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ANGLIANANGLIAN

CUTTINGSCUTTINGS

Ipswich Branch Newsletter

Autumn 2010 No. 117

The IWA may not agree with the opinions expressed in this publication. They are, however, published as

a matter of interest to our members and readers. Nothing printed can be construed as policy or an official announcement unless stated.

The IWA accepts no liability for any matter in this publication.

HAWKES MILL NEEDHAM MARKET

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IWA IPSWICH BRANCH

YOUR COMMITTEE Chairman -

Chard Wadley

chairman.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

Secretary & Anglian Cuttings Editor -

Charles Stride

secretary.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

editor.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

Treasurer

Spencer Greystrong

treasurer.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

Membership

Clive Saville

Membership.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

Publicity

Brian Holt

pro.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

Social Secretary

Diana Holt

socialsec.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

River Gipping Trust

Lewis Tyler

RGTRep.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

River Stour Trust

Sue Brown

RSTRep.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

Pickerel Project

Brian Cornell

pickerelrep.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

Officer

Gerry Creasey

officer01.ipswichbranch@waterways.org.uk

*************************** IWA Ipswich - http://www.waterways.org.uk/regions_branches/eastern/

Ipswich/ipswich

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C H STRIDE

BUMPER EDITION

I must thank all the contributors to this

bumper edition of Anglia Cuttings. I

have had to increase the size by four

pages and still had to defer one article on

the Crossing of the Ribble to the next

edition. I hope you will find all or most

of the articles of interest. Please do not

forget that if you have something to tell

or an article of interest, we will always

be pleased to receive it. Publication is, of

course, always subject to the Editor‘s

final decision.

ANGLIAN CUTTINGS

DISTRIBUTION

If you have registered your email address

with IWA Head Office, and have not

requested a hard copy of the newsletter,

then you will be receiving this edition by

electronic means and I hope that you will

be happy with this. May I remind those

of you who are reading this

electronically but wish to still receive a

hard copy then please contact me on

secretary.ipswichbranch@waterways.org

.uk and let me know.

If you are a hard copy reader and would

like to try the electronic version then just

register your email address with Tracy

Higgins at IWA Head Office on

tracy.higgin@waterways.org.uk .

EDITOR’S

PONDERINGS And now we are into the Autumn. Summer boating and waterway activities are

but a memory. Do not despair, we have our Winter Branch meetings with a range

of interesting speakers (see Dates for Your Diary—Page19) well organised as

always by Diana and Brian, to look forward to and, of course the longer evenings

give an opportunity for planning next years activities, boating or otherwise.

You can, of course, if you wish and have

access to a computer, always check out

the electronic version by logging on to

h t t p : / / w w w . w a t e r w a y s . o r g . u k /

regions_branches/eastern/Ipswich/

anglian_cuttings

DOUG TOMLINSON

In addition to the £1000 IWA Donation

reported on by Chard Wadley, (see

Chairman‘s Jottings—Page 4) the

Branch is indebted to Doug Tomlinson, a

past local member, who has left a

substantial gift in his will to the Branch

for the continuing restoration work of the

Stowmarket Navigation. This is being

held by the IWA until such time that the

River Gipping Trust has a specific

requirement for further funding. A

memorial seat to Doug is due to be

installed shortly, overlooking the River

Gipping near Hawkes Mill, and we will

report on this in our next issue.

CUTS & WELCHES DAM

Regrettably it appears that Government

cuts are already affecting our region with

the Environmental Agency not

undertaking the required remedial work

at Welches Dam in Cambridgeshire.

IWA are considering their response and

we will report further in due course.

Charles Stride

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CHAIRMAN’S JOTTINGS

Our winter programme starts again in

October and there are details in this

edition so you can plan to join us once

again on a Friday evening at Needham

Market Community Centre.

