Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust Limited CUT BOTH WAYS WEBSITE ARCHIVES The Magazine of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust Issue No. 33 - AUTUMN 2002

Re-profiled channel at Darnford Lane, Lichfield
(Photo by Phil Sharpe)

Although it has been extensively reported elsewhere, it would not be appropriate to start this column without paying tribute to Nick Grazebrook. His death, while boating on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal, came as a tremendous shock to all of us who had worked with him for so many years. He was in at the very start of the Trust, attending the first meeting, on 12th February 1988, of what was then called the IWA West Midlands Restoration Group - B.C.N. Initiative. He was appointed Treasurer at the 5th meeting in July. He continued as Treasurer until 1998 when he became Company Secretary. He once confided that he regarded the work of the Trust as the most valuable waterways-related project which he had ever joined. Our deepest sympathies go to Jane and the family. The Memorial Service at Wolverley was packed to capacity - a very fitting tribute to a waterways enthusiast.

Looking through the Minutes of the early years was a sobering exercise. Nostalgia and reminiscence can be a risky experience. The first realisation is just how long ago 1988 really is. Fourteen calendar years may not seem very much but the changes in society compressed into that period are substantial. Of the 8 people present at the first meeting, 4 are now dead, as is Ken Goodwin who came to meeting no. 2. The Chairman was Ron Pritchard, who was then IWA Region Chairman. Of course, others have come and gone but the purpose has stayed constant. From those tentative beginnings have come the Trust of today with a membership of 1300 and a great many achievements to show. However, nostalgia is not nearly enough and it is the future which matters. It is almost a cliché but surely true, to say that all our old colleagues would want us to press on undaunted.

The summer months have been somewhat quiet ones for the Trust but the Autumn has propelled us back into more dynamic action. The M6 Toll is still in the forefront of our attention. As I write this, in early October, I hear that building of the abutments of the aqueduct is about to start. Once again, we will have something to show for all those hours of negotiating and fund-raising. Unfortunately, there is only limited cause for rejoicing. We still must make every effort to finance and install the trough while the motorway is still under construction. The Suchet Appeal is still yielding a steady income but not yet enough to commit ourselves to placing a trough fabrication order. We are exploring every avenue to find the money we need but time is becoming very limited. The next three months will be critical and if anyone has delayed making a contribution, no matter how small, this is the time to make the move.

Elsewhere, I must pay tribute to our Marketing Group. The list of functions, shows, exhibitions and festivals they attend is truly impressive. This places heavy time burdens on a small number of people and can involve extensive traveling, not to mention many hours of just standing and smiling. We are grateful to Mike Brown and his team for all they do and, of course, for the considerable sums of money they raise. Please support them and buy their merchandise.

With these thoughts in mind I am appealing again to anyone who feels they can help, in however small a way, to make themselves known to us. Inevitably, our old and faithful band of helpers can become tired, especially as the demands on them increase. We understand that many people join the Trust as an expression of support, knowing that they will not be able to do much more. We respect this and greatly value the income from their subscriptions which are the mainstay of our finances. Even so, please do not hesitate to contact any of us if you have any skills, or just time, you can offer.

Visiting the IWA National Festival at Huddersfield provided the usual opportunities for networking and catching up with what other restoration organisations are doing. Our own stand looked good, and thanks go to Phil Sharpe and all who ensured that our message was put before the public to good effect. There are so many good and worthwhile restoration schemes out there and it made me realise just how hard we all have to work to be noticed and to make progress. In a sense we are all competing for the same support and the same funding, but this is a creative tension which benefits us all. There is so much goodwill towards the L&H and such confidence that we will succeed.

This support is heartening but we must counter the feeling that we are home and dry (if that is a good canal expression). We have achieved much but there is a very long way to go. We must have confidence in the outcome but no hint of complacency.

Brian Kingshott

The death of Nick, aged 64, in a boating accident in August has come as a great shock to the Trust. The press in the Midlands and the waterways magazines have all paid their well-deserved tributes. He died in a boating accident on the Worcester and Birmingham Canal en route to the BCN which meant so much to him. Nick was involved in the waterways movement from the mid 1960s. He was a keen and intrepid boater and was always ready to join committees and activities. His legal skills and knowledge were invaluable, especially in the days when the voluntary movement was often in conflict with authorities of all kinds. He served on the committee of the old Birmingham Branch of IWA for nearly 20 years and was always keen to take the fight to the enemy lines. In recent years he has been Chairman of the West Midlands Region of IWA and a member of its national Council. It was almost inevitable that he would be a founder member of what became the Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust. He was a strong advocate of bringing life back to the northern BCN and saw the restoration of our two canals as vital to this. He told me at an early stage that he thought that the L&H was the most important and worthwhile waterways project he had ever joined. It was his advice which caused the Trust to be set up as a charity and a limited company from the outset thereby saving a great deal of time and cost. He produced the constitution and arranged for IWA to fund the start-up costs of the Trust - a very considerable sum for an infant organisation. He was Treasurer of the Trust for the first decade and also brought his legal skills to good use. Later he became Company Secretary and continued to support the Trust, speaking at the Cannock Forum earlier this year. We will greatly miss his advice and support. All of us who have worked with Nick for so many years grieve at his passing so very early in his retirement. Our deepest sympathies go to Jane and all the family. Brian Kingshott, Chairman

Nick Grazebrook, featured in the March 1994 edition of Waterways World There will be a memorial service for Nick at St.John the Baptist Church, Wolverley, Kidderminster on Saturday 5th October at 12 noon.

