|
 No. 202 SUMMER 2004
page 2
I started writing this editorial the day after attending the Society’s AGM and after cycling the towpath from Winchfield to Fleet, and I found myself with very mixed feelings.
On the one hand, the canal looked absolutely wonderful - a heron flapping lazily away over Tundry Pond, the banks covered with wild flowers and water levels topped right up. But -
Not a single boat moving and the memory of the Open Forum discussion at the AGM, which left the impression that the canal could be finished as a navigation within 10 years if things continue the way they seem to be going.
These things include an identified maintenance back-log of some 200 jobs that may cost £2 million to clear, a budget that even if fully funded would be at best half what BW would spend on an equivalent waterway, three Local Authorities who failed to provide their full contribution to the budget resulting in a £57,000 shortfall and a future reduction in the BCA staff, one of these Authorities (Hart) whose JMC representatives haven’t bothered to attend meetings for over a year, a Draft Canal Management Plan that placed more emphasis on “conservation” than navigation, and a general impression in the boating world that the Basingstoke Canal does not present a particularly welcoming face to visiting boats.
Peter Redway in his Chairman’s report identified a need to educate local councillors about the canal, and this is clearly something we need to do, but perhaps we need to get on the campaign trail again to rouse the general public to the threat to their local amenity. Robin Higgs suggested a Press Release and this should have gone out by the time you read this, but members can also play a part by questioning councillors and candidates in local elections about their attitude to the canal and its funding - if you can get hold of them, that is. They don’t even seem to do any canvassing round here, but you can always write letters.
We also intend to pursue the idea of handing management over to BW. This would not be a simple matter and would also require an adequate “dowry” to fund it, but it would provide a more secure future than the current degenerating situation.
It is fairly apparent that the current management set-up for the canal has not the authority, resources or vision either to protect the Canal as it stands today or to enhance it.
All the proposals for water enhancement, by back-pumping schemes or reservoirs linked to housing developments, have come from the Society (mostly Peter Redway). It is to the credit of the JMC that it has backed these, but one would feel more confident that the Canal was in safe hands if the initiatives had come from its owners.
It will be interesting to see what the reaction will be to the K&A link proposals, which would hugely increase the justification for the Canal's existence as a navigation rather than just a country park or nature reserve.
Worth noting also that the constructive proposals for off-line nature reserves on the off-side bank at Ash where the trees have been felled, have come from the Society and not from the conservationists.
* * * * *
The 10 years mentioned earlier is perhaps all the time we have from another point of view, because the average age of members attending the AGM looked to be at least 60 last night. We do have younger members, but attending AGMs is clearly not their scene. It’s not my favourite pastime either, but it is the only opportunity for the Committee to communicate directly to the members and the formal bit of the AGM is only a small, if essential, part of the proceedings.
However, we do clearly need more, younger members if the Society’s role in protecting the future of the canal is to continue. Again, perhaps we need to raise the Society's profile by campaigning, but all members can help by recruiting another member, preferably under the age of 50!
* * * * *
Speaking of raising the profile of the Canal and the Society, I hear whispers that the possibility of an IWA backed campaign rally on the Basingstoke is being considered for some time in the next two or three years. This ought to fit nicely with the opening of the Brookwood Country Park on the old hospital site adjacent to the canal, which would provide an excellent venue, and, hopefully, the completion of the St.John's back pumping scheme.
As they say, watch this space!
[back to top]
FRONT COVER
Unity removing a fallen oak tree at Tundry Pond. Photo: Roger Cansdale.
page 3
Peter Redway's report to the AGM was mainly structured around the objectives of the Society:-
1. To promote the canal as a navigation and multi-functional
amenity.
# The Society received the prize for the best Society stand at the
IWA National Rally last year.
# A detailed and robust set of comments has been submitted on
the BCA's draft Management Plan.
# Comments made on the canal aspects of the planned new
headquarters for Surry County Council in Woking.