We attended the Needham Market Raft

Race on 4 July 2010, alongside the River

Gipping Trust to promote the SOS2010

and to make people aware of the work

we are doing with the Trust at Baylham

Lock. I am pleased to report that we had

a lot of interest and was visited by

Needham Market Mayor and his wife

who took an interest and said that they

would visit us during our week long

work party which was also in July. The

Mayor kept his promise and visited the

site on the last day of the work party and

was very impressed with what we had

achieved. He took several pictures and it

was reported in the Needham Market

Magazine.

Carolyn and I attended the National

Festival at Beale Park on the Saturday,

accompanied by Joan and John Finch,

and I am pleased to report it was a dry

and sunny day in a lovely setting. As

you may already know the branch was

awarded £1,000 from the St Ives

National Festival held in 2007 and it was

decided that we would donate this to the

River Gipping Trust. The cheque was

officially presented to Spencer

Greystrong, Treasurer to the RGT, by

Clive Henderson, National Chairman,

during the Saturday morning in the

Cressy Suite of the IWA marquee which

we all attended. It was nice to meet up

with other IWA members who I had not

seen for sometime. We visited several

stands, such as the Wendover Trust, to

catch up on restoration progress.

Following on Colin Turner‘s decision to

finally stand down as Restoration

Manager for the Gipping Trust the

Branch wished to further recognize his

achievements and agreed to nominate

him for the IWA Christopher Power

Award, only to find that we had been

beaten to it by WRG Colleagues. We,

together with The Gipping Trust, fully

supported the nomination and are

delighted that the award has been made.

That‘s all from me, hope you had a

lovely summer with plenty of boating; I

look forward to seeing you at our winter

meetings.

Chard Wadley.

Another summer almost over and Autumn waiting in the wings. It seems to have

gone very quickly but it was a good one with lovely sunny days to enjoy on the cut.

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CHRISTOPHER POWER

AWARD

The Christopher Power Fund was created by a donation to The

IWA in 1983 by Mr and Mrs Power in memory of their son

Christopher, who died at the early age of 29 in April 1981.

Christopher had a passionate interest in canals and narrowboats,

especially those powered by steam. He was a member of the

Kennet and Avon and Wey and Arun Canal Trusts and was

founder member of the Solent and Arun Branch of the IWA.

The Fund provides an annual prize to the Person, Society or Trust

which, in the opinion of the judges, has made the most significant

contribution to the restoration of an amenity waterway. The Prize

is not given every year but in 2010 IWA has made two Awards.

CITATION Colin has been the most instrumental figure in

progressing the restoration of the Ipswich and

Stowmarket Navigation, holding the title of Restoration

Manager since 1999. He is a long-standing member of the

IWA Ipswich branch, and founding member of The River

Gipping Trust - the organisation devoted to the restoration

and re-opening of the Ipswich and Stowmarket

Navigation. Under his leadership, the restoration of two

locks has been successfully completed, including the

complex Baylham Lock, a Grade II listed structure. He

has project managed and site-managed the work with very

little in the way of external funding or labour, but with all

the hurdles and pit-falls a construction project is subject

to. He has held negotiations with local councils, English

Heritage, the Environment Agency, wildlife bodies and

riparian owners. He has organised WRG canal camps, put

in planning applications, argued with officialdom and

spent a huge number of hours just being on site,

contributing to everything from partnership building, to

technical design, to actual donkey work. This would be a

tough task for anyone, but now at the astonishing age of

84, Colin continues to be a huge inspiration for all who

are lucky enough to work with him.

Clive Henderson—IWA National Chairman

2010 AWARD WINNER

COLIN TURNER

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puddle clay and silt. We had to separate

the clean brick rubble from the clay and

silt by hand, before we could dispose of

it, a long tedious and painful job!

However, the machines made light work

of removing the rubble (thanks to JT Few

for offering a free tip facility) and we

were then able to use them to re-fill the

excavated area behind the East wall and

place the coping stones roughly in

position on top of the newly completed

brickwork.

The Eastern lock wall is now nearly

complete and the earth bank behind the

wall re-profiled to match its original

Restoration over the Summer

Most of our Summer efforts have been

spent at Baylham Lock itself.

