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West Midlands Annual Report

2019/20

canalrivertrust.org.uk Introduction Introduction from Regional Director & Regional Advisory Board Chair

2019–20 has been exhilarating for the region. With the new regional structure in place we started the year with the opening celebration of the 250th anniversary of the 100+ miles of that make up the Navigations. Started in 1769 when built the Birmingham to Wednesbury Canal, the canals went on to turbocharge the Industrial Revolution and transform Britain into what we know today.

Although Covid 19 has come to This year, 2020–21, will see a dominate all our lives this report greater focus on continuing to captures some of the highlights of deliver excellent service to all the year, including the memorable our customers and deliver some Black Sabbath ‘homecoming’ along transformational projects in areas the canal in Brindleyplace. like Coventry – City of Culture 2021, Stoke-on-Trent, Birmingham, As a waterways and wellbeing Sandwell and . charity, we have attracted many more volunteers, and achieved We are now looking ahead to the over 160,000 hours of in the next chapter of the story of canals West Midlands. Colleagues and in the West Midlands, a chapter volunteers have helped us extend that will start with the advent of our reach to the 1.75 million the Birmingham Commonwealth residents living within the one- Games 2022. kilometre corridor along our canal We are Getting Games Ready. network and see a record 1.1 million Watch this space… visits to our local canals. The examples of activities and Adnan Saif projects shared in this report Regional Director are just a sample of the immense amount of work that has taken place this past year. As well as our colleagues and volunteers, we John Hudson OBE must thank our partners, including Chair – Regional local authorities, businesses and Advisory Board community groups that have supported the delivery of this success.

2 Canal & River Trust A year in numbers

to maintain, protect and develop the £19m total spend West Midlands canal network in 2019/20

Birmingham Canal Delivered and Navigations celebrated £4.25m Llangollen Canal celebrated 250 years of externally funded 1 0 years projects and since the opening of the of being part of a stretch between Birmingham UNESCO World and Wednesbury £1.92m secured for future years Heritage site

We’ve celebrated and improved We have over Pressing forward with exciting plans for the 8 miles 559 miles Coventry City of towpath of canals and of Culture between Birmingham and 2021 and and 683 miles Commonwealth of towpath Games 2022 4 miles in Walsall

Over We’ve worked with volunteers 29,674 who gave a record 15,000 tonnes people attended the 11th of contaminated mud and silt 160,000 national Nowka Bais race took removed from Titford Pools hours place at Reservoir of their time

There are Brand awareness 7,386 has increased 900+ from 54% use our region’s canals access points each year onto our canals to 62%

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 3 Region-wide Region-wide Macclesfield Middlewich Chester Kidsgrove Leek Harecastle Leek Tunnel lock flight

Tunnel 5 Macclesfield tunnel Westport Stockton Middlewich lock Consall Forge Leek Lake Brook Locks Chester Kidsgrove Canal & River Trust office Llangollen Harecastle Leek Tunnel lock flight

Froghall Tunnel Tunnel places to visit Stoke Flight 5 5 tunnel Llangollen Canal Stoke-on-Trent Westport Caldon Canal Stockton Consall Forge Lake Brook Locksrailway station 6 Canal & River Trust office Llangollen Whitchurch 5 Adderley Locks cared forFroghall by CanalTunnel & River Trust Stoke Flight 5 places to visit Ellesmere & Grindley Llangollen Canal Macclesfield Stoke-on-Trent M6 Meaford Flight unnavigable / under restoration Brook 4 Middlewich lock railway station StoneChester Flight Leek Chirk Aqueduct 6 Kidsgrove 4 Stone Harecastle Leek Tunnel other water bodies lock flight Ellesmere Market 5 Tyrley Locks Whitchurch 5 Adderley Locks cared for by Canal & River Trust Prees Tunnel Shardlow Tunnel Drayton & Grindley 5 Caldon Canal tunnel Ellesmere Westport Stockton M6 u Consall Forge Meaford Flight unnavigable / under restoration r Branch Trent & Mersey CanalLake Brook Locks Brook 4 Canal & River Trust office m d Llangollen Stone Flight y n Chirk Aqueduct 4 a Froghall Tunnel C l Stone other water bodies Montgomery 5 Tyrley Locks places to visit g Ellesmere MarketStoke Flight 5 s Llangollen Canal n Prees Stoke-on-Trent e Shardlow l E StaffordTunnel a Drayton Canal Great railway station Norbury Junctionu 6

W r Branch Burton upon Trent Trent & Mersey Canal

m d Haywood5 Whitchurch Adderley Locks cared for by Canal & River Trust y n

a l C & Grindley Ellesmere Montgomery g M6 Shrewsbury & Newport Canal s Cowley Shropshire Union CanalMeaford Flight unnavigable / under restoration n e Brook 4 l E Stone Flight Stafford

a Chirk Aqueduct Tunnel Canal Great Norbury4 Junction Stone W other water bodies 5 Tyrley Locks Burton upon Trent Ellesmere Market

