The Batchworth Telegraph

Newsletter of the Friends, Summer 2019 New Batchworth Inside Heritage Education Our Chairman Centre Opens Speaks…

New Trustee

Quality Badge

Lucky Lab Caught on Camera Call 01923 778382 for more details or visit www.rwt.org.uk years when our facilities were Chairman's not so convenient for schools. During 2018 we only Chat... booked around 20 school visits and were battling Welcome to the summer against the belief some held issue of the Batchworth that we had stopped running Telegraph for 2019, the Learning at the Lock due to twice-yearly magazine from the loss of our classroom. Waterways This has now well and truly Trust (RWT). We have already turned around with 30 had an eventful year with all bookings for 2019, already, 99 Church Street, Rickmansworth, by mid-June. The last week in , WD3 1JJ our volunteers busy running RWT is a Company Limited by Guarantee our 26th Rickmansworth June saw each day filled with Company number 2674596. Festival and settling into our a visit, which really does Registered Charity No 1024322 new Education Centre. We stretch our volunteer Contents are now approaching our resource and Rob! We still Chairman's Chat... 2-3 busiest period for charters hope to take more bookings Mark and Rob Report 4-5 Rickmansworth Festival 2019 6-8 and at the Lock Centre. for the autumn. Rob has been New Education Centre Opens 9-11 Hopefully by the time you working hard to reach out to New Centre: Volunteer's View 12 read this, summer will have new schools with success. New Trustee 12 However, some schools very Learning Outside Quality Badge 13 returned - mind you the canal New Digital Projector 14 and my garden did need a bit close to us are still yet to Lucky Labrador! 14 of rain! come along. It would be Caught on Camera! 15 great if all our local primary RWT Trustees We did have fantastic schools benefitted from a day Jenny Barzilay weather for the formal at Learning at the Lock, Tina Berry-Chmiel (Finance Director) opening of our new especially some in walking Chris Burridge distance! Mike Lansdown Education Centre in the early Steve Mander spring, and I was delighted to Les Mead see so many of our Running our education David Montague (Chairman and volunteers and old friends programmes from our Festival Director) Pam Paterson joining us to celebrate this purpose-built centre has Stephen Vincent significant milestone in our transformed our delivery. Even the walk from the Mill RWT Operations Group history. We are going to caused some disruption, and Chris Burridge invite Robert Voss, the Lord- Chris Flaherty Lieutenant for Hertfordshire, having all activities within Mark Saxon to all our events where we view of the classroom means Stephen Vincent want to ensure good everything can be much Company Secretary: weather. He brought it with better coordinated. We have Beryl Whittaker him to our Queen's Award also gained time, enabling Education Programme Leader: the Pride to take a slightly Rob Moore presentation in the summer General Manager: of 2017, and he certainly longer trip so the children Mark Saxon worked his magic at the end get to go up and down Hon Treasurer: of March this year! through the lock. All the Kay Fearn schools and our volunteers Roger Conservation Team Leader: Learning at the Lock, under love the new building and Fabian Hiscock Rob's leadership, is gaining think the day's visit is better Batchworth Telegraph: momentum after a couple of than ever. Rob has also Editor: Louise Broadbent Email: [email protected] H E C L I P P E R S Chairman's Chat Continued just in time for our first school visits. Many thanks to successfully adapted the player on the fundraising all those who helped with programme to cater for a team that worked so hard to removing and replacing the couple of schools that find all the money needed to ballast and its journey to and wanted to bring 40 children complete our new building. back from . Roger also and has even introduced a He has also volunteered with attended Little Venice, where session on canal art, thanks Learning at the Lock and the we had a very successful to Esther Murphy who owns Festival. Peter has three-day weekend. We were the newly opened Sinclair volunteered with RWT for as in a very central position Gallery in Rickmansworth long as I can remember and opposite Stone Wharf, so High Street. So our new been a trustee for many were much busier than in centre has given us a years. He has selflessly given previous years, and it capability which was not his time to so many actually felt we were much possible before. organisations within more part of the event. Roger Rickmansworth, and we are also attended the Cosgrove We are also starting to book fortunate to have been one of Festival on the 20th and 21st adult education visits, which these. We thank them both July, which was a new event can include a lecture, a trip for all their dedication and for RWT, giving a chance for on the Pride and a viewing of hard work for the Trust and more people to gain boating Roger. Fabian and Mark offer their contribution to experience on Roger and also a large number of outreach achieving our recent to spread the message about talks to various groups each successes, and we hope they the Trust a little further. Pride year, and we now have the stay good friends of RWT. was also repainted in opportunity to do lectures February and lifted out for and other activities in our We have a new trustee blacking, and is now looking new centre. Mark has also joining us – Mike Lansdown pristine and ready for the been working hard on who introduces himself later next few years. promoting the Education in this issue. Mike has been Centre as a venue for other volunteering with Learning at So a lot going on, as usual, community groups to make the Lock and is also a fully and many thanks to all our use of. Via our website, using trained skipper on the Pride. volunteers, led by Mark and the Hallmaster booking As a retired local headmaster, Rob, who keep the RWT system, users can view he has great skills in primary organisation looking like a availability and book the hall school education which are swan on the surface while we by the hour. This has the going to be invaluable as we know everyone is paddling potential to provide an develop our education work. furiously underneath. I hope, important source of income We welcome him to the team, like me, you are looking for the centre. We have and I look forward to working forward to some summer sun already taken bookings for with him in achieving our and a successful first year in this summer for various Learning Outside the our new Education Centre. classes and workshops from Classroom Quality Badge - other groups. more on this later! Best regards,

