod. You’d just go “morning Mick” and carry on.

Q: It was KESCRG weekends you did originally?A: Yep – cut me in half and read ‘KESCRG’, back then. Ended up doing that and then doing the weekcamps with KESCRG. The Droitwich mainly – I joined just when the Basingstoke had finished. We weretravelling up and down to the Droitwich most Bank Holiday weekends. The challenge was to get to the LittleChef on the A40 before it shut – those were the days before the M40 had opened. Then get to the RailwayInn before last orders.

The highlight of the year was the National [Festival]. 1990 was Gloucester, then it was Dudley. Itook a fortnight off for that – it was a really, really good National. Everything went really well, I thoroughlyenjoyed myself and it was good entertainment. One of the things we did was we hid Mike Palmer’s CitroenBX in the accommodation tent – it took him a little while to find that. The following year was Wakefield –

that was just horrendous [because of the weather and the mud]. It was the National that WRG saved, butthe beer tent was rubbish. ’93 was Peterborough and my brother was leader for, that so I helped out beingsort of deputy – he and Ken Blackman were the two leaders.

I then got involved in the IWA side, in the organising side. ’94 was back at Waltham Abbey and bythen I’d moved to London [from Shoreham]. The Brian Saunders era. The meetings were no good – thebest thing to do was to go to the pub before the meeting and you learnt everything that was happening andthen I used to go home! I ended up being Trevor Ede’s assistant – site services.

Q: Were you a member of the IWA?A: No – it was because I lived locally to the abbey and Mitch and I think Jude had put themselves for-ward for leading that year and I hadn’t really got the confidence to do it. Although I’d assisted a couple ofChristmas camps with Mark Scoble and then when Mark had had enough of leading them I led them.

’94 was obviously Waltham Abbey but also, somehow, I can’t remember how, I put myself forward forleading WRG’s first ever overseas camp in Ireland - working on the Ulster Canal at a place called Benburb. Iled, CJ assisted me for the first week. Then Andy Hubbard and Darryl Foster were the leaders for thefollowing week. It was quite entertaining cos my instructions for the site was “meet the local guy calledErskine Holmes on site on the Friday night, here’s the ferry tickets”. I said “Can I have two vans?” “Yep noproblem”. We co-ordinated everyone to be picked up from the M6 services for those coming from the north– I was coming from London with a van and trailer and we picked everyone up and met at Holyhead. Stevowas there – Mr Accordion, Just Jen [Jen Leigh] came, Chris ‘Windscreen’ [Spencer] came for the secondweek. Thorpey [Alan Thorpe] was there. That was when we had the first WRG phones then – they werebricks.

It was really good but we weren’t allowed to drive any plant or machinery over there because of unionrules and insurance. We cleared the lock chamber, in and around the Benburb Linen Mill. We went there fortwo years – on the third year I couldn’t go I’m sure it was Just Jen and Rhys [Jones] who led and they wentdown to Clones working on one of the canal bridges down there clearing off all the ivy.

Q: What was different about being in Ireland?A: Silly question – the Guinness. I didn’t realise the way of life over there is “what you don’t do today willhappen next week”. Fortunately the guys we were working with were pretty on the ball. There’s no point ingoing to a pub in Ireland until 11 o’clock at night because otherwise you’ll be sitting there on your own. Thefirst night we got there for 8 o’clock as normal and sat there getting slowly sozzled – sorry – drinking respon-sibly. Getting to 11 and “we’d better go, we’ve got a day on site tomorrow”. At about five to eleven, allthese people started coming in to the pub with music instruments. The pub just went from being dead tobeing the liveliest place I’ve ever been.

Q: What about other canal camps - did you do them?A: Not really. Mainly did Christmas ones. Somehow I ended up doing quite a few Christmas camps onthe run - 4 or 5 on the trot. I did the millennium camp for 2000 down on the Thames and Severn. The lastChristmas camp I did was in 2004 on the Basingstoke with Mr Redway. We started Christmas Eve andwent right through – I think it ended up being a fortnight. We stayed at a brand new village hall near Fleet.The builder handed the key to the hall to the contracts manager. The contracts manager then turned roundand gave them to Pete Redway who then turned round and gave them to me and we walked in.

That was where we were felling trees with bowsaws (I hadn’t got into me chain sawing then). We were toldthere were no boat movements on the canal and we hadn’t dropped any trees. We ended up dropping thesetwo trees across the canal and just as the second tree hit the floor you heard this distinct donk donk donk asthe boat came round the corner: a frantic five minutes.

Q: Did Tenko (Dave Johnson) and Sparky (Graham Robinson) – did they form WRG For-estry then?A: No – they were just part of NA [Navvies Anonymous] at that point. It wasn’t until after NA hadworked its way out of the system. Because of the work Graham and Tenko had done on the Wey and Arunwork down there – they used to run their Christmas camp down there and also an Easter camp. They usedto go down and clear the line of the canal and they sorted of ended up working just themselves. I can’t reallyremember how I ended up being involved, getting dragged along with The Forestry – then it was just Tenkoand Sparky. I remember we ended up, (myself, Tenko, Alison and Sparky) we went down to the AA

Favourite site: Nynehead Aqueduct, Grand Western

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(Arboricultural Association) Show at Cirencester. We went to the show on the Saturday and did work on theSunday so we could swing the accommodation down there. We were sitting in the pub near Saul and wesaid ‘we might as well make ourselves official’ and we were batting ideas around. Su Webster was the othermain stalwart. We went from there and ended up being WRG Forestry Team and then carried on bumblingaround doing work. Graham had the time to go off and do a lot more training and so did Tenko. They gotinto climbing and they encouraged me to do my basic chainsaw training. WRG were doing grants and Ipassed my exam.

Q: What was the idea of that group?A: The same as it is now: to supply a service to the canal restoration movement to help move projectsforward. We’re a cheaper option than a commercial contractor. Any canal society – we will go anywhere aslong as they’re happy to cover the cost of one of our vehicles to tow all the gear and the consumables on siteand that’s what we work to now. Even though WRG Forestry is a million miles from what Graham or Tenkoever saw or ever wanted it to be. Initially it was just going to be a tight group who worked to the profes-sional standards. What we do now is work to as high a standard if not better.

One of the major jobs that forestry did which was unfortunately just at the end of Tenko’s life wasFoxton Inclined Plane. We worked hand inhand with British Waterways which was veryalien to WRG. We were clearing the bottomhalf of the plane for BW at minimal cost whichenabled them to put money elsewhere into theproject i.e. the viewing gantry that’s now there.It’s what’s happening now with CRT, everypound that volunteers can save they can putback into other projects volunteers can’t dowhere they need specialist contractors. That’show I see it. I just hope we can work withCRT, rather than CRT sponging WRG dry forall their knowledge and expertise and going“Cheers! Thanks for all that!” and then shut thedoor. That’s my only scary thing about gettingtoo far down the line with CRT. UnderneathCRT is still British Waterways [chuckles].Only time will tell.

Q: After Tenko’s death forestry came to a bit of a natural lull – but the last couple of yearsforestry has really expanded.A: I’m just as surprised as you. Interviewer: I’m not surprised. Clive: Well I am surprised.After Tenko’s passing Graham obviously mourned. We carried on a little bit but Graham disappeared intothe ether for a good few years. Myself, I carried on plodding on, then Martyn Worsley came along as well sothat became the two of us. We just carried on being WRG Forestry and then for some reason it just gatheredmomentum and we’ve become quite a formidable force. The digs on the Grand Western, clearing NyneheadLift, we ended up using nine chainsaws there. Through WRG funding we’ve now managed to get a fewpeople to the next size qualification allowing us to deal with any size tree that we need to. Lessons that we’velearnt at Nynehead mean we’ve moved on an awful long way and we’ve been working on projects such asthe junction of the Wey and Arun and the River Wey. We’ve saved the Wey and Arun a good few thousandpounds and I’ve found out at the weekend that because of what we’ve done they’ve managed to saveenough money to dredge the head of the island out in March – once we’ve finished felling the trees. That’smoved a lot quicker than they’ve ever hoped.

Q: You’ve done quite a bit of work at Froghall? [Caldon/Uttoxeter Canal]A: That was 2002/03 – Froghall was another British Waterways hand in hand scenario. It was the arche-typal muddy ditch with Graham and Tenko clearing the trees. This October camp [2012] we were on theUttoxeter again, we went and had a look and it looks really good up there.

Q: Is it just forestry you do now?A: I haven’t got time to do anything else. Fortunately due to my wife’s support – who’s a wonderful

woman. [adds: ‘we can edit it out later!’] By thetime we’ve got over one weekend, because of mywork and that, it’s time for the next dig. I do missgoing to the Nationals because that’s a different kettleof fish but they’re not the same as they used to be.

Q: What are you most proud of about yourinvolvement?A: Having the best group of people behind me. Ifthere was only me there would be no team. Peoplelike Martyn Worsley, Nigel Lee, Paul Shaw, BenTingay and of course my wife Jo – she sorts all thecatering out. That’s why I call myself the coordinator– I’m not the leader I just coordinate things. I’mvery proud of them all.

Q: What would you say WRG was good atand what is their greatest achievement?A: Getting pissed!! The greatest achievement within WRG is still to be going and having the core people tomotivate to get 115 people out for a weekend as with the 2012 Reunion. You can list the Over projects, theJubilee Junction, but WRG’s greatest achievement is every single brick that we lay. The volunteers are theirgreatest achievement – we have some weird and wonderful people within the group and every single one ofthem needs a pat on the back.

Q: What’s WRG not so good at?A: WRG have come on leaps and bounds with their communication. When I did the camp back in ’94 allI had was minutes from a meeting between Neil Edwards and Erskine Holmes discussing vaguely what theywanted done and that was it. No risk assessment, no method statements, no contacts. I was handed theferry tickets and told ‘see you in a fortnight’ basically. The backup for the camp leaders has improved. Ithink what WRG wasn’t very good at has improved.

Q: Has anyone inspired you?A: The main two people Graham Robinson and David Johnson. I wouldn’t be doing what I am now withForestry without them. It was encouragement. Those two are the main people I was aspiring to be vaguely like.

Q: Do you have a favourite derelict canal?A: Anywhere I can cut trees down. One of the ones I do like working on is the Sussex Ouse. Every bitof canal’s got its own lovely bit. I love working down on the Grand Western as well, down at Dennis’ at Nyne-head lift. I’ve lost track of how many weeks we’ve been down there – and the weekends. The long weekendsstarted with eight of us, then it went to 16 and the last weekend we had down there, there were 27 of us.

This year we had the October camp on the Uttoxeter which was great because we were working onthe canal / railway, exposing the line of the canal right on top of the railway. That’s great in its own little right.

Q: What’s the most useful skill you’ve learnt and who taught it to you?A: Ooh now let me think [sarcastically]. It’ll be using my chainsaw.

Q: Do you have any do classic ‘Do you remember the time when...’ stories?A: Apart from yours... There are so many cherished memories it’s hard to pick one out. I had my 21st

birthday at Little Venice, Cavalcade and Josie [Fisher] made me my birthday cake; Thomas the Tank Engine- bless her. The Hard Hat Cafe at the Nationals, her and Ms Burchett [Sue]. And the classic one was thevegetarian soup. She come on with site with the soup and said “don’t stir the soup, vegetarians first ’cos themeat’s sunk to the bottom”. It was something like that but not necessarily in that order.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say?A: I’d like to thank the WRG Board for having the faith in the Forestry team to keep letting the IWAcontinue to finance us and do our insurance. The continuous investment in us and may it continue. It’s good– I’m a happy bunny.

Inspiration: Dave ‘Tenko’ Johnson at Froghall

John Gale – number 30. A stalwart of Essex and a formeremployee of the IWA but an unusual relationship with canalrestoration initially given just how active he’s been over the last20 years.

Q: You joined IWA in 1969 – how did you find out about them?A: It was either a late Christmas present or an early birthday present Iwas never sure which. My aunt who, at the time, was partner in a boat hirefirm suddenly joined me – that was it. I hadn’t heard about IWA beforethat, this membership just sort of turned up.

