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HS2 Select Committee report acknowledges IWA route concerns

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September 22, 2023

Amy Tillson reports THE HS2 (Crewe-Manchester) Bill Select Committee has published its First Special Report (19/7/2023). It covers responses to individual petitioners, some traffic and design issues, and a major section on ground conditions in Cheshire. IWA’s correspondence on the subsidence risk to HS2 and the Trent & Mersey Canal is referenced several times in…
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Lichfield Branch fundraiser turns a profit

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September 21, 2023

Amy Tillson reports.. THE Lichfield Branch of IWA recently held a fundraising ‘lock wind’ event at Barton Turn Lock on the Trent & Mersey Canal. Branch members assisted boaters through the lock, in order to raise awareness of the organisation, and held a cake sale, raising more than £100 for the branch. #towpathtalk #canals #canalsandrivers…
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Training trainers on the Droitwich canals

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September 19, 2023

Ralph Barber reports… AT TIMES it felt like learning a new language. In short, this organisation is a charity that runs boat projects for the benefit of the community somewhere in the country. This is the definition of the NCBA, or should I say the National Community Boats Association. It’s been going since 1985, when…
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Work starts on Cromford Canal extension at Langley Mill

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September 18, 2023

THE much-anticipated start on the extension of the Cromford Canal at Beggarlee, Langley Mill, has begun with preparatory work to pipe two gullies. One of these will pass underneath and across the new canal extension which has been one of the principal objectives of the Friends of Cromford Canal which was established in 2002. Connecting…
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Shopping Trolleys in the cut

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September 15, 2023

Les Heath reports… SHOPPING trolleys in the cut have always been a problem for boaters but for members of the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society they have become an additional headache – especially those from Asda. Members of the society, whose admirable efforts to clear the canals of rubbish are well known, were recently upset after…
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Volunteers sought for society’s plant and projects

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September 14, 2023

GRANTHAM Canal Society is seeking volunteers to join its team which keeps its boats and plant in working order. The maintenance department is struggling to keep the society’s ever-increasing fleet in tiptop condition and any plant out of action impacts funds coming in as well as delaying restoration and repairs. Volunteers are also being sought…
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Canal trust shop first birthday

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September 13, 2023

THE Cotswold Canals Trust charity book and music shop celebrated its first year of trading in Stonehouse on August 5. Located in Queens Road, the shop spreads over three units and is laid out perfectly for shoppers to find their perfect book. There’s a children’s section and a sofa to sit and relax or snuggle…
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Community narrowboat receives grant

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September 12, 2023

The Worcester-Birmingham & Droitwich Canals Society, has been awarded a community grant of £500 from Alvechurch Parish Council towards the upkeep of its community narrowboat ‘Cecilia’. Alvechurch councillor Marc Worrall presented a cheque to the society on Monday 4th September in Alvechurch, on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, by bridge 60 (Station Road, near the…
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Rt Hon Lord Stunell OBE joins VIP’s and Members in Commemorating Local Cruising Club’s Oak (80th) Anniversary

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September 8, 2023

On Saturday, 9th September, to propel into action the North Cheshire Cruising Club’s 80th Anniversary Celebrations, the Rt Hon Lord Stunell OBE will cut the red ribbon on a rare surviving exhibit that was recently dredged out of the High Lane Arm on the Macclesfield Canal. The historic relic, a significant section of tram rail that can…
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Characters of the Cut – Giles Williams!

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September 7, 2023

Alice Griffin caught up with Giles Williams – your helmsman! WHEN Giles Williams found himself recovering from illness in early 2016 and looking for work that would take him into the open air, he could not have foreseen that an initial job as towpath ranger for the Canal & River Trust would lead him on…
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Day in the life of a licence ranger

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September 5, 2023

llegally moored boats, boats without licences and even a boat sinking – it’s all in a day’s work for one of the Canal & River Trust’s licensing rangers, as author Andy Griffee discovered when he went out on towpath patrol with one of them. ONE of the first things I notice about Steve Broad’s ranger…
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Flower the budding boat horse!

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September 4, 2023

THE Shropshire Union Main Line near Norbury recently saw a Shropshire Union fly-boat hauled by a horse, perhaps the first time there for 100 years. This rare and wonderful sight was the well-known Saturn, hauled by Flower, an eight-year-old mare. David Ray of Norbury Wharf Ltd said: “Flower did really well. She is usually ridden…
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‘Towards Accessible Waterways’ event

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September 2, 2023

From organiser, Tim Clarke: The Accessible Waterways Association is celebrating the International Day of People with Disabilities by holding a conference and social event in Birmingham on Saturday 2 December 2023, in conjunction with the Canal & River Trust. This will be a special time for like-minded people to get together. There will be stands…
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Schoolhouse Bridge takes shape

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August 31, 2023

AFTER more than six years of planning and fundraising Schoolhouse Bridge is taking shape. Contractors recently craned the bridge sections into place and there is once more a Bridge 86 over the Montgomery Canal. Schoolhouse Bridge was the last highway blockage on the Shropshire section of the Montgomery Canal. It is believed that in the…
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