# Proposals made on the new developments planned in Aldershot,
including a new reservoir for the canal.
|
2. To protect, preserve and restore the canal's natural and historic features.
| # |
Recent activities included bank clearance on the Western End, fighting attempts to close the dry dock and making proposals to the JMC to establish off-line nature researves on the land cleared of trees at Ash Vale.
|
3. To improve awareness of the canal as part of the national waterways.
| # | Judging by the increasing reluctance of Local Authorities to fully fund the canal, there is a lack of knowledge of the benefits that the canal brings. Presentations will be made by the Society to elected members and leisure officers on the restoration, current activities and future projects.
|
4. To monitor the upkeep of the canal and assist the managing authority.
| # | Working Parties had contributed 900 man-days in 2003 and together with visiting Groups had worked on the Backpumping schemes, bankside clearance and Western End. |
| # | The Navigation Sub-Committee, chaired by Graham Hornsey, has regular meetings with the BCA to discuss navigation issues such as maintenance programmes, enhanced facilities, and to provide user feedback.
|
5. To maximise opportunities for improving water supplies.
| # | Aldershot town development: A joint Planning by Design presentation with the BCA was made, including proposals for run-off water storage with draw-down responsibility vested in the canal Director, now adopted as JMC policy. |
| # | Deepcut Army camp may be disbanded. Planning Policy Gain has been endorsed by the JMC for the provision of a reservoir between Brunswick Road, the old railway line and Deepcut Camp.
|
6. To develop proposals for creating links to other waterways.
| # | "Hants & Berks Canal" (K&A link). Roger Reed's work shows this to be feasible. Next stage is a professional feasibility study and contact has been made with several companies who could do this work.
|
Peter also touched on the subject of the Canal Survey done in 2003 and finance for the canal. The survey had revealed some 200 jobs needing attention, that ranged from desirable to urgent and included some safety-related issues.
The cost had been estimated at about £2 million. It was all too clear that such a sum was not currently available to the Canal Authority.
|
Further funding was needed to complete the St John's back-pumping scheme and to do further work to enhance water supplies. Money would also be needed to carry the K&A link project forward.
Discussions had taken place with the BCA and Hampshire County Council fund raising experts over the best approach to take when making submissions to various potential sources of funding and it was hoped that a partnership strategy would be adopted.
Peter ended as usual by offering thanks for the support he had received from the Society's Committee and members, the BCA, the IWA, and not least, his family.
Right The Chairman in his more usual garb, pursuing the objectives of the Society at the Western End.
| |
Peter Redway |
[back to top]
page 4
|
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING REPORT
|
Some 50 people attended the 27th AGM of the Surrey & Hampshire Canal Society Ltd, after a week during which it was not entirely clear where the AGM would be taking place, or what would be presented. We ended up in the hall belonging to St John’s Church due to what was probably a double booking at the Memorial Hall, and the actual event went off pretty well in the end. The hall itself was certainly quieter and of a more suitable size than the one we have used previously in Mytchett.
The meeting started as usual with apologies for absence and acceptance of the minutes of both the previous AGM and the EGM held last October to accept the accounts.
We then turned to the accounts for 2003. Jonathan Wade introduced them and said that for only the second time to his knowledge, they showed a loss for the year. For 2003 this amounted to £27,854, as opposed to a profit of £10,197 in 2002. There were, however, reasons for this. Subscription income was £6,847 compared to £14,294 in 2002, but the latter included donations sent with subscriptions, Gift Aid and subscriptions for 2001 paid late. Donations and Gift Aid were listed separately in this year’s accounts, but if added to the subscriptions gave a total of £11,735. This was close to the average over the last 10 years of £11,574, so there did not appear to be cause for alarm.
The Water Appeal income did not include the expected IWA donation of £20,000, which had been delayed by the planning issues and not received yet. The Boat Company income had dropped by £7,000 from the record income in 2002. These factors produced a total income of £31,710 against £60,827 in 2002. Jon noted that the £170 loss shown against Sales was an 'artefact' of the auditors’ accounting which had combined it with the Boat Company’s accounts.