I was a non-active member for quite a long time and then London andHome Counties branch was having a rally at Chelmsford and looking forvolunteers and I sort of stupidly put my hand up. Before I knew it I wastrade show organiser for the event. After we had the rally, the final rallycommittee meeting we pulled ourselves into the Chelmsford section of theLondon branch. It was all very democratic – we divided the jobs up amongst ourselves. A few months laterthere was the reorganisation, we became a branch in our own right. I was the first treasurer but I resignedafter a year because I then started work for the IWA and really I was the one writing to treasurers and itseemed it would be a bit awkward. I coerced a friend into joining the committee and becoming treasurer.

Q: What prompted you to work for them?A: I got talking to John [Dodwell] at one event, they’d advertised in the Bulletin that they wanted a parttime bookkeeper for the sales company and in passing I said “if it had been a full-time job I’d have beeninterested” and thought no more about it. Suddenly I got a phone call some months later saying “it’s now full-time are you interested?” I went up for an interview which didn’t really cover bookkeeping in the slightest, itwas mainly on my canal knowledge and I got the job. I started 5th November 1973. 5 [staff] including meand John Dodwell as general secretary.

Q: Where was head office?A: Regents Park Road.

Q: What can you remember of those early days?A: The first couple of months were really chaotic because we had the one big room and one little room –we also had the Christmas cards in there so I couldn’t actually get my knees under my desk. We had doc-tors’ surgeries downstairs but luckily they moved out beginning of the next year and we expanded into themwhich gave us a little more space.

Ken Goodwin the national treasurer, in conjunction with the auditors, decided that WRG really needsto be a limited company and I got asked to form the company – which I did. It was easier if I was secretaryso I could sign all the paperwork rather than send it off to get it signed. I had every intention of resigningonce it was up and running but when I resigned they didn’t accept it so I stayed as secretary. It was basicallyjust taking the minutes and I also I was responsible for making sure the vans were taxed and insured.

Q: Who was WRG Board at that time?A: There wasn’t one – it was still Graham Palmer running things. When the company was formed Grahamdecided to take a back seat, he was a director, Alan Jervis became chairman. You had people like HarryArnold as one of the directors, Mike and Roger Day, I can’t remember them all now.

Q: What were WRG committee meetings like in those days?A: The board was fairly structured but then you had the committee afterwards - all the various groups hadan input there and they were much more free and easy. You never knew quite what direction it was going togo in. I mean, there was an agenda but it didn’t actually do a lot.

Q: When did you leave the IWA [as an employee]?A: ’93.

Q: When did you first get involved with canal restoration?A: I suppose the first connection with it was at the 1970 Guildford National Rally when I saw the WRG

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stand. I can’t remember if I subscribed to Navvies then or not but I did soon after. I had boated downthere, it was the second one I’d attended, I went to the Birmingham National first. WRG was one of thestands – it was their inaugural stand.

Soon after IWA Chelmsford Branch started we had a working party on a restoration scheme – theyobviously didn’t really want us there and we had to hunt out coke cans and bury them. I think we were allput off canal restoration for a long time.

Later, many years later, I went to the Wantage Big Dig and that’s what really hooked me - I haven’tlooked back since.

Q: How did you find out about the Big Dig?A: It was in Navvies and also, at the time, I was secretary of the Waterway Recovery Group and so Iknew about it from Board meetings. Since I hadn’t been to a restoration for 10/15 years I thought maybe Iought to go.

The main thing that sticks in my memory is that there were about 12 of us moving a tree out of thewater – it was one of the bits with water in. You know how mud grabs hold of your wellies and holds on,well I couldn’t move me legs and the tree kept on moving so I had to sit down. It was a choice of cold wetbackside, or a hot wet backside if I warmed it at the fire – most uncomfortable.

I started going out with London WRG for a couple of years. I was back on the IWA ChelmsfordBranch committee, Doug Beard joined the committee and decided that we would restore Springfield Basin,Springfield Lock in Chelmsford. We’d published a report some years earlier, everybody had said “what agood idea” and then done absolutely nothing about it. So Doug decided that the only way was for us to do it– I think we all thought he’d got a pipe dream really. We had no money, no expertise but he could talkalmost anybody into anything. He raised the money and it was restored – the Chelmer and Blackwater. Thatwas ’93 – the spring.

Q: Tell me a little more and the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation and the restoration of thatA: It’s just over 200 years old, Springfield Basin and final lock had been vandalised in about ’74/’75 andthe company hadn’t bothered to restore it. I think they really would have liked to fill it in and sell it as buildingland. Doug persuaded - I think it was the National Rivers Authority in those days - to dredge it. They had alittle left over in their budget. We never did discover how much it cost them but it was a hell of a lot morethan they had left over. We did the lock in slightly adverse conditions ’cos the company weren’t exactlyhelpful. The outer skin of brick work had been repaired at some stage and hadn’t been tied back in to theinner one. So there was brickwork, mud, brickwork and it was sort of bulging. We took out the outer skinof brickwork. The company wanted us to do it without taking the coping stones off but we just said “there’sno way” and they eventually gave in. We eventually restored it, the vice Lord Lieutenant came and opened itand it’s still in use.

It has had a repair since because there’s a spring in the bottom of the lock and when the spring isn’tspringing the water drains out of the lock through it. A few years back there were quite a number of timeswhen the basin emptied itself; it’s fed from the river which is on the same level but when whoever built anew shopping centre, a lot of it waspiped and we’ve kept trying to get a grillfitted at the end. One time I went upthere with Colin, the navigation manager,and we found six Argos cataloguesblocking it up - a waterlogged Argoscatalogue is extremely heavy.

About 10 years ago the originalcompany went into administration andwe tried to get Chelmsford Council,Maldon Council, Essex County Council,BW, Environment Agency – anybody wecould think of to take it over and they allsaid “what a good idea – we haven’t gotany money”. Apart from the Environ-ment Agency who said they’d chain allthe lock gates open and use it as a floodrelief channel. So IWA formed Essex Guildford 1970, where WRG (and John’s interest) began

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Waterways Limited and we now run it. The Company of Proprietors is still in existence because the right ofnavigation is enshrined with them.

Q: So you’re quite active now with that?A: I spend most Tuesdays and Wednesdays there. In the summer it’s mainly mowing; we’ve got 14 milesof towpath to mow. In the winter it varies – this last week, on Tuesday we went up to Rickett’s Lock toremove a load of bits of tree that had come down in the floods. Wednesday we were going to go and getsome reeds out – they were narrowing the channel a bit too much but the ice was too thick. We cleared a bitof a footpath – cut brambles back for the rest of the day. It’s mainly maintenance, painting, mowing, what-ever needs doing.

Q: WRG have canal camps there?A: Yes, this year they were repairing the brickwork on one of the weirs – it’s not something you can do intwo days a week, you’ve got to do it as a blitz.

Q: What’s the locals’ opinion of the waterway and how’s it run?A: The boaters, I think on the whole, approve of what we’re doing. Obviously they moan but boaters domoan. The locals, when they see the magic word “volunteer”, because we’ve got various signs that say“volunteers helping to maintain”. They say “ooh – volunteer – you’re doing a lovely job”. If we didn’t havethose we’d be council workmen “sitting drinking tea again”.

Q: Doug Beard – he died about a year ago – what was his involvement in the restoration?Q: He was ringleader basically. We’d issued this report Springfield Basin and Beyond which was RoyChandler and myself and the first we’d heard of Doug was he wrote in to say “what a good report”. Then hegot onto the committee (as did Molly, his wife) and decided that we ought to restore Springfield basin and setabout writing probably thousands of letters, getting the grants in and persuading people to give us permission.We cut down 22 oak trees in Gernon Bushes, which is basically an offshoot of Epping Forest – had a port-able sawmill at the end of the track that cut them roughly to size. Our friendly builders’ merchants transportedthem from there to Papermill Lock where they were converted into lock gates. Unfortunately they had to buyone bit of timber because one of the trees had some rot in the middle. The trees belonged to Essex WildlifeTrust, it was a hornbeam wood and theywere pollarding the hornbeams and theoaks were shading them. They were goingto have them down anyway and going tosort of use them for firewood. We tookthem down for them, I think we gave thema fairly hefty donation – but nothing like theamount we would have had to pay if wewere buying the oak. Subsequently Dougtook some oak trees down for the restora-tion of Narrowboat Raymond.

Q: What hooked you about canalrestoration?A: I suppose to a certain extent it wasputting something back into the canals –they’d given me a lot of pleasure and thiswas repaying them.

Q: Where did Essex WRG comeinto it?A: That was after we’d finishedSpringfield Basin. We had our final meet-ing after it had been reopened and it was aquestion of did we all pack up, go home?Did we become just a working party onChelmer and Blackwater? Did we form Favourite: Wilts & Berks. Chaddington Lock opening, 2005

another Essex group? Did we form an independent group like KESCRG? And although one or two peopledidn’t want to go further afield the consensus was form a WRG group, which we did and we’re still going.

Q: Who were the founder members?Myself, Doug, Dave Dobbin, Bob Crow – they were the main ones.

Q: A lot of the regional groups have individual characteristics – is there anything particularabout Essex WRG?A: We seem to do more of the green stuff, the hedge laying, scrub bashing. Whereas people like Londondo a lot of bricklaying, we do the jungle bashing.

Q: Have you ever been on a canal camp?Q: Not as such. I got hijacked as a useful local for one of the Chelmer and Blackwater camps so I wentevery day but I was actually staying here.

Q: What great achievements has WRG done?A: Opening a lot of waterways, especially some of the impossible ones. Even knowledgeable peoplewere saying Huddersfield, Rochdale were impossible and we shouldn’t waste resources on them. There theyare - open.

Q: What’s WRG good at?A: It enthuses people. Although it tries to hide it, it’s fairly well organised - it doesn’t like to be seen to bewell organised. And of course it’s got the equipment and the expertise.

Q: What’s WRG not so good at?A: Blowing its own trumpet and that applies to IWA as well. Even boaters don’t know what WRG is veryoften and as for the general public, they haven’t a clue – a breakdown service or something.

Q: Where do you see WRG’s future?A: I think there will be a lot of co-operation between the two organisations [WRG and the Canal &River Trust] or I hope there will. I think WRG will still carry on as it is at the moment because CRT won’twant to put a lot of their resources into reopening waterways – their job is maintaining existing ones.

Q: Do you have a favourite derelict canal?A: I suppose it’s the Wilts and Berks – that’s probably the one I’ve been to the most. It’s got no sort ofoutstanding features I’ve worked on but it just seems a very pleasant canal and always had good accommo-dation there.

Q: Do you have any classic “do you remember the time when” stories?A: I remember one time I went into the basin at Over in the skid steer loader and managed to get itaground – I was sitting there with all 4 wheels spinning. They had to bring the excavator in to give me a pushor a pull – I’d obviously parked it on a lump.

Q: Is there anyone that’s inspired you?A: I don’t know about inspired but people like John Palmer and Mr Mac spring to mind. John and I atthe big digs or reunions had a self appointed task: every time there was a new brew of tea we had to test itbefore it was allowed to go out to the general membership. That was our excuse anyway.

Next time in Navvies I talk to Sophie Smith. Next time I will also be issuing a list of whoI’ve interviewed, who I’ve got lined up and how many slots are left so you’ll have to get yourthinking caps on and see if I’ve missed anyone absolutely vital.

I’m also looking for someone to interview who started digging after I started inter-viewing people – so pretty much if you started digging in 2010 and are still digging thenyou’re eligible!! Let me know ideas via email – being interviewed isn’t as scary as it sounds.