W e r e c o v e r e d

quickly from the

damage caused by

high flood levels

early in the year and

have pressed on

successfully with

the rebuilding of the

Eastern lock wall.

The last coping

stones are now

being bedded into

place and the final

effect is very

impressive. Even

our local planning

officer has commented on the quality of

the brickwork.

Progress with the rebuild was helped

greatly by a week‘s concentrated effort

in July. With the use of two dumpers

and an excavator hired for the week we

cleared the small mountain of brick

rubble that had been placed at the rear

of the site. The rubble had originally

been used to provide a ramp to provide

access within the lock during the Work

Camp last year and was mixed with

I would like to start by giving a hearty vote of thanks to Colin

Turner, our previous restoration manager, for all his efforts on

behalf of the Trust. Colin stood down from the post in the Spring

after successfully guiding the restoration activities of the Trust for

many years. Colin has been a great source of help and advice to me

RESTORATION

REPORT

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appearance.

We have also rebuilt the bridge parapet

wall where it had been damaged by tree

roots and topped it off with a semi-

circular parapet to match the old bridge

structure. The area below the bridge

where the trees had been removed earlier

in the year has been cleaned off to reveal

a brick paved area which appears to have

been a loading wharf/waiting area for

barges visiting the mill.

In between work at the lock and at the

request of local residents and with the

support of Needham Market Town

Council we have cleared an area of

overgrown scrub opposite Hawks Mill

and this area is now being maintained by

one of our members.

Future Restoration Work

We plan to spend the rest of the summer/

autumn low water season completing

the pointing of the East wall at

Baylham, carrying out work to the

damaged cill and then removing the

scaffolding before the winter floods hit

us again.

During the earlier tree removal below

the bridge we discovered that the

brickwork to the training wall has been

damaged by tree roots and, subject to

water levels we hope to repair this

before the winter.

Over the winter period when work

within the lock chamber will be

prevented by high water flows, we

intend to re-visit Bosmere lock to carry

out scrub clearance, revisit Creeting

Lock for some sapling removal and carry

out further work on the waterside

adjacent to Baylham.

Martin Bird

****************************************

TRUST NEWS There has been steady progress with the River Gipping Trust since my last report.

The main item of note is that Colin Turner has now handed over the reins as

Restoration Manager to Martin Bird – it had been Colin‘s intention to complete the

work at Baylham Lock before his retirement, but Margery‘s health dictated the earlier

change. We extend our grateful thanks to Colin for all his hard work over the years,

and send him and Margery our good wishes and look forward to continued restoration

progress under Martin‘s guidance.

We aim to raise the profile of the Trust even further and increase the general public‘s

awareness wherever possible– the latest example was an interview with our Secretary

on the Breakfast Programme of Ipswich Community Radio.

Shortly we will be undertaking our Winter Programme of PowerPoint Presentations –

amongst those booked are to the local National Trust Group and the Ipswich Society. If

you know of any organisation who would like a visit, please let us know!

We welcome Martin and wish him well! Lewis Tyler

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River Stour Trust Restoring and conserving the River Stour Navigation

The Ely-Ouse to Essex Transfer Scheme [EOETS] Drainage of the Fens had begun in 1630 when the Dutch engineer, Cornelius Vermuyden, dug a system of drains and sluices, and constructed the first Denver Sluice across the Ely-Ouse to exclude tidal water while allowing excess water to run out to sea at Kings Lynn. Main feeds to the Ely-Ouse river are the Cam, Lark, Little Ouse and Wissey. The present Denver Sluice gates were

rebuilt in 1834 by Sir John Rennie, who was also the engineer for the River Gipping and Chelmer and Blackwater Navigations. For the new scheme, modifications were made at Denver to allow water which would have gone to sea to be diverted

to fill the reservoirs at Abberton and Hanningfield. The water diverted at Denver is drawn off at the Blackdyke Intake near Lakenheath into an 8 foot diameter, 12 mile long tunnel which terminates at Kennett, where it is pumped via a 6 foot diameter, 9 mile long pipeline into the River Stour at Kirtling Green, near Newmarket. Some of this water is drawn from the Stour at Wixoe to be pumped 6

miles to the River Pant (becoming the Blackwater). This massive undertaking also required the building of 10 new automatic control gates on the Stour and one on the Pant. The transferred water travels over 90 miles to Abberton or Hanningfield Reservoirs, with about two-thirds of this distance via existing

TAKING THE WATERS (Part 2)

Continuing the history of the River Stour and it‟s involvement with Essex water supplies.

