Shroppie Fly Paper June 2011

Shroppie Fly PaperThe Newsletter of theShrewsbury District& North Wales BranchSummer 2011

Children try out the newlife-jackets

Ready for a trip on theAUDLEM LASS

Audlem and the Audlem Lass

M ost of us know of Audlem because of the flight of 15 locks on theShropshire Union Canal and the two to three hours hard work needed to

take a boat through them or for the pleasant walk on a sunny summer'safternoon. Tom Rolt paused here in 1939 on his famous cruise which inspiredhis book "Narrow Boat" published after the war and which led to the formationof the IWA. He described Audlem as "a group of old houses, inns and shopsclustering about a church perched on a mound" — still factually correct todaybut the present boater would find the implication of a sleepy village hard torecognise. The leaflet enclosed with this magazine and the Audlem Onlineweb-site describe the lively, active and vibrant village it is today. The walks,shops and the many organised events are of particular interest to visitors.Naturally the canal, which is central in the village, has always played a majorpart. The building last year of the delightful Overwater Marina, one mile to thenorth, with its island of wild flowers, restaurant and spacious layout has addedto the opportunities to extend village activities. The tow path to the marina hasrecently been improved, with grants from the European Agricultural Fund forRural Development and Defra through the Northern Marches Leader schemeand matched funding from Cheshire East, Audlem Parish Council, BritishWaterways and Overwater Marina. It provides walkers with splendid views overthe infant River Weaver, and boaters with rather nice visitor moorings albeit witha little walk into the village centre. There have also been improvements to thesteps leading from the busy wharf area to the playing fields providing analternative route into the village centre for those who moor between the locks aswell as walkers and visitors to the popular Audlem Mill and Shroppie Fly Inn.The easy access to the playing field will be particularly useful this year at thetime of the Transport Festival on the week end of the July 30th and 31st. Inaddition to the many vintage and veteran cars there, about 20 old historicworking boats, organised by Peter Silvester from the Audlem Mill will be mooredbetween the locks. The improvements to paths will bring the road and watertransport aspects of the event closer together.This year has seen the introduction of the AUDLEM LASS — a trip boat run bya dedicated team of volunteer helmsmen, which operates a regular service atweekends between the bottom lock and the new Marina. It has been providedby Rod Cottrell with financial help in fitting out from the Overwater Marina andthe European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. Our Branch of IWAhave also helped by allocating a donation from Miss Jean Evans to the provisionof life jackets mainly for children. In the first two weeks alone over 800 peoplewere carried; the profits from fares collected will be donated to the RNLI. TheBranch Committee is particularly pleased to encourage and see so manychildren on the boat — their interest in and knowledge of the canal can onlyauger well for the future.

Denis Farmer

The Branch CommitteePresident Michael Limbrey, Greenfields, Weston Lane, Oswestry SY11 2BD 01691 654081 [email protected] Chairman Alan Platt, Argoed, Pen y Cefn Road, Caerwys, Flintshire CH7 5BH 01352 720649 [email protected] Dawn Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 [email protected] Denis Farmer, 8 Kingbur Place, Audlem, Crewe CW3 0DL 01270 811157 [email protected] and Planning Officer Peter Brown, 34 Waterside Drive, Market Drayton TF9 1HU 01630 652567 [email protected] Secretary Janet Farmer, 8 Kingbur Place, Audlem, Crewe CW3 0DL 01270 811157 [email protected] Secretary Dawn Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 [email protected] Alan Wilding, Priory Lodge, 154 Longden Road, Shrewsbury SY3 9ED 01743 359 650 [email protected] Editor David Aylwin, Wyndcliff, Pen y Garreg Lane, Pant, Oswestry SY10 8JS 01691 830403 [email protected] Members Gerallt Hughes (General Secretary Committee for Wales) Ty’n y Coed, Arthog, Gwynedd LL39 1YS 01341 250631 [email protected]

Carolyn Theobold [email protected]

Branch Web-pages waterways.org.uk/shrewsbury

Shroppie Fly PaperThe Shroppie Fly Paper is the newsletter of the Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch of The InlandWaterways Association with a membership of about 390. Nationally the IWA has about 18,000 membersand campaigns for the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the inlandwaterways. For further information contact any committee member.

Copy for the Shroppie Fly Paper is welcome in manuscript form, on disc or by email. Photographs may bein any common computer format or as prints. Please supply a stamped addressed envelope if you requirephotographs to be returned. ‘Letters to the Editor’ intended for publication are invited, as are comments forthe Editor’s private guidance.

The Inland Waterways Association may not agree with the opinions expressed in this Branch newsletter butencourages publicity as a matter of interest. Nothing printed may be construed as official policy unlessstated otherwise. The Association accepts no liability for any matter in this newsletter. Any reproductionmust be acknowledged.

The Inland Waterways Association is registered as a charity No 212342.

Next Copy Date: 1st November for the Winter edition

Editorial

T hank you to everyone who sent in photographs for the branch calendar andparticular thanks to all the canal-side businesses that have sponsored a

month. Unfortunately there are only twelve months and we have nearly 100pictures to chose from so some of you will be disappointed. The winning picturewill be chosen independently by the calendar designer and printer and will beannounced in the next Shroppie Fly Paper. The calendars will be ready in Julyand will be on sale at the Branch stand at the IWA, Ellesmere and WhitchurchFestivals. They will also be available from any committee member at thebargain price of £4.50.Several sites in Mid Wales have been identified as suitable locations for windfarms. These will need to be connected to the National Grid via substations and400,000 volt lines carried on pylons. Two connection points are beingconsidered — at Legacy near Wrexham and Shrewsbury. Whichever route ischosen the impact on the Montgomery Canal will be considerable with pylonsclose to the Vyrnwy Aqeduct and Carreghofa Locks or Queens Head andFrankton. The project is still subject to consultation but for more information visitwww.midwalesconnection.com where you can also register your comments.The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct has recently featured in Julia Bradbury’s CanalWalks and BBC’s Countryfile. The front cover shows Dr Mark Robinson, BritishWaterways ecologist and Jules Hudson from Countryfile abseiling over theaqueduct in search of bat roosts. On page 21 Maggie Rowlands from‘Aqueducks’, explains how you can get involved in monitoring bats and otherwildlife along the World Heritage Site.This edition features Audlem. Miss Jean Evans agreed to her donation beingused to provide life jackets for the AUDLEM LASS which she described as ‘awonderful idea’. In June Miss Evans is coming to Audlem for a cruise aboardLEO. Audlem Mill is now a craft shop and art gallery and on page 10 PeterSilvester, the present owner, outlines a brief history of the mill.At the Branch AGM it was suggested that Branch meetings should be held indifferent locations so the 8th August committee meeting will be held at 7.30pmat the Bridge Inn Audlem. All are welcome but please let us know if you arecoming so we can look out for you.Last year Peter Brown’s talk on the Plas Kynaston Canal, which ran from TrevorBasin to Cefn Mawr, had to be cancelled due to ill health. I am pleased to saythat all is now well and that Peter will give the talk on 14th November at theNarrowboat Inn. More details page 17.