Helen [email protected]

Navvies diaryYour guide to all the forthcoming work parties

For details of diary dates beyond the end of this list ple

Feb 16-23 Camp 201301 Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation: Bank protection, towpath constructio

Feb 17 Sun EAWA/NWDCT North Walsham & Dilham Canal: Bacton Wood Lock

Feb 19 Tue IWA Stoke/TMCS Trent & Mersey Canal: Cheshire Locks 10am-4pm

Feb 21 Thu IWA Warks Stratford Canal: Lapworth, Kingswood Lock 10am-3pm

Feb 23/24 London WRG Shrewsbury & Newport Canal: Forton. First visiting work party on this

Feb 23 Sat wrgNW ‘Paper Chase’ waste paper collection

Feb 23 Sat IWA Mcr/CRT Greater Manchester area: Lock painting, litter picking, veg clearance an

Mar 1-7 WAT Wendover Arm: Seven-day weekend Fri-Thu. Bed & bank lining.

Mar 2/3 wrgNW Uttoxeter Canal

Mar 2/3 KESCRG Wilts & Berks Canal: Scrub bashing near Steppingstone Lane Bridge

Mar 3 Sun EAWA/NWDCT North Walsham & Dilham Canal: Royston Bridge

Mar 10 Sun WRG Committee & Board Meetings: Rowington

Mar 14 Thu IWA Stoke/CUCTCaldon Canal: Veg clearance around Froghall. Meet Froghall Wharf 10a

Mar 16/17 London WRG Ipswich (River Gipping): TBC (could be Fri-Mon?)

Mar 16/17 wrgBITM Cotswold Canals: Ham Mill Lock. Diverting water, damming canal, clear

Mar 16 Sat IWA Warks/CRTStratford Canal: Lapworth, lock painting, litter picking, veg clearance &

Mar 16 Sat IWA Stoke/TMCS Trent & Mersey Canal: Cheshire Locks. Painting & veg clearance at Chu

Mar 21 Thu IWA Warks Stratford Canal: Lapworth, lock painting, litter picking, veg clearance &

Mar 22-24 IWA MK Grand Union Canal: Canal Cleanup between Fenny Stratford & Wolverto

Mar 23/24 NWPG Wey & Arun Canal: Dunsfold. Towpath work.

Mar 23 Sat IWA Mcr/CRT Greater Manchester: Painting, veg clearance, pulling rubbish out , litter pic

Mar 23 Sat IWA Middx/FSC Slough Arm: Canal cleanup. Meet 9am at Salvation Army Hall, Stoke R

Mar 24 Sun EAWA/NWDCT North Walsham & Dilham Canal: Briggate

Mar 29-Apr 6 Camp 201302 Lancaster Canal: Reprofiling and lining at Stainton

Mar 29-Apr 6 Camp 201303 Lichfield Canal: Machine operation, vegetation clearance, block laying.

Apr 6/7 KESCRG Cotswold Canals: Ham Mill Lock, near Stroud

Apr 6 Sat wrgNW ‘Paper Chase’ waste paper collection

Apr 6-13 Camp 201304 Lancaster Canal: Reprofiling and lining at Stainton

Apr 7 Sun EAWA/NWDCT North Walsham & Dilham Canal: Honing Staithe Cut

Apr 13/14 WRG/IWA/BCNS BCN Cleanup

Apr 13/14 London WRG BCN Cleanup: Stourbridge Canal

Apr 20/21 wrgNW Hollinwood Canal

Apr 20/21 NWPG Cotswold Canals: Ham Mill Lock

Apr 21 Sun EAWA/NWDCT North Walsham & Dilham Canal: Honing Lock area

Apr 27/28 wrgBITM Chichester Ship Canal: Bank protection using nicospan

May 4/5 KESCRG Wendover Arm: Whitehouses. Accom at Ivinghoe Aston. Coping stones

May 4/5/6 wrgNW To be arranged, possible joint dig with Essex WRG.

May 5 Sun EAWA/NWDCT North Walsham & Dilham Canal

Canal Camps cost £56 per week unless otherwise stated. Bookings

for WRG Camps identified by a camp number e.g. 'Camp 201301'

should go to WRG Canal Camps, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham

HP5 1WA. Tel: 01494 783453, [email protected]. Diary compiled

by Dave Wedd. Tel: 01252 874437, [email protected]

ease contact diary compiler Dave Wedd: see top of page

on and vegetation clearance 01494-783453 [email protected]

David Revill 01603-738648 [email protected]

Bob Luscombe 07710-054848 [email protected]

Graham Nicholson [email protected]

canal. Tim Lewis 07802-518094 [email protected]

David McCarthy 0161-740-2179

nd pathwork. Ian Price 07971-444258 [email protected]

Roger Leishman 01442-874536 [email protected]

David McCarthy 0161-740-2179 [email protected]

Bobby Silverwood 07971-814986 [email protected]


Mike Palmer 01564-785293 [email protected]

am-2pm Bob Luscombe 07710-054848 [email protected]

Tim Lewis 07802-518094 [email protected]

rance or demolition.Dave Wedd 01252-874437 [email protected]

& path work. Alison Smedley 01538-385388 [email protected]

urch Lawton Bob Luscombe 07710-054848 [email protected]

& path work. Alison Smedley 01538-385388 [email protected]

on David King [email protected]

Bill Nicholson 01844-343369 [email protected]

ck. Prob Peak Forest Ian Price 07971-444258 [email protected]

Road SL2 5BW [email protected]


01494-783453 [email protected]


Bobby Silverwood 07971-814986 [email protected]

David McCarthy 0161-740-2179




Tim Lewis 07802-518094 [email protected]


Bill Nicholson 01844-343369 [email protected]


Dave Wedd 01252-874437 [email protected]

s and footpath Bobby Silverwood 07971-814986 [email protected]



Every Tuesday BCA Basingstoke Canal Chris Healy 01252-370073Once per month: pls check BCNS BCN waterways Mike Rolfe 07763-1717352nd Sunday & alternate Thurs BCS Buckingham area Athina Beckett 01908-661217Anytime inc. weekdays BCT Aqueduct section Gerald Fry 01288-353273Every Mon and Wed CCT Cotswold (W depot) Ron Kerby 01453-836018Every mon am Thu pm CCT Cotswold (E end) John Maxted 01285-861011Various dates CCT Cotswold Phase 1a Jon Pontefract 07986-351412Every Sunday ChCT Various sites Mick Hodgetts 01246-620695Every Tuesday CSCT Chichester Canal Carley Sitwell 01243 773002Every Tue & Wed C&BN Chelmer & Blackwater John Gale 01376-3348964th Sunday of month ECPDA Langley Mill Michael Golds 0115-932-8042Second Sun of month FIPT Foxton Inclined Plane Mike Beech 0116-279-26572nd weekend of month GCRS Grantham Canal Ian Wakefield 0115-989-21282nd Sat of month GWCT Nynehead Lift Denis Dodd 01823-661653Tuesdays H&GCT Oxenhall Brian Fox 01432 358628Weekends H&GCT Over Wharf House Maggie Jones 01452 618010Wednesdays H&GCT Over / Vineyard Hill Ted Beagles ????? ??????Thursdays H&GCT Herefordshire Wilf Jones 01452 413888Every Sunday if required IWPS Bugsworth Basin Ian Edgar 0161-427 7402Every day KACT Bradford-on-Avon Derrick Hunt 01225-8630662nd Sunday of month LCT Lancaster N. Reaches Paul Shaw 01524-356851st, 2nd, 4th Sun + 3rd Sat LHCRT Lichfield Sue Williams 01543-6714273rd Sunday of month LHCRT Hatherton Denis Cooper 01543-374370Last weekend of month MBBCS Creams Paper Mill Steve Dent 07802-973228Two Sundays per month NWDCT N Walsham Canal David Revill 01603-7386482nd & last Sundays PCAS Pocklington Canal Paul Waddington 01757-638027Every Wed and 1st Sat RGT Stowmarket Navigtn. Martin Bird 01394-3807652nd Sunday of month SCARS Sankey Canal Colin Greenall 01744-7317461st Sunday of month SCCS Combe Hay Locks Derrick Hunt 01225-863066Two weekends per month SHCS Basingstoke Canal Duncan Paine 01252-614125Last weekend of month SCS Stover Canal George Whitehead 01626-7754982nd Sunday of month SNT Sleaford Navigation Mel Sowerby 01522-856810Thu and Tue April-September SORT Sussex Ouse Ted Lintott 01444-4144131st weekend of month SUCS Newhouse Lock Mike Friend 01948-880723Every Tuesday morning TMCA Thames & Medway C Brian Macnish 01732-823725Every Sunday & Thurs WACT varied construction Eric Walker 023-9246-3025Mondays (2 per month) WACT tidying road crossings John Empringham 01483-562657Wednesdays WACT Tickner's Heath Depot John Smith 01903-235790Wednesdays WACT maintenance work Peter Jackman 01483-772132Sundays mainly WACT Loxwood Link Kev Baker 02380-861074Thursdays WACT Winston Harwood Grp Tony Clear 01903-774301Various dates WACT Hedgelaying (Oct-Mar) Keith Nichols 01403-753882last w/e (Fri-Thu) WAT Drayton Beauchamp Roger Leishman 01442-874536

Please send any additions corrections or deletions to diary compiler Dave Wedd (see previous page)

Abbreviations used in Diary:

BCA Basingstoke Canal AuthorityBCNS Birmingham Canal Navigations Soc.BCS Buckingham Canal SocietyBCT Bude Canal TrustChCT Chesterfield Canal TrustCBN Chelmer & Blackwater NavigationCSCT Chichester Ship Canal TrustCCT Cotswolds Canals TrustECPDA Erewash Canal Pres. & Devt. Assoc.FIPT Foxton Inclined Plane TrustGCRS Grantham Canal Restoration SocietyGWCT Grand Western Canal TrustH&GCT Hereford & Gloucester Canal TrustIWPS Inland Waterways Protection SocietyKACT Kennet & Avon Canal TrustKESCRG Kent & E Sussex Canal Rest. Group

LCT Lancaster Canal TrustLHCRT Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Rest'n TrustMBBCS Manchester Bolton & Bury Canal SocietyNWPG Newbury Working Party GroupNWDCT North Walsham & Dilham Canal TrustPCAS Pocklington Canal Amenity SocietyRGT River Gipping TrustSCARS Sankey Canal Restoration SocietySCCS Somersetshire Coal Canal SocietySHCS Surrey & Hants Canal SocietySCS Stover Canal SocietySNT Sleaford Navigation TrustSORT Sussex Ouse Restoration TrustSUCS Shropshire Union Canal SocietyTMCA Thames & Medway Canal AssociationWACT Wey & Arun Canal TrustWAT Wendover Arm TrustWBCT Wilts & Berks Canal Trust

Mobile groups' socials: phone to confirmLondon WRG: 7:30pm on Tues 11 days before dig. 'Star Tavern'Belgrave Mews West, London. Tim Lewis 07802-518094

NWPG: 7:30pm on 3rd Tue of month at the 'Hope Tap',West end of Friar St. Reading. Phil Dray 07956 185305

Navvies diaryCanal societies’ regular working parties

LettersPhil Scott feels uneasy...

“Did I really put fuel in my car

to travel all this distance so I

can (in effect) tidy someone’s

garden, when my own garden

is is complete disarray?”

Dear Martin,The makings of this letter have been on my mind for quite some time now. Maybe what I’mabout to say is an indication that I’m suffering from depression, or have lived for too long ina dead end Welsh valley amongst some extremely insular folk, however... the 2012 BonfireBash was the case in point.

I’d guess that my motivation to dig with WRG makes me representative of mostWRGies: WRG gives me the opportunity to do my bit for ecology / the environment, toprotect our industrial heritage, to put my bit back into the canal system, and of course to getoutside and have a good time amongst like minded people. WRG seems expert at dealingand negotiating with people and organisations at all levels: what was BW, the EA, localgroups, CADW / English Heritage... and land owners.

The last few weekends I’ve been out with WRG or the regional groups have left methinking, “Did I really put fuel in my car to travel all this distance so I can (in effect) tidysomeone’s garden, when my own garden is is complete disarray?” I’m aware that I am by nomeans the only volunteer to have had this thought. More and more I notice how we arehaving to pander to (often vastly wealthy) landowners in order that we may further improvethe value of their land by restoring the canal that runs through it.