At this year's AGM, Martin Roger and Pride have seen David Mace and Peter Waters stood significant maintenance this Montague down as trustees. Martin year. Roger completed its 18- joined the trustee board in month docking in January May 2016 and has been a key and returned to Batchworth Mark Reports

can come anywhere near that are conscientiously putting achievement. money aside into a Pride replacement fund to ensure Up to the end of June 2019, that we can continue with we have had just under 5,874 our operations. recorded visitors, 1,091 volunteer hours have been More volunteers are getting provided and £16,593 has used to steering and crewing been taken through the till. Roger, both on its journeys to and from Little Venice and on What is not recorded are the its longer journey in July up number of hours running to Cosgrove. ferry trips, doing the The sun is out and Learning gardening, litter picking, The volunteer coffee morning at the Lock in the Education general maintenance, and I'm will again be held at the end Centre is in full swing, and sure these will all run into of November at Cafe Nero in sitting, here looking out over hundreds of further hours. Ricky High Street. Details of the canal, it strikes me what a the exact date will be wonderful facility we now We have also increased the forthcoming, and I look have at Batchworth and how number of RYA qualified forward to seeing you all at much it has enhanced and skippers able to undertake the garden party in August. improved our education both ferry trips and charters. programme. The Pride of Batchworth Mark Saxon continues to be a reliable I must say a huge thank you asset, and, recently, a new to each and every one of you roof panel was installed. If we who give so much of your continue to treat the boat time, commitment, well, look after it and ensure enthusiasm and dedication to problems are dealt with the Trust. This year alone a expeditiously, then we further six active volunteers should get many more years have joined us, and we of service out of her. Earlier continue to attract wonderful in the year the boat was people. repainted and taken to P&S Marine in Croxley where the This time last year I let you bottom was ‘blacked’. The know that since 2015 the total cost of these two shop had only been closed activities was something in for 18 days. Looking back, I the region of £5,000, so we see that that number only do all have to work hard to increased by one day ensure that money continues (Christmas Day) last year, and to flow into our organisation. we have been open every day since January. I know of no We will, of course, at some other volunteer organisation point, have to consider like ours that replacement, so the trustees Rob Reports

