Communications Update
14 October 2016
News round up
· Towpath ranger Dick Vincent spoke to ITV West Country news (6/10/16) about modern manners and the importance of people ‘sharing the space’ along the Kennet & Avon Canal
· ITV Calendar (7/10/16) broadcast a piece promoting the upcoming bicentenary of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and interviewed lock keepers Nick Stead and Richard Moore at Bingley Five Rise and Mike Clarke (president of the Leeds & Liverpool canal Society)
· There was a wonderful double page feature in the Sunday Express (9/10/16) about the Trust’s partnership on the Pocklington Canal with Help for Heroes. BBC Radio Humberside and BBC Look North TV news also featured the Trust’s partnership – including interviews with ex-servicemen and staff from the Trust (10/10/16)
· Boating manager Matthew Symonds was interviewed by BBC West’s Inside Out (10/10/16) as part of piece looking at boating families having difficulties on the Kennet & Avon Canal
· Ecologist Laura Mullholland spoke to BBC Radio Gloucestershire and is quoted on the BBC website (10/10/16) about rare newts being found on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal
· Countryfile magazine (10/10/16) has printed the Trust’s round-up of the finest places (as chosen by our talented ecologists) to see autumn colours on our waterways
· BBC Radio Lincolnshire (10/10/16) interviewed waterway manager Sean McGinley about the 250th anniversary of Boston’s Grand Sluice – forward to 02:59
· My Weekly magazine (11/10/16) says the Canal & River Trust has fantastic options for autumnal walks that offer ‘exhilarating turn-of-the-season experiences’
In social media: · We shared the story about boat Kennet recreating the 127-mile inaugural ceremonial journey along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. This reached over 15,000 people and was shared 55 times
· The ‘awesome autumn colours’ feature has performed well on Facebook and Twitter, reaching 12,500 people on Facebook and 3,700 followers on Twitter
· This week is the second phase of #HeritageHeroes. The hashtag has reached over 470,000 people on Twitter so far
And coming up next week:
· BBC Look North is visiting the Rochdale Canal today with project manager Richard Spencer following the complete reopening of the canal after last winter’s Boxing Day Floods
· There’s lot of media in the pipeline this week across the length of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal as boat Kennet recreates the inaugural boat trip 200 years ago, including: o National press officer Lynn Pegler is speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside tomorrow at the Liverpool end of the canal heralding the week of celebrations ahead o Development & engagement managers Tom Wright and Sarah Knight, together with Mike Clarke, president of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal society, are due to feature on BBC Radio Leeds’ breakfast show on Saturday o ITV is scheduled to feature the trip on Monday as Kennet arrives in Skipton
· We’ll be promoting a Huddersfield high school which is becoming the first school in the north of England to adopt a stretch of their local canal
· The Trust’s Great Nature Watch will be inviting the media to showcase bats as this year’s survey of waterway wildlife draws towards a close
· We’ll be telling the waterways press that the Trust’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint have been re-certified by the Carbon Trust – noting a big success in reducing carbon footprint by 6.7% over the past two years
· A massive programme of dredging on the Staffs & Worcs Canal is coming to an end so we’ll be pulling together the facts and figures to promote the work to regional media · We’ll be issuing an appeal for young people aged between 16-25 to help on canal conservation projects in east London
· We’ll be promoting the high flying clean-up of an aqueduct on the Kennet & Avon Canal
· Users of the Bridgwater & Taunton Canal will be invited to a user forum to give ideas for the future of the waterway
Veterans rebuild their lives by rebuilding the Pocklington Canal Injured servicemen and women are being given the opportunity to re-build their lives, gain qualifications and learn new skills by transforming and restoring historic canals.
The Trust and Help for Heroes have come together to deliver an ambitious canal restoration and career recovery programme for wounded, injured or sick servicemen, women and veterans.
Veterans from across the country will join the Heritage Heroes project and work alongside our engineers, heritage advisors and volunteers from Pocklington Canal Amenity Society to resurrect part of the Pocklington Canal. The 18-month project will also see new volunteers recruited from nearby local communities in East Riding, Yorkshire.