VICE-CHAIRMAN’S NOTES

DIRECTORS We pay tribute elsewhere to the sad loss of our former Director Nick Grazebrook. However, on a happier note, we are pleased to report that another of our former Directors, Mike Smith has agreed to return to the Trust's Council, and was co-opted at our meeting in August for the period up to our next AGM. Mike has for some time been our Landowner Liaison Officer and has recently also been much engaged in researching and drafting a forward strategy for the Trust. We also welcome Sue Williams who was co-opted to the Board in October and will be acting as Minutes Secretary in addition to her existing role as webmaster.

MEMBERSHIP
It seems that hardly was the ink dry on the article in our last issue about membership growth than the total membership figure has again to be revised. Topping 1,200 in June, thanks to some excellent recruitment efforts over the summer shows season it has now risen to 1,300 and no doubt by the time you read this it will be out of date again ! Spare a thought for our hard working Membership Secretary and renew your subscription without waiting for a reminder. Better still, complete a bankers order and then you can't forget.

DONATIONS AND GRANTS
The David Suchet Appeal continues to attract a high level of donations with many generous personal contributions including those from Paul Waddington and Dr. Whitfield (full list elsewhere). Amongst the grants received from larger bodies are £5,000 from the Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust and £1,000 from the Fishmongers' Company. We are already well supported by Waterway Recovery Group with voluntary labour, so it was doubly pleasing to be presented at Huddersfield with two cheques for £500, firstly from WRG Boat Club and then from WRG North West. We were quite taken aback at first but had sufficiently recovered our composure to photograph the second presentation. Many thanks to Sadie Dean and to John Foley, and to all their members who raised the funds. The Waterways Trust have also granted us £200 towards an artist's impression of a restored section of canal.

John Foley (right) presenting cheque from WRG North West to Brian Kingshott and Mike Brown at Huddersfield
(Photo Phil Sharpe)

SPONSORSHIP
As well as cash grants and donations, the Trust receives support through sponsorships of various kinds. The recent loan of an excavator and driver for the weekend by Chasetown Civil Engineering was worth a considerable sum and enabled us to do work that we could not otherwise afford. Other examples are the donation of a boating holiday for our Grand Prize Draw by Jannel Cruisers and sponsorship of our Bottom Blacking Competition (for boats !) by Ray Bowern of Streethay Wharf, both due to be drawn on 2nd November. Ian Burnage of Streethay Wharf has also personally arranged sponsorship from the BCN Challenge in June, the amount also to be revealed in November.

A most generous sponsorship deal offered to us by Malcolm Burge of Alvecote Marina is the income from boats we can find to occupy two full length moorings for up to 5 years, plus a percentage of the fees from any additional moorers we introduce for the next 2 years. This could be worth many thousands of pounds to the Trust, and anyone seeking a mooring in this area should contact us as soon as possible. Further details are given elsewhere.

CANAL FOR SALE !
Another marina of importance to us is Anglesey Bridge Marina at Ogley Junction, Brownhills which includes the first few yards of the Lichfield Canal. It has been operated for many years by the Day family, latterly mostly for sales of cruisers over the Internet, and surfers may have noticed that the marina itself is now for sale. The Trust is not in the business of operating marinas and could not in any case afford the price, but we would obviously like it to go to owners who will be sympathetic to reopening the canal.

TOURISM CONFERENCE
Marinas help sustain tourism on the canals which was the subject of a Canal-Based Tourism Conference that the Chairman and I attended in September at Staffordshire University. Sponsored by British Waterways, it opened with a presentation by BW's new Chief Executive elect, Robin Evans who spoke with great enthusiasm for the waterways and created a very good impression. Most of the talks were very positive in outlook, including those on the Rochdale Canal, the Falkirk Wheel and the Cotswold Canals. Several other restoration groups were represented but only the Bedford - Milton Keynes Trust, Lancaster Northern Reaches Group and ourselves put on displays. Clearly waterways attract tourism, even when they are under restoration, and the prospect of them becoming a major tourism magnet should encourage wider support from local government and the funding agencies. It must be our aim to get into the next round of restorations, BW's 'tranche 3', and the contacts made at events like this can only help.

Philip Sharpe

By the time this report gets in to print, we shall be at the end of the Show Season, and the Marketing team will be having a well earned rest. We will have visited twenty one venues, recruited one hundred and three new members and raised over eight thousand pounds.