Prees Wyrley &

Haywood

Shardlow

Tunnel Shrewsbury Drayton

u

r BranchEssingtonShrewsbury & NewportFradley Canal JunctionTrent & Mersey Canal m d Cowley y n Rugeley a R l C iv Montgomery Tunnel g Canal e s Shropshire Union Canal n r e l S E Stafford

a Wyrley & e Canal Great Norbury Junction Coventry

v W

M6 Toll Burton upon Trent e Shrewsbury

M54

Haywood r n Essington Fradley Junction Telford

Canal Shrewsbury &M6 RNewport Canal ive Cowley Rugeley Canal r Tunnel Wolverhampton Se Walsall Coventry v Wyrley & M6 Toll LocksShrewsbury e M54 Wolverhampton rn Canal Telford EssingtonAtherstone Fradley Junction Canal R 21 Locks M6 ive M42 Canal r S 8 11 ev WolverhamptonCoventry Walsall & Canal e 7 Rushall Locks M54 M6 Toll Ashby Canal rn Walsall Telford Curdworth Locks LocksCanal BCN Locks Curdworth 11 M6 Canal Atherstone Wolverhampton 21 3 Locks Tunnel Locks The Bratch Wolverhampton Walsall 8 M42 Bridgnorth 7 Netherton 13 Birmingham & Rushall Canal 11 Staffordshire & WorcestershireLocks CanalCanal AtherstoneRushall Locks Wolverhampton 21 Walsall 7 Ashby Canal Newtown Fazeley Canal BCN Locks Locks 11 Curdworth Locks Tunnel 11 8 Rushall Canal M42 11 Perry Barr Curdworth Staffordshire6 & WorcestershireBirmingham Canal Hawkesbury Tunnel 13 5 TheWalsall Bratch 7 Rushall Locks3 Locks Ashby Canal 6 Curdworth Locks Birmingham & Canal 16 8 City CentreBridgnorthBCNM6 JunctionLocks Perry Barr CurdworthDudley 11 7 Netherton 13 Dunsley Tunnel 4 Windmill 6 Locks Tunnel The Bratch 3 DudleyOxford Birmingham Tunnel & Fazeley Canal Newtown Bridgnorth Dudley 7 Netherton 13 Tunnel End Dudley CoventryStourbridge 11 Newtown Stourbridge Tunnel CanalFazeley6 Canal 5 Birmingham Hawkesbury Cookley BrandwoodStourbridge Tunnel 11 13 Canal6 Canal 5 Birmingham16 M6 Hawkesbury6 M6 Tunnel M5 Tunnel Dunsley Tunnel13 8 6 City Centre Junction Dudley No1 & Canal 16 6 4 M6WindmillJunction Oxford Dunsley Tunnel 4 8 6 City Centre M42 CoventryWindmill End Oxford No2 Canals Wast Hills End Stourbridge Coventry StourbridgeCanal BasinCookley Newbold Tunnel Canal Tunnel Cookley Knowle Brandwood M6 5 Tunnel Tunnel Rugby Canal HillmortonTunnel Locks M6 Canal Worcester & Tunnel DudleyLocks No1 & M5 Dudley No1 & M5 3 M42 Coventry Stourport Basins Birmingham Earlswood No2 Canals Wast Hills M42 Wast Hills M42 Coventry No2 CanalsM45 Canal Basin Newbold Tunnel Shrewley Tunnel Knowle Canal Basin Newbold Tunnel Leeds 6 Lakes 21Worcester & Grand 5 Tunnel Rugby KnowleHillmorton Locks Stourport-on-Severn Canal Lapworth Tunnel Locks 5 3 Rugby Hillmorton Locks M42 Worcester & Locks 3 30 Stourport BasinsLocks BirminghamHatton LocksEarlswoodUnion M42 Locks Stockton Shrewley M45 Leeds Droitwich 6 Stourport Basins LakesBirmingham21 EarlswoodGrand 6 Stourport-on-Severn Canal 21 LapworthLocks Tunnel M45 River Stoke Locks Canal 21 Shrewley Leeds 30 6 Locks Hatton LakesLocks Union Grand Canals 6 Astwood Locks DroitwichStourport-on-Severn Tardebigge Locks Canal10 LapworthStockton Tunnel Severn River 6 StokeWarwick Locks 21 Locks 30 TardebiggeBraunston LocksCanalLocks Hatton Locks Union Stockton Canals 6 Astwood Locks Droitwich 10 Birmingham Stratford upon SevernAvon 6 Stoke LocksWarwick Braunston21 Locks River Napton Locks 9 Canal Cardiff Birmingham Dunhampstead Stratford uponCanals Avon 10 Canal 6 Astwood Locks Napton Locks 9 Caerdydd Cardiff Tunnel DunhampsteadSevern Canal Warwick Braunston 6 Tunnel M40 Caerdydd Birmingham Offerton Locks Wilmcote Locks 11 6 Oxford M40 Wilmcote Locks 11 Stratford uponOxford Avon Offerton Locks Napton Locks 9 LONDON Cardiff Canal Dunhampstead Canal LONDON Stratford-upon-Avon n Stratford-upon-Avon n Canal Worcester Worcester Diglisvo Basin Tunnel vo Caerdydd A M40 A 6 r Wilmcote Locks Oxford er Offertonive Locks 11 Banbury Riv R Banbury Canal LONDON Stratford-upon-Avon n Worcester Diglis Basin vo A er Riv Banbury

4 Canal & River Trust Region-wide

Birmingham & Coventry & Worcestershire Wild in Birmingham Project Engaging communities through Dredging completed on improving habitat for pollinators our Community Roots Programme. Worcestershire & Birmingham and people. Canal. Planning for Coventry City Broad St Bridge renamed Black of Culture. Unlocking the Severn is Sabbath Bridge in honour of the a conservation and river- Secured £1.33million for towpath Macclesfield band in their home city. engagement project to unlock the Middlewich lock improvements. Chester Kidsgrove Leek UK’s longest river for people and Harecastle Leek Tunnel lock flight New access in Perry Barr as part