The project, made possible by £500,000 funding from players of People’s Postcode Lottery, aims to bring pride and purpose back to our heroic veterans while restoring canals, some of which have been left neglected for decades.
Veterans returning from service are highly-skilled and capable individuals, with a great deal to contribute to society. Too often however they are ill-prepared for the transition back into the civilian world. The Heritage Heroes project will equip the wounded, injured or sick heroes with City & Guilds qualifications in construction, health and safety, horticulture and land-based management which can be used to help them identify a new, purposeful career.
Increasing confidence
Help for Heroes veteran David Simpson, 57, of Derby is a former Lance Corporal who served in the Falklands and Northern Ireland. He suffers from anxiety and anger issues and hopes the project will help him discover his former self.
"The Falklands are where my main problems started. But it wasn’t until 28 years later that I finally sought help for them," father-of-four David explained.
"Whilst I was stationed in Fitzroy, I witnessed something horrible – a needless, senseless death. I haven’t been the same man since."
David, who left the Army in 1988, was later diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and experiences severe anxiety and anger issues on a regular basis. He has struggled to hold down a job and has had more than 40 since he was discharged from the Army.
He said: "I have lived like a hermit for years now and that’s why I’m doing the Heritage Heroes project; I want a better life for myself. I’ve had 28 years of total stress and now I want to look forward.
"I know there is life after PTSD, it’s not all doom and gloom. This course will give me more confidence and a better outlook on life."
Restoring an area of scientific interest
The second phase of the project is taking place in Yorkshire. Working in partnership with the Pocklington Canal Amenity Society the veterans are helping to restore a Grade 2 Listed lock at Thornton. This involves repairing the historic brickwork to the lock chamber, replacing the timber lock gates and works to the lock floor. Currently only half of the canal is navigable but these works will be essential in completing the project and restoring the area which is a site of special scientific interest. Alongside the restoration works the veterans will be instrumental in creating a new nature trail, pond and refreshing a visitor centre.
Jason Leach, Enterprise and Restoration Team Manager for the Trust, said: "Heritage Heroes is such an exciting project for us. It gives the Canal & River Trust the opportunity to work with Help for Heroes to transform waterways as well as helping to rebuild our wounded heroes’ lives."
What’s on?
Launch of the Kennet: Boaters reception celebration Leeds Dock 14 October
To celebrate the 'Kennet' re-enacting the maiden voyage of the completed Leeds- Liverpool on 15 October 1815, the Trust will be hosting a launch event from Leeds Dock tonight.
Launch of Kennet flotilla Granary Wharf, Leeds, 15 October
Daytime family event including a steel band
Grantham Canal railway ramble Grantham 15 October
A gentle 9½ mile walk along public footpaths and towpaths from Bottesford to Grantham with the Lincolnshire Ramblers.
Stourbridge Navigation Trust open weekend Stourbridge 15 & 16 October
Family day out
Super Slow Way - A Rhapsody to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal – Blackburn 16 October
To mark the bicentenary of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal a new choral piece produced by composer Ian Stephens with a libretto poem by Ian McMillan will debut on the 16 October at King George's Hall in Blackburn.
Other events coming up
Spooky Hallowe’en fun at Stoke Bruerne
There are some family friendly ‘bone-chilling’ adventures at Stoke Bruerne between 28 and 30 October including a spooky evening boat trip into Blisworth Tunnel. A friendly witch amongst our crew will tell creepy tales of the hauntings in the tunnel that is over 200 years old. The 45 minute boat trips on Saturday 29 October at 5:15pm, 6pm and 6:45pm cost £3.50 for adults and £2.50 for children and must be pre-booked by phoning 01604 862229.
Ghost Walks in Stourport
30th October 2016 to 1st November 2016
4:00pm - 10:00pm
Stourport Basin Stourport-on-Severn DY13 8UJ
Family / Children’s Ghost Walk at 4pm in Stourport Canal Basins
Adults ghost walk starts at 6pm around thirteen ghostly locations in Stourport.
Ghost walks start from the Tontine Stable in Stourport Canal Basins.
Prices
Adult (over 12 years old) – £7 per person Child –
7 to 12 years old – Children’s Ghost Walk only – £4 per person.