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watercourses. The Denver abstraction licence limits the amount of water which can be transferred to Essex to a maximum of 100 million gallons per day. It also requires a minimum volume of water to be flowing past Denver before any transfer can take place. The scheme is owned and operated by the

Environment agency. Since the 1970s South Essex Waterworks Company, Southend Waterworks Company, Suffolk Water Company and Northumbrian Water Limited have merged, retaining Essex & Suffolk Water as a trading name. Today Essex & Suffolk Water is responsible for supplying drinking water to 1.8 million people in South Essex including Southend, Basi ldon, Witham, Chelmsford, Barking, Dagenham and Redbridge, and in a way that conserves and enhances the environment. Although water supply has doubled in the last 50 years, the last serious drought in 1995-97 demonstrated the need for increased sustainable water resources for Essex, where there is still insufficient availability to meet existing demand in a prolonged dry period. With Essex being the driest county in the country with less rainfall than Jerusalem, the situation is predicted to worsen as demand increases with a growing population, and climate change takes effect. (To be Continued)

Susan Brown

********************************************************************************************

CANTLEY STAITHE RIVER YARE NORFOLK

GRAND OPENING

In 2009 the IWA gave a grant to

Cantley Parish Council in order

to assist the release of further

funding for the restoration of

Cantley Staithe on the River

Yare. On September the 18th,

2010 the rebuilt Staithe was

opened by Dr. Stephen Johnson,

Chairman of the Broads

Authority.

For more details see http://

www.cantley.org/staithe/

index.php

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EXPLORING THE

CALDON CANAL

The Caldon is, to quote Pearson‟s, „one of the most delightful waterways in

England‟, and it was perhaps not so much of a co-incidence that three of the

Branch Boat Owners decided to pay a visit. So one afternoon in June „Bruizer‟,

„Fringilla‟ and „Black Swan‟ met up in Etruria Basin at Stoke-on-Trent.

A basin much improved on previous

visits with well kept parkland and

attractive retirement flats set around

Brindley‘s statue. Poor Brindley is

clearly a favourite with the birds!

The following morning, with the sun

shining out of a cloudless blue sky, the

convoy set off up the staircase locks with

Chard and Carolyn in ‗Bruizer‘ leading

the way, John and Joan in ‗Fringilla‘

following, and Pauline and Charles

acting as ‗Tail End Charlie‘. After the

locks the canal runs through an area of

old industry in decay or raised to the

ground with new attractive housing

facing the canal beginning to appear.

Planet Lock is overlooked by a modern

medical building and further along two

remaining Bottle Kilns are surrounded

by modern construction. The notorious

Ivy House Lift Bridge gave us no

problems, although we understand that

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BW had been called out earlier in the

day, no changes there! Hanley Park

looked a bit down at heel despite the £3

million that had apparently been spent in

recent years.

A green, rather overgrown stretch,

although BW had been at work on one

length of towpath, led us out into the

country, although not before ‗Black

Swan‘ picked up some plastic and string

and a visit down the weed hatch was

required. A pause at Milton opposite a

row of houses with attractive canalside

gardens for shopping, don‘t believe the

sign on the bridge, it is further to the

shops than it says, and lunch. On the

way to Engine Lock, so called after a

local colliery pumping engine, we were

now passing through buttercup covered

meadows with horses quietly grazing

and the reed lined canal sprouting wild

yellow iris. Then into a tree lined

Stockton flight of five locks, all against

us and no boats down until we all

reached the top!

Two of the locks had modern 2007

memorials, as a remembrance to the

local industry, installed alongside.