IWA National Waterways Festival Huddersfield
We had a very successful four days at the National. Thanks to Phil Sharpe and his team: Eric Wood, Malcolm Lilley and Geoff Hales, also thanks to Pat Barton for transporting the tent and equipment to site. Although we had a much lower profile than previous years, we received two substantial donations of £500 each from WRG North West and WRG Boat Club. We have also been given a very generous five year sponsorship deal by Mr Malcolm Burge of South Midlands Canal Transport. More details on this elsewhere in CBW.

Wychnor Boat Gathering
Once again thanks to all those who helped to make this a good week end. May Brown, Derek & Margaret Beardsmore, Trish & Ian Humphries, Bob & Sue Williams, Lynn Evans, Terry Brown & Jean Hadley. The weather was kind most of the time and we raised a grand total of £705.91.

Walsall Canal Festival
One day event attended by Bob & Sue Williams, Mike & May Brown. £136.22 raised.

Aylesbury Canal Society Auction
As L&HCRT were chosen as their Charity of the Year, May and I were invited to attend the charity auction week end at Aylesbury and take the L& H display stand. On the Saturday afternoon we were assisted by Philip Dumelow, one of our local members, alhough we were not as busy as we expected.

The evening Social and Dinner, with a very large sherry trifle decorated with the L&H logo was excellent. We finished off the evening listening to a very good jazz group. Sunday morning was much busier, enrolling one new family membership and selling over £100 worth of goods. The auction began promptly at twelve o'clock, with many good bargains being snapped up. Congratulations to John Pattle, the auctioneer, (normal day job marine engineer) for making people part with their money. His son Tom raised another £100 with a sponsored bath tub paddle across the basin, closely followed by L&H member David Daines in a canoe which people at the auction paid for him to take away. The Trust will attend a social evening at Aylesbury in November to receive a cheque.

Last Events of the Season
Grand Prize Draw to take place at BCNS Bonfire Rally at Galton Valley Centre on 2nd November 2002.

Bottom Blacking Draw to take place at the bonfire at Bromley Hayes Marina where, it is also rumoured, we shall be presented with a cheque for £1500 by Ian Burnage from the proceeds of his sponsored B.C.N. Challenge.

Social Evening
Please do not forget the Social Evening at the Grangemoor Working Mens Club, Cannock Road, Burntwood. We shall be entertained by The El'San Band on Saturday 16th November, 8.00pm. Tickets £8.00 each including Supper.

Michael Brown
Marketing Group Chairman

Press & publicity this time covers the period 5th July to 5th October 2002 which has been a comparatively quiet period for once, perhaps marking a period of reflection and consolidation in the Trust's affairs.

Sadly, the untimely death of Nicholas Grazebrook, a founder member and former Director of the Trust must be mentioned first, for there were many reports and tributes paid in the local press and within waterways circles, including an obituary in Waterways World for October.

News that our fast growing membership had put us in the top ten of waterway societies was reported in July as "Canal group makes the top ten" in the Lichfield Post. The Lichfield Mercury was briefer with "In top ten", and the Express & Star followed up with " Canal lovers membership is flowing well".

The presentation of the Kenneth Goodwin Trophy to the Trust at the Crick Boat Show was pictured in both IWA's Waterways magazine for August and in Canal Boat & Inland Waterways, which also included a picture of the Hatherton Canal at Calf Heath, publicising working party dates. Voluntary work on the canal was given a further plug in an Express & Star article on the Countryside Agency's support for waterways in the region. "Campaigners thank firm for loan of digger and driver" was the self explanatory heading to another report in the Express & Star acknowledging the generosity of Chasetown Civil Engineering for their excavation work at Darnford Lane site, whilst the help of KESCRG that weekend was acknowledged in the same paper by "Canal work gets a boost".

Publicity for the David Suchet Appeal continued with a full page advert in the September Canal Boat magazine and by distribution of the Appeal leaflet in IWA's Waterways. An Appeal page with a different format was featured in Nikon Owner, the magazine of the Nikon Owners Club International, in conjunction with an article on David Suchet's interest in photography. This reached a different audience and brought some welcome donations from readers. "Cash fight for canal bridge over M6 toll" in the Express & Star in August summarised progress with funding the aqueduct and the Trust's efforts to raise the balance. A brief report on completion of the culverts and fund-raising for the aqueduct was carried in the 'Towpath Telegraph' section of Canal Boat for October. The use of contractors for this work was explained by our Chairman in responding to an earlier letter in Waterways World in October. Two contributions of £500 each to the David Suchet Appeal from WRG North West and WRG Boat Club were reported by the Express & Star in September as "Delight at a gift of £1,000 for canal".

Philip Sharpe

Top of completed culvert 144 under the M6 Toll near Walkmill Lane, Cannock
(Photo Phil Sharpe)

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