Tunnel wildlife. We will restore 158 miles 5 tunnel Westport Caldon Canal of Birmingham Cycle Revolution. Stockton Consall Forge of river connectivity for rare and Lake Brook Locks Canal & River Trust office Llangollen endangered fish plus boost the Froghall Tunnel 11th annual Nowka Bais race took Stoke Flight 5 places to visit Shropshire Llangollen Canal Stoke-on-Trent wellbeing of local people through a railway station place at . 6 10-year celebrations of the World deeper connection to the river and Whitchurch 5 Adderley Locks cared for by Canal & River Trust Ellesmere & Grindley Heritage Site. its wildlife. Our works will include M6 Meaford Flight unnavigable / under restoration Volunteers created an award- Brook 4 Chirk Aqueduct Stone Flight the biggest vertical slot fish pass 4 Stone other water bodies winning garden for Gardeners’ Ellesmere Market 5 Tyrley Locks Prees Shardlow Delivering the Montgomery Tunnel Drayton World Live. in and Wales with a unique u r Branch Trent & Mersey Canal Canal Project. m d y underwater viewing window. n a C l Montgomery g s Shropshire Union Canal n e 1,300 tyres and 10 skip-loads of l E Stafford a Canal Great Norbury Junction Ellesmere Place Plan project

W

Burton upon Trent

removed from Crawford Haywood rubbish

Shrewsbury & Newport Canal underway. Cowley Rugeley Street in Birmingham. Tunnel Wyrley & Shrewsbury Essington Fradley Junction Roundhouse nearing completion. R ive Canal r Se Coventry ve M54 M6 Toll One mile of towpath improved at Stoke-on-Trent and rn Telford Canal M6 Catherine De Barnes. Staffordshire Wolverhampton Walsall Wolverhampton Locks Canal Atherstone 21 Locks Connecting Canals Project 8 M42 11 Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Rushall Canal Walsall 7 Rushall Locks Ashby Canal delivered with Transforming Cities BCN Locks Perry Barr Curdworth 11 Curdworth Locks The Bratch 3 Locks Tunnel Fund Programme in Stoke and Bridgnorth Dudley 7 Netherton 13 Birmingham & Dudley Newtown Tunnel Fazeley Canal Stourbridge Tunnel 11 £586,000 secured for future years. 6 13 5 Birmingham Hawkesbury Improvement project at Titford 6 Canal 16 8 City Centre M6 Junction Dunsley Tunnel 4 Windmill 6 Oxford Pools thanks to over £2.8m 400 local residents came along to End Coventry Stourbridge Brandwood Canal Cookley M6 funding from European Regional our ‘Scarecastle’ Halloween event Tunnel Dudley No1 & M5 Tunnel Canal Coventry Development Fund and Highways No2 Canals Wast Hills M42 at Harecastle Tunnel and enjoyed Tunnel Canal Basin Newbold Tunnel 5 Knowle Hillmorton Locks England. Worcester & Rugby 3 a spooky ride through the M42 Locks Stourport Basins Birmingham Earlswood Shrewley M45 tunnel. Leeds 6 Lakes 21 Grand Stourport-on-Severn Canal Lapworth Tunnel Over four miles of towpath Droitwich 30 Tardebigge Locks Locks Hatton Locks Union Stockton improved in Walsall thanks River 6 Stoke Locks 21 Canal Locks In February we held an open Canals 6 Astwood Locks 10 Severn Warwick Braunston £1.77million of National day at Bedford Street Locks. Birmingham Stratford upon Avon Napton Locks 9 Productivity Fund. Cardiff Dunhampstead The two-day event allowed Tunnel Canal Caerdydd 6 M40 Offerton Locks Wilmcote Locks 11 Oxford over 1,000 people to explore a Canal Blackbrook Junction Bridge, LONDON Stratford-upon-Avon n Worcester Diglis Basin vo drained canal lock. The event was A er Netherton, restored to former Riv Banbury supported by players of People’s glory. Postcode Lottery and attended by Ian Dudson, Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire, Jo Gideon, MP for Stoke Central and Abi Brown, Leader of Stoke City Council.

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 5 Celebrations Celebrations

Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Our Community Activity & Wellbeing programme has been officially announced as a founding partner of the United by Birmingham Community Brand and we have been granted a licence to use this brand alongside its activity. The community brand enables local, regional and non-commercial projects, events or initiatives to be acknowledged by, and work with, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on community activities. The community brand is awarded Within this programme, we have canals; and a Volunteer Programme to projects, under licence, that three key activity streams to to help us get our canals and share a common purpose with deliver on. These are our Plastic towpaths looking their best. Birmingham 2022, having a positive Challenge 22, which aims to tackle We firmly believe that all of these impact on the communities that the global battle against plastic will help us achieve our vision and they serve and help the Games waste; an Activity Programme deliver a significant part of our be delivered. which will deliver both physical Games offer discussed further and cultural events along our in this document.

Black Sabbath In June we renamed Broad Street Bridge, which is on the canal in Birmingham, Black Sabbath Bridge, in honour of these legendary local rockers. Working with and Westside BID, we were able to support the event. Geezer Butler and Tony Iommi, from Black Sabbath, attended the renaming ceremony. Hundreds of fans lined the canal in Brindleyplace to help with the celebrations.

6 Canal & River Trust Celebrations

BCN 250 The 250th anniversary of the Birmingham Canal Navigations represented a major opportunity to celebrate this special birthday with local communities and boaters. We held a number of birthday events, including a 24- hour boating challenge, a Dragon Boat Race, the Nowka Bais boat race and a boating regatta. The finale was a boating celebration held in partnership with the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society, which saw 57 boats descend into Birmingham on a rainy November day to join a flotilla through the city centre. An evening event hosted by our trustees was held in the grandeur of Birmingham’s Council House and was attended by the Mayor of the West Midlands, MPs, Councillors, local authority officers, boating and local community representatives and a host of organisations from across our region.