these new additions to the new schools have booked presentations for the children sessions at Batchworth. I am enhance the quality of the delighted to report that there work that is done by the are thirty school visits volunteers. booked for this year: the highest number recorded in The new teaching area now the last three years. enables PowerPoint presentations to be used. It The Education Centre also quickly became apparent provides a venue for that the initial arrangement meetings. It is important to for showing the make volunteers feel part of a presentations needed to be team. One way to bring Fantastic. Fantastic. upgraded. Money raised by everyone together is holding Fantastic. How else can I generous donations and ‘Volunteer Evenings.’ There describe the new Education local supermarket schemes will be an opportunity to Centre? The first schools allowed the Trust to buy a make suggestions to improve came in March which, luckily high-spec projector, which the programme currently for all concerned, provided was installed at the end of being offered and to meet dry and mild weather. June. other volunteers in a social Although the Learning at the setting. The initial meeting Lock programme is well It is important that Learning was held to show people the established, it did take a little at the Lock keeps pace with new facilities and to time to familiarise ourselves the changing demands of familiarise themselves with with the new surroundings. modern education. Mike the new surroundings. This The great improvement has Lansdown has been a great was followed by another been the extra time the asset in helping the Trust to meeting in July to talk about children have to do each match the learning at one of future developments. session. The long walks from the school sessions to the St Mary’s Church to the canal National Curriculum. The The whole ‘Learning at the used to take up a great deal Trust is working towards Lock’ programme depends of time. meeting the requirements of on volunteers giving up their

the Learning Outside the time to deliver the schools’ The artefacts, which had Classroom Quality Badge sessions. I am pleased to say been stored in various award. This will reassure the that Chris Tandy, Sheila volunteers' garages, were schools that Learning at the Trevor and Jackie Putt have brought back to the Lock is providing a high joined the list of volunteers Education Centre. The standard of education. It will this summer. They have famous mangle is now back also mean that Learning at already made a great in full operation, as is the the Lock will appear on an contribution to this busy ironing board. Martin Stokes approved list with other period. I can only see that the has made a working model of institutions that teachers use future for Learning at the a lock, using the lock gates when planning school visits. Lock will continue to grow that were once part of the Even before the from strength to strength. Little Union Canal. He quality badge has been has also created a tunnel awarded, a good number of Rob Moore from a polystyrene box. All Rickmansworth Festival 2019

Thank you to everyone on numbers, and we also parked us next year is changes in the Festival team and the far fewer cars in the Stockers sponsorship arrangements many volunteers whose hard Farm car park than for several for the site power, lighting work made the 26th years. Many of the people I and stage. Elstree Light and Rickmansworth Festival such spoke to after the weekend Power, who have very a success earlier this year. who had not come along, if generously supported the The weather was reasonably not fortunate enough to have power infrastructure of the kind to us and enabled a very tickets for Wembley, had site for around 15 years, have smooth set up, Festival arranged parties at home to stated they now need to start weekend and clear up. One watch the match. The beer letting the equipment to us at thing that always strikes me tent manager saw many a commercial rate. We have is how well the teams work Festival-goers with been incredibly fortunate to together: all the issues, hangovers on the Sunday have had this support since which are mostly minor, are who had not been drinking being introduced to the resolved successfully with his beer the day before! company by Mark Gardiner minimal fuss. This reflects the However, we congratulate when he joined the Festival experience of our team and on their amazing team many years ago. Other how well we understand how success this season and just suppliers who provide the Festival works. Many request that they wait a few lighting and stage decking traders and caterers more years before repeating also need to increase their comment on this and are very this achievement! prices next year. This will complimentary on how significantly increase the competent and friendly our We have completed our 2020 budget for the event, so team are, and this is based on wash-up meeting and the team have been thinking their experience in attending identified several things we of ways to reduce this cost. commercially organised want to improve on next year. events! One thing that is becoming We could decide not to increasingly clear is that provide power in certain Financially, the Festival was a people are used to paying for areas of the site, meaning we success for the Trust: we met everything by card and do may have exhibitors running our target and raised over not carry much cash with generators in the £35,000 to support the them. Since installing a card Aquadrome, which is not education work of the Trust. machine just over six months what we want. We could We had no royal wedding ago in the Lock Centre, we make a separate charge for competing with us this year, are seeing an increasing electricity, which we do not but we had not planned for number of cashless do now, but this would only the success of Watford in transactions, so we need to go a little way to cover the reaching the FA Cup Final! respond to this trend. We will costs. We could also look for The match did affect the be looking to hire portable further sponsors or different number of people attending card donation terminals for suppliers. It is likely a and all other aspects of the each collection point. This combination of all three of event linked to attendance. does come with a cost, but I these options could be As well as a lower level of hope this removes one required to balance the donations, the number of barrier to potential donors. books; so we have significant passengers carried by our work to do, even though the trip boats was well below our One challenging area next the 2020 Festival is a long usual Rickmansworth Festival 2019 contd. way away. thanks to all of you who site was adorned with YETi voted with your blue tokens footprints, and many more Steve Mander did very well in for the Festival and RWT. organisations participated, obtaining sponsorship, this including Herts River Rescue, year, with fantastic support On the water space side, Phil which proved a very popular from Bassett took over the running activity. We had a large Council and Batchworth of this area from John Brice. number of participants, and Community Council as well Phil and his team moored the this is now growing into a as many local businesses. usual large number of boats very popular part of the These included Blenheim and also focused all the boat Festival which we hope to Construction, Carillion, traders together in a single further expand in 2020.Phil Distinctive Rickmansworth, area to create a better Bassett, as well as setting out DJC Sound Systems, Galliard floating market. We further our programme, worked with Homes, Gibbs Gillespie, developed the 25 years Janet Billing to update our Mercer and Hole, St William, young scheme introduced processes and run the trade and Travis Perkins. We were last year, which is designed bookings using a similar also very fortunate to come to introduce young people to electronic system to that first in the Tesco "Bags for water-based activities. The used for the boats last year. Life" scheme in our local scheme was rebranded as the So we can now run just about stores. This scheme Young Explorer Trail, further all our bookings using a web- distributes the money Tesco activities were introduced based, paperless system raise in selling plastic bags to and the question asked which simplifies the local community around the site was, "Have processes and makes them organisations, so many you had a go Yet!". The much more manageable.