On the Expenditure side, most of the items were not too different from 2002 figures. The larger sum against Subscriptions and Donations included the Beale Park expenses and a donation to the WRG Tools appeal. The increase in Maintenance was due to spending on the Transit van and repairs to a barge.
Elsewhere in the accounts, £8,152 was the permanent loan from the Society to the Boat Company to enable them to trade and the sum of £943 due from a related company shown under Debtors amounts falling due within one year was money that the auditors believed should be paid by the Boat Company to the Society. A sum of £42,061 was carried forward to 2004 against £69,915 in 2002.
In reply to a question about the cause of the reduction in fund-raising income, Jon thought that this was mainly due to a reduction in the number of events attended. The Colt Hill rally had been cancelled, and the number of events depended on the assistance that was forthcoming from the membership.
The increase in postage and telephone expenditure was queried. Jon attributed this mainly to the Newsletters now all being posted [previously some had been delivered locally by hand].
It was pointed out that the Society could not continue to lose £27,000 a year. Jon agreed but said that 2003 had been exceptional. Work and expenditure on the back-pumping schemes had pushed ahead in expectation of receiving the £20,000 grant from the IWA, but this had been delayed by factors beyond the Society’s control. Further expenditure on the scheme was being carefully monitored and would, if necessary be stopped until more funds became available.
It was suggested that the Landfill Tax scheme might provide funding and Denise Smith confirmed that three applications had been made.
A comment was made that page 5 of the accounts showed all the Society’s expenditure as administrative expenses and that this could cause difficulties when fund raising. Jon agreed that this was inaccurate and misleading and the presentation would be changed in future.
A motion to accept the accounts was carried unanimously and Hilton & Co were re-appointed as auditors.
The Secretary, Verna Smith, announced that as there had been only 11 nominations for the 12 seats on the Committee, the following were elected unopposed:-
Peter Redway, Dieter Jebens, Verna Smith, Jonathan Wade, Roger Cansdale, Graham Hornsey, David Lloydlangston, Bob Malcolm, Philip Riley, David Venn, Peter Wright.
This ended the formal part of the meeting and we moved on to the presentation of the Robin Higgs Award.
Robin remarked that this was usually given as a long service award and it was good to present it for a change to a relatively new member. Despite his short time in the Society, Roger Reed had made a major contribution to the potential future of both the canal and the Society with his survey of potential routes for a link to the Kennet & Avon Canal.
![Robin Higgs and Roger Reed [12k]](BCN202p4.jpg) Robin Higgs (left) presenting award to Roger Reed (rt)
The Chairman’s report followed. The computer-based presentation drew favourable comment and we shall try to extend this next year.
The reports concluded with that from Ron McLaughlin and the Boat Company ---
Ron felt that it had been a good year, apart from the rope round the propeller incident, and that the fall in profits compared to 2002 was not something to worry about. 2002 had been a record year and the profits in 2003 were in fact about average. 2004 promised to be better with bookings already up and a Farnborough airshow to boost profits. A brief television appearance last year had generated at least 3 bookings.
More crews were still needed, although some had joined last year and had helped with winter maintenance. Despite late availability of the dry dock, the boat had been painted and also had new windows on one side and a new PA system. A new telephone was also to be fitted.
Peter Coxhead thanked the Boat Company for keeping Dragonfly going for the Bridge Barn event. Ron said that they were planning to take it to the IWA National Trailboat Rally.
The meeting broke for refreshments before resuming with the guest speaker, Andrew Stumpf.