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 7 Celebrations

BBC Gardeners’ West Midlands Annual World 2019 – Making Public Meeting 2020 Life Better by Water (pictured bottom right) (pictured top right) The second West Midlands Annual Inspired by a group of volunteer Public Meeting was hosted by lock keepers, and created by Staffordshire County Council and award-winning designer Chris held at Stafford County Buildings Myers, our garden featured a on 27 February 2020. Over 80 full-size canal, a vegetable patch, people enjoyed talks from John wildflowers and a woodland. The Henderson, CEO of Staffordshire design received a Silver Merit County Council, Roger Savage Award. Visitors to the show at the from Staffordshire Waterways NEC, as well as TV viewers, were Group and Richard Parry and invited to experience the calmness, Julie Sharman from Canal & River beauty and wellbeing benefits Trust. A Q&A session was hosted of being close to water as they by our Regional Advisory Board viewed this full-sized waterway. Chair, John Hudson. We received The garden surrounds the central a lot of positive feedback from canal with feature plants and participants, and it gave us some flowers typically found alongside great new contacts, especially in waterways. the north of the region. All in all, a great effort by colleagues from across the teams to showcase our achievements and aspirations.

engineering heritage, the 11- important milestone, culminating WHS 10 Year Anniversary mile corridor – comprising in a three-week luminaire to embankments, tunnels and bring the iconic structures to Celebrations numerous listed structures life under the cover of darkness. 2019 welcomed the 10th – traverses the Dee Valley, With the 126ft high Pontcysyllte anniversary of the Pontcysyllte connecting Wales to England. Aqueduct at the centre of the spectacle, thousands of visitors Aqueduct and Llangollen Canal With funding secured from Visit were attracted each evening to being inscribed by UNESCO as Wales, a year-long programme of experience this unique event. a World Heritage Site. Described events was held to celebrate this as an outstanding example of

8 West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 Canal & River Trust Celebrations

Bedford Street Locks Open Day In February over 1,000 people visited Bedford Street Locks along the Caldon Canal in Stoke- on-Trent to experience walking down into a drained lock chamber. The guided walks were a chance for local people to chat to Trust colleagues and volunteers and find out how we repair and care for our 200-year-old canals. The event was supported by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery, the Potteries Heritage Society, Urban Wilderness and the Etruria Industrial Museum and included heritage walks along the canal, children activities, and free fishing experiences.

Nowka Bais We worked in partnership with Nowka Bais to hold the 11th National Nowka Bais boat race, a traditional form of dragon boat style racing from Bangladesh at Edgbaston Reservoir. The event included musical performances, free community sailing sessions, rides for children, and food and market stalls. The event was attended by over 15,000 people.

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 9 Our strategic projects Our strategic projects

For the first time as a new region, as well as the day-to-day running of our network, we are undertaking some strategic projects aimed at helping to prioritise valuable resources, attract investment and focus activity across our region.

To help us focus our activities and • A significant contribution to Commonwealth Games support us in achieving our vision, realise the most sustainable we have developed our Games Commonwealth Games, placing The Birmingham 2022 offer which consists of: Birmingham’s canals at the Commonwealth Games will centre of our partners’ carbon • World-class waterways begin their festival programme in reduction plans by greater use infrastructure – good enough to March 2022 and the Organising of our canals for local transport, be the Natural Health Service. Committee is expecting to welcome micro-energy production and 1.5 million visitors to the region. • Volunteer and ‘Friends’ growth green corridors. Over the two-week sporting event, – up to 1,000 new volunteers While we are only in Phase 1, 1.5 billion people are expected reflective of our diverse we have already begun the long to tune in on television. We have communities and up to 5,000 task of delivering the necessary positioned ourselves well with the new friends by 2022/23. Organising Committee and, with just physical improvements we will under two years until the opening • A programme of events and need before we welcome visitors. ceremony, we are confident that our activities to attract and retain This year has also seen lots of canals and towpaths will contribute people as Friends of the consultation and research as to the success of the Games. With waterways – this programme we develop the detail under our full support from the regional and will be substantially based on Games offer. our Let’s programme – a series national teams, our vision is to raise We will soon start to test some of family-friendly events aimed our brand awareness, enhance of these so we can roll them out at getting people active whilst the wellbeing of thousands of new during Phase 2. From our regular spending time on their local communities, promote our canals conversations with the Organising canal. as clean and green routes and Committee it is clear that our improve visitors’ perception of • A unique cultural programme vision and ambitions align with that their local canal. that celebrates the history of of the Games. These have also led Over recent months our team’s our canals, industrial heritage, to us being approached by the influence is really starting to pay as well as the rich and diverse Organising Committee help deliver dividends as we continue with our cultures of our communities. some difficult challenges, such as the managing the carbon offset of phased strategy, which consists of: • An imaginative programme the games delivery and creating to deal with all plastic a sustainable legacy of improved Phase I: litter and send a powerful physical activity and wellbeing Getting Games Ready: message nationally and across the region. 2019–2021 globally. Educating to create a behavioural shift to thinking in Phase II: a more sustainable manner. Games-On: 2021–2022

