Volunteer Q&A with North West Regional Team Held on: 26th November 2020 Trust colleagues in attendance: Daniel Greenhalgh (Regional Director), Stephen Bergquist (Community Engagement Manager), Stephen Ballard (Regional Operations Manager), Steve O’Sullivan (Volunteer Development Co-ordinator), Alice Kay (Volunteer Development Co-ordinator) and Beth Cropper (Volunteer Development Co-ordinator) Volunteers: 25 in attendance Feedback from the previous Q&A session in September has focused the team’s efforts to improve communications. In that vein we thought it would be a good idea to introduce the regional management team that report to Daniel. Becki Anderson – Heritage & Environment Team Manager The Heritage & Environment Team consist of heritage, ecology & environmental specialists that ensure that we uphold and fulfil our statutory obligations and provide specialist knowledge and expertise for the region. Stephen Ballard - Regional Operations Manager Steve manages the 7 regional Area Operations Managers (AOMs) that run the operational teams across the North West. He also manages a reactive works team, contract manager and harbour manager. Lucy Rogers - Strategic Programmes Delivery Manager Lucy manages the staff/project officers that deliver any stand-alone externally funded projects that we have in the region. Current projects include Community Roots in Sefton & Pennine Lancs; Stainton aqueduct restoration; Active Waterways (Cheshire); Super Slow Way, an arts project in East Lancashire. Andrea Barrett - Partnership & External Relationships Manager Andrea’s team consists of; our Marketing and Communications officers (dealing with press & publicity); the Enterprise team that put together funding bids/bring in income; our Business & Corporate Engagement Partner. Andrea also manages our relationships with key stakeholders and MPs etc. Liam Cooper - Boating & Customer Service Manager Liam manages the Boating and Licence Support Team who work with boaters supporting the licencing process. He also manages the Customer Support Team that field all customer enquiries & handle general administration for the region. Stephen Bergquist – Community Engagement Manager The Community Engagement Team consists of Volunteer Development Co-ordinators (VDCs); the Learning & Skills Team that deliver schools and educational outreach programmes; a Community, Youth & Events Co-ordinator; Urban Engagement Manager and Toddbrook liaison officer. Ani Sutton – Destinations & Attractions Manager Manages our attractions and the teams that work at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port and at Anderton Boat Lift. Who would volunteers like to hear from at the next volunteer Q&A? We welcome feedback about which teams you are interested in hearing from. Ideas and suggestions can be sent to Volunteer Development Coordinators or to [email protected]. Updates on Actions from the last Q&A Ongoing Actions Location Issue Update Bunbury Historical welfare issues 01.11.20 Since the Q&A Daniel has been to site and locks /Covid19 preventing lock liaised with Paul Reynolds & we are in discussions with keepers from returning Anglo-Welsh and Trust colleagues to try and resolve this longstanding issue and we will update the volunteers with plans going forward. 25.11.20 Daniel is in discussions with our business boating team and Anglo Welsh to agree a way forward for the start of next season. Anglo Welsh relish the support of volunteers at this site. Northgate Welfare issues related to 01.11.20 Since the Q&A Daniel has been to site and Locks Covid19 preventing lock liaised with Paul Reynolds who is looking into keepers from returning additional welfare options at the site. 25.11.20 Paul Reynolds has confirmed he will be providing portable mess facilities, similar to what is currently at Audlem for next season (Covid depending) Manchester Look into the idea of 25.11.20 Update from Liam Cooper: we have issues Ship Canal making travelling along the relating to GDPR & resourcing this with legal support Manchester Ship Canal required to progress this. We are currently working with easier in order to create a Peel regarding the Bridgewater agreement this has ring with the River Weaver taken 3 years and we are only just getting to the final agreement stages. Once the Bridgewater agreement is sorted & while the door with them is open, we can certainly mention this. All NW Local meetings for 25.11.20 Stephen Ballard has confirmed meetings volunteers with AOMs to have started to be rolled out across the region as start happening follows: Angela Parkinson Green – Completed a talk in October and one planned for January. Julia Shelley – Planned for 9th December. Mark Overum – No plans at the moment but will try and get something in before Christmas Paul Reynolds – planned for 9th December Steve Maguire – Completed a talk in October. Planning an additional team talk in