Herts River Rescue in Action. Photo by Cheryl Prax Rickmansworth Festival 2019 contd.

We held a very successful art integrated into the Festival the Festival makes a real exhibition in the Batchworth site, and it proved a great difference to how the Trust is Lock Education Centre, success. perceived in the thanks to the Guild of Rickmansworth community. Waterways Artists and the So thanks again to all of you Rickmansworth and District who volunteered to help run As usual, we are always Art Society. This was all the Festival, either in the looking for more volunteers pulled together by Chris planning and organisation or so if you would like to get Slaney. The exhibition over the weekend (or in many involved in the overall provided a great use of the instances, both!). Our charity organisation then please get building, offered something gets significant kudos for back to me. Following our very different for the Festival running the Festival and the debrief meeting we will be and allowed the public to see local community is a better starting to plan for our 2020 inside the Centre. Also this place for your efforts. So Festival in late September, so year, the Rickmansworth Sea keep up the good work as the if you would like to join the Scouts' area on Riverside event helps us attract many team or know of any others Drive had a new bridge visitors back to Batchworth who would like to get connecting the towpath with Lock throughout the year. involved, please let me know. the site. This allowed this new area to be fully All your work and support for

Photo by Hannah Crick

Batchworth Lock in full swing. Photo by Les Mead Batchworth Lock Education Centre

We had also invited some of of Trustees; Tony Berry, long- Opening the very first volunteers and standing Trust volunteer; founding trustees so they John Jones, Treasurer from In the last Batchworth could be present at this the Trust's formation until Telegraph, I described the special milestone in the just a few years ago; Derek construction of our new Trust's history. In the picture Grey, original Trustee; and Heritage Education Centre, below, standing either side of Tim Woodbridge, original and as I write this article I am Robert Voss, from left to right Trustee. Ken Allen, past reminded that it was one year are: Jean Berry, long- Trustee and Festival Director, ago to the day that we standing LatL volunteer; was also at the reception, but actually started the building Brian Morgan, past Chairman he escaped this photo! work. Already this year we have held 22 Learning at the Lock (LatL) visits with 30 bookings confirmed and more in the pipeline for 2019. We even held six visits before the building was officially opened at the end of March this year.