Chatting to one of the locals on the recent Bonfire Bash, I asked what was next for thelength of canal we were clearing: No, it’s not being dredged. No, the clearance work is not toenable an engineering survey. No, it’s not being re-watered. No, the towpath is not beingbuilt up to a standard representative of a walkway. No, there is no long-term commitment toprovide access to boaters or the public. “It’s more psychological really”, said the local, “justto show we are doing something.” If this were the 14 Locks or similar length of canal in thepublic eye, then yes, I’d 100% agree the inspirational value of our work. But this was anisolated length of canal running amongst fields, to which (correct me if I am wrong) thepublic have no access. Judging by the number of rotting logs, the area had already beencleared some time in the last 10 or so years, then allowed to return to wilderness. Those inWRG Forestry Team who’d brought some bloody expensive kit to do the job - mostly pur-chased at their own expense - weren’t even allowed to take the wood they’d cut. Apparentlythe landowner wanted it, even though the previously made neat log piles had been left to rot....

A similar situation exists with the Somersetshire Coal Canal, which (again, correct me ifI am wrong) has structures too narrow to permit conventional narrowboats. [I will correctPhil here because I do think he’s wrong. Unlike some south western canals - for example theGrand Western - which were built for very small tub-boats, my understanding is that the SCCtook full size narrowboats. Can SCCS confirm this? ...Ed] Fantastic location, lovely romanticruins, but what’s the end gain when it appears to be too small for boats and the landownerisn’t happy about us dealing with the tree that’s threatening to pull out one side of a lockchamber, or to remove the accident-waiting-to-happen decaying remains of lock gates as wework below them? We seem to end up having to do things the difficult way, when there arefar easier / safer options available.

Many of our volunteers are students or on some other kind of budget, and there’ssomething that leaves me feeling very uneasy about groups of enthusiastic volunteers com-ing to work on such projects at their own expense when we seem to be walking amongst theeggshells of the wealthy landowners who, in all honesty, could afford to pay contractors todo our good work. Maybe I’ve been reading too many magazines from the union of BobCrow? It almost feels like exploitation, not by WRG, but by the more fortunate in society.Who is doing who the favour here?

I appreciate the difficulty of finding suitable sites for the Bonfire Bash. I realise that

developing relationships with landowners are important if the restoration project is to suc-ceed, and that it’s a landowners right to say “no” to would-be restorers. However, my criteriafor how I spend my time in volunteering are that my input has to be both enjoyable ANDmake some long term, visible difference. Rebuilding an historic structure or clearing a lockchamber in readiness for survey - tick. Clearing a random isolated length of canal that’s beencleared at least once before and in the knowledge it will all have grown back in another tenyear’s time - no tick.

I don’t claim to have an answer to this, is there an answer at all? I’d be interested inother people’s opinions - and I realise that to volunteer with WRG is entirely my choice.Perhaps I should just be more selective about where I dig - but often it’s not until you havearrived that the picture becomes clear.

Phil Scott

I’d be interested to hear people’s views, not only from local canal society folks who knowmore about the particular examples Phil gives, but also on the more general point. ...Ed

Dear Martin and all the contributorsThanks for Navvies 256. It was rather a walk down memory lane for me, with Nick Wright’sand Audrey Smith’s bits.

I remember taking Graham Palmer to see the Derwent, and meeting Gwillim, the localorganiser, Roger Womersley and Graham Smith, and many others. (Graham P did not drive,and was reliant on people like me to chauffeur him around – but in those days I had a com-pany car). It may have even been the same weekend that Audrey was there - who knows?We looked at the kit that large arable farms could turn out – they sucked out slurry from thelock and squirted it elsewhere and had about 4 monster tractors and pumps working amerry-go-round. Meanwhile, our toothpick Smalley had been dumped into the lock by aJCB 4 and I had a happy hour or two digging crap out and filling a waiting JCB bucket, whoput it in a trailer pulled by yet another tractor. The political background to this was all aboutthe Regional Water Authority who considered themselves all-knowing and would not eventalk to volunteers and other interested local parties. Time has drawn a veil over the messydetails, but I well remember Graham Smith much in the thoughts of Graham Palmer whowere both being worn down by work load and worry.

It was then interesting to see Nick mention that Graham was very sceptical about workcamps. He was: not about their possible efficacy, but about his, and his inner circle’s abilityto take on yet another task. Graham had a self-imposed task of trying to weld all the multi-tudinous working groups into a loose association that could form a self-help set and alsohave a common front for publicity. Hence the red plant colour that virtually no-one elseused. May I point out (again) that weekend working parties do a small amount of goodworking to a restoration goal, but if used properly generate more publicity than can bedreamed of by a ‘working party’ that sits in a committee and talks about it. Hence ChrisGriffiths did much more with his camera than he ever did with a shovel!

It is probably not now realised that Graham knew none of the working party peoplearound the country until he picked up a phone and told them he was coming, then visitedand charmed them. True, he knew Harry Arnold, John Liley, and most of the IWA MidlandBranch committee – that thorn in the side of 114 Regent’s Park Road, the people who knewmany others; but it was Graham who carried the whole project. No, he had no chance ofdoing anything else.

The BWB (British Waterways Board) of the time were mainly lifetime canal people onthe ground with jobsworths allegedly leading them. We knew many workers and learnedfrom them where we could, but we did not work on canals that BWB were supposed tomaintain. We met employees of all levels in such places as Ashton and latterly on the Mont-gomery. The area engineer on the Ashton (whose name I now cannot remember) was alate convert to using volunteer labour, and Brian Haskings, engineer for the Mont. was amaz-ingly supportive. However they were all strapped for cash, and I can have (these days)sympathy for Len Wall the Birmingham area guy, who was unfailingly surly, whilst trying tokeep the canal water in the cut and avoid flooding chunks of that city…..and we wanted himto do more!

The illustration of the ‘HQ’ for opera-tions at the Wilmcote flight (p.25, No 256)reminds me that the Stratford guys had a hutat the top of the flight called Packwood partlybecause Packwood House was where CrickGrundy, the Canal Manager was based, andpartly because it was built from a couple ofenormous packing crates. The hut in thephoto was called Melbury House after the HQof BWB, whilst behind ‘Melbury’ was WillowGrange, the eponymous Watford offices ofBWB. In our case it was the khazi. Thissuccinctly gives our view of BWB of the time.

The modern day situation is entirelydifferent. Might I suggest that IWA andWRG need to be sure of what they wish toachieve. Time was when in the front ofevery Navvies was the line Restoration and Development, if memory serves, a phraselifted from the Objectives of IWA, but which they tried to ignore. I have said before I deni-grate the move to drop ‘development’ – it is a poor aim only to look back. However, it is nolonger my organisation, I’m just a bad tempered old git; but what do YOU want? The no-tion of not working on ‘Cruiseways’ is now defunct – I’ll get over it. Personally I can’t seewhy resources were put into the project at Over. It has no future as a canal, and the canalhad no future when it was built, as the mine it served ceased trading 3 years after the canalwas finished. Perhaps there are other reasons for WRG involvement I know nothing about,but the decision needs to reviewed in the light of a job obviously well done/the opportunitycost. If you are working there, you cannot work somewhere else. For what it is worth, theLichfield and Hatherton project would be closest to GKP’s heart, unimaginable when we wereworking on the Mont, which is why the Mont became his epitaph. But I know what he wouldhave preferred.

Martin was quite right in his editorial to ask for your ideas, but I will extend this – wemust work with the whole of the inland waterway fraternity (not just canals). To do thatMike and others will need to phone and charm all connected with CRT/boat clubs/conserva-tion groups and don’t forget the trade – we are nothing without them. Concerted efforts ona very short list of projects are the most economically sensible. All the voluminous profes-sional reports I have seen of various scheme have all said do it now and do it quick, and getit earning. However, we still need to have local groups that keep that all important watch ontheir patch.

Mike Day

Dear MartinRe the article by Nick Wright - Camp Report: The First One.

I too remember attending a work camp on the Stratford with my late husband Mal-colm. He was working party organisor for the West Riding branch at one time.I’m not sure ifit was the one mentioned but have vivid memories of the luxury(!!) accomodation atLowsonsford and the evenings at the pubs at Wooten Wawen and Lapworth,relaxing after ahard day on the worksite.

It chiefly stands out for converting me to Real Ale as I had previously (to my nowhorror!) only drunk shandies - thanks fellow navvies for that.

We had a great time and went to a number of other work sites including those in ourarea-the Yorkshire Derwent, Pocklington, Huddersfield Narrow and also worked on theDroitwich. I am still an IWA member and subscribe to Navvies. I hope that the new water-way charity recognises the massive contribution that WRG has made to the restorationthough many now have no concept of the fight we had to prevent closures apart fromrestoration which is the main movement now.

ThanksKay Bassett

“No future”? The H&G at Over Basin

Mart

in L

udgate

Dear MartinBit late in responding to the CRT (CART as I call it) and WRG ‘working together’ problem. Idate back to early days with GKP (Graham Palmer) when husband Ron gave brickwork les-sons, loaned machinery, delivered timber and materials, etc. etc. We were then rescuing theStratford and the Droitwich amongst other stretches. We were rescuing and then handingover to BWB and Trusts, in other words WRG was to us not just a support mechanism butdrawing attention to the prevention of loss of waterways before it was too late.

My main worry is that WRG could be looked upon as a “let them get on with it, theyknow what they are doing and it is a cheap get out” (I remember GKP having to be carefulnot to tread on Union ‘toes’ in the late ’60s and early ’70s by taking work from BWB employ-ees - who didn’t show much physical enthusiasm for the work in the first place). The recentrescue of the bridges on the Oxford was admirable work but I felt that should have been themain responsibility of the BWB/CART organisation.

I was appalled and commented on the daft idea of turning two sideponds on the GUinto “Newt Sanctuaries” at the possible cost of £3K per pond recently; if CART can spendthat sort of cash on that, they could spend it on more useful projects to keep the canalsopen! I realise that CART is for all people, be they walkers, anglers, nature lovers, etc. etc.but surely the prime use for canals is for boats? At least that is what they were created for inthe first place - commercial ones at that (yes I know that fight has long since been lost).

I won’t comment on the weed-planting project in the Leicester area but I think CARTare employing a lot of people who need educating about canals in particular and their main-tenance, whether or not WRG/IWA can do that is a matter for those involved to decide -RECOVERY is a strong word of optimism, MAINTENANCE has to be paid for, TRUST is anambiguous alternative.

Rosemary Carden

Dear EditorReading the articles from long-standing WRGies with interest has reminded me of the early1970s when I first got involved. My then fiance took me to ASHTAC before I even reallyknew what a canal was and things built up from there. Soon David (now my husband) wasbringing Graham Palmer and John Dodwell (he had the car) back home to continue what-ever meeting they had been to, over late night tea and breakfast in our house. WRG waspartly hatched in our house and in due course Graham asked me to become his secondsecretary (the first one had to stop doing because of family commitments). This workedwell, by post, and I learnt his signature for certain letters. I even got one of his handpainted cards. We visited his house once so that I could type a correction for Navvies (thosewere the days of electric typewriters and typing was much more skilled then!). We sat in theliving room drinking enormous mugs of tea provided by Edie (Graham’s mother) and dis-cussing the assembly line Graham had set up to produce the painted canal ware he used tosell. Both parents had got involved doing the basic painting in line with Graham’s instruc-tions with Graham providing the finishing touches.

Graham also took us to his office (he worked in insurance). His office area was in acorner of a large room partitioned off and most of the wall space was devoted to WRG pa-perwork. He did admit that he had a very understanding boss (as did I when I becameinvolved!)

In 1970 Claire Johnstone and I ran the catering section. This started at a Londonworking party group weekend in Stratford when Graham asked me how much marmalade Ithought he should buy. Surprised, I offered to do ‘all that’ with Claire. After a couple ofweekends when we had managed to empty small village shops of bread, meat and vegeta-bles, my husband lent us a wholesale store card and we would get the food in advance. Themain criterion was cheapness, the food was basic – full English breakfast, sandwiches andstew (hiding controversial ingredients like garlic and herbs and spices - lying about themwhen necessary!) and boiled fruit for afters, all cooked on ancient 4-ringed stoves (with onering dead), by women with jobs, busy lives and no time to bake cakes in advance (|I didn’tbake my first cake until I had moved north). Cakes and buns were bought. Claire and Ipaid upfront and got our money back at the camp.