Onwards along the summit through more

sun-dappled horse pastures, pausing at

Park Lane Wharf to top up with water, to

Hazlehurst Junction where we headed

down through the three attractive locks

to find moorings just past the Holybush

Inn. It was busy, both with canal and

road visitors, and rightly so with

enormous but good value meals, (you

can ask for smaller helpings!) but we

found room for well earned drinks and

dinner.

We then returned to bed with the new

moon reflecting in a perfectly still canal.

We awoke to another cloudless sky with

the sun shining down on a peaceful spot.

Pearson‘s Guide says our trip will

continue through an even more ‗glorious

environment with the enchantment

deepening‘ and so it was as we cruised

on through the sun-dappled leafy water

lane, passing the attractive twin water

wheeled flint mill at Cheddleton before

descending two locks and then a third,

Woods Lock, onto the Churnet river. A

steam engine was spotted manoeuvring

on the nearby Churnet Valley Railway

Line. The River took us on and through

Consall Forge, passing the Black Lion,

too early to stop this time, where we

passed back onto the canal before

heading ‗under‘ the station platform.

And so onto the winding hole before

Froghall Tunnel, we were all too big to

go through.

The afternoon was spent exploring by

foot, a walk around the tunnel to the

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Wharf for ice-creams, visiting the

restored (2005) lower basin, the start of

the Uttoxeter canal, where it was sad to

see the pontoons all unused and the basin

covered in weed, although understand

that extension plans are still in hand but

the tunnel height will still be a major

restriction. We paid a visit to the station

where we met with the steam engine we

had spotted earlier, it was driver training

day, no carriages so we could not go for

a ride! Back at the basin we watched the

trip boat head out and back through the

tunnel. We learnt that this is the last year

as Mum, who does the cooking, is 83

and the family are retiring. Will anyone

take over (any volunteers?) or will this

be the end of another canal high point?

Day four dawned leisurely, some boat

titivating, as it was planned to lunch at

the Black Lion. However when we got

there we found that they did not cook at

lunch times, only rolls—later found this

was mentioned in the Good Pub Guide!!

So we did have samples of the wide

range of real beers and strong ciders

before heading on and aiming for the

Boat at Cheddleton for dinner instead.

However the advertised BW Public

Moorings were totally overgrown, and

partially blocked by a fairly long

standing obstruction! (BW advised!) So

third time lucky, we moored up at

Cheddleton Flint Mill and went to the

Red Lion, which was excellent.

The next day dawned cloudy. We headed

back up through Hazlehurst, to do 340

degree turns at the top to head up the

Leek Arm. A stoppage was in place at

the tunnel but we had been told by BW

that another at bridge 6 had been lifted

so we could make the Tunnel basin.

However as the convoy headed up a boat

coming the other way advised that it was

closed. ‗Bruizer‘ started winding at

Bridge 6 and just as they completd

another boat appeared and said it was

open to the Tunnel!! So ‗Black Swan‘

and ‗Fringilla‘ headed onwards along the

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tree and buttercup lined channel, with

glimpse of the valley through the trees

until we reached the basin. Photographs

taken for the record as we winded, it is a

lovely mooring spot, before heading

back to join ‗Bruizer‘ at Hazlehurst and

then onward to Endon. The shop there

was nearby and matched the advertised

distance! We had planned to stop for the

day and that afternoon it rained, how‘s

that for timing?!

A bright and cooler day heralded our

remaining journey on the Caldon. We

quickly passed back down the Stockton 5

with no other boats about, and retraced

our steps through the old industry and

new housing. Hanley Park was busy

with people queuing for an event under

the watchful eyes of security guards.

Then we arrived at Bedford Staircase to

find a queue of boats both down and up,

where had they all come from? So our

arrival back at Etruria Basin where we

moored back under Brindley‘s beady

eyes was slightly delayed. Still time,

however for most of us to visit the

Industrial Museum and to learn all about

why the Caldon canal existed.

An evening gathering was held on

‗Black Swan‘ before we headed North

for further adventures up the

Macclesfield and our companions

headed South for home.