David AylwinFront Cover: Dr Mark Robinson, British Waterways ecologist and Jules Hudson from BBCCountryfile abseil over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct in search of bat roosts. May 13th 2011. Courtesyof Maggie Rowlands

Acknowledgements: photographs by Dawn Aylwin, Janet & Denis Farmer, Alan Platt, PeterSilvester, Bernice Slater,

Region Chairman

A s I write this we are in something of aninterim period politically; the trial Local

Partnership in BW North West Area has beenappointed and is due to meet soon. We will bewatching its activities with interest.

The DEFRA Consultation has been widelyadvertised in Bulletin etc; at 80 pages it is arather daunting document, but if it was muchshorter it could have been guilty of trivialisingthe issues. Responses are invited to 29questions and it will not surprise you to learnthat many of the important ones are notasked. Respondents are most welcome toreply to these or make comments on particular or general aspects as they thinkfit. The deadline is June 30th and I urge those of you with points of view to makethem, but please privately and not under an IWA heading. Details are on theIWA website. The official IWA response is in preparation as I write and I thankthose who responded to my invitation for input; all your comments have beenpassed on.

A widely circulated Press Release broadly welcomes the outlined approach tothe New Waterways Charity but expresses concern, particularly about theinadequacy of the current funding proposals. I know many of you share myconcerns on this point and the IWA will be forcibly making this point to theinterim Trustees, as well as to DEFRA and through political channels.

IWA Trustees are also currently very concerned on the topic of membership;there are of course two aspects to this. We need more members and we needexisting members who currently are somewhat sedentary to become moreactive. If you think that the IWA could be doing more, you are correct, but to domore it needs more people to do it. So please if you value the waterways andare concerned for their future, get in touch to see what you can do to help.

And finally, the current weather is encouraging all of us to get out and about onthe waterways, on foot with our dogs, or baby buggies, on boats of all types,with our bikes or fishing rods or however the fancy takes us. I am concernedabout the lack of rain, and especially fearful of a repetition of the restrictions inthe northern part of the region but let’s hope it rains at night and the sun shinesin the day to make it a good summer. Have fun.

Alan Platt

If anyone catches sight of Alan out with a baby buggie or on his bicycle aphotograph would be much appreciated. ED.

Waterways Top Pay Scandal!

I n 1836 a small committee reviewed the senior management of the Ellesmere& Chester Canal. They laid down two basic principles: everybody employed

should work solely for the Company, and no allowances beyond the salaryshould be paid for services on the line of the canal.

Thomas Stanton, the General Agent (equivalent to Chief Executive now), whowas being paid £400 a year plus allowances of £240, escaped criticism. ‘Nocompany can possess an agent who more ably or zealously performs hisduties.’ They criticised the fact that he no longer lived in the rent-freeaccommodation provided for him at Ellesmere and that he was paid 18 shillingsa day if he attended anywhere other than Ellesmere. When he saw the reporthe threatened to resign; a compromise was reached whereby his salary wasincreased to £500, officially in recognition of the carrying business which wasthen being set up, but he would only be paid expenses when working away fromthe line of the canal. He retained his apartments at the Ellesmere office, thoughit was agreed that there was no requirement for him to live there.

George Stanton, Thomas’s younger son, was Assistant General Agent, beingpaid £200 a year plus £120 allowances. He had been appointed to this post in1833 when the Middlewich Branch was completed and the opening of theBirmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal was thought to be imminent — bothevents which would considerably increase the trade of the canal. He had aspecial responsibility to superintend the works of the canal generally and thoseof the Middlewich branch in particular, and to make arrangements for the newtrade. He had previously been supervising the construction works on theBirmingham & Liverpool Junction Canal. There was no criticism of his work orattendance but he resigned in order to concentrate on his engineeringprofession. This is odd, as despite being Thomas Telford’s god-son he wasnever elected a member of the Institution of Civil Engineers, nor is it known whatengineering work he subsequently did.

George Edgecumbe was Clerk to the General Agent, with a salary of £120 ayear and minimal expenses. The report stated, ‘He is very little employed andhas various and extensive business of his own’. The committee thought hewould probably resign, but in fact he did well out of the review, being appointedResident Engineer at a salary of £300 plus accommodation at Ellesmere. Hehad to provide his own horse — but more importantly, he had to work full timefor the Company.

Thomas Crimes, the Superintendent with responsibility for Ellesmere PortDocks and the canal up to Whitchurch, was paid £120 a year but had noexpenses. He was referred to as ‘an old servant of the Company’, having beenappointed back in 1806 as wharfinger at Chester, but for the last few years hehad been unable to undertake any work because of a paralytic affliction. He

was retired and granted a pension of £31.4s a year. Francis Lock, WorksAssistant, was promoted into the vacant position, at a salary of £100 a year.

William Jones was the Superintendent with responsibility for the canals fromFrankton Junction to Llanymynech and to Llangollen, and also for the RuabonBrook Railway. His allowances and expenses of £97 exceeded his salary of£80. The committee found that he also worked for William Provis, managing thelatter’s fluxing stone business at Trevor. (Provis, a protégé of Thomas Telford,at that time owned forty £100 shares in the Company, had been the contractorfor the Middlewich Branch, was shortly to be the contractor for works atEllesmere Port, and was Thomas Stanton’s son-in-law.) To make mattersworse, his accounts were confused, mixing up income from the limestone andcanal businesses. This was a particularly responsible job, his section of canalincluding the two great aqueducts, two tunnels, the deep cuttings and highembankment, and the water supply to the whole canal, ‘the key of thenavigation’. Thomas Stanton thought highly of Jones, stating that he had beenin the situation for thirty years and was ‘an exceedingly trustworthy and suitableperson’. He was duly appointed at a salary of £100 including expenses.

John Tilston wasPrincipal Tonnage Clerkwith a salary of £80 andadditions of £56. He hadprivate businesses as acarrier and a timbermerchant. In the lattercapacity he had suppliedmuch timber to theEllesmere yard; therewas no criticism of therate charged, but thecommittee thought thatemployees should notalso be suppliers. Hewas the only persondismissed but theCompany stressed thatthis was done with regret,and they had noconcerns about hisfidelity or efficiency. Hewas replaced by hisformer deputy, RichardBeddow.

Peter Brown

A Day Out In Ironbridge

S eats have beenprovisionally booked

with Ironbridge ScenicCruises for 12 noon on the6th August.We will meet at theMuseum of the Gorge, OldSevern Warehouse at11.45 and, assuming thatwater levels permit, leavefor a 45 minute trip soonafter. If we are unfortunateenough for the river to be inthe wrong mood theMuseum will be analternative where, with anyluck, they will serve coffeeif we want it!After the cruise we will make our way to The Bucks Head Pub in Long Lane forlunch and from there our historian Peter Brown will guide us on a tour ofWappenshall Wharf and the Longdon Aqueduct.The charge for the boat trip will be £6 per head (payable in advance andrefunded if the trip doesn't take place) and any costs such as coffee and lunchwill be "pay as you go"Please let me know on 01270 811157 or e-mail [email protected] if youwant to book and payments need to be sent to 8 Kingbur Place, Audlem, CW3ODL.We hope to see as many of you as possible.

