It’s amazing how adaptable to change we all are… How quickly the ‘old ways’ become outdated. Remember when Opal Fruits became Starburst? OUTRAGEOUS! Or when the Neighbours theme tune got added saxophone? HIDEOUS! Even seasonal changes don’t faze us for long. Other changes are more subtle, like fashion or music. Obviously a more topical change is that from British Waterways to Canal & River Trust. Three years and uncountable changes later, and I think very few people would hit the rewind button.
Unchanging however, is this blog, which continues to celebrate the wonderful things that the volunteers are up to in the South East Waterway. Let’s start with previously un-blogged volunteers and a lovely little one-off project at Wilstone reservoir to replace a decrepit bench and fit a new one. Designed and built by Friends of Tring Reservoirs, the benches were installed with the help of CRT’s Volunteer Leader Wayne Moore, and volunteer Lock Keeper Iain Brown. These smart new benches will now please the bottoms of many a visitor!
Also new to us this month and out of Oxfordshire, comes a rambling group (Bicester and Kidlington) with a number of volunteers also helping to keep Oxfordshire’s footpaths tidy from vegetation. On a few of their walks along the canal they had noticed brambles obstructing the towpath and offered their services to tidy and clear as necessary. The group of 7, armed with hand tools, had a very successful day in the Kidlington area. No doubt many walkers will be enjoying the clearer towpath.
“They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.”
…so says Andy Warhol. And if you’ll entertain me getting a little philosophical, volunteers recognize this and are the ones to get out there and make changes!
Inspired to improve Croxley Green, twelve volunteers spent the weekend helping to repair Common Moor Bridge on the Grand Union Canal. This is the first re-pointing done by volunteers in the South East waterway and the result is superb! The bridge isn’t quite as new yet, but it is in better condition and much less of an eye sore! Many thanks to Parish Rangers Phil and Ollie, and Lead Volunteer Graham Newman for their help in running the task days.
Inspiring us to take this concept even further, is Blisworth Canal Partnership, who have been nominated for one of the UK Government’s ‘Big Society’ Awards! Good luck Blisworth! When they are not preparing for their festival (8-9 August), the group have been holding bat evenings with village groups & the Scouts and also painting the lock beam benches opposite the Mill & outside the Hut in readiness for Blisworth’s Red Wheel presentation.
Changing a brand name can be risky. Did you know Google was originally called BackRub? Hmm, yes that’s what I was thinking too! Definitely a wise move there. The SciFi Channel was less successful. After changing their brand to Syfy, they learnt this was also an urban term for something rather unpleasant. Whoops.
Back for their second task day, ESRI (formally Environmental Systems Research Institute and CRT’s GIS mapping software provider) helped repair an eroding bank in Aylesbury, using soft bank protection. Looking stylish in waders, the group bashed in stakes, and slid in 40 metres of coir rolls (sausages of organic material) to form the new edge. They then back-filled with top soil. Like last month’s group, they got stuck in and managed to complete much more than we thought they would. Helped by ice creams, naturally. Also helping Volunteer Leader Wayne, was CRT Construction’s Neil Adams, Lead Volunteer Philip Strangeway, and CRT GIS team’s Richard Gowling and Luis Velasquez.
Braunston Canal Society are on a roll! Using new volunteers recruited from the successful fire path clearance in the winter, this group got 2 locks painted in one day with a whopping 14 volunteers in attendance! Locks 5 & 6 are now resplendent and the bank to the tunnel cleared (again) of nettles. Great result!
Whilton & Buckby Locks Assoc. have been producing results too, with 9 hard-working souls who spent 20 hours spreading 4 builders’ bags of aggregate (kindly moved to site by a local landowner). Thanks to Long Buckby Parish Council too for their generous grant to enable this work to be completed. The following week, four volunteers painted the Bottom Lock, making the approach to the Buckby flight look smart again. In between times their strimmers have been out and about, and the final tree slips from the Woodland Trust have been planted. A terribly productive month – well done Geoff, Sue and gang!
Most of us are fans of a change that occurs when we have a little tipple! Alcohol directly affects brain chemistry by changing levels of neurotransmitters — the chemical messengers that transmit the signals throughout the body that control thought processes, behaviour and emotion.
Now I would hate to suggest that any group in particular was partial to a little alcohol induced brain chemistry, so this might be a good time to mention the start of the festival season (because there is always a beer tent!), with 2 of the biggest happening in May – Crick Boat show and Rickmansworth festival. Well done Rickmansworth Waterways Trust who have the organisation of this huge event seemingly sewn up! At Crick, CRT had a strong attendance of volunteer Lock Keepers helping us to promote the Trust in our big marquee – many thanks to you all for being fantastic ambassadors.
But it wasn’t only the volunteer Lock Keepers at Crick Boat Show that were helping. The ladies and gents at the Foxton and Watford staircase flights had their work cut out with all the boat traffic, and by all accounts they lock-keeped their socks off!! Well done all and many thanks!
