CUT BOTH WAYS WEBSITE ARCHIVES
The Magazine of the Lichfield & Hatherton
Canals Restoration Trust
Issue No. 30 - WINTER 2002
Other Reports
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CUT BOTH WAYS WEBSITE ARCHIVES
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"FOLLOW THE TOWPATH TRAIL"
A week of intense activity on the part of Waterway Recovery Group volunteers in October achieved completion of the towpath which was funded by a Local Heritage Initiative Grant awarded by the Countryside Agency.
It starts from Lock 25 at Tamworth Road and extends back as far as the site of Lock 24 (still buried). The party included Duke of Edinburgh's Award participants and a WRG volunteer from Germany and was led by Joanne Smith. With several days of glorious sunshine they were able to lay 4 lorry-loads of crushed stone on a geo-textile membrane, landscape the whole area and plant 20 metres of new hedge and a quantity of daffodils to complete the job on schedule.
The path only leads to Millennium lock 25 at present but is open to the general public and includes a bench kindly donated by the Darwin Walk Trust.
LOCK 26
Our own regular team have continued to work hard, both on the first Sunday of each month and many other week-ends. Barry Parkes has now completed the paving below the offside wing-wall and the remaining reconstructed stones have been cast at the head of the lock. Mesh and shuttering are now in place for the full length of both sides of the main chamber ready for the main concrete to be poured and attention has transferred to the head of the lock where the wing-walls are being rebuilt.
A large contingent from BITM (stands for "Bit in the Middle") Waterway Recovery Group gave a significant boost in December.
Work will continue on the first Sunday of each month and on some Saturdays when all volunteers will be welcome.
John Horton
Please ring me on 01543 262466 for exact dates.
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| John Horton with Chairman Brian Kingshott admire the excellent work being done by our volunteers on Lock 26 (Photos by Bob Williams) | ||
MARKETING REPORT
At the end of the summer season, Derek Beardsmore stepped down as Chairman of the Marketing Group. I would like to thank him and his wife Margaret for all their hard work in the past. They are continuing as members of the Group but taking a less active role.
It now falls to me as the new Chairman to write the Marketing Report. There was a good response during November / December to the mail order products in Cut Both Ways. May and I were kept busy packing and dispatching over £700 worth of goods.
Once again we have a full programme for 2002 (see below).
A social evening, 70's 80's night with fish & chip supper will be held at Grangemoor Working Men's Club, Burntwood, Saturday 9th March.
The marketing group meetings are now held in the board room at Staffordshire University Lichfield Campus on the second Monday of the month, 7.15pm to 9.30pm.
We desperately need some new life blood in the group with an input of new ideas. We also need people to help at various shows, in particular the N.E.C Boat Show & the N.I.A Show in Birmingham. If you volunteer as a helper you will gain free access to these shows. Please contact me at any time on 01543 302908 or e-mail mike.brown@lhcrt.org.uk
Mike Brown
Chairman of Marketing Group
Marketing will be taking the display stand to the following events and people are always needed to help. Any volunteers please contact Mike Brown, Tel: 01543 302908.
| 15th-24th February | Boat, Caravan & Leisure Show, NEC, Birmingham. Major event; David Suchet attending on 17thFeb. | |
| 9th March | 70's/80's Night, Grangemoor WMC, Burntwood. Social evening with Fish & Chip supper. | |
| 30th March | Coffee Morning, Bring & Buy, Whittington Wharf. Boaters welcome from Friday Evening. | |
| 20th April | Spring Bazaar, Guildhall, Lichfield. Set up 8.00am; bazaar open 9.00am - 5.00pm. | |
| 21st April | "Walk The Line" Lock 18, Fosseway Lane, Lichfield. see details page13 |
NEW SERIES OF WATER WORLD
"Walk the line of the Lichfield Canal" Starting from 10am onwards (walk finishes at 4.30pm).
Return journey by courtesy of Waterway Recovery Group minibus.
Parking will be at Sandfields Pumping Station Chesterfield Road (SK113 084)
For further Details. Telephone/Fax : 01543 262466
Carlton Television is screening the third series of Water World
from 19th February for 6 weeks. It has a new director
but is again narrated by waterways enthusiast Timothy West.
The Lichfield and Hatherton is again featured prominently.
Meanwhile, our own film-maker, Laurence Hogg has up-dated "The Missing Links",
again narrated by our vice-president, David Suchet.
From Fosseway Lane site (SK101 079) towards Huddlesford Junction Junction
including visit to Sandfields Pumping Station,restoration sites, etc. (Approx. 4 miles)
Guide sheets available at start.
Just a few notes:-
There is only limited parking at Fosseway Lane site, and so we are directing cars to Sandfields Pumping Station
(SK113 084) for parking. A minibus will be available to take people to the start. The walk will go on throughout the day
until 4.30pm.
The walk will be as close to the line of the canal as possible, as some of the line is privately owned and needs to be purchased in due course. It is for one day only as some of it will be through privately owned property. Also the walk is not along the BNRR (M6Toll) section of the canal.
Trust members are invited to join WRG on Saturday night for a video Horse Racing Night at the Martin Heath Memorial Hall, Christchurch Lane, Lichfield with proceeds going towards the Trust.
If there is anything further that you would like to know, please contact me, Janette Horton, Lichfield Canal Publicity.
COFFEE MORNING /BRING & BUY /BOAT GATHERING
11am Saturday 30th March (Easter Saturday)To be held at the home of Eric and Doreen Wood, 6 Swan Cottages, Whittington, Lichfield.
Boaters Welcome from Friday evening onwards.
Whittington Wharf plaques will be available at a cost of £6.00.
Patrick Harrison
This is a name which will be unfamiliar to members who are not Directors. Patrick is a retired business consultant who has specialised in major fund-raising projects which have included finding finance for projects in schools and cathedrals country-wide. He has a great depth of knowledge in this specialised area and has a great enthusiasm for what he does.We came to know Patrick through the good offices and generosity of our Vice-President, David Suchet. At the time that the Suchet Appeal was launched David offered to finance a fund-raiser to help the Trust (the sum involved is quite considerable). Consequently, we had private briefings with Patrick at his Thames-side home at Shepperton. He agreed to take on the Trust and subsequently spent more than three days in the Lichfield/Cannock area getting to know the project and the people. He attended a Trust Council Meeting and outlined what he hoped he could do for us.
Within a month we received what we now call "The Harrison Report". This has given us a great deal to think about
concentrating, as it does, on our organisation and structure rather than on the details of fund-raising. We have already held
one meeting to consider the report and will meet again in 2002 to take matters forward. It may be some time before members
see the outcome of our deliberations but I am sure that, ultimately, the Trust will see great benefits both in organisational
efficiency and in attracting new funds.
Brian Kingshott, Chairman
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