Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust Ltd

Registered Charity No. 702429

CUT BOTH WAYS

PRESS & PUBLICITY

Press reports in the quarter from July to September 2005 showed continued interest in the recruitment of our 1500th member with illustrated reports in Towpath Talk for July, Canal & Riverboat for August, and in the Lichfield Mercury as “Milestone for Molly”. Other human interest stories about our members were Barry Kenn’s fund-raising parachute jump, covered in the Lichfield Post as “Birthday funds plunge” and in The Mercury as “Leap of faith helps waterway restoration” (See News 2005), and a picture of Terry Brown and Jean Handley in period costume “Stepping into past at medieval market” in the Express & Star ( See Other Reports). Not quite human are the members of our teddy bears club who caught the attention of the Express & Star with “Bear boost for canals” and “Boat life is bear-able as teddies sign up for club”. Other reports included a brief piece on the Canal Camp entitled “Towpath to be repaired” in the Express & Star, Bard benefits canals” acknowledging a donation from ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ in The Mercury (See News 2005), and several diary entries for our Autumn Fair.

Canal campers reinstating the path at Darnford Lane with brick rubble and sand
(Photo by Phil Sharpe)

The main news this quarter though must be the reports of our battle over the Lichfield Southern Bypass. Starting in August, the initial deferral of the planning application was reported as “Concerns over canal hits plans for homes” in the Express & Star, “Homes scheme on hold” in The Post, “Canal group delighted at homes plan deferral” in The Cannock & Lichfield Chronicle, and “Canal fears dead end over new road link” with “Homes on hold for waterways probe” in The Mercury. In September the referral back to the planning committee was front page news in the Express & Star as “Plans for 230 homes in return to council” and “Canals trust fury over homes plan” in The Post. The subsequent approval of the plans again made the front page of the Express & Star as “Council homes decision upsets group – Threat from canal trust”, the threat being to refer it to the Local Government Ombudsman, and “Home scheme might sink canal reopening” in The Mercury. The October edition of Canal Boat also had “New road threatens Lichfield restoration”, although the report was prematurely truncated – like the canal ?!

Phil Sharpe

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