We did have one disaster when Graham decided to get publicity during a work camp in

Shropshire by inviting all the locals to bring someone. Bad move. They turned up withparents, siblings, girlfriends, girlfriends’ parents, everybody’s friends. Claire and I had beentold to cater for “about 30-35”. The queue wound round the village hall and out of the door– around 80 were eventually counted. We had been a bit wary and cooked mince and mashthat could stretch to about 60. At the end, when people had stopped coming and Claire andI were looking at the small amount left, in strolled Graham and Mike Day and Megan de-manding food and not pleased with what was on offer. We invited them to count the num-bers who had turned up and to suggest where on a Saturday night more supplies could havecome from. I could see that Graham understood the problem and he never tried that oneagain. A local came to our rescue by raiding her freezer for some bread and a packet of fishfingers, which is what Claire and I ate.

Graham paid a lot of attention to detail and really cared about the volunteers. Thegroup who used to meet in someone’s flat to collate the early Navvies were always rewardedby cans of beer (boy, how we needed it too) and the sessions were always fun. During theworking parties he would check that people were occupied and sort out any problems. Aftersupper we would all head for the pub (which he had alerted beforehand) and he would dohis best to keep us from waking the locals as we went home – not an easy task.

Margaret Gibson

Dear Martin Your editorial in Navvies 155 has reminded me of the time back in February 1968 when theIWA London & Home Counties Branch Working Party held a one-day working party on theGrand Union at Uxbridge in cooperation with BW. The primary task was to whitewash thebridge just to the north of the old A40, with the option to clear the bushes and undergrowthon the embankment on the towpath side beyond it.

We had two enthusiastic BW foremen to supervise us, and the bridge was soon painted(mainly from planks suspended over the canal on metal straps hanging from the parapets)and we then turned our attention to the embankment, making a massive clearance withseveral bonfires – something I was told used to be done regularly in the past. There were85 of us involved (including GKP, my brother John (now a CRT trustee) and Ernie Pull). Asubsequent working party (led by GKP) the following June in the same area attracted only18 participants. It had been a useful experiment, but other waterways more in need ofvolunteer input were calling. Let’s hope that CRT will be able and willing to take advantageof the expertise developed by WRG, although I suspect that restoration projects will alwayshave the greater attraction for the many WRG volunteers.

Best wishes,

Tim Dodwell

Dear Martin One aspect of the BW/CRT changeover that is of concern is that, as a charity, CRT is not subjectto the Freedom of Information Act 2000 or the Environmental Information Regulations 2004.

With another hat on, I (try to) deal with the National Trust - also not subject to theseActs. It is next to impossible to get any information out of them as they circle the wagonsand put the shutters up if asked the simplest of questions.

The CRT not being subject to these Acts, and therefore not being open and transpar-ent, is a retrograde step.

Yours Andrew Telford

My understanding (someone please correct me if I’m wrong) is that at a fairly late stage itwas decided that certain of CRT’s activities (basically those to do with its statutory duties tomaintain waterways) would still be subject to FIOA 2000. Incidentally, one other potentially‘interesting’ change as far as Navvies and other publications are concerned is that unlikeBritish Waterways, which was prevented from taking legal action for libel / slander as a resultof its status as a public authority, no such restriction applies to CRT - which has lost little timein issuing the odd legal letter (not to us, I hasten to add!) ...Ed

Dear MartinClearly, this subject is raising a great deal of heat and it’s only right that we think long andhard about the implications. The problem I have with the C&RT is based on my own experi-ence of moving first from a Civil Service led organisation, to a quasi-government companyand finally to privatisation. In all those three movements, it was the top level of manage-ment that changed whilst the rest of us just carried on doing what we’d always done. Itprobably took five to seven years for changes to start percolating downwards through theorganisation.

The lower and middle management layers of the C&RT will be exactly the same peoplethat were lower and middle managers in BW and will carry on doing what they’ve alwaysdone. Just because it’s now a charity doesn’t mean that the various forms, systems and redtape will simply vanish and be replaced by lots of lovely things and we’ll all be pals together.

The second problem we will face is our own failings in planning and organising aweek-long camp. I know that things can go wrong and WRG will get things sorted outthrough the goodwill of everyone involved but if we are working with a professional organi-sation, muddling through won’t be good enough.

Have a look through the selection of camp reports in Navvies 256. There are anynumber of things mentioned that should have been sorted out in the planning stage. I has-ten to add that I’m not pointing the finger of scorn at any one individual, just making thepoint that we need to be a lot more careful if we wish to have C&RT working with us.

Lets list a few: No Portaloo on site; the cooker wouldn’t fit through the doors; theaccommodation was being used by other organisations; bricks in the wrong place; pickupsnot made at the right time.

I presume the great and good in C&RT read Navvies and will read the same things I’vejust read. I can’t help thinking that we are not advertising ourselves as the highly efficientwell organised team they will be looking for when it comes to working together.

I think the final problem will be that C&RT are only interested in looking after theassets they’ve already got. WRG was designed at the outset to ‘recover’ waterways, not lookafter existing ones. I know we’ve already broken that rule by working on the Chelmer &Blackwater but if that is to be our future then the IWA Trustees need to take notice of thatdecision, particularly as they’ve just decided to make it clear the C&RT and IWA are twoentirely separate organisations.

I should add that coming from the wrong part of the country probably means I’ll neversee the C&RT in our neck of the woods. Even if the EA navigations are handed over to theC&RT sometime in the future they’ll probably not do any more than the current owners,which is precious little.

Spencer GreystrongDear Martin,

Whither the Mont? – Some Thoughts

In August 2011 WRG in four week-long Canal Camps began restoring the length of the PantDry Section between Price’s Bridge and Crickheath Bridge by excavating a short length ofchannel and experimentally lining it. The method being tried out however, at least in theview of some, proved difficult and extremely time consuming to the extent that even if itcould be reasonably speeded up, the time to complete that section of the canal would provedauntingly long. Alternatively, perhaps using Sahara Terraseal, the new ‘Wonder LiningMaterial’, and investing a little more in 4 inch (100mm) dense concrete blocks to replace thepresent 3 inch (75mm) blocks that are required as the top layer in the present scheme, rapidprogress might result, with an added advantage that 300mm less depth of earth need beexcavated (and processed) from the sides and bed of the canal.

Arrangements to continue the work this year had to be abandoned due both to waterin the canal and the presence of crested newts. Various stretches of the Pant Dry Section willhave their particular difficulties for the restoration process but this section being undertakenby WRG is, possibly for about two thirds of the length, certainly challenging in terms ofchannel bed ground conditions. From the turn as far as Crickheath Bridge various depths ofpeat exist resulting in rather unstable ground. Additionally, historically, some water has

always been present in these peat bed areas of the canal bed, with 2011 the driest summerin memory being the exception. Some locals have said that they could not remember seeingthat section of canal that dry in the last 40 years.

SUCS archive records of renovating Crickheath Wharf Wall and constructing the adja-cent Visitor Mooring Wall in 2007/2008 refer to varying amounts of water in the canal duringthat period. Photographs (Navvies 256 back cover) show the amount of water in the canal inApril 2012 after a short period of heavy rain following a dry period. Incidentally, Pete’sMontgomery Canal website in his restoration progress report for Sep/Oct 2012 shows anunbelievable amount of water in the canal.

So it would seem that creating some system for removing water from the canal iscrucial if there is to be some certainty of being able to access the canal bed as required toresume work even on the presently planned length of channel from near Price’s Bridge up tothe turn. This would be necessary not only in this on-going work area (a land drain is in-stalled there) but also in the canal bed back to the access point for machinery at CrickheathWharf. Lowering the water table in the channel would hopefully allow the canal bed in thepeat bed areas to stabilise sufficiently for machinery to traverse backwards and forwardsfrom the wharf to the worksite in normal years, as was possible in 2011.

The requirement to lower the water table and then maintain that low level whilst workwas going on would seem to require a land drain in the channel bed at least from the turn,where the poor ground conditions begin, back as far as the wharf. Initially, if because of thepresence of water the ground could not support a digger, it might be necessary to dig byhand two sumps say 10 metres or so apart connected by an open trench, opposite the pointof entry for machinery into the canal bed from the wharf.

This would allow pumps to begin discharging water from the canal, hopefully into theditch in the neighbouring field on the towpath side, so lowering the water level until the bedwas sufficiently stable to support a digger. The digger could then fully excavate the sumpsand the connecting ditch to construct the first length of land drain at a depth which would bebelow the planned final excavated depth of the channel for lining. The construction of thenext 10m or so section could then be undertaken, and so on.

At the work site, in the absence of a repaired culvert, should it not be possible to find apump discharge point outside the channel at that point then it might be necessary to extendthe land drain from Crickheath Wharf to join up with the length of land drain that alreadyexists at the worksite.

Putting in the land drain would probably take up a limited Canal Camp on its own andit has to be admitted that this addresses neither a solution to the newt problem nor the fullstabilisation the ground in the peat areas prior to lining. It also does not address funding orproblems needed to be overcome later regarding access by contractors to the unlined lengthof canal beyond the end of the present lined section and Price’s Bridge, to renew the defec-tive culvert and subsequently by WRG to then line that section.

However, to stabilise the peat areas prior to lining, I would have been inclined to opena discussion with relevantly experienced Civil Engineers (there must be some), from thepoint of suggesting the removal of peat to a depth of, say, one metre below the plannedexcavation of the canal bed for lining (or less if subsoil were encountered above that), plac-ing an appropriate heavy terraseal-type lining material as used in the construction of roadsacross swamps and then tipping quarry waste, or some alternative, to bring the level up tothat required for lining, with the land drain being replaced in stretches where it had beendestroyed in the process. Some ideas of how the peat areas of the canal bed might be stabi-lised may also have emerged following any surveys carried out by BW since their levelssurvey of 2007/2008. Incidentally, piling the offside in this area where the bank has virtu-ally disappeared may also be unavoidable.

It might be interesting to know what options are actually being considered in order toensure restoration of this section of the Mont can progress. In the not too distant futurewhen the SUCS section between Redwith Bridge and Price’s Bridge is fully lined and again inwater the focus will really be on this section so that the winding hole may become accessiblefor boats.

J J PriceA novice Volunteer

River Gipping

The second half of 2012 saw much progresswith our two main projects, the replacementof the old timber sluice gates at Baylham Milland the completion of the bank works belowthe lock chamber

The sluice frame and gates wereconstructed over the summer at White HouseFarm, Little Glemham, by members of ourregular work parties using English oaksourced from the farm . The work has beensupervised by Raymond Hopkins and theworkshop and storage facilities were pro-vided by Jason Gathorne-Hardy, the farmowner, artist, and conservationist. Jasonrecently won an award from the RSPB for hiscontribution to conservation in farming atWhite House farm and our work with locallysourced timber was featured as part of hispresentation . For most of the team workingon the gates this was our first experience ofworking with such massive timbers and hasbeen a bit of a learning curve but very inter-esting to see the whole process from treefelling to finished construction. After beingbuilt in the barn to the satisfaction ofRaymond, the structure was dis-mantled and trucked back toBaylham to await a suitableweather window to allow for instal-lation.

Work has now started onpreparing for the installation withbank clearance around the oldsluice and removal of the olddecayed timber frame. The bankclearance has revealed the remainsof an old eel trap and associatedoutbuilding, installed we think inthe 1950’s by the then mill ownerin a deal with a jellied eel merchantin the east end of London.

Water levels in the river aresomewhat higher than usual,following the wet summer, andthis may delay the installation ofthe new frame for a while though

we hope to start work in earnest immediatelyafter the New Year.