December. Tracey Jackson – End of season talk held on 18th November – No others planned yet. Mark Ferris – VTL ran the last talk on 30th October. Hoping to plan another catch up in before Christmas. Completed Actions All NW Follow up with volunteers 25.11.20 VDCs have spoken to AOMs/VTLs and who wanted to help with passed on details, VTLs to liaise. weed problem All NW Newsletter to be created 25.11.20 VDCs have sent out first newsletter sent to all and sent out mid-October active volunteers 22.10.20 to be bi-monthly next issue and also agree how often due 17.12.20. it’s circulated All NW Answer unanswered 25.11.20 All questions that were unanswered have questions from the Q&A been fed back to individual volunteers and answers published in the notes for the last Q&A. Notes available on My Trust. All NW Suggestion in order to 25.11.20 The team have spoken to Ed Moss, who said improve communication: the Council was not the appropriate channel of Currently volunteers are communication for volunteer issues and that we should represented through their continue to use the present channels of local Task reps on the Council - Managers, AOMs, VDC etc. to resolve. maybe there should be a channel to the reps/what is this All NW Speak with Ed Moss re 25.11.20 If a volunteer needs access to a specific Trust volunteers having system for their role this will be organised with their Trust email addresses and Task Manager. At the moment the only volunteers with access to Trust systems Trust email addresses are those who undertake a role i.e. GIS, SCADA. in IT or lead volunteers. VDCs = Volunteer Development Co-ordinators VTL = Volunteer Team Leaders AOMs= Area Operations Managers Questions Q: Why have N.W. region handed over the container at L37 (Summit West) on the Rochdale, when they only reach L34? It would be better placed at Schofield St yard as a shelter/storage area etc? A: The container was handed over to Yorkshire & North East (YNE) region as the North West did not utilise it and YNE had very little storage in that area. The container itself was in poor condition so moving it was not an option. There is also an issue with the suggested land at Schofield Street as it does not belong to the Trust. There is an ad hoc agreement with the landowner whereby our direct services team use it for storage only. Q: I am still very unsure why the Llangollen and Montgomery Canals were allocated to the West Midlands region rather than staying with North West. Surely, our natural linkages remain with Cheshire and the Welsh Counties and County Boroughs? Will these regional boundaries be reviewed at some point and will we have an opportunity to contribute to that discussion? A: When the Trust realigned its boundaries and regions were merged over 2 years ago it was done so that the regions aligned with county & regional boundaries. This was done to improve working relationships with external partners such as councils & local authorities. In terms of reviewing it anytime soon this is very unlikely. Our hope is that as a singular organisation and network it should not matter which region you sit in. Lines of communication are open please contact us or our counterparts elsewhere in the country. Comment: I wanted just to come back to you Daniel to say that the Llangollen falls into three county sections: Hurleston to Grindley Brook (Cheshire) (11.5 miles from the Shropshire Union), Grindley to Gledrid/Chirk Bank (Shropshire - 24 miles) and then the remaining 8 miles from Chirk Pool to Llangollen Basin in Wales. Clearly, Shropshire is the longest stretch, but connectivity remains with the SU. Q: Can you tell me about the delay in works to Lock 42, Redbull. When will work start? A: The works will be delivered soon but it has required additional planning as we want to restore and fix the cast iron stop plank grooves before the work is started. This has required some consultation with the heritage team. Using the stop planks will reduce the cost of the work considerably as we can avoid using a fabric dam. Q: Question asked relating to enforcement on a boat known to volunteers? A: We are unable to comment on any specific enforcement activity due to the legal nature of the processes that are undertaken by our licence support team. Q: Nationally, has any thought been given to Recognition Awards after the 2,000 hour mark? I believe that this was raised a year or two ago, but there does not seem to have been any progress. I'm sure that there are volunteers approaching or past 5,000 hours. It would be nice for them to be given extra recognition. A: This is being looked at nationally. There is currently a consultant that is undertaking a piece of work to outline all volunteer recognition materials and specifically the hours award badges. The volunteer council reps have been involved in the consultation and it is hoped that this should be agreed early next year.