Janet Farmer

100 Club

I n the last two issues we have invited members tojoin a ‘100 Club’ in order to provide the Branch with

additional income. Unfortunately there have notbeen enough takers to justify the cost of running thescheme so reluctantly the Branch has had toabandon it. We would like to thank all those who werewilling to support the scheme.

Denis Farmer

Audlem Mill, A Brief History

K ingbur Mill, an animal feed mill, was built about 1916 for H Kingsley Burton,a local miller. Being canalside, it was easier to receive raw materials and

despatch finished products. A covered gantry at first floor level straddled theroadway to the canal, so that goods could be loaded in or out of narrow boats.Within only 10 to 20 years, the canal trade fell away, and by the early 1930s,most incoming and outgoing goods were transported by motor lorry.

Many visitors assume that because the Mill is alongside the canal, it was waterpowered. The flow of water in canals is not adequate, and canalside mills wereall powered in some other way. Audlem Mill had an oil-fired Crossley enginehoused in the single storey building at the rear, which drove all the machineryvia a series of belts and pulleys. The belts entered through the rear wall, andpower was distributed throughout the building.H Kingsley Burton (died 1947) and his family lived at Copthorne House inAudlem, near the now closed railway station. He was buried in Audlemcemetery, close to the canal that had featured so much in his life. He wassucceeded as Miller by his son, John Burton.John Burton and his wife had two daughters, Margaret and Sheila, whoremember playing in and around the Mill as children. A pig was kept in a brick

Audlem Mill circa 1960, showing the covered gantry

shed where the car park now is, and it was fed with animal feed from the Mill.Broken biscuits from Huntley & Palmer went into the feed, though the girlsremember eating some of the pink wafers!John Burton ran the business until the early 1960s, when he sold it to Paulls ofNewcastle upon Tyne. They kept him on to run the Mill.After a few years, Paull’s sold the business to a local man. But by this time,competition from large animal feed firms was evident, and Audlem Mill, the lastof several old mills in the Audlem area, finally closed by 1970.Audlem Mill was taken on by John and Philippa Stothert in 1974. The groundfloor became a canal shop, with a range of canal related products and giftware,the first floor became a workshop and art gallery, and they converted the topfloor into a flat to live in.Chris and Peter Silvester took over in 2007, after they had completed a furtherrenovation of the building. They have been careful to ensure that the originalbuilding and fixtures have been retained. Peter had his first canal trip in the mid1960s, well before the end of commercial carrying, and Peter and Chris ran thecanalside shop at Hassall Green on the Trent & Mersey Canal in the mid 1980s.

Peter Silvester

The Union Canal

B eing a Regional Chairman takes me to some unexpected places and twicelast year I found myself in Scotland, once at Falkirk and soon afterwards in

Linlithgow; it looked interesting up there so in the last week of April I foundmyself booking onto a Black Prince hireboat for a week’s cruise. What wasdifferent was that I’d never boated on the Scottish lowland canals before, andthe last time I hired a boat was in 1982. The party consisted of Gilly, her sisterPat who lives in New York State and me so we were not cramped for space ona 58ft boat. The dogs stayed at home.

Hireboats have moved on since I last hired one, the beds were comfy, theablutions and kitchen very acceptable and the saloon was comfortable even ifthe furnishings were a tad tired. The Ebersbacher worked well and mechanicallyit was a novelty to be in the situation where if anything went wrong, you rang theyard up rather than fixed it yourself; this was just as well as there were nogauges or dials, just a couple of warning lights. The downside was the thingsteered like a brick, and it actually did go better backwards.

First we had to get up into the basin and go up on the Falkirk Wheel. This isgreat fun and I recommend anyone near there to go to Falkirk and do it in thetrip boat. The unit of electrical power up there seems to be what it takes to boila kettle, and I was told variously it took 2 or 8 kettles worth to make it work; I

was also reliably informed the emergency kit is a man with a crank. UnlikeAnderton you go round, not up and down, and the views are fantastic; at the topit can be a little breezy and I’m told a favourite angle of approach to the caissonis sideways on.

Once up at the top you are faced with a short tunnel, a sharp left hand turn,involving a bit of contact as this is where I discovered the boat’s idiosyncraticsteering habits, and a staircase lock, the only one on the Union Canal. This ismanned, as they all are, as well as the swing bridges etc. On the heavily lockedForth and Clyde this could be irksome to the experienced boater, but we nevergot to find out. This was to be a relaxing cruise with no hurry and no pressure;we averaged about 10 miles a day, for reasons which will be explained.

We quickly learned the first thing about the Union Canal, mooring is at regularplaces where there are rings, the canal has sloping sides and mooring by thebank involves planks and more athleticism than I am suited for these days. Thefirst evening we made Linlithgow, the second Ratho and the third day we got toEdinburgh. This was no hardship as Linlithgow is a historical town with a palaceand Ratho has a very decent pub by the canal.

The Falkirk Wheel

The weather, always a worry in Scotland, was excellent but we were perplexedby the scarcity of several things. There were very few animals or birds around,either cows in the fields or ducks on the water; the latter was partly explainedon the way back when we encountered a few clutches of very new ducklings,but we met maybe half a dozen swans and only one heron on the whole trip.The second scarcity was boats; Easter week, especially a late one, is primaryhiring time, but there were about 8 out from the base and we didn’t pass morethan a dozen moored private boats.

The canal is very pleasant,excellent views to the hills inthe North, a glimpse of thefamiliar Forth road and railbridges, and two fineaqueducts, that over the Avonbeing 85ft high and 810 ft long;as one nears Edinburgh the cutgoes through some tower blockestates but nothing that lookedlike bandit country. Themoorings at Edinburgh Quayare excellent and the 15 minutewalk into the city takes you past two cinemas, the Usher Hall, Traverse andLyceum theatres and two lap dancing clubs, so all cultural tastes are cateredfor. You then arrive at Princes St with shops on one side and fine gardens andthe Scott memorial on the other. Beyond is the Royal Mile which takes youthrough the Old Town with the Castle at one end and Holyrood Palace and thespectacularly ugly Scottish Parliament building at the other. The ladies hit theshops and I mooched round the Art Gallery and then enjoyed an ice cream inthe gardens.

So a shopping trip in Edinburgh was one reason for not getting very far. Theother was that our last full day was April 29th. We spent the previous night in aquiet arm just by where there used to be a flight of 11 locks connecting the twocanals, now built over (hence the Wheel). In the morning we came down thestaircase and the Wheel and moored up in the basin. I then set the telly up andleft them to it while I went off to find the Antonine Wall, not very spectacular andmore like Offa’s Dyke than Hadrian’s Wall but a pleasant walk.

Back at the boat we went down the lock connecting the basin to the Forth andClyde and moored the boat up to clear most of the packing back to the car. Aspeculative trip into Falkirk in the evening located an excellent Italian restaurantalongside a F&C lock which rounded off the holiday nicely. In general a mostenjoyable trip on a well maintained canal with some excellent stops; next timewe might hire a cruiser and try the Cally!

Alan Platt

Tugboat Ted

W ould you have known how old Rupert Bear was? As an adjudicator at theQuiz in January I noticed a few perplexed faces but there were some

good guesses too. The room at the Narrow Boat Inn was pretty full and it was apleasant evening, details just made it into the last magazine.