On Saturday 30th March we were privileged to have Robert Voss, Lord Lieutenant for Hertfordshire, come and formally open the Centre. We As we did when presented the fantastic group of people invited all our volunteers and with our Queen's Award for who helped make this as many of the sponsors and Voluntary Service, we took project, and all the other donors as we could expect to the opportunity to get a activities the Trust engages fit within the building. We photo of all the Trust in, such a success! I hope you were concerned about the volunteers who were present. can find yourself in the weather, but, against all This is a great reminder of picture below! expectations, the sun shone and a little bit of summer came into early spring to warm the day. It was a great occasion to show off the Centre to the c.120 attendees. Batchworth Lock Education Centre Opening Contd. I also made a short speech We also looked at the land we our first discussions with prior to Robert unveiling the are now standing on where building contractors and opening plaque, which is we had restored Roger and appointed Mark McDonald to now proudly displayed above built the Little Union Canal. oversee the work. the entrance into the main Due to the logistics and hall from the foyer. I thought running costs, we rejected All the time we were finalising it was worth reproducing the building a boat fairly quickly the plans for the building, the text here as it forms part of and focused our efforts on fundraising team were the record of this significant planning for a building. working hard in the achievement: Three Rivers District Council background to reach our reacted favourably to a target, which seemed to keep It was only 7th March 2016 suggestion of us putting in moving further away as we when RWT first found out that planning permission for a brought more details into our the classroom in the old Mill building on the site. Although plans. By April 2018 we had on the Affinity Water site that we already leased this land raised the amazing amount of we had used for well over 20 from them we found £350,000, which meant the years might no longer be complications when we Trustees could give the go- available for us to use. After a started to unpick the ahead to place the order for temporary halt to our classes, ownership of the site with the the building. We started we vacated the building at Land Registry. These would construction in July 2018, the end of April since too take over a year to resolve and the building was handed much remedial work was with the help of Brian Ashby over to us in November last required to the old Mill. This from the legal team at Three year ready for us to move into is just three years ago and a Rivers! and prepare for school visits, lot has happened since then! which have already started We set up a building team, this month ‒ we actually had During the next few weeks, and, just a few months later, three last week! we managed to find we appointed Chris Gregory temporary accommodation in as our architect in August This brief summary very much St Mary's Church hall and 2016 and started talking to simplifies what has been an were able to restart our 2016 timber building suppliers. We extremely challenging project programme of education also set up a fundraising team for our small charity. We had visits. With Learning at the who had the unenviable task some very difficult trustee Lock restarted, this left the of finding what seemed an meetings where we trustees with the decision of unachievable sum of money. questioned whether we were what on earth we were to do doing the right thing, where for the longer term! After many discussions with robust differences of opinion the Canal and River Trust, were shared and serious We wasted no time and Three Rivers District Council, concerns were raised on how started looking at our and the Environment Agency, we could justify the scale of options. These included the we arrived at a design that the project. However one of idea of commissioning a new everyone agreed to, the Trust's major assets is a floating classroom, and we submitted our plans and strong trustee board, and visited several boat builders gained approval in May 2017. these discussions were to discuss designs and costs. Later in September we had exactly what we needed to

Batchworth Lock Education Centre Opening Contd. be engaged in when doing We could not have done it something so outside our without you. comfort zone. From what seemed like a However, you would not be devastating blow to us in standing in front of our Spring 2016 to be here just magnificent new Heritage three years later in the Spring Education Centre without the of 2019 opening our new amazing generosity of our building is something we many sponsors and donors. would never have dreamed About a quarter of the funds possible in 2016, and I thank came from grants from trusts you all for your support to which include: The John make it happen. Apthorp Charity, The Garfield Weston Foundation, Three I now would like to hand over Rivers District Council, the to Her Majesty’s Lord boys from St Martin's School, Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, The Ethel and Gwynne Robert Voss CBE to officially Morgan Charitable Trust, the open the building. Co-op Foundation, Affinity Water, The Rank Foundation So we have done it. The and Blenheim Construction. schools which have come Nearly half of the cost of the along so far love the Centre building has come from and think it is a perfect new individuals who have home for our Heritage unflinchingly donated sums Education work. The building both large and small to help is in almost daily use, and we us reach our target.The are attracting bookings from remainder has come from the other organisations who wish Trust's reserves and other to make use of the Centre for fundraising events. On the their own activities and are other side of the equation, we providing a very important have also had tremendous source of income to help run support from McDonald the Centre in the process. We Construction and Tec still have a little more to do, Architecture in helping keep such as raise the funds to their costs to a minimum. And provide the decking and last but not least our other landscaping at the rear volunteers, led by our general of the building, but I am sure manager Mark Saxon, who we will get these in place have responded to every soon. request for support for the project with hard work, enthusiasm and commitment. Education Centre: a Volunteers' View