Phase III: Games Legacy: 2022+

10 Canal & River Trust Our strategic projects

Sandwell & Walsall Following in the footsteps of our progress in Coventry, we are expanding our Community Roots programmes in Sandwell & Walsall. We have already seen a real impact with us engaging with 16 organisations across Walsall and Sandwell to identify perceived barriers in using the canals in different communities. Local organisations have expressed interest in doing activities along the canal and we are in the process Working with local community of consulting with their respective Coventry City of groups and partners such as groups to get them on board. Coventry City Council, Coventry Culture 2021 University students, faith The Trust has built an excellent communities, Good Gym, and relationship with the Coventry Coventry Canal Society, we aim to City of Culture team and has ensure the canal is ready to take become firmly part of their plans part in the celebrations for the for the celebrations, with several Coventry City of Culture in 2021 Community Roots early collaborative art-based and Commonwealth Games 2022. performances already having taken Our excellent relationship has Community Roots is one place on the Coventry Canal. already seen a £1.4 million of our national community engagement programmes which As this event has developed it is investment from Coventry City we have implemented locally in evident that, while it is a significant Council and the West Midlands Coventry, Sandwell and Walsall. event in its own right, it aligns with Combined Authority to improve The programme supported by the Commonwealth Games in 5.5 miles of canal towpath from players of People’s Postcode terms of geography and physical the City Centre to Hawkesbury Lottery focusses on growing local and cultural programmes. As Junction. ownership and support so that such, our approach and work in communities and groups help us this location is included within the care for their local canal. Commonwealth Games overall project identified above while still retaining its own identity. This location also has the added benefit of having a Community Roots project and dedicated officer focussing on this area.

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 11 Our strategic projects

The improvements we are Revolution Walk planning along this part of the canal include tree and vegetation Revolution Walk is our signature management, creating a butterfly project for the West Midlands. This meadow, designing a heritage project is an exciting opportunity , improving the water quality to make a 4.5 mile stretch of and installing new welcome canal from the Roundhouse in signage. Crucial to the success of Birmingham City centre to Chance Revolution Walk is opening up the Glass Works in Sandwell – the part-derelict southern section of cradle of the Industrial Revolution towpath, creating a unique dual – an attractive route for local towpath at this key location, as well communities and visitors to enjoy. as the engagement of the local We hope to facilitate greater community who will help to deliver ownership of these areas by the majority of improvements. improving our engagement with Our vision for Revolution Walk is residents and local groups who for it to be an attraction for locals, live near and use the canal. and also tourists visiting the region A4 and its industrial heritage, to enjoy. towpath 57 B4 City centre 125 Visitors will be able to do tours aqueduct Winson of the canal either by walking, Green tunnel cycling, hiring a kayak from the Junction

pub C Roundhouse, or by water taxi.

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( a Junction d p French Walls nature reserve i s e pub p C o u o A Soho L s

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in Arm A here 1 ) 4 Smethwick L Tunnel B Gauging in Junction 4 Engine Arm railway station N e 0 Smethwick e 3 w S SmethwickAqueduct Station 0 oh Rolfe Street M Cape o Way Toll a Junction New Smethwick in Arm House L French Walls Pumping Station i n Junction Basin BridgeEngine Arm En Smethwick e gine Smethwick Arm You are Aqueduct Locks S Soaphole Basin Bridge Main Line Galton Valley Nature Reserve oh Rolfe Street Old Galton 9 o W here 16 ay Tunnel B4 Smethwick Galton Bridge Summit Tunnel 36Smethwick 41 Junction Toll New Smethwick French Walls B A4 House Pumping Station 57 Basin Bridge En Smethwick gine Ar Locks You are Galton Bridge Steward m Galton Valley Nature Reserve N in L e Soaphole Basin Bridge Ma ine Smethwick Galton Bridge w M y a Aqueduct ld Galton Summit Tunnel 9 in L 6 O a in 13 here 16 e B4 Ho Tunnel 4 A l B 4W57 yhe ad d Smethwick R r Steward o N o a e w f d M l Toll The Hawthornsy ain L Aqueduct Junction a in e Ho New Smethwick e M5 Viaduct T l W yhe House A ad Pumping Station d R 41 r Smethwick o o a f d l The Hawthorns K e M5 Viaduct enri Galton BridgeT c Locks k Wa Galton ValleyA4 Nature Reserve y

1 Dudley

Kenr N ic Smethwick B Galton Bridge k Way

Summit Tunnel irmingh Dudley Chance Port N a 6 m R 13 Birming oad Chance Port 4 ham R A Brothers B oad 457 BrothersM5 map not to scale: M5 map not to scale: Glassworks Glassworks coverscovers approx. approx.3 miles / 4.8km 3 miles / 4.8km Steward N ew M y ain L Aqueduct a in Ho e l W yhe ad d R 12 r Canal & River Trust oa o f d l The Hawthorns e M5 Viaduct T A 41

Kenri ck Way

Dudley N Birming Chance Port ham R oad Brothers M5 map not to scale: Glassworks covers approx. 3 miles / 4.8km Our strategic projects

Greater This is a priority area that is currently being transformed through investment by Birmingham City Council, HS2, Birmingham City University, Berkley St Joseph, Homes England and other investors. Yet the stretch of canal in the area suffers from anti- social behaviour, poor access and lighting, as well as fly-tipping, litter and graffiti. Our ambition is to make this stretch of the canal a safe route for everyone. We have engaged with our urban design team to help us overcome some of the most difficult problems, in particular, Farmers Lock Flight through to Snow Hill. They will advise on how to design out crime, placemaking, share ideas around public art and improve connectivity to help improve this area and encourage even greater use.