Next up on the social calendar was the Skittles on April lst. There had beenmisgivings as to whether there would be enough humans to play but in the endthe alley was packed and a team of 8 from Audlem played as an adjunct to theShrewsbury District & North Wales Branch team opposing the Chester andStoke-on-Trent teams who ended up with identical scores. Both SD&NW teamsdid well and ended up with the cup. One of our Audlem team has described theevening elsewhere so I won't say more here.

The humans (acting for the Branch) have also enjoyed being involved with thesetting up of AUDLEM LASS — more details elsewhere but we bears think it isa great idea. We missed the inaugural trip during the Easter Celebration atOverwater Marina but understand that it was very successful — the weekendraising more than £700! Profits go to the RNLI.

Following the usual touching up ofpaintwork, we all set off in LEO forNorbury and the Shrewsbury andNewport Canals Trust May Day Rallylooking pretty smart. It's always agood feeling to be properly boatingagain after the winter and there wasplenty of sunshine. The Trust togetherwith the Junction Inn looks after thingsvery efficiently these days but,reminiscing, we remembered that theBranch was heavily involved in settingup the first one 8 years ago. It is goodto see it continuing so successfully.

There are ups and downs to boating, apart from locks. The ‘ups’ of our trip weremany, the sun on our backs, beautiful trees and wild flowers to admire en route,ducklings just having hatched — we heard that a family of 19 live in the vicinityof Overwater Marina! The ‘downs’ are sadly mostly human failings. We arrivedat Norbury to find our allotted space taken by a boater who ‘had rights’! Havinghung about for an hour for his return to the boat, we were none too happy,neither were fellow ralliers who were expecting us but, for the sake of everyoneinvolved we accepted his ‘concession’ for us to moor next to the bank while hestayed on the outside — blocking our light of course! We were able to operatethe sand game which was the main aim of the weekend but had to accept thatthe strong winds had a detrimental effect on takings and that the mooring fracas

The sand game at Norbury

wasn't good. Anyone who has been involved with organising an event willrecognise the term ‘there is always one’! Hard on the people who work to makesure that things run smoothly. The second ‘down’ was on the way home, a hireboat leaving all bottom gates open! When you have a limited crew who isn'tquite as young … it’s irritating to have to deal with an extra set of gates at eachlock. A later friendly discussion between the crew with a hirer, we think the rightone, revealed that they had received very little instruction and thought theywere doing a favour to the next boat coming up! The people we spoke topromised to report back to the hire company.

Elsewhere in the magazine there are details of the proposed day out in the IronBridge Gorge. Do try and come. These get-togethers are usually fun and, inthis case informative with Peter Brown telling us things we didn't know about theWappenshall Wharf and the Longdon Aqueduct.

Tugboat Ted

Lock Wind at Quoisley23rd and 24th July 2011

A s several of you pointed out, we got the date wrong in the last edition of thismagazine; we were a day adrift! I blame a confusing new calendar but it

could possibly be old age! The Lock Wind will be held over the weekendSaturday 23rd and Sunday 24th July although we will be setting up on the Fridayand will be helping boaters through the locks while we erect the Branchmarquee. Last year we collected quite a few donations while doing this.However all the other details are correct and can be checked on the Branchwebsite www.waterways.org.uk/shrewsbury

So far three boats have booked in and we have had three more offers of helpcomplete with promises of cakes from members arriving by car. However westill need more produce for the ‘bring and buy’ stall so please remember uswhen you are wondering what to do with all that surplus fruit and vegetables.Just in case you are unable to join us on the day but still want to bake us a cakethe following people have volunteered to act as drop off points:

Market Drayton Peter Brown 01630 652567Audlem Janet Farmer 01270 811157Oswestry Dawn Aylwin 01691 830403 Michael Limbrey 01691 654081Shrewsbury Alan Wilding 01743 359650

Hopefully the weather will be kind to us but come rain or shine the Lock Windprovides a great opportunity of meeting and talking to people. As well asspreading the gospel according to IWA it is a lucrative way of raising funds andis a good day out. A couple of hours winding locks, then a brisk walk along thecanal followed by lunch in the local pub. What could be better?

Shrewsbury District & North Wales Branch

Diary12th JuneDinghy DawdlePaddle your canoe from the Weston Arm to Maesbury on the MontgomeryCanal (See page 28 in the spring edition for details. Further information fromPeter 01691 831455

13th JuneBranch Business Meeting7.30pm at the Narrowboat Inn, (Maestermyn Marina) Whittington. Members arevery welcome to join us but please confirm time and date with a committeemember before attending.

23rd - 24th JulyLock Wind at QuoisleyA fund raising weekend; windlasses can be provided but please bring alongproduce for the ‘bring and buy’ stall. More details on page 15 and in the springedition. Please contact Dawn 01691 830403 if you plan on joining us.

23rd JulyDiscovery DayStalls, crafts activities and guided walks at Llanymynech Heritage area. Pleasenote the change of date which unfortunately clashes with our Lock Wind but ifanyone would like to organise a branch stall please get in touch with Dawn01691 830403 as soon as possible.

24th JulyOpen Day at Aqueduct Marina on the Middlewich Arm

29th - 31st JulyThe IWA Waterways FestivalMore details on page 19 and if you can help with the Branch stand pleasecontact Dawn 01691 830403

31st JulyAudlem Festival of TransportIncluding old cars, motorcycles, lorries, buses and of course boats includingSATURN. For further information please contact Audlem Mill 01270 8111059

6th AugustDay Out in IronbridgeEnjoy a boat trip on the Severn, lunch at a pub and guided tour of WappenshallWharf and the Longdon Aqueduct. See page 9 for details and contact Janet01270 81157 if you wish to join us.

8th AugustBranch Business Meeting7.30pm at the Bridge Inn Audlem. As requested by members we have changedthe location of this meeting so please join us but let us know you are coming sowe can look out for you.

20th - 21st AugustFriends of the Montgomery CanalIf you can help with their lock wind please contact Peter 01691 831455

27th AugustIWAlk - A sponsored walk on the Montgomery CanalDetails on page 22

9th - 10th SeptemberEllesmere FestivalThe Branch book stall will be up and running so please come along and ‘bringand buy’.

12th SeptemberBranch Business Meeting7.30pm at the Narrowboat Inn, (Maestermyn Marina) Whittington. Members arevery welcome to join us but please confirm time and date with a committeemember before attending.

17th -18th SeptemberWhitchurch Rally. The theme this year is ‘Forest Fairy Tales’. For entry formscontact Whitchurch Waterway Trust 01948 830837 [email protected]

14th NovemberThe Plas Kynaston CanalA talk by Peter Brown the Branch historian, at the Narrowboat Inn, (MaestermynMarina) Whittington. The talk will start at 7.30pm and is open to all. Why notjoin us for an informal meal at 6.30pm? Please contact Peter 01630 652567 formore details.

7th JanuaryWinter Walk at ShrewsburyDetails in the winter edition but please contact Peter 01630 652567 if you wantdetails earlier.