Andy needed no introduction to his many friends in the audience, who included a number of fellow members of the dredger crew. He is currently British Waterways’ Regeneration Manager in the Southern Region and includes amongst his responsibilities the Cotswold Canals restoration project and the new Bedford & Milton Keynes canal scheme.
| |
Andy gave a very slick and interesting presentation on progress with the two projects, which contained so much information that I cannot really do justice to it here - you should have come to the AGM! Having read a bit in the press about funding difficulties for both the schemes, I rather expected the talk to be a bit less upbeat than the previous one about the Scottish canals, but Andy seemed to have lost none of his enthusiasm for his job and clearly expected to see both projects through to a successful conclusion, albeit not quite as quickly as previously hoped.
|
The original Cotswold Canals application for Heritage Lottery funding was unsuccessful and a new bid is being submitted. Andy took a surprisingly positive view of the setback, on the basis that it would make everyone appreciate better what they were trying to achieve and work a bit harder.
What was very clear was the professional approach to the whole thing, taking account of all aspects - biological, economic, leisure, tourism, landscaping, heritage, architecture, social, education, etc. The actual engineering seems a minor part that is almost taken for granted, except for the money needed for it. Currently the Cotswold Canal project has only half the funding originally envisaged as necessary and they are looking for a further £6 or 7 million.
The technical feasibility of the Bedford & Milton Keynes link had been proved and a route agreed. A “Citizens Jury” had been convened for three days last December to listen to presentations, ask questions and make recommendations for action. This seemed an interesting and useful way of gauging public opinion in a structured and constructive way, that was perhaps less likely to have the usual crowd just saying “no” to everything.
Andy’s life clearly had some frustrations in it, one of which was unimaginative developers who could not be bothered to expend the effort to recognise the potential benefit of the canal both to themselves and the general public. However, BW had done further comparisons of house prices with and without canals, which showed a difference of 18 or 19%, and Andy evidently had not given up on them. He made the point that canals need to be kept in good order to retain this price advantage, so agreements with developers about things such as water management needed to include a service fee element for maintenance.
Andy finally touched on the Droitwich Canal. A bid for Stage 2 Heritage Lottery funding had been submitted and he hoped the project would be complete by Autumn 2008.
It was, as ever, a great pleasure to listen to someone as obviously competent and enthusiastic as Andy Stumpf and one feels that his rise through the BW management structure is likely to continue for a long time. Many of the points he made are ones that we shall have to address if the K&A link project is to proceed. He got a great round of applause.
Open forum
Time was running a little short by the time we got to the final part of the meeting as Philip Riley chaired a discussion that focussed mainly on the issue of funding for the canal. Introducing this, he said that the canal faced a serious situation in which Local Authority funding was dropping. This year Hart’s contribution was 67% low, Surrey Heath’s 40% and Runnymede’s 50%, a total of £57,000 lost to the BCA’s budget, which was already about half that of an equivalent BW canal.
It was clear from the survey done last year that revealed about 200 jobs needing to be done, some safety related, that the canal was in a cycle of decline. Last year all BW’s canals had managed to stay open, while the Basingstoke was closed to incoming boats for a quarter of the year. As a result of the budget shortfall, a member of the BCA staff who was retiring next year would not be replaced. Philip asked for members’ views.
It was suggested that the Counties should provide all the funding and get it from the Local Authorities by increasing the County rates. This had apparently been considered, but part of the trouble seemed to be a general lack of interest in the canal on the part of many members of the Joint Management Committee. The representatives from Hart Council had not attended a meeting for over a year....
The Society favoured the idea of handing management over to BW. Andy Stumpf said the BW would need a dowry to take it on, either money or property. Peter Coxhead wondered whether the Counties would like to see the back of the canal and Peter Redway felt that it would probably be impossible to get agreement from the Local Authorities for long term funding, as had been done on the K&A.
Philip felt that the Society needed to formulate a plan to fight the decline or we might not have a working canal in 10 years time. David Millett suggested that the reports to the JMC should be circulated to all councillors, since those on the JMC might not be the ones making funding decisions. Robin Higgs thought that a Press Release should be put out highlighting these concerns and this was agreed.
On this somewhat glum but curiously invigorating note, the meeting ended. Peter Redway expressed thanks to Ken and Denise Halls for their assistance in finding the venue, to Maureen Coxhead for doing the refreshments, to Verna Smith and her team for the general organisation and to Bob Malcolm for help with the Chairman’s presentation.