The work next to the lock chamber atBaylham is now nearly complete. The finalconstruction involves the re-laying of a bricksurface below the old bridge. This is nowwell under way, and weather permitting, wasdue to be finished in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile over the Summer the mainwork party successfully completed work tothe Pipps Ford overbridge, with all four flankwalls re-built, the deck cleared, new woodenhandrails constructed and the exposed metalbeams treated. The landowner is keen to seethe work here extended to return the imme-diate area around the lock to its historicalsetting and we have now made an applica-tion to the Environment Agency for thefurther by-wash work , weir and footbridgethat would make this possible. which ownsthe lock and its surrounding area, and hehas expressed an interest in restoring themill itself to working order. If this is success-ful , it would be the final piece in restoringthis historic group buildings to its appear-ance in the heyday of its working life

Martin Bird

The oak sluice frame and gates await installation

Riv

er

Gip

pin

g T

rust

On the Gipping, otherwise

known as the Ipswich &

Stowmarket, they’ve been

getting stuck into some rather

large scale woodwork...

ProgressRiver Gipping

Lichfield and Hatherton canals

The contractors have finished work inDarnford Park with the foul water sewersuccessfully diverted leaving the route to theA51 crossing hopefully clear of obstructions.The deep excavation of the basin whereboats will turn to access the A38 crossing isvery impressive, as are the first stages of thepreparation of the staircase locks 27/28. Byworking happily with the parks and openspaces department of Lichfield District Coun-cil, for a large part of the former works areathe landscaping has been completed with thefootpaths reinstated and reopened. We hopeto use our own volunteers to make furtherprogress as well as visiting work groups.

After many years of negotiation wehave finally purchased a vital section of theroute from just upstream of Lock 30 toCappers Bridge. This section is mostly inwater although in isolation. Work will not bepossible in this area until terms built into thepurchase agreement have been fulfilled andthis may take several years. In this same

ProgressLichfield and Hatherton

Meanwhile over in

Staffordshire they’re dodging

sewers, high speed railway

lines, bypass roads and

traveller encampments...

area we continue to monitor the plans forHigh Speed 2 where protests from residentsmean that the published route may be modi-fied. HS2 is also of vital interest to ourfriends and neighbours at Lichfield CruisingClub. All these developments have placedconsiderable strain on finances with a periodof retrenchment in view in 2013.

Meanwhile, the planning applicationmade by travellers near the M6 Toll aqueducthas gone to appeal after being rejected byLichfield planners. We are also watchingclosely the planning of the extension of theLichfield southern bypass between Londonand Birmingham roads.

On the Hatherton we are slowly estab-lishing ownership details between the formerA460 and Bridgtown. Many of the landrecords have been lost since closure and wegrateful for the help of Cannock Chase Dis-trict Council. There is also a suggestion thatthe scheme to widen the M6 is again underdiscussion and this could have a beneficialeffect on the canal restoration.

Brian Kingshott

Relaying the brick surface below Baylham Lock on the River Gipping

Riv

er

Gip

pin

g T

rust

Managing invasive and injuriousweeds on your restoration site

This article is intended as a basic guide tosome of the most common invasive plantspecies that you are likely to come across ona canal site, and how to deal with them. Notethis is not a comprehensive guide and if youhave any of these weeds on your site, youshould read further information from one ofthe sources listed at the bottom of the article.

Some of these weeds can have poten-tially significant environmental conse-quences, while others pose a risk to agricul-tural land. Care also needs to be taken whilsthandling these plants, as some can be harm-ful to humans. Responsibility for controllingthese weeds lies with the landowner, and thedegree of obligation to do this varies witheach species.

There are also a number of floatinginvasive weeds that may be found on canals,but I haven’t mentioned them in detail hereas most of our sites have little or no water!These plants include Australian swampstonecrop, parrot’s feather, floatingpennywort and creeping water primrose.Further information on these plants can befound on the Environment Agency website.

Himalayan balsam

This purpleflowering plantgrows to 3 me-tres high and isspread both bywater and by anexplosive seedhead that canscatter seeds upto 7m. It growsin dense patchespreventinggrowth of nativeplants, and thendying back inautumn leaving

bare ground liable to erosion.The most flexible method of controlling

Himalayan balsam is pulling by hand, whichcan be done at any time but ideally beforethe plants set seed. Balsam can also cut byhand or with a strimmer at the start of itsflowering season in June but not beforebecause this will encourage vigorousregrowth. Plants should be disposed of byburning, or by composting if seeds are notpresent. Control methods need to be re-peated for a minimum of three years to haveany chance of eradicating the plant.

Japanese knotweed

Japanese knotweed is actually the mostcommon of three similar species of invasiveknotweed found in the UK, which also havehybrids! This plant poses a significant haz-ard to canal projects, not only displacingnative species but causing structural dam-age as the root system of each plantreaches more than 3m deep and canspread at least 7m across.

Controlling knotweed by cutting ispossible, but probably not effective on mostof our sites as it needs to be extremely accu-rate and repeated every 2-4 weeks during

Invasive plantsand dealing with them

Do you know you Japanese

knotweed from your Himalayan

balsam? Bobby gives us the

lowdown on dealing with these

unwanted visitors to your site...

the growing season for a number of years.The most effective method of control is byusing industrial herbicides, which shouldonly be undertaken by suitably qualifiedpersons.

The knotweed code of practice providesfurther information on effective control ofthese plants and can be found via the Envi-ronment Agency website.

Giant Hogweed

This plantreally doeslive up to itsname, reach-ing 5m talland produc-ing up to50,000 seedsthat will beviable for 15years. In asimilar wayto Himalayanbalsam,hogweedshades outnative plantsand causessoil erosion iffound indense patches.

Giant hogweed contains a poisonoussap that causes painful blistering and severeskin irritation that can last for six years.Because of this, strimming should be avoidedand extra care should be taken when han-dling the plant – long trousers, long sleevesand thick gloves recommended.

The most effective method of controlis by chemical treatment by a suitablyqualified person, but regular cutting ordigging can also work. Whichever controlmethod is chosen, it must be repeated forup to 10 years to be effective. Plants canbe disposed of at landfill or by compostingon site.

Ragwort, Thistles & Docks

Common ragwort (pictured) is the mostprolific of the five “injurious weeds” that areclassified by the Weeds Act 1959. Whilst it isnot illegal to have these plants on your land,landowners must prevent their spread ontoagricultural land, and can be obliged tocontrol them if complaints are made.

The other four injurious weeds arespear thistle, creeping or field thistle, broadleaved dock and curled dock.

Ragwort grows on broken or bareground and is poisonous to horses, cattleand some other livestock with potentiallyfatal consequences. It is most dangerouswhen it ends up in hay or other forage be-cause the livestock are unable to selectivelyavoid it like they would if it was growing.

The easiest way to control ragwort is topull by hand, holding it close to the groundto ensure you get the roots too. The guid-ance for disposing of ragwort is varied anddepends on the quantity involved. Methodsinclude composting, controlled burning anddisposal at landfill. This guidance can befound on the Natural England website.

Bobby Silverwood

Further information

Environment Agency guidance on invasive species:www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/wildlife/31350.aspxNatural England guidance on injurious weeds:www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/regulation/wildlife/enforcement/injuriousweeds.aspx

ASHBY CANAL ASSOC

Rod Smith

4 Ashby Road, Sinope

Coalville LE67 3AY

Tel: 01530 833307

BARNSLEY, DEARNE &

DOVE CANAL TRUST

June Backhouse, 39 Hill St,

Elsecar, Barnsley S74 8EN

01226 743383

www.bddct.org.uk

BCN SOCIETY

Jeff Barley, 17 Sunnyside

Walsall Wood, W Midlands

01543 373284

www.bcn-society.org.uk

BUCKINGHAM CANAL

SOCIETY

Athina Beckett

2 Staters Pound, Pennyland

Milton Keynes MK1 5AX

01908 661217

email: [email protected]

www.buckinghamcanal.org.uk

BUGSWORTH BASIN

(IWPS)Ian Edgar

Top Lock House, Lime Kiln

Lane, Marple SK6 6BX.

0161 427 7402

[email protected]/iwps/

index.htm

CALDON & UTTOXETER

CANALS TRUST

Alison Smedley

Hazelhurst Cottage

Denford, LeekST13 7JT

01538-385388

[email protected]

www.cuct.org.uk

CHESTERFIELD CANAL

TRUST

Mick Hodgetts

31 Pottery Lane

Chesterfield S41 9BH

01246 620695

chesterfield-canal-

trust.org.uk

CHICHESTER SHIP CT

Linda Wilkinson

1 Chidham Lane

Chichester PO18 8TL

01243 576701

www.chichestercanal.co.uk

COTSWOLD CT

Bell House

Wallbridge Lock

Stroud GL5 3JS

01453 752568

[email protected]

www.cotswoldcanals.com

FRIENDS OF THE

CROMFORD CANAL

George Rogers

2 Main St, Whatstandwell

Matlock DE4 5HE

07789 493967

[email protected]

www.cromfordcanal.org.uk

DERBY & SANDIACRE CSDoug Flack

23 Thoresby Cres, Draycott

Derby DE72 3PH01332 576037

www.derbycanal.org.uk

DIG DEEP INITIATIVE

Alan Cavender53 Derwent Drive,

Maidenhead SL6 6LE

01628 629033

[email protected]

www.dig-deep.org.uk

DORSET & SOMERSET

CANAL SOCIETY

Derrick Hunt

43 Greenland Mills

Bradford on Avon BA15 1BL

01225 863066

[email protected]

EAST ANGLIAN

WATERWAYS ASSOC

David Revill

43 Kings Road

Coltishall, Norfolk

NR12 7DX

01603 738648

[email protected]

EREWASH CANAL P&DA

Mick Golds

73 Sudbury Avenue

Larklands, Ilkeston

Derbys DE7 5EA

Notts (0115) 9328042

ESSEX WATERWAYS LTD

Colin Edmond

Paper Mill Lock

North Hill Little Baddow

Essex CM3 4BT

01245 226245

[email protected]

www.waterways.org.uk

FOXTON INCLINED

PLANE TRUST

c/o Mike Beech

Foxton Canal Museum

Middle Lock

Gumley Road

Foxton

Market Harborough

Leicestershire LE16 7RA0116 279 2657

[email protected]

www.fipt.org.uk

ROLLE CANAL AND NTHDEVON WATERWAYS

SOC

Adrian & Hilary WillsVale Cottage, 7 Annery Kiln

Weare Giffard, Bideford

EX39 5JE

Tel: 01237 477705

[email protected]

DirectoryCanal Society and WRG contacts

RIVER GIPPING TRUST

Martin Bird

29 Melton Grange Rd

Melton

Woodbridge IP12 1SA

01394 380765

restoration@rivergippingtrust.

org.uk

GRAND WESTERN CANAL

TRUST

Denis Dodd, Wharf Cottage

Nynehead, Wellington

Somerset TA21 0BJ

01823 661653

GRANTHAM CANAL

SOCIETY

Ian Wakefield

0115 989 2128

ian.wakefield@

granthamcanal.com

www.granthamcanal.com

HEREFS & GLOUCS

CANAL TRUST

c/o The Wharf House

Over

Gloucester

GL2 8DB

01452 332900

www.h-g-canal.org.uk

KESCRG

Eddie Jones

‘Little Orchard’

Berryfields, Fillongley

Coventry CV7 8EX

0845 226 8589

[email protected]

www.kescrg.org.uk

LANCASTER CT

Paul Shaw

12 Malham Close

Lancaster

LA1 2SJ01524 35685

[email protected]

www.lctrust.co.uk

LAPAL CANAL TRUST

26 Loynells Road, Rednal

Birmingham B45 9NP

01785 713862

www.lapal.org

LICHFIELD &

HATHERTON CANALS

REST'N TRUST

Sue Williams, Norfolk House

29 Hall Lane, Hammerwich

Burntwood WS7 0JP

01543 671427

[email protected]

www.lhcrt.org.uk

NEATH & TENNANT CS

Ian Milne

16 Gower Road, Sketty,

Swansea SA2 9BY

01792 547902

MANCHESTER BOLTON &

BURY CANAL SOCIETY

Steve Dent 07802-973228

www.mbbcs.org.uk

MONMOUTHSHIRE

BRECON &

ABERGAVENNY CT

Phil Hughes

14 Locks Canal Centre

Cwm Lane, Newport

NP10 9GN

01633 892167

[email protected]

www.mon-brec-

canal.org.uk

NWPG

Bill Nicholson

17 Clifford Road

Princes Risborough

HP27 0DU

01844 343369 / 0779

1097773

[email protected]