14th JanuaryBranch Business Meeting11.30am - 1.30pm at the Narrowboat Inn, (Maestermyn Marina) Whittingtonfollowed by lunch. Yes this is a Saturday as requested at the AGM last March.Members are very welcome to join us but please confirm time and date with acommittee member before attending.

Reminiscences of Whitchurch

M y grandfather Harry Talbot was born in February 1867 at Newport,Shropshire, where his father was the gas works manager.

He worked at the Canal Wharf and aboutthe time of his marriage became WharfManager with the use of the houseknown as Canal Wharf Cottage. Harrymarried Martha Ashley in February 1898and they had four children: Robert,Harry, Mary and Alice, who was mymother.During the late 1890s and early into thenext century the canal here was verybusy with goods of all descriptions beingtransported by barge. Whitchurch at thattime was the centre for the CheshireCheese industry. Large cheese showswere held here and cheese wasauctioned and various cheese marketsheld. Most of the cheese would find itsway into the town by barge.By the early 1930s canal trade was limited and eventually ceased and mygrandfather was then transferred to work at the station as the canal and therailway were linked. He still looked after the store as holiday relief and I canremember being taken into the store where he would take a special tool from hispocket and extract a sliver of cheese for me to taste. My Grandfather alwayshad a large boat hook handy to hook children out of the canal who had fallen in,and although many did he never mentioned any fatalities.My mother used to tell me of her Sunday School outings which always took theform of a trip on a barge down the canal, mooring by a field for a picnic andgames, and then home on the barge. They got to know many of the regularcanal users with their decorated boats and although very large families werereared in cramped conditions they were always kept neat and tidy.I was born in Smallbrook Road so the canalside played a part in my life until itwas filled in when I was eight years old. Winters were harder then and the canalwould freeze and people would skate on it in their lunch hours. We also hadregular visits from the circus that would stay on the Jubilee Park and theelephants would be taken to the canal for washing.The Wharf Cottage was demolished in the 1960s.

Bernice Slater[First published in Plane Sailing, the journal of the Whitchurch Waterway Trust.]

The Talbot family(Alice is seated)

Shrewsbury Charity Christmas Card ShopFriday 28th October to Saturday 3rd December

T he shop, which was supported by 39 charities last year, will be set up in theTrinity Chapel in St Mary’s Church, St Mary’s Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1ED

which is fairly near to The Old Market Hall. This is a new opportunity for theBranch which we hope will provide much needed funds. We will be selling ourfabulous new calendar and various Christmas cards (national IWA packs aswell as local scenes designed and created by Alan Wilding). If you plan to visitShrewsbury to do some early Christmas shopping why not pop into St Mary’sChurch, it’s the perfect place to buy your cards.Apart from visiting the card shop St Mary’s Church, which was made redundantin 1987, is worth visiting in its own right. It has a wonderful and unique collectionof stained glass with examples of different styles from the 14th century to thepresent day. Look out for the huge spectacular east window depicting the Treeof Jesse, and filled with figures of Old Testament kings and prophets, inbrilliantly vibrant colours. The amazing 15th century carved oak ceiling in thenave with its profusion of animals, birds and angels is also worth a second glance.The shop is run by volunteers from the various organisations taking part and theBranch has agreed to provide 2 helpers on the following days and times:Saturday 12th November 1.00pm to 4.15pmSaturday 26th November 10.00am to 1.00pmSo do you live in or near Shrewsbury? Are you willing to spend a morning orafternoon helping at the Charity Christmas Card Shop?

The IWA Waterways Festival29th to 31st July

A re you going to the IWA Waterways Festival by boat or camping out in thefield? If so would you be willing to help out on the Branch stand?

The Branch has been offered and accepted space in the Staffordshire marqueeand will be taking the display boards and a small table from which we will sellour wonderful new calendar and the ever popular ‘Brain of Monty’ quiz amongstother things.We have Friday and Sunday covered although it would be good if someonecould do an hour or so, to give volunteers the opportunity to get something toeat or just wander round the festival ground. More importantly we needmembers to man the stall on Saturday – say for a morning or afternoon? If thisis too long for you and we get enough helpers we could break the day down into3 sessions.

If you can help at either of these eventsplease contact Dawn on 01691 830403

Aqueducks(Friends of the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Llangollen Canal World Heritage Site)

A queducks was established in August 2010 as the community offshoot ofthe World Heritage Site Steering Group. Previously there had been a

community subgroup of the steering group, one of 5 subgroups, which fedinformation, concerns and plans up and down the ‘chain of command’ as oneof the main parts of implementing the WHS management plan. The localcommunity was a key factor in the nomination process in 2009, and thedevelopment of community involvement was a priority. Therefore we havebeen lucky to have had a funded project, with project officer (Piers Warburton)for the last 2 years, which has paid for walks, talks, and fun days etc; much ofwhich I am certain many local IWA members have enjoyed, along with lots ofother local people. All of this work by Piers has paid dividends in the numbersof people who are interested in the heritage of this area, and Aqueducks nowneed to move forward with this! Somewhat difficult without any new fundingand it’s proving to be a big learning curve for us. It’s rather different to anyother community group I have been involved with because of the huge interestin it from around the world, coupled with such a fledgling organisation. Forexample, our first rudimentary attempts to get a web site up immediatelyattracted a Japanese Film Crew, who we then helped in March in their effortsto make a programme about the World Heritage Site.

One of the themes that Piers developed, and which has proved a very popularway to draw in the local villages, was the exploration of the trade routes whichbrought products down to the canal. So, for example, we have organised walksalong the route of the slate transport down to the top end of the WHS aboveLlangollen, and have made links with the Glyn Valley Tramway group, to lookat how the tramway developed originally because of the canal at the bottom endof the Glyn Valley (or Ceiriog Valley to be more accurate). From all of thesedevelopments we can see that what interests local people most is more aboutthe context, stories and people around the canal in a much wider area thansimply the structures and heritage of the World Heritage Site.

In parallel with the main steering group, we arebeginning to separate out subgroups with specialistinterests. In April we launched our Heritagesubgroup, and are developing contacts andinterest for a Biodiversity subgroup. In May wewere filmed for the BBC Countrysideprogramme looking for bats in Trevor Basin.

Where we are now is an exciting, but scaryplace. We have a websitewww.aqueducks.org.uk a logo and name,designed for us by local schools.

We have lots of friendly contacts with local groups and people and parishcouncils, (and core to our establishment is that we represent their needs to thesteering group).

We have a few more months of Piers Warburton before the funding runs out,And we have a newsletter. The first one is an e-newsletter but we are lookingfor some funding to print it in future and to bring it out every 3 months. To findout more or to get involved download the newsletter from the website, or contactme directly.

Maggie [email protected]

01691 773197

Pontcysyllte Stars in Television Programme

W ildlife enthusiasts had the opportunity to be part of an exciting evening bythe canal at Trevor Basin. Not only a wonderful evening of bat detecting

but also to be part of filming for a future Countryfile programme for the BBC.Members of the Aqueducks – Friends of the World Heritage Site were asked byPiers Warburton, the Community Development Officer, if whilst out doing asurvey for bat activity they would agree to be part of the programme. There wasan enthusiastic response and we were introduced to the presenter, JulianHudson, and the rest of the crew. We were also very lucky to have Dr MarkRobinson on site too as he is National Ecology Manager for British Waterwaysand a passionate promoter of BW’s Wildlife Survey 2011 which is focussing onbats.