Roger Cansdale
[back to top]
WORKING PARTY
| DATE | LEADER | LOCATION |
|---|
| 10-11 July | PR/DJ/DL | St Johns Back-pump |
| 24-25 July> | PR/DJ/DL | St Johns Back-pump |
| 4-7 Aug | PR | St Johns - set up work camp |
| 8-14 Aug | PR/WRG | St Johns locks and pump well |
| 16-17 Aug | PR | Off hire work camp |
| 21-22 Aug | PR/DJ/DL/KR | Pump well |
| 11-12 Sept | DJ/DL/KR | Pump well |
| 25-26 Sept | DJ/DL/KR | Lock upgrade/Electricity cable |
| 9-10 Oct | PR/DJ/DL/KR | Lock upgrade/Electricity cable |
| 25-26 Oct | PR/DJ/DL/KR | Lock upgrade/Electricity cable |
| | Peter Redway |
| |
|
ALEC GOSLING
Literally as this issue was going to press, I received the very sad news of the death of Alec Gosling.
Alec and Betty and their boat Betty G have long been a feature of events on the canal and River Wey and Alec also ran our mail order sales for many years.
Our love and condolences to Betty. I am sure that there will be many more tributes in the next BCN.
|
|
|
[back to top]
page 7
|
SOCIETY ACCOUNTS for 2003
|
[back to top]
page 8
The Smith sisters were out in force at this year's rally ---
Verna, the 'Easter Bunny'
Joining Verna the 'Easter Bunny' (above) and Denise (doing her uusual splendid job of extorting money from the public), was Diane, who, with her husband Martin, had brought their boat Uisce Beatha (below) from Devises.
 'Uisce Beatha'
Verna was also Chairman of the organising committee for the rally and hence appeared everywhere, mercifully managing to escape from the bunny outfit most of the time. Verna, together with Peter Redway and Peter Coxhead are seen below with the Mayor and Mayoress of Woking after viewing the illuminated boat procession on the Saturday evening.
Although boat numbers were a bit down on last year, it was good to see some new visitors with some very handsome boats. One of these was Uisce Beatha, but perhaps the most spectacular in terms of decoration was Carnzu (below).
 'Carnzu'
This was beautifully painted in a Celtic style that may not have been entirely in keeping with traditional narrow boat painting, but certainly looked splendid. Even the non-slip paint on the roof was in a pattern. It looked almost too good to use!
The Society's small trip boat Dragonfly was kept busy over the weekend, as was Maggie G, the other trip boat.
'Tristan III' - Best Decorated Boat
Rabbits were definitely on the menu this year and it was nice to see Shirley Trott's boat Tristan III (above) picking up the Best Decorated Boat award.
Following the same formula with equal success was Mike Wilson's Dora Venus (Below), winner of the Best Illuminated Boat award. As can be seen below on Arthur's Bridge, there was a large turn-out of the public for the procession.
Dora Venus - 'Best Illuminated Boat'
The weather was the usual English Easter mixture of sun, overcast and wind, but thankfully not much actual rain.
Dick Dolton, winner - Best Bonnet
Music entertainment was subsidised by the Bridge Barn pub itself.
It seemed to be mostly the men who were flaunting their Easter bonnets this year. Winner of the prize was Dick Dolton (above).
Winners of the prize for Best Dressed Boaters were Ray Taylor and his grand-daughter Crystal, seen below receiving their award from Mrs Lesley Miles, who, as well as being Deputy Lieutenant for Surrey, is a trustee of the Surrey Care Trust that owns and operates the trip boat Swingbridge.
Best Dressed Boaters receiving their award
First indications are that profits from the Rally will be at least £1,000, with a further £260 in donations from the boaters to the Water Appeal. In addition, the Sales stand took £435 and Dragonfly took £522. Not bad for two days!