POCKLINGTON C.A.S

Paul Waddington

Church House, Main St.Hemingborough

YO8 7QE

01757 638027

SALTISFORD CT

Budbrooke Road

Warwick CV34 5RJ

01926 490 [email protected]

www.saltisfordcanal.co.uk

SCARS (SANKEY CANAL)

Colin Greenall

16 Bleak Hill Rd,

Eccleston

St. Helens WA10 4RW

01744 731746

[email protected]

www.scars.org.uk

SHREWSBURY &

NEWPORT CANALS TRUST

Tam Hazan

[email protected]

www.sncanal.org.uk

SHROPSHIRE UNION CS

Richard Hall

35 Tyrley Cotts

Market Drayton TF9 2AH

01630 657737

[email protected]

www.shropshireunion.org.uk

SLEAFORD NAV TRUST

Steve Hayes

10 Chelmer Close

N Hykeham

Lincs LN8 8TH

01522-689460

email: steve.hayes-

[email protected]

www.sleafordnavigation.co.uk

SOMERSETSHIRE COAL

CANAL SOCIETY

Derrick Hunt

43 Greenland Mills

Bradford on Avon BA15 1BL

01225-863066

derrickjohnhunt@btinternet,com

www.coalcanal.org

RIVER STOUR TRUSTJohn Morris

2 Stockton Close, Hadleigh

Ipswich IP7 [email protected]

www.riverstourtrust.org

STOVER CANAL SOCIETY

George Whitehead26 Northumberland Place,

Teignmouth TQ14 8BU. Tel:

01626 775498

[email protected]

www.stovercanal.co.uk

STRATFORD ON AVON

CANAL SOCIETY

Clive Henderson

The Bridge House

Church Lane

Lapworth

Solihull B94 5NU

[email protected]

www.stratfordcanalsociety.org.uk

SURREY & HANTS

CANAL SOCIETY

Duncan Paine

52 Kings Road

Fleet GU51 3AQ

01252-614125

[email protected]

www.basingstoke-

canal.org.uk/society

SUSSEX OUSE

RESTORATION TRUST

Paul Morris, Farmcote

Nettlesworth Lane

Old Heathfield

Heathfield TN21 9AP

01453 863683

[email protected]

www.sxouse.org.uk

SWANSEA CANAL SOC

Clive Reed

17 Smithfield Road,

Pontardawe

Swansea SA8 4LA01792 830782

THAMES & MEDWAY CA

Brian Macknish

Meadow View, Hodsell St

Sevenoaks TN15 7LA

[email protected]

WELL CREEK TRUST

Mrs C Day, 1 Tramways

Outwell PE14 [email protected]

WENDOVER ARM TRUST

Roger Leishman

7 Hall ParkBerkhamsted HP4 2NU

01442 874536

[email protected]

www.wendoverarmtrust.co.uk

WEY & ARUN CT

The Granary, Flitchfold Farm

Loxwood, Billingshurst

West Sussex RH14 ORH

01403 752403

[email protected]

www.weyandarun.co.uk

WILTS & BERKS CT

George Eycott

4 Lewendon Road

Newbury RG14 1SP

07771 775745

[email protected]

www.wilts-berks-

canal.org.uk

WOODEN CANAL BOAT

SOCIETY

173 Stamford St Central

Ashton under Lyne OL6 7PS

0161-330-8422

[email protected]

www.wcbs.org.uk

WRG CONTACTS

WRG ENQUIRIES,

BOOKINGS, DRIVER

AUTHORISATION,

Jenny Morris, IWA

Island House, Moor Road

Chesham HP5 1WA

01494 783453

[email protected]

www.wrg.org.uk

WRG NORTH WESTMalcolm Bridge

89 Rishworth MillRishworth

Sowerby Bridge

HX6 4RZ01422-820693

[email protected]

www.wrgnw.org.uk

WRG NW - ENQUIRIES/PAPERCHASES

David McCarthy

Woodstock14 Crumpsall Lane

Manchester

M8 5FB

0161-740 2179

www.wrgnw.org.uk

WRG BITM & 'NAVVIES'

DIARY

David Wedd

7 Ringwood Road

Blackwater

Camberley

Surrey

GU17 0EY

01252 874437

[email protected]

www.wrgbitm.org.uk

LONDON WRG

Tim Lewis

5 Herongate Road,

Wanstead

London E12 5EJ

07802 518094

[email protected]

www.london.wrg.org.uk

WRG EAST MIDLANDS

John Baylis

215 Clipstone Rd. West

Forest Town

Mansfield

Notts NG19 0HJ

01623 633895

ESSEX WRG

Frank Wallder

12 Bray Lodge

Cheshunt

Waltham Cross

EN8 0DN

019926-636164

[email protected]

www.essex.wrg.org.uk

WRG FORESTRYClive Alderman

30 Primley Lane

SheeringBishops Stortford

CM22 7NJ

07973 877380

[email protected]

IWA/WRG STAMP BANK

Steve & Mandy Morley

33 Hambleton Grove

Emerson valley

Milton KeynesMK4 2JS

01908 520090

[email protected]

CANAL CAMPS MOBILES

(A) 07850 422156

(B) 07850 422157

'NAVVIES' EDITOR

Martin Ludgate

35 Silvester Rd.

London SE22 9PB

020 8693 3266

0777 947 8629 (mobile)

[email protected]

'WRGWEAR' CLOTHING

Helen Gardner

33 Victoria Road

Northwich CW9 5RE

07989 425346

[email protected]

WRG BOAT CLUB

Sadie Heritage

236 Station Rd. Whittlesey

Peterborough PE7 2HA

01733 204505

07748 186867 (mobile)

[email protected]

WRG DIRECTORSCHAIRMAN

Mike Palmer

3 Finwood Road RowingtonWarwickshire CV35 7DH

01564 785293

[email protected]

WRG PLANTGeorge Eycott

Knowle House

1 Ham Road, WanboroughWiltshire SN4 0DF

07771 775745

[email protected]

SITES GROUP

Judith Palmer

3 Finwood Rd, Rowington

Warwickshire CV35 7DH

01564 785293

[email protected]

WRGPRINT

John & Tess Hawkins

4 Links Way, Croxley Grn

Rickmansworth

WD3 3RQ

01923 448559

[email protected]

IWA CHAIRMAN

Les Etheridge

c/o IWA,

Island House Moor Road,

Chesham HP5 1WA

les.etheridge@

waterways.org.uk

TRANSPORT MANAGER

Jonathan Smith23 Hardings Chalgrove

Oxford OX44 7TJ

01865 891 370

[email protected]

OTHER DIRECTORS

Mick Beattie

42 Eaton Drive

Rugeley WS15 2FS

Canal & River Trust volunteer coordinators

Central Shires Tom Freeland [email protected]

East Midlands Simon Gent [email protected]

Kennet & Avon Rob Labus [email protected]

Manchester & Pennine Steve O’Sullivan [email protected]

North East Lucy Dockray [email protected]

N Wales & Borders Paul Corner [email protected]

North West Matt Taylor [email protected]

London Debbie Vidler [email protected]

South East John Highmore [email protected]

S Wales & Severn Alan Sumnall [email protected]

West Midlands Murray Woodward [email protected]

Rick Barnes

11 Lawns Park

North Woodchester

Stroud GL5 5PP

07976 748345

[email protected]

Spencer Collins

The Boatyard,

5 Hammond Way

Trowbridge BA14 8RS

07790 017418

[email protected]

Chris Davey

Angle House

Green Terrace

Skipton BD23 5DS

[email protected]

John Baylis (see above)

Harry Watts

12 St John Road, Slough

SL2 5EY

07889 237834

[email protected]

James Butler

7 Hawthorne Close

Woodford Halse NN11 3NY

07745 256117

[email protected]

Helen Gardner (see above)

Help us keep this directory up to dateIf you spot any errors or omissions or know of any changesplease pass them on to the editor. The next full directory willappear in issue 260, but any corrections received before thenwill also be included in the next available ‘NavviesNoticeboard’. Thank you for your assistance.

Splish, Splosh Splash,it’s the Cotswolds

Post Christmas Scrub Bash

Water, water everywhere and not a drop todrink; well the first bit is correct, in so far asthe site at Ruck’s bridge on the eastern endof the Cotswold Canals formed part of the“Great Upper Thames Lake” (GUTL), thesecond was unfortunately closer to the truthas our “around the corner from the accom-modation friendly local pub The Eagle hadclosed due to the recession and the localshad omitted to tell the leader. His homeworkhas now been marked “must do better re-search”!

A core of 14 resilient souls had theirown Christmas epic version of the “GreatEscape” in joining up to partake in an inter-esting scrub bashing task at Rucks Bridge onthe Eastern end of the Cotswold Canal. Anexciting drive along roads that at best werecauseways across the Upper Thames Lakeand in places was under varying depths offlood water. Tasterella continues the story...

So we finally get to see what theThames and Severn at Eisey would look like‘’in water’’. The Alex Farmeastern end depot farmyardwas literally awash and wewere wading to the loo door.The sight of the Eisey lock*full* and the place where weset up the gazebo under twofeet of water; the whole lengthof the canal looking like..acanal!

Eisey lock with the laddersin place looking totallysponditious. This is a technicalterm, meaning: wow, lookwhat I helped a wee bit inrestoring.

The waterlogged adjacentfields deterred the shootingparty on the 27th Dec whichmeant we could work at Rucksinstead of a day away on the

Wilts & Berks canal. We started cutting ourway down the embankment to access thetow path bank as the flood water was overwellie depth on the tow path under thebridge (our original access route into thework site). With sufficient space to organizea bonfire soon cleared, “burn master” Mooseset to work and by mid–morning the soddonarisings from the initial morning clearancereverted to their basic elements, the father offire was not to be beaten.

Jon Pontefract and local WRGie PeterFoord joined us on the 28th complete withmini excavator liberated from the CCTStroud storage depot; stumps from theprevious day work were duly extricated fromterra firma, not that bad under foot until therains came combined with the contents ofdigger buckets of stumps & soil as they wereextricated from the submerged towpathbank, facilitated a mud bath of Somme pro-portions as the happy band trudged throughwith fire fodder to satisfy the wanton pyro-appetite of burn master Moose. With thesound of adjacent gas fired bird scarersperiodically going off and accompanyingshouts of “in coming” it was pale imitation of

Camp reportCotswold Canals

RAF Martin reports from a soggy

week at Rucks Bridge, where

despite the water on the towpath

being above welly depth, “the

father of fire was not to be beaten”

The canal looking unusually canal-like from Rucks Bridge

Ala

n L

ines

the conditions faced in the WW1 battlefieldsbut loud enough to effect a nervous reactionin some especially when walking down thetrack in close proximity to one of the units!

A work boat was provided by CCT totackle the vegetative growth in the canal bed,but alas the floor boards were not suppliedwith it so the boat was limited to a being a“push me pull you ferry” The leader donnedchest waders and life jacket to reduce thegrowth to stump level and numerous boatloads of branches were taken from the off-side and guided over to the bonfire site onthe towpath. The concept of the leader witha major cold water infusion of his warmwinter thermals amused all and their expec-tations were thankfully avoided. Howeverblackthorn and thin rubber waders are notbest of partners and the repair kit may justbe needed! Taster continues:

The rest of us were either tirforing(John and Paul, who never stayed dry in therear for very long) or Alan and TC (TeacherChris); fire feeding (me and Mo, mainly) orcreating fire fodder (Phil, the robot) andothers, all manically creating either logs orburn-able material, and rendering the towpath a glorious sight to behold in the lashingrain.