Everyone had a fantastic evening and the stars didn’t disappoint. Although notalways arriving on cue, they gave a wonderful display, which we could follow byusing detectors which pick up the bats echo locating calls as they flew and fedover the canal. The crew were very pleased with the filming and we will have towait to watch the programme to see how much footage makes it passed editing!Filming was also made during the day on Friday with Mark Robinson and ‘Jules’abseiling off the aqueduct to look at bat roosting sites under the arches (seefront cover). Under professional supervision Mark and Jules were ‘dangling’from a boat on the aqueduct and filming took most of the day and again the crewwere thrilled with the location and efforts of all involved. This was anentertaining day for locals and visitors with many people having an unexpectedand unusual photo opportunity.

The Aqueducks Biodiversity Group would welcome contact from users andvisitors to WHS for any sightings or information relating to otter and mink, givingdetails and dates please, we would also be interested in other usual as well asunusual flora and fauna so that we can build up a database of species along thecanal. Please contact Lesley Richards on [email protected]

Everyone can take part in the Wildlife Survey by visiting the Waterscape websitewww.waterscape.com

IWAlk – A Sponsored Walk on the MontySaturday 27th August 2011

T he ideal opportunity to see the Montgomery Canal in all its glory and to seehow much more work is necessary to join the English section down to

Wales at Llanymynech. There are two work sites on route: The first is south ofPrices Bridge where the Waterways Recovery Group (WRG) will be working forthe whole of August but unfortunately Saturday is a changeover day so you willnot be able to watch them in action. However a volunteer will be on site toanswer questions. The second is the section of canal between Prices andRedwith Bridges where the Shropshire Union Canal Society (SUCS) work onthe first weekend of every month. And finally the route will take walkers alongthe newly restored section down to a well-deserved rest at Canal Central atMaesbury. Unfortunately this route is not suitable for wheelchair users orpushchairs as there are stiles and fences to climb over and the tow path isnon-existent in places.Money raised by this sponsored walk will be split 50/50 between the IWANational Campaign Appeal which is raising money for Inglesham Lock and tokick-start the next Maesbury Canal Festival which is being organised tohighlight the need for restoration. All profits from the Festival will be given tocurrent restoration projects; in 2010 over £2,000 was donated by the Festivalcommittee to the SUCS ‘Buy a Barrow of Boulders’ campaign.Option 1 - Llanymynech to Canal Central at Maesbury and back (8 miles)Sign on: 10.15am at the Llanymynech Wharf Information Centre SY22 6EAnorth of the canal bridge on the A483 (the centre will be open from 10.00am foruse of the facilities).Parking: There is a small car park at the Information Centre, a village car parkwest of the crossroads on the B4398 between the shop and the Dolphin Puband further parking at the Village Hall on Station Road east of the crossroads.Start of walk: 10.30amHalfway rest: Canal Central will be serving soup and roll but please let us knowin advance if you wish to take advantage of this service (Iain and Fiona wouldlike to know if they are catering for 10, 100 or 1,000 people).Sign off: The Information Centre at Llanymynech will re-open again at 2.00pmto 3.00pm when light refreshments will be available.Option 2 – Llanymynech to Canal Central (4 miles)For walkers who do not have the energy to walk 8 miles, there is the opportunityto park your car at Canal Central, Coed-y-Rae Lane, Maesbury Marsh SY108JG and be taken by mini-bus to Llanymynech (a kind offer from WRG) so youcan walk back to your car; however due to limited space you MUST book yourseat in advance and donations to cover fuel will be gratefully accepted. Themini bus will leave Canal Central at 10.00am so please arrive in plenty of time.

The route goes through farmland and walkers are likely to be sharing the pathwith horses, sheep and cattle so please keep dogs on a lead at all times.Thanks go to the Friends of the Montgomery Canal, the Duchess CountessTrust, the Waterways Recovery Group and Canal Central for their help andsupport. To get a sponsorship form, to book the minibus or to let us know if yourequire soup and a roll please contact: Dawn on 01691 830403 [email protected]

New Captain at the Helm of the SNCT

A t this years AGM four of the Trustees decided to step down and four newTrustees were elected to the Shrewsbury & Newport Canals Trust (SNCT)

Board. A meeting was then held to elect the Trust’s officers and Bernie Joneswas voted in as the new Chairman. Paul Havell was also elected as the newtreasurer, replacing Keith Lewis who has been the Trust’s treasurer since it wasstarted.Bernie succeeds Chris Chambers who has stepped down after six yearsleading the Trust. During his time Chris successfully re-aligned the internalstructure of the SNCT, giving it a clearer direction and a more “joined-up”approach to the project. He worked tirelessly to represent the Trust and itsviews to all its stakeholders including landowners, local authorities and thecommunities along the canal. Under his guidance the Trust firmly establishedits credibility and proved that its aspirations are achievable.Bernie has been a very active Trust volunteer for some years. He chaired theNorbury Junction Festival Committee this year, after doing the Harbourmaster’sjob at the event in 2010. He has also been a member of the SAT (a keysub-group of the Trust) and has organized many work parties over the past 8years. In this new position he plans, with his fellow Trustees, to review andupdate the Trust’s Strategic Plan. He wants to take a new approach to helpincrease involvement and commitment from all those who will be affected by thecanals’ restoration. He firmly believes that the Trust should firstly concentrateits current efforts on three key sites along the canals, as these will act as acatalyst to prove that the SNCT can deliver, which will generate confidence thatthe whole project can be completed.Bernie’s appointment has occurred at a key point for the Trust, as the OptionsAppraisal Report for the Wappenshall warehouse buildings, which the trustoccupies on a peppercorn rent from Telford & Wrekin Council, has now beencompleted and the Trustees have made a decision as to the option that will bepursued. This means that the Trust can now apply for the grants that it needsto repair these Grade 2 listed buildings and bring them back into use. They willthen become a Headquarters for the SNCT and provide a focus for therestoration of the Shrewsbury & Newport canals.

John Myers [email protected]

Membership Matters

A very warm welcome to the following members who have joined the Branchsince the last edition of this magazine: Mr & Mrs Byatt from Hinton, Mr

Davis from Shrewsbury, Mr Evans from Llanrug, Mr & Mrs Fachiri fromBronington, Mr & Mrs Hannah from Audlem, Mr & Mrs Harris from Shavington,Mr & Mrs Jones from St Martins, Mr Jones from Llanfordn Mead, Mr & MrsKeane with a postal address in Wem, Mr Peabody from Denbigh, Mr & MrsRobinson from Mold, Mr & Mrs Rodgers from Shawbury, and Mr & MrsWagstaff from Rhosybol. It is good to see new people joining the Associationand we look forward to meeting you all so please come along to one of ourevents and support your Branch. Please note that if you joined in May, detailshad not been received before this edition went to the printers.