All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Archive in the afternoon at Ellesmere Port - canal songs in concerti
7th November 2016
2:00pm - 4:00pm
The Waterways Archive, National Waterways Museum Ellesmere Port
South Pier Road Ellesmere Port Cheshire CH65 4FW
Renowned local singer songwriter Graham Bellinger performs a set of songs that evoke the waterways and their history. Graham has been performing at folk clubs and festivals for 40 years.
Do you have young anglers in the family?
The National Junior Canal Championship is open to anyone aged 10 – 16. The winner gets to take home a top trophy and will be crowned national champion. The match is on 29 October on the Staffordshire & Worcester Canal at Penkridge. The youngsters will be able to gain inspiration from some of the best anglers in the country as the National Canal Pairs Championship is also taking place on the same day. Entry form here
Have you Voted for Les yet?
One of our super volunteers, Les Dundon from the Sefton Explorers team (STEM, and anywhere that needs his help!), has been shortlisted for the Inspiring Educator Award at the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom Awards. We really want Les – who was part of the Brindley’s Brainwaves team that reached the finals of the Waterways Alive Awards - to win so please vote for him here. You can read about the amazing contribution Les has made here (he’s second on the list)
Humans of the Waterways
Meet Dick, National Towpath Ranger
"As far as I’m aware my job’s unique… I’m the only National Towpath Ranger around. I love my job, not least because it means I get to talk to all sorts of different people who use our canals. For me, whilst I love boats and bikes and walking the towpaths, it’s all the awesome folk that live on and visit canals that make them so special. Sometimes I find it quite hard to explain to people what my job is, but it’s pretty simple really – I run a bunch of projects to ensure canals, rivers and towpaths are special places for everyone to enjoy and it’s not hard to be passionate about that, is it?
This includes running the Share the Space, Drop your Pace campaign - which reminds everyone to be more considerate to each other on towpaths - sorting out welcome signs and maps, training and recruiting Volunteer Towpath Rangers and setting up the odd community garden too. I’d like to think I'm quite good at coming up with creative ideas for these things, but I guess that’s for others to judge really.
I've always had a connection with water in some way or other. I worked in marine navigation for 15 years before I started working for the Trust, and I lived on a narrowboat at Three Mills in Bow for many years too (although I’ve 'gone brick' now, as they say). People often ask if I miss living on boat, and whilst I did love it because I get to spend most of my time on canals, I don’t really. I can’t say the same for my cat, Tigger, though. He’s a Bengal snow leopard, and as a breed they’re well known for their fascination with water. To be honest, I’m not sure he’s really forgiven me yet, but I live in hope he will one day."
Dick, National Towpath Ranger. London, Regent’s Canal
Visit here to read more about people who visit, work or live on our waterways
Selima ‘Champions’ – here for you!
Our Selima Champions are here to support you over the ‘phone or by email and will happily answer any questions you may have about the Selima online expenses system. The Champions can provide support by; talking you through setting up your profile, guidance on entering your first claim and attaching a receipt, saving favourites and duplicating regular journeys or troubleshooting any teething problems you may be experiencing. Please get in touch with them directly using the emails below, or if you’re not sure which Champion to contact get in touch with us at [email protected] and we’ll find the most appropriate person to support you.
Gordon Robbins - Gordon is a Volunteer Lock Keeper and Boat Mover, based at Hatton but travelling across the Midlands and into the South East. [email protected] Chris Littler - Chris is a Volunteer Lock Keeper at Marple, he can travel across our Manchester & Pennine and North West waterway regions. [email protected]
Mike Groves - Mike is a Lead Volunteer Lock Keeper and a CAATS assessor. He normally volunteers on the South Derbyshire section of the T&M, and also at other locations. He can travel throughout the East Midlands & West Midlands waterways and over the boundary into neighbouring regions within an hour's travel from Derby. [email protected]
John Inman - John is a member of the Kennet & Avon partnership and Volunteer Lock Keeper at Bradford on Avon and undertakes training and qualification for the volunteer operation of vessels on both the Kennet and Avon and Bridgwater and Taunton Canals. [email protected]