With thanks to volunteers from The Friends of Galton Valley Eco Sikhs, Gurdwara Akaal Bunga carry out litter picks, vegetation and Friends of Galton Valley who management and planting. They have supported us by delivering also organise heritage walks along some of the essential objectives sections of Revolution Walk. for the area. We would also like to acknowledge The Eco Sikhs have organised an and thank the volunteers from the eco-community day galvanising Birmingham Canal Navigations support from the wider community Society. They regular remove Our ambition is to to come together to plant over floating litter, help with general make this stretch of 40 fruit trees as part of the Great maintenance and carry out litter Canal Orchard. The group have picks on the canal. Volunteers the canal a safe route also sown lots of spring bulbs, from the Community Connect for everyone. mixed wildflowers, heather and Foundation will be creating other native plants. a community garden next to the Toll House and helping to The Gurdwara Akaal Bungal are repair the building which was creating a memorial garden to destroyed by fire. commemorate their guru, Dhan Baba Mani Singh Ji, who regularly meditated by the canal. They also carried out a range of tasks including cutting back tress, removing graffiti and vegetation.

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 13 Our strategic projects

• Birmingham Visits – volunteers Learning by Water – delivered a mix of activities to Our Space project schools and groups, promoting Floating classroom the heritage and wildlife which This was our pilot project to test In September and October our make our waterways special. and see if third parties could education volunteers led Water Children went on a guided successfully deliver activities on Safety assemblies and Waterside walk, discovering the past and our behalf. Three organisations Visits in Coventry, Birmingham present, supporting a healthy were selected who already work and Walsall, totalling roughly lifestyle of learning outdoors. within some of our target areas, 800 children. align with our vision and use the • Walsall Schools Week – in canal network regularly with a • Coventry Basin Schools Week – partnership with Park Hall wide-reaching audience. in partnership with our heritage Primary School. A team of boats, children learnt how Canal & River Trust colleagues The three organisations are: canals were built, how boating and volunteers joined forces to Middleport Matters in Stoke-on- families lived and worked on the trial our new People vs Plastics Trent, Wildside Activity centre in boats and how we maintain the activity, followed by a guided Wolverhampton and Nowka Bais canals today. litter pick along the towpath. It in Birmingham. Each delivered a was a great success. One Walsall programme of activities which school were so inspired they included photography sessions, even visited Stourport Basin as ‘Let’s paddle’, creating artwork part of their rivers topic. for a digital trail along the canal, children’s activities, a heritage canoe trail and ‘Let’s fish’ sessions.

800

In September and October our education volunteers have led Water Safety assemblies and Waterside Visits in Coventry, Birmingham and Walsall, totalling roughly 800 children

14 Canal & River Trust Raising our profile Raising our profile

Over the last year we have been busy growing our engagement and developing our partnerships with regional MPs, local authorities, local businesses and the community.

As part of our activities, the regional director has written to all Twitter 54 MPs with a canal or river within their constituency. Each MP has The West Midlands has a regional been invited to meet with the local Twitter account which has been team within their area and find out steadily growing over the last what’s happening locally. We have 12 months. @CRTWestMidlands hosted several visits so far, with has over 4,900 followers with more to follow throughout 2020 an average engagement rate of and 2021. over 2%. 4,900+ Our brand awareness within the region has also increased from 54% to 62%. @CRTWestMidlands has The region has a good relationship over 4,900 followers with the local media, with 82% of media coverage being positive about the Trust and the work we do.

Regional director, Adnan Saif, and Sarah Bicknell meeting with Gavin Williamson MP

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 15 Issues Issues

Bridge 37 Caldon Canal Coseley Water Management The collapse of Bridge 37 on the A stretch of towpath on the Old Water management is a key role for Caldon Canal in late February Main Line Canal in Coseley is our operations teams. presented a major challenge, currently closed as a neighbouring We had an exceptionally wet start cutting off access to moorings and wall that borders our towpath is to 2019 and 2020. In 2019 we had closing the canal to boating. We at the point of collapse. If It were a prolonged spell of dry weather worked quickly to make the area to fall it would fall directly on the which meant our reservoirs were safe by demolishing the bridge towpath. The wall is owned by a not being regularly topped up with and installing a pontoon bridge small developer. Our engineering rainfall. As a result our reservoirs, for moorers so they could still team is working on getting the which supply water to the canal access their boats. Plans have now developer to repair the wall. Until system, did not have enough water been drawn up for a modern yet this is resolved the towpath along to go around. historically accurate replacement this part of the canal cannot be bridge. This is expected to be reopened. Ongoing issues at installed during 2021. Reservoir and maintenance inspections at Fens Pools have Earlswood Lakes had a significant effect on water Wolverley levels on the Birmingham Canal Earlswood Lakes is a fantastic local Navigations. The situation has been The landslip above Wolverley attraction and is greatly valued by helped by water from Upper Bittell Forge Bridge, on the Staffordshire residents and visitors. Reservoir, that we have previously & Worcestershire Canal, occurred been unable to use, allowing us to Since the start of the government on 1 March 2019. Boats are now support the water levels on the lockdown, we have seen a large able to pass past the section of the BCN. The canal system is complex increase in anti-social behaviour landslip and we are working with and requires careful management, at Earlswood Lakes. We have Worcestershire County Council likely to become even more so with been working with Earlswood Highways and Severn Trent Water the onset of climate change. and Forshaw Heath Residents to rectify the situation on the Association, Earlswood Parish and water supply above the canal. Council and Warwickshire Police to step up patrols of the area and to disperse any groups of people seen hanging around at the reservoir. We are also working with Warwickshire County Council to address local resident concerns around yellow line parking. We have increased our presence in the area on a daily basis to help maintain a safe and attractive area which everyone can enjoy.