‘Wow!’ they say, and big a delight to work in. was renowned for not being smiles crease their faces. A Sometimes I take the History hurried, and children love to class of children enters our session, and what a joy it is to hear every last detail of life building. They literally stop have room to work with all on our historic wooden boat.) in their tracks and gaze at the the visual aids. ceiling. The volunteers start Rob is thriving in his new smiling, too. The children It’s hard to believe that only environment, and volunteers come in and settle, but they three years ago we had to love it too. If you don’t sign can’t quite believe it. Neither leave the magical Mill which up when a school books, you can we! had been our classroom. St might have to wait for Mary’s Church kindly let us another booking. Firstly, the new classroom is use their upstairs room so we much bigger inside than it could keep going, but it was A HUGE thank you to all our seems from the outside. not ideal. Now all our donors for enabling us to Secondly, it’s too grand to be activities are close to the build such a beautiful Centre. called a mere classroom – it’s Lock, and we have time to I, for one, am having a Heritage Education Centre! indulge ourselves. The Roger excellent fun at LatL. It smells new – of pine. It's session can be given the full bright, airy and spacious and 'Jean Berry’ treatment! (Jean Pam Peterson, Trustee

New Trustee: Mike Lansdown

which means I am now able historical novel, Adam’s Lock to skipper the Pride. (theendlessbookcase.com) which is available to buy in Meeting with others, I have the canal centre! Currently, I helped to evaluate the am teaching a course at Mill My name is Mike Lansdown. I educational offer of LatL End Community Centre, have lived in Rickmansworth (which I think is excellent) Penn-Pushers group focusing for the past 23 years and and have written up a on autobiography, and in the have been involved with RWT document that can be used autumn I will be leading a and Learning at the Lock to support RWT's application U3A course entitled Learning (LatL) for about a year and a for the Learning Outside the to be Retired. half. I am a former primary Classroom Quality Badge. In Head Teacher, but I also line with this, I redrafted the I have very much enjoyed my spent a total of 14 years information leaflet given to time so far at RWT and feel I working in secondary and the schools, taking into am fortunate indeed to have adult education (including account the latest changes to come along just as the two years in Sweden) and the National Curriculum at exciting developments with now work part-time as a Key Stages 1 and 2. the new Education Centre PGCE tutor for the University really started to take off! of Buckingham. In my spare time I am an Everyone I have met is easy author and have had two to work with, and I look I recently passed my educational books published forward to developing this Helmsman’s Certificate, as well as a self-published further as a Trustee.

Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge As you are probably aware, Moore, Mike Lansdown, Pam updating our website to you cannot go very far these Paterson, Fabian Hiscock and show similar information for days without coming up myself to review the schools. A new Learning at against a standard that needs requirements of the standard the Lock Volunteer to be complied with. We all and assess how RWT Handbook has been drafted, look for certain quality marks currently performs against and this will better reflect the when engaging many them. way we are working in the different everyday services. new Education Centre. We This is especially true for As you can imagine, this want to better capture schools looking to take involves a fair amount of feedback from schools and children on a day's work! You may have noticed children on the day of a visit, educational visit to Mike Lansdown observing as it is very difficult to get somewhere like several sessions of Learning this once they have left. Rickmansworth Waterways at the Lock and making These are the main areas, but Trust (RWT). Rob raised the copious notes. Using Mike's there are many other need for the Trust to do extensive experience, the improvements to make as something along these lines objective was to capture well. as soon as the new Education what we provide as an Centre was ready, as he educational experience and Once we have all the expects schools to start demonstrate what we deliver updated processes in place, requesting this when they to children in a much better we will complete our make a booking. As an way. Having spent many registration process, and, if experienced teacher, Rob is hours reviewing every successful, we will be able to only too aware that schools element of the standard and use the badge below on our need to demonstrate they are mapping RWT's performance letterhead and in all selecting establishments against this, we have communication with schools. which are going to deliver a identified several gaps and We are working to try to get rewarding day's education the things we do well but this in place for our 2020 and provide the expected don't necessarily season. If you want to find safe learning environment for communicate well to our out more about the standard, their children. schools. We then captured a please take a look at their list of about 10 actions we website: After looking at several are working through to https://www.lotc.org.uk/ available awards, we decided address everything to register for the Learning necessary to complete our Outside the Classroom registration. Quality Badge. This quality standard lists seven main Some of the outputs you will categories and 32 see include a new Learning subcategories for which at the Lock education leaflet applicants are expected to which better captures the provide evidence of learning objectives for the compliance. We set up a day and the experiences the team consisting of Rob children will have. We will be New Digital Projector