Newbie David (our token Northerner)was honing his acerbic skills on us andpledged a pamphlet on the difference be-tween Southerners and those above Watford.Anything above Bristol counts as ‘Here bedragons’ for such as we,and David coming fromWhitehaven seemed..well..the UttermostNorth! Except for Mo ofcourse, who is in factScottish.

The happy band ofbashers were also joinedand supported by WRGand CCT forestry volun-teers at various timesduring the week as well asnumerous WRG & CCT dayvisitors including a verywell-received visit by thenew CCT Chairman, MikeGuest. Jon Pontefract, thelocal project coordinator,escorted Mike around siteto view the ongoingworks, and Mike thankedall the volunteers for their

sterling efforts under such testing conditions. Timber produced from the scrub clear-

ance was collected by the Western end logsales team during the week and taken forprocessing at the Stroud depot as their localdemand for fire wood is exceeding produc-tion in the western end restoration opera-tions. The proceeds from the sales provide avery welcome income to support CCT resto-ration effort. On Saturday morning, wheneven the hardiest WRGie was rain lashed tosubmission, the comforts of the Alex Farmmess room sheltered the intrepid team untilan early day was called for some. Not to bethwarted and with the advantage of a niceCCT refurbished barn, and the novelty of apetrol driven log splitter a knot of WRGieswere kept busy by log splitting some of theeastern end stockpile ready for an urgentpost New Year CCT log delivery. Murphy’srule came into play and when the late stayersleft site the rain stopped!

After the joys of hot showers at the halland awesome evening meals the groupmostly chilled with games or a good bookbut a trip out to a “whoop arse” evening ofskittles against the Wilts & Berks Canal Com-pany camp at Dauntsey saw TC win the‘killer’ part of it, much to his and everyone’ssurprise. The new Mel & Bungle residencewas visited to christen the WRG repair shopaka Bungles ginormous garage and thecustomer waiting area in the hostelry acrossthe road.

Pulling vegetation out - and trying to stay dry

Ala

n L

ines

Finally Taster does the personnelpresent appreciation:

Moose, in full flow as Asst Leader: ‘Getyour arses on the van, NOW’ and other termsof endearments, all in the best possible taste.Maria, ever talented as chef, and wonderfulcompany. 5 dogs at various points. Forestryworking at Pocket Park in Shrivenham onsaturation Saturday (which must be wherethe Sylvanian familes reside) included Alan (Mr Camera) Lines, Ben, Tim, Martyn. They ofthe orange high vis.

Robin aka ‘Nephew’ appeared, as didTC aka Teacher Chris. Both hard grafters parexcellence, matched by Phil ( the robot) whomakes the Duracell bunny look halfhearted.

Women on site: myself and Mo, theever cheerful, we were the fire gals. Mariajoined us when she was able to escapekitchen duties, bless her.

Iain with his new Xmas present Silkyfolding saw ‘blade’ which he tested againstChris’s cheapy one. He broke the tip off. Healways does play too hard with his toys.

Paul (Mr Breakfast) Ireson was a hero.John the Hawk wasas ever, our wisecounselor.

Martin ( Ameri-can) and his laughswere almost asinfectious as Paul’s.David ( the newbie).Mr Danks, as urbaneas ever, a wonderfulcalming presenceand quite a Tarzanimpression on thelast day, clamberingover the trees thatleaned over the‘canal’. Sawing themoff. Hauling them inwith gusto. Ablyassisted by Davidand Robin.

So like Christ-mas presents there

are some things you wished for and youdon’t get (including the local pub!) and oth-ers that exceed expectations such as mysterling assistant and fire master Moose, andthe ever splendiferous (Oops gone allTasterella) Maria cook (and pineapple upsidedown cake supremeo) & camp administratorsupreme. The gift that keeps on givingcontinues to be the companionship, friend-ship and the resilient “never say die” WRGieattitude to get the job done despite whatnature throws at you. It is what makes WRGnavvies the great people that they are andcoming back for more.

My thanks to everyone that came,waded and conquered, to Paul Ireson forbeing my breakfast cook buddy, to JonPontefract and the local CCT team (includingKaren and Alan, who may have dried out bynow!) for the their support and hospitality.A site is being sought for the 2013 thosewishing a drop of post Xmas “southern com-fort” over a drop of “northern bitter”, norivalry intended, honest!

‘RAF Martin’ Thompson

John H

aw

kin

s

The push-me-pull-you ferry in use

Camp reportCotswold Canals

RAF Martin reports from a soggy

week at Rucks Bridge, where

despite the water on the towpath

being above welly depth, “the

father of fire was not to be beaten”

Boat Club...plus more about food!

Food Shopping for a camp – support your local!

We are updating the cooks handbook! This is a fantastic collection of information on howto cater for a camp full of people including suggested recipes.

I really enjoy doing mass cooking. I also really enjoy being on site. However, I hateshopping, I can just about cope with normal domestic sized food shopping but enough fora whole camp is enough to tip me over the edge (although husband Jason has suggestedthat next time I take my mp3 player and listen to AC/DC to calm me down – it helps him!)

So to make the whole shopping experience much more pleasant and to try to sup-port the local shops in areas where the local people are supporting us, we need your help.

Send me details of any good local shops, farm shops, small manufacturers that haveon site shops (eg the cheese factory near Grantham), shops that might give us discount,the local venison supplier (I kid you not!), anyone who would like to bake lots of cakes,etc., anywhere in the vicinity of any of the camps this year or that we are working on longterm, (see canal camp brochure with the last edition of Navvies). You can also send meplaces to avoid, such as Oswestry Sainsbury’s supermarket on a Saturday because the carpark is impossibly small to park a transit van in! This way we can build up a nice resource tohelp all cooks now and in the future and help take away the stress of shopping for me at least!

Viv Day [email protected]

Wrg bc news Jan 2013

Happy New Year - Here at last is 2013! Ofcourse by the time you get to read this it willno longer be a ‘New Year’ and by now you willbe getting the date correct on cheques etc.

2013 is a ‘Milestone’ year for us as ourlovely boat Lynx is 100 years old. No partythis time. (I expect some of you can remem-ber celebrating its 90 years at the NationalFestival that year) We plan to tour about withthe ‘flags’ flying – and many of you knowabout our distinctive ‘flags’ too!

Now to Boat Club Plans for this year -As the National will be early (20-21 July atCassiobury Park, Watford) it was suggestedthat instead of having our AGM there, wehave it in August/September. The best venuewas considered to be the Lichfield and Hather-ton gathering in September, at HuddlesfordJunction. I asked for members’ opinions andthe replies showed that members thought it agood venue and they could get there or werehappy to support the change.

This is definitely a gathering where thepurpose is to support restoration and thelocation has the advantage of being centralon the network. Details so far are – dates 21st to22nd September – location Coventry Canal atHuddlesford Junction. Entry forms are not yetavailable (when I write this) but check the L&Hwebsite as they said forms available ‘early 2013’.

Lots of Members will be going to theNational and we hope to have a social gettogether for the club.

I have a list of those wanting a copy ofthe AWCC handbook. These should be avail-

able at their AGM in March and I will postthem on. Quick! If you forgot to let meknow, do so now as I ordered a couple ofspares in case we get any new members.

Any reader interested in joining us?Membership is open to active members ofwaterway recovery group and those whohave previously been involved with workingwith the groups. This does not include thosewho just subscribe to Navvies. To applycontact me, the club secretary, details below.

Have you any other ideas for club ac-tivities this year? Please let us know. I fancyanother trip to the Droitwich.

You may have heard of Straw Bear theboat, well it’s named after the Straw BearFestival, which is imminent so I am verybusy with that just now, hence not too muchexciting news. However for the adventurousmembers Whittlesey, where the festival isheld, has some very good moorings - any-one fancy some winter cruising and a visit tothe Middle Level Navigations for the 2014Straw Bear Festival?

Let’s hope for better boating weatherthis year!

xxx Sadie Heritage07748186867 [email protected]

Thanksto Chris Griffiths of

Stroudprint for continuedassistance with Navvies

cover printing

Congratulationsto

Leonie and Ben O’Donoghueon the arrival of

their daughter Inaraon 10 February

weighing 9lb 7.5oz

also to

George ‘Bungle’ Eycott and

Mel Parkeron their engagement

Dial-a-camp

To contact any WRGCanal Camp:

07850 422156(Kit ‘A’ camps)07850 422157(Kit ‘B’ camps)

Stamps

wantedSend used stamps,petrol coupons, phonecards, empty computerprinter ink cartridges toIWA/WRG Stamp Bank,33 Hambleton Grove,Milton Keynes MK42JS. All proceeds tocanal restoration.

Contacting thechairman:

Mike Palmer,3 Finwood Rd, RowingtonWarwickshire CV35 7DH

Tel: 01564 785293

email:[email protected]

Apologies...

...for the factthat I can’tthink of anythingto apologisefor thistime.Sorry.

Help needed by

WRG North West

If WRG(NW) are to maintain their presence at Festi-vals, Rallies, etc, they urgently need help with thelogistics of getting their Sales Stand and stock to(typically) 3 or 4 events per year. The two areaswhere help is required are (a) arranging what is togo and its collection from where it is stored (3 placesin the Manchester area), and (b) driving a van be-tween Manchester and the various locations involved.Ideally,a single volunteer would fill both roles butany offers of help would be gratefully received. NWhave managed to cover the Middlewich Folk & BoatFestival in June but have had to rule out attendingthe Staveley Town Basin Festival in early July and,for the first time in living memory, will not be able toattend The National unless help is forthcoming be-fore then.

Contact John Foley on [email protected] you can help.

Moving house

George ‘Bungle’ Eycott and MelParker have moved to Knowle House, 1Ham Road, Wanborough, Wilts SN4 0DF

Alan Wiffen has a new email [email protected]

If you move, remember to tell Navvies

InfillWeightWatchers all say are marvellous. Why are my services being rejected?- Sarah, SlaithwaiteDeirdre writes Thank you for your letter, the menu cards and the sample of low-fatcourgette bran brownie, which was very unique-tasting. I think perhaps WRG isn’t quiteready for your low-sodium carrot and barley broth as a de-toxifying alternative to the tradi-tional lasagne, and I’m almost certain your recipe for cholesterol-lowering wheatgerm flap-jacks would not be considered an acceptable substitute for the custard cream. Whilst I agreewith you that some WRG members might do well to ease off on the second helpings, I thinkthe normal method of an assertive cook armed with a rolling pin is the best way to keep theWRG waistline down.

Do you have a question for Deirdre? You can email it to [email protected]

Dear Deirdre I’ve offered my services as cook toat least four of this year’s camp leaders but noneof them have taken up my offer. I don’t reallyunderstand it – I won Huddersfield Slimmer of theYear 2011 and I have a brilliant repertoire of lowfat, high-fibre meals which my friends at

Wordsearch answers

The following are the railway-relatedwords and phrases concealed in theUttoxeter Canal New Year canal campreport on pages 11-13.

SidingsChurnet Valley RailwayRailwayTrackTrack TrolleysPlatformStationBank Holiday ServiceBuffet carHot & cold snacksTimetableTrainBarrier crossingLookoutSleeperShunt driverAnnouncementRush hourAll change please!Engine compartmentEngineReplacement bus servicePassengersOperativesArrivalSignalledBridgePointsFlagShuttle

Captions, please!

This photo taken on the WRG Forestry October campon the Uttoxeter appears to show WRG Print’s JohnHawkins tied down to the railway track in traditional‘silent movie’ style. Any suggestions for what mighthave been going on? What was John saying? Whatwere WRG FT saying? Suggestions to the Editor.

And finally...

...the editor was flicking through old copies ofNavvies and came across this intriguing announce-ment from around 1971:

Found: one pair of trousers left at LowsonfordVillage Hall (Jim’s size / medium waist) Beer-uptype rather than digging type, lovat green colour.Trouserless gentleman, please contact Jim Woolgarincluding suitable sum for postage (for trousers,not J Woolgar).

I wonder if they ever got back to their owner.

navvies 257

Documents

silvester road

moor road

eleanor road

wrg bc

directors of wrg

directory wrg

sue watts

john hawkins