16 Canal & River Trust Issues

The government recently WASUP Tyrley cutting announced plans to bring forward £2 billion of further investment What started as Walsall Against Following storms and heavy rainfall in cycling and walking measures Single Use Plastic (WASUP) has in March 2020, fallen trees caused and an additional £250 million now become World Against Single the embankment between Bridge for emergency measures. Use Plastic. Founded by Professor 57/58 on the Shropshire Union Spearheaded by Cllr Waseem Gatrad OBE, the volunteer group Canal to slip into the canal. Further Zaffar, we have been engaging aims to remove litter and plastic slips may be possible so, for proactively with Birmingham City from our canals and towpaths. safety reasons, we’ve put in place Council’s Emergency Transport Working in partnership, over 18 a boating restriction so boats can Plan to highlight what quick wins events have been held around the pass safely – but have to pass and further towpath and access West Midlands including major in single file. Buoys are there to improvements can be made across launch events in Walsall, Coventry, direct the boats for safe passage. the city and into neighbouring Worcester and Birmingham, with The towpath remains closed. areas. an estimated three tonnes of litter Our contractors are preparing and plastic removed from the to remove the trees and our This includes the potential for canals in Birmingham and the Black engineers are preparing designs park and stride schemes, where Country. for repair so that these restrictions people use the towpath to can be lifted. complete their journey to work. In June the ‘WASUP Big Clean Up’ We have also engaged with the took place along four Black Country authorities and with 50 people attending the outlined our priorities for towpath event. A very neglected part of Coronavirus improvements as part of a wider the canal was cleaned up and we Since the start of lockdown, there active travel transport programme. filled a whole with all sorts has been an increase in use in of rubbish. A local temple provided our canal towpaths, particularly the team with a free meal at the in urban residential areas. For end of the event. example in Walsall, we have seen Due to the success of this an increase of 154%, similar in initiative, we have formalised Birmingham at 139% and Sandwell our relationship with WASUP an impressive 243%. As you’d to deliver our Commonwealth expect, commercial centres like Games Community Brand Plastics Brindley Place, Birmingham, have Challenge. seen a significant decrease of 48%, with offices, bars and

restaurants all being closed. Coffee ∙ Food ∙ Cakes ∙ Coffee ∙ Food ∙ Cakes It’s clear that our towpaths have played a vital role in people’s wellbeing as they undertake daily 243% exercise throughout the lockdown and they will continue to do so as restrictions are lifted, as people Sandwell has seen an impressive look for an alternative way of 243% increase in towpath use commuting. since the start of lockdown

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 17 Investing in our waterways Investing in our waterways

Particular highlights were the Better Towpaths for launch of towpath improvements Stoke’s Connecting completed as part of the Local Everyone Growth Fund Managing Short Trips Canals Towpaths connect people with Programme, with the completion Canals played an important role places whether for work, school of eight miles of towpath between during the Industrial Revolution and or leisure. They are unique and Birmingham and Wolverhampton helped transform the Potteries into special places, free for everyone on Birmingham Main Line Canal, a thriving hub for the manufacture to share and enjoy. The West four miles of improvements in of ceramics. Today the canals Midlands Region has 559 miles of Walsall thanks to the National still aid connectivity and support towpath which at times are not Productivity Investment Fund and economic growth by providing easily accessible for people using a mile completed on Grand Union high-quality walking and cycling mobility equipment. During 2019 Canal near Catherine De Barnes. routes which, thanks to investment and 2020 four miles of towpaths from Stoke City Councils were improved across rural and Transforming Cities Fund, has urban communities thanks to £1.78 improved access to employment million of secured partnership and training opportunities across funding; creating a legacy of the city. Critical to improving air sustainable off-road routes for quality and reducing congestion, people, regardless of their physical the improved towpaths, with ability, to use throughout the year. installed solar lighting, can now play an active role in encouraging people away from their cars for short trips by promoting walking and cycling along our canals.

£1.78m

Adnan Saif was joined by Andy Street (Mayor of West Midlands) , £1.78million secured from Ninder Johal (Black Country LEP), Councillor Ian Brookfield, Leader, partnership funding (City of Wolverhampton Council) and Mitchell Robinson (TfWM) to launch completed towpath improvements as part of the Local Growth Fund Managing Short Trips Programme.

18 Canal & River Trust Investing in our waterways

Titford Pools Dredging our canals Crawford Street Regeneration Over the last year we have spent fly-tipping clean up Hidden away under the M5 over £1million on dredging projects Working in partnership with motorway, Titford Pools is along the Llangollen, Coventry, the Environment Agency and located along the and Worcestershire & Birmingham Birmingham City Council we and is part of the Birmingham Canals so boaters can easily boat cleaned up a fly-tipping hotspot Canal Navigations. The Pools and moor along the canal. along the Birmingham & Warwick were originally constructed as Junction Canal in . The a small reservoir in the 1770s to hotspot at Crawford Street had feed the Titford Canal, and today Wild in Birmingham been used as a dumping ground provide water to the wider canal by opportunist fly-tippers who left network and Edgbaston Reservoir Our canals are important corridors behind a whole host of rubbish in Birmingham. Over the years, for bringing people and nature including over 1,300 tyres, fridges, the Pools have become silted together, especially in the more scrap metal, car batteries and up, affecting the water quality, built-up urban environments of our general household waste. impacting on both biodiversity larger towns and cities. Funding Working with a specialist and public amenity. secured from Tesco’s Bags of Help has enabled our Wild in Birmingham contractor we spent over three Working in partnership with the group to undertake weekly tasks weeks clearing the area, disposing European Regional Development to make the canals in Birmingham and recycling the rubbish at a Fund, Highways England and even better places for wildlife. With cost of around £40,000. In total Sandwell Metropolitan Borough training in countryside skills and 10 skip-loads of rubbish were Council, we secured £3.1 million of horticulture, over 60 volunteers removed. Removing fly-tipped European and partnership funding cleared waste ground, planted fruit rubbish is expensive and it costs to improve the water quality and trees and spring bulbs, propagated us around £1 million each year to encourage wildlife and people plants from seeds and cuttings keep our canals free of plastics back to the Pools. and created pocket wildflower and other discarded waste. To prevent further incidents of fly- Work began in 2019 to remove meadows. Over a mile of waterway tipping a three-meter high fence the 29,674 tonnes of built-up has now benefitted from the work, has been erected on Crawford silt and redesign the drainage truly bringing wildlife back into the Street where it meets the canal. channels from the heart of the city. Birmingham City Council has also to stop road debris from entering installed CCTV. the Pools. In the coming months, overgrown vegetation and trees will be removed from the pool margins while pathways are cleared, and new signage installed. Once finished the Pools will be a haven for wildlife and a place for people to enjoy the open space whether by boat, canoe, on foot or by bike.