Two members have recently stepped forward (or did everyone else step back?):Helen Brockman is now the IWA representative on the Whitchurch WaterwaysTrust and Maggie Rowland has the honour of being an Aqueduck. That doesn’tmean the rest of you are off the hook, we still need your help. In fact you areone of 553 members; yet the Branch committee consists of only 10 people(although we do have a small group of willing helpers and we are veryappreciative of the support they give). Unfortunately with the passing of timecommittee members are not getting any younger. At least one has joined theranks of venerated octogenarians (fortunately he is more than able and willingto continue on the committee although I suspect he would like to retire and letsomeone younger take over). And the rest of the committee? The majority ofus are well into our 60’s and some approaching 70 if not already there. So ifyou have the time and energy please come and join us, if not on the committeethen at one of our events. There are no age restrictions and no qualificationsare necessary, just enthusiasm for the waterways which is probably why youjoined the IWA in the first place.

So what does the committee do? What will be expected of you? We meetabout 9 or 10 times a year depending on holiday and other commitments anddiscuss matters relating to the canals (sometimes we can make a differenceand sometimes we can’t), organise events which we hope will be of interest,raise money so we can underwrite or make donations to various projects andsupport local events. And of course we take every opportunity to campaign forthe canals and talk to MPs, Welsh Assembly members and Local Authoritymembers. If you decide to join us there won’t be any pressure to take on a role;in fact roles are created round the interests of volunteers not the other way round.

At least one branch is likely to close down soon due to the lack of interest fromits members. Don’t let this happen to the Shrewsbury District & North WalesBranch. It’s your Branch so please make a commitment and join us.

Dawn Aylwin

Tyrley Tattle

I t is now becoming evident that the decline in boating numbers is not aconsequence of the Shebdon breach in 2009 but reflects a general decline in

the numbers using the waterways. A few years ago it was not uncommon tohave long queues waiting at Tyrley to use the locks but, to my knowledge, thathasn’t happened for at least the last three years.

It was explained at the last BW customer forum that lock gates are now onlybeing replaced when considered category D in condition. This is certainly alogical approach to using available funds but it does mean that gates have tobe left to deteriorate in the meantime.

The locks at Tyrley are no exception and it is now very difficult to fill the top lockwithout using all three paddles as the bottom gates are leaking so much. Thisis causing some concern for new hire boaters who, for some reason, neverseem to be told of the existence of gate paddles on top gates of locks. Havinglived next to the lock for so many years we are always conscious of lockproblems when we notice boats taking longer than normal to enter the lock. Italways proves to be either sheer incompetence in knowing how to operate thelock, the use of only the ground paddles or having one of the bottom gatepaddles marginally open because a previous user hasn’t bothered to wind itfully down.

This year, of course, the very dry March has left the Belvide reservoir well belowits maximum level and this is causing concern at BW as a shortage of water atthe start of the season is a far from ideal situation. Curiously enough, using thelocks at Tyrley, however badly, does not normally waste water as suppliesalways have to bypass the locks to keep the locks at Adderley and Audlemsupplied from the summit at Autherley and the feeder next to Stretton Aqueduct.

The saga of the services along this stretch of the canal continues. As I writethere is still not an operating water point between Market Drayton and NorburyJunction — but by the time you read this the picture may very well havechanged. A new treatment system has been installed at Tyrley but BW will onlybe permitted to supply the water through a tap situated in the proximity of thesanitary station. EU regulations again! A site for the outlet has been chosen andinstallation work is imminent I am assured. In addition the new water point atGoldstone should also soon be connected to the main supply there following theexpected resolution of a long running dispute between BW and Severn TrentWater.

As ever, the system would be in much better condition if boaters respected it.Yesterday I had to go to Audlem by boat and found a lock gate at Adderleyalmost impossible to shut because a boat had crashed into the footboard anddistorted it so much that it fouled the bank when the gate was opened. Not amajor repair job but it all costs money that could be spent elsewhere.

I do seem to have digressed from Tyrley somewhat so back to the wildlife. Thisyear has been the year of the pheasant. We have had up to twenty at a time inthe garden since the cold weather in January. We are now down to about fivebut they have become so tame that they follow us around in the garden, muchto the amazement of passing boats. I’ve had them follow me into both thegarage and the greenhouse at times.

The ducks have been having trouble with the mink which have reappearedsince we thought that they had been chased off by otters. Denis Farmer tells methat he saw one running across one of the locks as he was working it.Presumably this was what caused the demise of the six ducklings whichappeared in early May and then promptly vanished overnight leaving an injuredduck sitting in our garden for over a week until it had recovered.

We are now awaiting the appearance of young greater spotted woodpeckerswith their little red crowns. The parents have been frantically pecking at the birdfeeders for a couple of weeks although one of them was frightened by thesudden arrival of the postman and knocked itself out on my neighbours glassporch. It was very badly stunned but recovered sufficiently to fly off after aboutsix hours.

Finally, the sting in the tale so to speak! The warm weather in March and earlyApril proved a real wake up call to my bees that started to collect nectar asthough it was high summer. It has been a struggle to keep them supplied withframes of wax to build comb and fill it with honey but since starting this piece Ihave been able to extract the first batch and now have the empty framesavailable to reuse.

Richard Hall

Rock-fall atWoodseaves

cutting

(nowrepaired)

Surfing Our Waterways Web

B ack at the beginning of the eighties when Susan and I were selling ourhouse and buying the one we live in now we had to decide whether to go

away on our planned August cruise of the Four Counties Ring, or to abandonthat in case a buyer showed up with a firm offer. We opted to go cruising andhad to search out telephone kiosks from time to time in order to call our solicitorand find out if there were any decisions to make. That all seems decidedlyprehistoric in comparison with today’s instant mobile communication.

Keeping in touch is one of the most important needs of any individual or groupand is vital for our Shrewsbury District and North Wales Branch with its widegeographical spread. Fortunately today’s internet provides us with aneconomical way of doing this which is immediate, graphic, and accessible. It canalso be two-way.

Within the IWA’s vast waterways.org.uk website are our Branch-specific pageswhich can also be reached directly by going to:waterways.org.uk/shrewsbury. These pages have been there for a long timeand we regularly add diary information as well as reports on events. But nowthe site has been upgraded to make it even more versatile. I attended a seminarwith other Branch Editors recently to catch up on the latest.

We are, at last, going to able to use the Discussion Forum section and shareviews in an informal way. Easy postings will be possible on whatever waterwaytopics are being reviewed.

We shall be able to share our pictures in a Photo Gallery and they can be athigher definition than any currently included within the editorial pages.

We will also be able to share short videos by embedding them directly withinour pages rather than our current method of providing a link which takes usaway from our site.