And so Farewell Caldon, yes Pearson is

right, a most delightful Waterway, but

please BW some gardening and pruning

required.

Charles Stride „Black Swan‟

Thank You Mr. Brindley

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THE PIONEER TRUST

&

The ‘John Constable’

On 2 August The Pioneer Trust invited

some members of RST to visit the John

Constable at their premises where, much

to our surprise, our lighter had survived

the lorry journey remakably well and

was resting on chocks in their workshop.

They have cleaned, measured and made

patterns from the remains in preparation

for its rebuild. The original lighter was

built about 1860-1870. It has no scarf

joints, they were all butt joints, and the

oldest planks in the bottom are tapered

from 1 ¾‖ thick to 7/8‖ in cross-section.

The replica will be made entirely of oak,

and they have been to Norfolk in search

of long oak for it. It will also need over

40 timber ―knees‖ about 2 ft x 18‖ but,

as these are difficult to source now,

particularly with a great demand for

them for barn conversions, it may be

necessary to fabricate some.

After discussing the restoration of The

John Constable we were introduced to

the wonderfully restored Pioneer CK18 –

a deep sea Essex fishing smack built by

Peter Harris in Rowhedge in 1864, one

of 130 registered at Colchester in the late

1800s. They became known as

―skillingers‖ for their work dredging for

deep sea oysters off the Dutch Coast on

the Terschelling Bank. They would have

worked the waters from as far North as

Denmark, all the way around the English

Channel to the Firth of Clyde, mainly

dredging for oysters and scallops, a trade

which had become known as ‗the hardest

and cruelest Essex man ever worked‘.

‗The skillingers‘ would lay up during the

summer months, following the hard

winters dredging in the North Sea.

Pioneer was cutter rigged until 1889,

when she was cut in half and lengthened

by 11 ft in Brightlingsea, a mizzen mast

was added and she became ketch rigged.

A wet well [a flooded compartment

holding 12 tonnes of water where oysters

and scallops could be stored alive] was

added amidships enabling Pioneer to

travel further and stay at sea for longer.

By 1998 all that remained of the

―skillingers‖ were a few rotting hulks in

the Essex saltings when Pioneer was

On 7th July The Pioneer Trust lifted the RST‟s Stour Lighter, „John Constable,‟

with a large crane from its last mooring at Great Cornard to transport it to their

workshops in Brightlingsea. This is the first stage in its restoration, which is

expected to take 2 years.

15

raised from her muddy grave off Mersea

to be restored. She is now providing sail

training for young people.

We were ferried out to her in

Brightlingsea Creek to sail along the

coast off St Osyth, being allowed to

participate in the sailing and learn from

the enthusiastic and knowledgeable

crew. After an inspiring afternoon spent

aboard, all too soon we had to leave

Pioneer on her mooring in the River

Colne. We had been impressed by the

quality of her restoration, the high-class

seamanship of her young crew, and have

a lasting admiration for the men of old

who could sail her with such skill to

dredge for oysters in the North Sea in the

winter!

To learn more about Pioneer and the

w o r k o f t h e t r u s t , v i s i t

www.pioneersailingtrust.org.uk

Sue Brown

MEMBERSHIP UPDATE We gladly welcome all our new members

From Norfolk: Mr. R Cater

From Essex: Mr. C N Ainsworth; Mr. & Mrs P & J Ost; Mr & Mrs T

& C Sherwen

At the end of July we had 517 Members.

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The new owners, OCC, continue to

rebuild Bacton Wood Lock, and have

erected a new shed for the building of

lock gates. Their newly acquired ex BW

Dredger ―WEASEL‖ continues to

progress upstream from Ebridge. The

intention is to dredge a narrow channel

first, and then mount a Hymac on a

larger pontoon to widen the canal later.

On the NWC Co‘s section, work has

mainly been maintenance based at the

Honing Staithe Canal Walk and Honing

Lock. However, in order to aid canoeists

below Honing, fallen trees from the

Honing estate have been cleared from

the canal, and clearances made to assist

portaging and launching at Honing.