You may have noticed Rob generous donations to this screen. Since it sits only a has been using a projector specific project from Jean few centimetres from the linked to his laptop during Berry and Libby Bradshaw, screen, its very clever optics Learning at the Lock sessions the installation was mean there is no possibility in the new Centre. This is an completed prior to our AGM of you blinding yourself or old projector of mine that has on July 9th. Many thanks are obscuring the image when seen much better days. It is also due to Chris Slaney, who presenting. This type of over 15 years old and the has given his professional system is widely used in picture quality is not what it guidance on selecting the schools, and the picture was! Our plans for the fit-out best system for our needs. below shows how it works ‒ of the hall always included Chris arranged a very note we are only getting mounting a fixed projector to successful art exhibition in one!!! The projector also has allow users to show slides the Centre during the sound built-in, and we are and videos from a laptop. Festival. When we met to adding some small active Currently, Rob is putting our plan the exhibition we found speakers to the system so we old projector on a table in the out he used to consult on have sufficient sound middle of the floor, which professional audiovisual capability for showing films compromises the space installations in his career, in the hall. Les Mead is available for teaching, and his help has been already dusting off his entire especially when he has 40 invaluable in ensuring we get back catalogue ready for a children plus helpers and our a system that meets our series of film nights! volunteers in the hall! needs.

We thought this part of the The projector will be one of fit-out was going to have to the latest design, short throw wait a little while until we laser projectors and be had raised sufficient funds. mounted on the wall of the However thanks to very hall directly above the

A Very Lucky Labrador!

While taking Roger to Tring When we arrived, we quickly to have the work done this realised that any movement winter, we found a labrador of water through the spillway in difficultly in the canal near to fill the lock would result in . The dog had the dog being washed into been swimming in the canal, the depths of the lock where getting very wet in the become tired and had taken it would almost certainly process, he managed to lift refuge in the spillway just drown. Having stopped all the dog out from its perch on above a lock. The dog's back boat movements, Steve the cill and onto the bank. legs were hanging into the Mander was able to get his The dog shook itself dry, void with its body resting on arm under the dog to prevent wagged its tail and was all the ledge, and its owner was it slipping further into the ready to continue its walk! unable to get the dog out. hole. After several attempts, The owner was very relieved! The first one shows we are Caught on Camera! trying to incorporate In between issues of about Batchworth. Please additional exercise routines Batchworth Telegraph we note the form for volunteers into the sessions loading and always accumulate a few to opt-out of having a photo unloading the ballast when photos of our volunteers and published is currently out of Roger is dry-docked. Sadie others in action around and stock and being re-printed... has decided to implement a course of Ballet for Beginners which we expect to be very Mark is increasing the challenges to one's boat popular. Marie is looking very training for new skippers to handling skills. So in order to keen to get involved! ensure all volunteers have sharpen these skills, we are the required level of introducing a new test for competency to cope with all turning Roger around below eventualities when crewing Batchworth Lock. The picture one of the Trust's boats. As below shows the advanced those who have crewed will level of manoeuvre all know, Roger presents skippers of Roger are additional expected to achieve.

We have had reports of some of our volunteers moonlighting and trying to break into other professions. Please contact Mark if you can identify the well-known Trust volunteer in the pictures below so we can take the necessary action!

Also all volunteers are to be turned up for the Festival at issued with new timepieces Batchworth a little early! as Asher seems to have Upcoming Events

December 2019, exact date TBD – Canal side Carols at Batchworth

February 2020, exact date TBD – Rickmansworth Waterways Trust Ceilidh

Saturday 2nd–Sunday 3rd May 2020 – Canalway Cavalcade, Little Venice

Saturday 16th–Sunday 17th May 2020 – Rickmansworth Festival

Please look out for other events at Batchworth Lock throughout the year and refer to rwt.org.uk for further information on these and other events.