19 Investing in our waterways

Blackbrook Junction Bridge Blackbrook Junction Bridge is a Grade II listed cast-iron bridge, typical of those found on the Birmingham Canal Navigations. The bridge was originally used to carry the towpath over the Two Locks Branch of the , but over time had fallen into disrepair with poor access for anyone using mobility equipment. Thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery and local volunteers, this important heritage feature has been restored.

During the work students from Roundhouse – Heritage South Birmingham and Bourneville Colleges were invited to take part led Regeneration in work placements to further Dating back to 1874, the Grade II* develop their carpentry and listed Roundhouse was originally brickwork skills. Volunteers have known for its stables and stores also played their part in bringing for the Birmingham Corporation. life to the striking buildings by Designed by local architect WH researching the hidden stories of Ward, the iconic horseshoe-shaped years gone by at the Roundhouse. building quickly became a real The Roundhouse will become a landmark in the city. popular visitor destination where A pioneering partnership between people can simply enjoy the Canal & River Trust and National historic waterside location, explore Trust secured £2.5 million from the new exhibitions or take an National Lottery Heritage Fund adventure by canoe, while the with additional monies from stables bustle with businesses Historic England, and numerous located in the restored office charitable trusts, to unlock the spaces. The Roundhouse will be potential of this disused site. open to the public in 2021. £2.5m The buildings have now been sensitively restored – revealed when the scaffolding was removed A partnership between Canal & in 2019. River Trust and National Trust secured £2.5 million from National Lottery Heritage Fund to unlock the potential of the disused Roundhouse site

20 Canal & River Trust Investing in our waterways

The Graffiti Mile Urban Litter boat The through We have created a new Urban Digbeth has historically and Litter Boat that circles its way notoriously been painted with through Sandwell and Birmingham, graffiti. Bridges, locks and listed allowing different community structures have all been targeted. groups to join and support us in Rather than just paint over or scrub clearing floating litter and plastic off we decided to try a different in these areas. The boat livery approach and met with the local has been designed by a local graffiti paint shop owner and artist graffiti artist to make it more ‘Panda’ to walk the stretch to see visible and appealing to the urban how we could improve it. It was communities that our canals flow agreed that giving the artists a safe through. space to practice their art would be a superb option, so we have started to create a Graffiti Mile. Special hoardings have been erected for this purpose which artists can use to show off their art skills. By giving these artists somewhere to paint we are hoping this will reduce the graffiti that we see on our listed structures. We continue to develop this relationship with the local street art community.

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 21 Awards Awards

Services to Birmingham’s Canals Award Birmingham Canal Navigations Society being awarded the Services to Birmingham’s Canals Award in recognition of their efforts to promote and protect the historic Birmingham Canal Navigations.

Left: John Crabtree, OBE, the Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands. Centre: Martin O’Keeffe, Birmingham Canal Navigations Society. Right: Allan Leighton, chairman, Canal & River Trust

Volunteer Ralph Gaskin being presented with a the Marsh Christian Trust Volunteer Award Ralph is just one of the many volunteers who dedicate their time to help care and maintain the canals in the region.

Left: John Crabtree, OBE, the Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands. Centre: Ralph Gaskin. Right: Allan Leighton, chairman, Canal & River Trust

22 Canal & River Trust Awards

We developed a proposal to look Winning a Health and after the gardens and service Gardeners’ World Live block at the end of the canal basin Wellbeing Award by Bridge 1, to provide better We were awarded the Silver Merit Earlier in the year, we developed services for our customers. The Award at the Gardeners’ World Live a partnership working group project plan was nominated for show for our show garden Making between the NHS Healthy a Coventry Health and Wellbeing Life Better by Water, designed by Lifestyles team, Crisis, and The Award and we won the Social Chris Myers. Architects offices based in Value Contribution category. Congratulations to the Dudley Coventry Canal Basin. The idea The group were presented with Canal and Tunnel Trust who was to look at how we could an award at the Guildhall by the recently received the Queen’s bring staff and clients of those Lady Mayoress and Councillor Award for Voluntary Service. organisations together to help Caan of Coventry City Council at care for a part of the Coventry the awards night which honoured Canal and improve local health people from the community and wellbeing at the same time. who are working to improve public health.

Thank you to:

The European European Union, Agricultural Fund for European Regional Rural Development Development Fund Europe investing in rural areas

West Midlands Annual Report 2019/20 23 Contact us 0303 040 4040 [email protected] @CRTWestMidlands canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/where-we-work/west-midlands

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