This is Stage Two of IWA’s web re-development and initially it presents achicken-and-egg situation. I hope committee members will start the balls rollingand you can help by regularly checking to see what we have online and thenadding something. Regular use on both counts will help developacquaintanceships into friendships. It will make our widespread area seem thatmuch smaller when we sit in front of our browsers. We will all get more fromIWA and, importantly, it will also attract other like-minded people. I look forwardto hearing from you on: [email protected]

Alan Wilding

waterways.org.uk/shrewsbury

Do the IWAlk

I am writing this before the Dinghy Dawdle and you are probably reading itafter it. I am sure it will have been another good Dawdle, the 26th. But do you

know that it is because of IWAlk that the Dawdle takes place in June? IWAlk wasthe IWA's national sponsored towpath walk and will be repeated this year. Thefirst IWAlk was on 9th and 10th June 1978, dates chosen as being shortly beforethe start of the fishing season. So when we were planning the first Dawdle a fewyears later, that too took place in early June.1978 was the third year of the Shrewsbury Branch and IWAlk was by far thebiggest event we had been involved in. There were some mutterings in otherparts of the country, but we saw it as an exciting opportunity to promote thewaterways and to raise funds for them.IWA planned a series of towpath walks, all over the country, on the sameweekend. We planned walks across the Shropshire Union system and our firststep was to contact our colleagues who shared our interest in the SU canals: inthose days, the Merseyside Branch (at Ellesmere Port) and of course theShropshire Union Canal Society. Di Skilbeck of SUCS was responsible for walksto Ellesmere Port and Middlewich, and I organised the Llangollen and Queen'sHead walks.Nationally, IWA produced a booklet, complete with cartoon character on thefront (I have one somewhere), and we were left to insert four pages appropriateto our area. Our pages were sponsored by Custom Sound of Oswestry, whomade amplifiers for pop groups: Barry Phillips was a member of the branchcommittee (in a past life he had lived on a boat at Tardebigge). The booklet setout the details for each walk, and these details were repeated on a walker's cardwhich was checked off by marshals on the way.Our walkers were able to start at either end, and were offered the opportunity toget a bus back from a number of points en route. The driver was surprised whenI took him on the first run to Lower Frankton — and I was quite relieved to see aBus Stop sign at the bottom of the hill! The event was a great success. Over ahundred people walked between St Martin's and Llangollen alone and, as far asI am aware, none took the alternative routes offered over Chirk and Whitehousetunnels.Over the years since 1978, the Branch has been involved in a variety of majorevents, campaigning for waterways in general, or for local restorations. TheIWA has earned respect because of activities like this, and its contribution to theserious issues of the day. (This is more than membership numbers alone mightsuggest: the latest figures I can find suggest that the Liberal Democrat partymembership is a quarter of that of the Conservatives, and more than a third ofthat of the Labour Party; IWA membership is 30% of the Lib Dems.)There are still challenges for our waterways: the conversion to charity status willbring changes; will the new charity be able to ensure it has sufficient funds tomaintain the system properly, and to support enhancements like the

Montgomery restoration? While these are important issues, it is actually

like IWAlk. Can we share that enjoyment with you, and run the next big eventwith your help?

Michael Limbrey

The IWA Skittles Challenge

T here were many serious faces attending the Branch Annual SkittlesChallenge at the Bickerton Poacher. IWA reinforcements had been called

in from far and wide; indeed some members had travelled from as far away asStoke! Eagle eyes could spot youngsters who had surreptitiously been intraining for this important event warming up near the bar. Whilst oilyhandkerchiefs, usually saved for more important usage in the engine rooms,were mopping sweaty brows.Yes, it was time for the all-important Skittles Challenge! Denis and Janet Farmerhad done a sterling job in managing to drag members away from their boats withthe promise of a lamb hotpot supper, but unwittingly newer members, mainlyfrom Audlem, had muscled in on the act under the pathetic guise of “living neara canal”.Gauntlets were thrown down, or should I say engine-greased gloves, and thethirty members were divided into four teams, all intent on preserving theirreputations as IWA members extraordinaire!Denis vainly tried to maintain a semblance of order as skippers gathered aroundtables of wine and beer, instructing their teams on tactics, although thesuggestion of ball tampering was immediately quashed, as each team would beusing the same weather-beaten balls.Order was finally restored, and as Denis is well known for his adding up andorganisational skills, the battle could commence!Out of the window flew the usual seafarer’s motto of women and children first,as strong-armed pensioners threw away their sticks and hurled the ball, andsometimes themselves, down the rickety wooden alley. This was war – whowould win? Stoke-on-Trent were in fine form, as were Shrewsbury District &North Wales and Chester Branches. The Audlem team was far too busydrinking bottles of wine and it took them some time to realise that they wereputting Denis and Janet’s reputation as stalwarts of the IWA at risk. Howeverthey soon managed to find where the balls were and dignity was restored. (Wellalmost) Congratulations to the Shrewsbury District and North Wales Branchwho were the overall victors and were presented with a beautiful silver cup.All in all it was a thoroughly successful and enjoyable evening, many thanks toDenis and Janet for organizing the event. We will all look forward to attendingagain – bring it on!

Stephanie Richardson

A Boater’s Funeral

B eryl Ybarra, who lived on narrowboat ANAGRAM, passed away on 23rd

March 2011. She had consoled herself in the last few weeks of her life inDenbigh hospital by making the arrangements for a boater’s funeral.So, on 31st — a very windy day — the wicker coffin was fastened securely byher friends and a rather bemused undertaker to the top of her boat in ChirkMarina. With Beryl’s daughter Laura and grandchildren in the glass cratch,ANAGRAM, driven by Anne Pilsbury and Fiona Pearson, led a procession ofboats and friends on foot to Froncysyllte and then across the aqueduct. Theymoored next to the Thomas Telford Inn for the wake. Memories of Beryl’s lifewere shared and her friend, folk-singer Peter Coe, entertained the guestsbefore her body was taken to Prion near Denbigh for burial.Beryl had lived on ANAGRAM with Vicky, her Welsh collie, for over 10 years,mainly on the Llangollen Canal. She was well known up and down this part ofthe cut, towing A GRANMA which she had built for a workshop. Her cosy boatwas unusual in that her love of cooking (as an ex-café owner) had led her toinstall an Aga as well as the usual boatman’s stove. Visitors could alwaysexpect a warm welcome with tea and cake.

Fiona Pearson

Skittles by Stephanie RichardsonThere's a breathless hush in the Bickerton PoacherScores are close and the match still to winA bumpy wooden alley with a trembling bowler,Still an end to play and the last man’s in!

And it's not for the sake of a moment's prideOr the selfish hope of an evening's fame,That the IWA skipper to his teammates cried"Play up! Play up and play the game!"

The member’s faces are glowing red,Red with the wreck that time has wrought;The legs are cramped and the hands are dead,Numb with the cold that age has brought.

The rivers of sweat form delicate pools,The glasses are empty, there’s no one to blame,But the voice of the skipper rallies the fools,"Play up! Play up and play the game!"

These are the words that once a yearAre heard in the place IWA members collectLancashire Hotpot and wine for good cheer,But orders from Denis no one dares reject.

The four teams battled, though it’s only a gameThe winners rejoiced, their faces a flame‘Til next year if Janet will arrange it again"Play up! Play up and play the game!"

Ira Theobold , the highestscoring player, receives the

trophy on behalf of theShrewsbury District & North

Wales team

Paddy Martin was joined by family and friends at LlanymynechWharf for the dedication of a bench in memory of John Martin,

founder member of the Duchess Countess Trust.

The funeral procession at Froncysyllte

Shroppie Fly Paper June 2011

Documents

Transcript of Shroppie Fly Paper June 2011