IWA's WATERWAY RECOVERY GROUP LAUNCHES ITS 2010 RESTORATION PROGRAMME
The
Inland Waterways Association's (IWA) Waterway Recovery Group
(WRG) has
launched its 2010 programme of weeklong 'Canal Camps'. These
are for volunteers and their purpose is to restore the derelict
canals of England and Wales to their former glory.
There are more than 20 Canal Camps this year. Volunteers
will undertake tasks which include projects on the Wilts & Berks
Canal; the continuing excavation, restoration and rebuilding of
the Cotswold Canals; and many others.
It's a unique volunteering opportunity and participants can learn new skills to improve and widen their future employment opportunities, such as bricklaying, the use of lime mortar and using specialist excavation and construction machinery, as well as taking the chance to be part of the team that really make a huge difference to the waterways. Camps are great fun with lots of new friends to meet and, if you have been before, old friends to meet again.
Mike Palmer, IWA trustee and WRG Chairman, explains: "This year we have a great selection of locations for our Canal Camps, including the Basingstoke Canal, the Cotswolds Canals and the Ipswich & Stowmarket Navigation."
WRG's work has made a major contribution to restoration of waterways around the country. For example, WRG assisted local canal societies to save the Peak Forest and Ashton canals from closure and the Kennet & Avon Canal was successfully restored. More recently WRG helped to restore the Barge lock on the Droitwich Canals and the flight of Aston locks on the Montgomery Canal.
Mike went on to say "WRG's work is still as important as it ever was. Public agencies are having to live within tight financial constraints and are having to prioritise their spending plans. It is our job to make sure that we can supplement restoration programmes through WRG volunteering so that we get more waterways restored than would otherwise happen – and waterways that we value.
"A good example is the Cotswolds canals where British Waterways pulled out as a lead partner in 2008 due to cash constraints. Thankfully, Stroud District Council stepped into the breach, recognising the regeneration benefits to be gained locally, and the restoration continues, with WRG making an essential contribution on the ground".
Mike finally said "In fairness to the navigation authorities, they are increasingly alive to how volunteering can supplement their efforts. They are looking to change their cultures so that, while they must have due regard to Health and Safety, their outlook should be how they can best facilitate volunteering opportunities, getting round what previously may have been regarded as insurmountable obstacles."
For more information please contact Jenny Black (Volunteers Coordinator) on 01494−783453 Ext 604, jenny.black@waterways.org.uk
Holiday information
Each Canal Camp usually runs for seven days. Volunteers are asked to contribute £49 for the week (or £7 per day) towards the cost of their accommodation and the three meals a day that are provided. Most accommodation, which is best described as basic, is in sports centres, schools or village halls.
Anyone is welcome to volunteer for a Canal Camp; the only restriction is that they must be over 18 and under 70 years of age. No previous skills or experience are required.
Waterway Recovery Group is an almost entirely voluntary organisation, but has built up an extensive base of professional skills. An information pack covering opportunities to join in the waterway restoration work all over the country, including the 2009 Canal Camps brochure, is available free of charge from Jenny Black at Waterway Recovery Group, Island House, Moor Road, Chesham, HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783 453 – e-mail: enquires@wrg.org.uk
A full list of camps and dates is available on our website www.wrg.org.uk and look back at what WRG has already achieved.
Waterway Recovery Group
Waterway Recovery Group, www.wrg.org.uk, has supported restoration of derelict inland waterways by co-ordinating volunteers and providing expertise and equipment since its formation in 1970. Waterway Recovery Group organises weekend restoration events and week long Canal Camps on the inland waterways throughout Great Britain.
WRG volunteers have contributed to a great deal of restoration. In 1955, the legal closure of the Kennet & Avon canal was proposed. The Kennet & Avon Canal Association was formed to fight this proposal and to save the best inland waterway link between the North Sea and the Irish Sea in the south of England. Work on restoration was agreed in 1961, but sufficient finance was never provided. The 1968 Transport Act then designated 30% of the canal as a 'cruise way' for which money was available, but the rest was designated as a 'remainder' waterway, with low financial priority. Kennet & Avon Canal Trust along with IWA set about restoring the 'remainder' section of the canal. Over twenty years, a total of £9.5 million was raised. This paid for a variety of work undertaken partly by government job-creation schemes, partly by IWA and WRG volunteers. The canal was reopened by the Queen in 1990. However, because restoration was undertaken with a very limited budget, the standard of work was lacking in certain places, and the canal's water supply, which had always been extremely poor, caused problems. To complete the restoration of the canal to higher standards, a programme of work costing £28 million, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, was undertaken to provide the beautiful waterway we have today.
The Peak Forest and Ashton Canals were also saved from closure. These two canals are important, as, together with the Macclesfield Canal, they enable a circular route to the south of Manchester, ideal for leisure activities. British Waterways had proposed to formally close the two canals in the 1960s, but were successfully opposed by the Peak Forest Canal Society and IWA. Again, volunteers provided vital help in raising money and in restoration work. Their effective publicity also changed the attitude of local authorities that had originally been in favour of the canals' closure. Today these authorities have realised the recreational benefits of canals and are supportive of further improvements.
One of the first cities to look with renewed interest at canal side redevelopment was Birmingham. By the late 1960s, an area of warehousing and associated buildings at the top of Farmer's Bridge locks, close to the city centre, had fallen into dereliction. A scheme for new housing and recreational facilities was drawn up together with plans for the conservation of some of the canal's older buildings and other features around the canal locks. Some old houses were restored, while others were converted into office accommodation. The resulting improvements were widely acclaimed. Although it took some time before further work was undertaken, the scheme had shown the positive advantages of re-using older buildings and canals in the redevelopment of city centre sites. The success of the scheme encouraged many similar developments all over the country.
Inland Waterways Association
The Inland Waterways Association (IWA) is a registered charity, founded in 1946, which advocates the conservation, use, maintenance, restoration and development of the inland waterways for public benefit.
IWA has about 18,000 members whose interests include boating, towpath walking, industrial archaeology, nature conservation and many other activities associated with the inland waterways. Information provided by 188 corporate members with their own membership structures has revealed that they, in themselves, have a combined membership of at least 59,500 in support of IWA's voice.
IWA works closely with navigation authorities, other waterway bodies, a wide range of national and local authorities, voluntary, private and public sector organisations to raise funds, lobby for support and encourage public participation in the inland waterways activities.
More than 500 miles of canals and navigable rivers have been re-opened to public use since the Association was founded in 1946. Currently another 500 miles of derelict inland waterways are the subject of restoration plans.
The Inland Waterways Association
Non-profit Distributing Company Limited by Guarantee No 612245
Registered Charity No 212342
Registered Office: Island House, Moor Road, Chesham HP5 1WA Tel: 01494 783453 ex 610
website: www.waterways.org.uk