Within an hour, three families from

Durham and Chester were making use of

the facility.

A major blitz is due to be held at

Briggate Mill Pond on Sunday October

10th and 24th, and all are welcome. The

aim is to return water to the Mill pond so

that this area becomes an asset to the

village in the way that Honing Staithe

Cut has to that village.

Work party programme for the

remainder of the year:

Sept. 5 Bacton Wood Area

Sept 19 Honing Staithe Cut

Oct 10 Briggate

Oct 24 Briggate

Nov 7 Bacton Wood Area

Nov 21 Honing Lock

Dec 5 Honing Staithe Cut

Dec 19 Ebridge

Always check for the latest information

with David Revill, the EAWA Work

Party Organiser on 01603-738648

davgis@live.co.uk

And the latest work party reports,

pictures and progress can be seen at

www.eawa.co.uk

Ivan Cane

North Walsham & Dilham

Canal – Restoration Progress

Progress continues to be positive along the canal.

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THE EAST PIONEERS

THE WEST

Whilst at Newport, ―NAVI‖ first

navigated towards the Barrack Hill

Tunnel, the southernmost point of the

canal, then, with ―OLIVE‖ leading the

way, ventured towards the newly

reopened section to Pentre Lane. The

pound at the Rally site was shallow, but

once through Gwasted Lock the back

pumping had improved the depth. Here

the slipway by Bettws Lane bridge had

been the access point for the boats – and

a popular viewing point. However, the

water level being high meant that the

headroom at Bettws Bridge was

challenging. A call to the WRGies on

site for ballast, brought 3 heftier bodies

in response. ―NAVI‖, with Bungle on

board, was now able to pass under the

bridge into Malpas Lock, followed, after

some pound lowering, by ―OLIVE‖.

The route was lined by families and

photographers galore recording the first

official boats to cruise this length of

canal since 1926. An attractive stretch

followed with moorhen nests to be

passed by carefully. Tyfynnon Lock 36

was deep at over 12 ½ feet, but the

restoration work is of high standard and

the boats locked easily through.

Some shallow sections followed –mainly

due to underground obstructions.

―NAVI‖ also gained an extra crew

member – Ashley celebrating his 12th

birthday – by steering the first boat along

his local canal! Tamplin Lock 37 soon

came in sight, and then the end of the

restored section at Pentre Lane was

reached, with ―NAVI‖ nosing her way

into the reeds by the lowered bridge –

and hordes of photographers.

Thus ―NAVI‖ from the River Wissey in

the East became the pioneering boat in

the West, being the first boat to navigate

the restored southern Monmouthshire

canal in 84 years.

Ivan Cane

Ivan Cane and Darren Cooke took the Wilderness Beaver “NAVI” to join 21

other boats at the Welsh Waterways Festival/IWA Trailboat Rally at Newport

over the May Spring Holiday. Their 480+ mile round trip picking up the IWA

John Ogley Cup for the highest number of “journey points”.

18

The Broads Forum consists of 25

representatives from organisations that

have an interest in The Norfolk and

Suffolk Broads and, an independent

Chairman who is nominated by the

Broads Authority.

Each member represents a sub group of

organisations under a general heading.

In the case of Boating/Water Based

Recreation Interest Groups, one of the

sub groups consists of

The Inland Waterways Association IWA

East Anglian Waterways Association

EAWA

Oulton Broads Community Enterprise

Yare Users Association

The late Barry Green had represented

this sub group for many years. Following

his untimely death I was approached by

both IWA and EAWA and asked if I was

prepared to take his place on the Forum,

with no objections from the other two

organisations I have agreed.

The aims of the Forum are to offer

advice and comment on the Broads

Authority‘s strategic aims and objectives

and to provide a consultative forum to

facilitate two-way communication

between them and organisations that

have an interest in the Broads Catchment

Area. This includes conservation,

navigational, recreational and planning

policy.

Another objective of the Forum is to

improve understanding between the

various interest bodies and organisations

that use the Broads which are very

varied, from commercial reed cutting to

wildlife conservation and wake boarding

to dingy sailing.