Foxton Lock Keepers are changing… with a new website! Following the success of the Hillmorton Lock Keepers’ website, Foxton have also created a site from which you can find all the local and up-to-date information, as well as some superb photos of the site by Lock Keeper Richard Boyles. I urge you to take a look here. And for those of you who have not visited Foxton (S. Leicestershire) before, you really should! As well as being an absolutely stunning site, the Museum there has just been refurbished, changed its name to The Boilerhouse and is now a state-of-the-art attraction.
Also this month, our volunteer Lock Keepers have been learning more about the canals. Many thanks to CRT’s Ecologists Penny and Stuart for their informative talk about Tring Reservoirs. The VLK’s in GU South are now experts in why the site is a SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and the difference between the songs of Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers! Thanks also to Fabian Hiscock from Rickmansworth Waterways Trust for coming to Milton Keynes and presenting an interesting talk on the heritage of our canals. VLK’s were also treated to a talk by one of CRT’s Hydrologists, Emma Bullen, who gave a fascinating insight into what her team does to plan for draught, flooding and all those summer lockages! Also congratulations to the VLK’s of Class 2015 for completing their H&S training.
Whoa! John Highmore is back with a report from CRT’s first sports day!
“Really pleased to be able to help out at a free Multi-Sports Activity Day in Oakfield Park, which adjoins the Aylesbury Arm canal. The event was organized and run by the Canal & River Trust’s Sports Participation Manager, Joe Sammon and it featured kayaking, angling, cycling, ‘Dr Bike’ (cycle maintenance), a fun run and lots more for people to enjoy. Many thanks to all the volunteers and CRT staff who ran sessions, provided refreshments or assisted as marshals. The families who visited all had a wonderful time. Particular respect goes to the two young lads who turned up at 9.30am and stayed until 4.30pm, tried absolutely every activity, and then asked, “Will you be doing this again next week?!”
Living waterways transform places and enrich lives, my friends!”
And it’s back to me to tell you about more volunteering…
“If you can’t change your mind, why have one?”
Staying with the canoeing, Leighton Canoe Club had their annual canoe litter pick. It was a huge success this year with a staggering 35 volunteers! They collected 25 bags of rubbish plus quite a lot of additional stuff that wouldn’t go in the bags. Well done guys!
Stoke Bruerne Canal Partnership have been busy as their Family Festival is almost upon us – 13-14 June. So they turned their focus of activities again to the central areas of the village. Several tasks, including hedge trimming, washing down of the metal fencing around the Dry Lock and painting the lock beams, lock edging stones and adjacent fences were completed with the assistance of Lead Volunteer Graham Newman.
It’s been a while since Banbury Canal Partnership have repaired a fence but they’re at it again! They have fitted and painted a new access fence and also gotten the lock painted too. Great work!
IWA Northampton celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Northampton Arm with a super BBQ at Gayton Junction with many IWA members in attendance, plus new South East Waterway Manager Vicky Martin and CEO Richard Parry. Richard unveiled a beautiful mosaic which had been made by children at Gayton School. But they don’t just eat burgers and drink wine! The IWA Northampton group have also been out twice this month, concentrating their efforts on Lock 17 which is where the Arm meets the River Nene.
“The spring warmth and rain has set the vegetation alive at Lock 17, so we now need to attack it if we have any chance of it looking good for the Festival of Water in August.”
Speaking of the Festival of Water, pop the dates in your diary – Saturday 29th – Monday 31st August.
No change here – Marks & Spencer staff emerged from their shops for the third year to help pick up litter along local stretches of canal as part of their Forever Fish campaign. With 5 locations in the South East this year (Banbury, Bulbourne (pictured), Kings Langley, Leighton Buzzard & Hemel Hempsted), they collected a whopping 160 bags of rubbish!
Also unchanging, are the super Aylesbury Arm Towpath Taskforcers. The core volunteers of this group have been litter picking for 10 years! Out every 2nd Saturday, what incredible and dedicated volunteers these are indeed! Thank you!
Since the Health & Safety at Work Act of 1974, the way we work has changed an enormous amount. To coin CRT’s motto
“To work safe is a Responsibility; To go home safe is a Right”
And to that end, CRT has produced a light-hearted video to highlight not only the importance that CRT has to keep volunteers safe, but also that they have responsibility to keep themselves safe too. Have a watch here.
Another incredibly productive month, I think you’ll agree. A huge, sincere thanks to all the volunteers, Lead Volunteers, Lock Keepers, Group Leaders and CRT staff for making it happen. Please treat yourselves to some guilt-free neurotransmitter changing!
I’ll admit I used the services of BackRub… I mean Google… to help with the quotes today. And I wanted a profound one to finish on. There are many inspirational ones to choose from, but I think the best is this:
“Change is good”
And why not challenge ourselves to change for the better. You are all reading this because you are on the mailing list entitled ‘awesome people’.
And just to finish off this blog of celebrating change, I should mention that before our next blog installment, my name will be changing as I am getting married! Change is good, and exciting!
South East Waterway Volunteering Blog 