The Forum only meets four times a year

at the Broads Authority headquarters, in

Dragonfly House, Norwich and meetings

are open to the general public, anyone

can just turn up and not only observe the

proceedings, but with the Chairman‘s

permission ask questions or make a

statement about matters on the agenda.

The dates and agendas for the meetings

can be found on the Broads Authority

web site at

www.broads-authority.gov.uk/authority/

meetings/broads-forum.html where you

will also find the minutes of the previous

meetings.

I have just attended my first meeting, so

it is difficult to judge how useful this

Forum is, but without doubt it gives us a

direct line of communication with the

Chief Executive of the Broads Authority

and other senior officers, for us to

question their thoughts and decisions at

the highest level.

Brian Holt

THE BROADS FORUM

19

DATES

for your

DIARY

WORKING PARTY DATES Working Parties are held by the River Gipping Trust at Baylham Lock

from 0900 to 1700 most Wednesdays and on the first Saturday of each

month, unless that Saturday is a Bank Holiday in which case it will

then be held on the second Saturday of that month.

For further information and to confirm dates contact Martin Bird

Tel: 01394 380765 Email: thebirds99@btinternet.com

1st

2nd

BRANCH MEETINGS & EVENTS

Branch Meetings held at the Community Centre, School St., Needham Market

At 7.30pm, unless otherwise stated.

FRIDAY 8TH OCTOBER

Talk by Richard Thomas—Friends of President

FRIDAY 12TH NOVEMBER

Ivan Cane tells us about the North Walsham & Dilham Canal

FRIDAY 10TH DECEMBER

A Talk on the „Lydia Eva‟

The Last Steam Powered Herring Drifter

FRIDAY 14TH JANUARY

Members Evening

FRIDAY 11TH FEBRUARY

Annual General Meeting & Talk

See Notice Page 20

FRIDAY 11TH MARCH

Annual Lunch—Compasses Holbrook.

This year the dinner has been moved to March in the hope that the weather

will have improved from the depths of winter. Also the meal will be at lunch

time on the Friday to avoid members having to travel after dark. Tickets

must be booked by the 11 February with Chard Wadley.

OTHER DATES

SATURDAY 13TH NOVEMBER—10am-2pm

RST Christmas Bazaar—Sudbury Town Hall

FRIDAY 29TH JULY—SUNDAY 31ST JULY 2011

IWA National Festival—Burton-on-Trent

Note Change—NOT The August Bank Holiday.

20

The Inland Waterways Association is a non-profit distribution company limited by guarantee.

Registered Office; Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire. HP5 1WA

Tel: 01494 783453 Web: www.waterways.org.uk

Registered in England No. 612245. Registered as a Charity No. 212342

37TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given that the

AGM of the Ipswich Branch of the Inland Waterways Association

will be held at the Needham Market Community Centre, School Street,

Needham Market at

8pm on Friday 11th February, 2011

AGENDA

1) Apologies for absence

2) Approval of the 2010 AGM Minutes

3) Matters arising from those minutes

4) Chairman‘s report

5) Treasurer‘s report and presentation of accounts

6) Adoption of the accounts

7) Statement of committee size

8) Election of Committee members

9) Regional Chairman‘s report

USEFUL WEBSITES IWA Head Office - http://www.waterways.org.uk

Waterway Recovery Group - http://www.wrg.org.uk

Save Our System - http://www.SOS2010.org.uk

River Gipping Trust - http://rivergippingtrust.org.uk River Stour Trust - http://www.riverstourtrust.org

East Anglian Waterways Association –http://www.eawa.co.uk

IWA Peterborough Branch - http://www.iwapeterborough.org.uk The Broads Society - http://www.broads-society.org.uk

The Australian Canal Society - http://www.auscanal.org.au/

British Waterways/Waterscape - http://www.waterscape.com Waterways Trust - http://www.thewaterwaystrust.org.uk

DEFRA Dept. for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs - http://www.defra.gov.uk