[top]
page 10
MIKRON THEATRE COMPANY
TIME: 7.30pm
DATE: Sunday 4th July 2004
VENUE: The Canalside garden of the Fox and Hounds, Crookham Road, Fleet
SHOW: 'ON THE LINE... 200 years of British Railways'
This year's show will celebrate two hundred years of railway history from Richard Trevithick's 'Penydarren' locomotive to the latest main line Pendolino.
Jim Woodland and Mike Lucas have researched and written the show which will be told with the aid of Jim's songs and music and concentrating on the people who worked and traveled on the railways. With its usual touch of humourand original songs and music, Mikron tracks down the real story of this important part of our heritage.
2004 will be the 33rd year that the Company have toured the waterways of England in their 68 year old narrow boat 'Tyseley No. 183'. Come along by boat or car or on foot and enjoy the show. Bring a rug orfolding chair or just sit on the grass. Indoor back up in case of rain.
DON'T MISS THIS ANNUAL VISIT BY THE MIKRON THEATRE COMPANY AS YOUR SUPPORT IS VITAL TO ENSURE THE MIKRON'S FUTURE.
Admission free but there will be a collection after the
performance.
Contact David Millett on 01252-617364 for any further
information.
FOX & HOUNDS RALLY
DATE: Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th September 2004
VENUE: The Fox and Hounds, Crookham Road,Fleet
The annual end of season get together, which, touch wood, usually seems to be blessed by good weather. Visiting steam boats and other boats resident on the canal usually turn up for this friendly, informal event.
There are usually a few stalls there and the pub itself offers a good choice of food.
Other events include
Angling:
NFA Division 2 National Angling Championship on 3rd July, with up to 900 competitors along the length of the Canal. Angling Association Junior Teaching Day on 10th July at the Canal Centre, Mytchett.
BCA Canal Centre activities:
Summer Art Camp, 2nd-6th August.
Floating Ideas Summer Activity, 11th & 12th August
Wild Thing Summer Activity, 18th & 19th August
Boat Wrecked Summer Activity, 25th & 26th August
Bookings (essential) and more details from the Canal Centre at Mytchett (Tel. 01252 370073)
[back to top]
page 11
I seem to have stirred up a bit of a hornet's nest with my comments on Graham Vine's suggestion that taking a large boat through a lock used less water than a small one. My contention was that the size of the boat made no difference to the amount of water used.
I have had several letters arguing with this, including the one below and one, from Pablo Haworth, agreeing with me and offering to prove it mathematically.
Dear Roger,
The Dorset Branch of the Society convened on Sunday 21 st March, (by kind invitation of its hostess, Mrs Judith Gerry).
Understandably, the canal's many problems were discussed at length, and most of them were solved, (in theory). Including the one about boats passing through locks.
We thought of Archimedes, as instructed to do by you. We agreed with that eminent bather that a vessel floating in a lock displaces a volume of water weighing as much as the vessel. This water, being excluded, does not pass through the lock. Ergo, the heavier the boat, the less water is used in transiting a lock.
So will you tell your readers to exchange their cruisers for barges. Ballast them down with lead or tubby guests. If they can't afford a barge, try to join other boats in the locks. Readers of Vine (London's Lost Route to Basingstoke) will be aware that the Canal Act of 1778 prohibited barges from carrying less than 15 tons (p. 39). We doubt that still applies! But you get the drift.
We would like to remind readers that there was a proven water supply from the Upper Pound during the 50's and 60's, which gave confidence to early campaigners.
| Those Present | |
David & Judy Gerry
David & Rosemary Millet
Janet Hedger
Clive & Barbara Durley
Ron & Edna Jesse |
In view of the distinguished list of names above, it is with some trepidation that I still beg to differ and offer the following analysis:-
I hope we can agree that the amount of water used will be the difference between the amount of water in the lock when the boat enters and the amount when it is about to leave.
Let's assume to make things easier that the lock is rectangular. The volume of water in it when no boat is present is width (W) x length (L) x depth of water (D). If a boat that displaces a volume of water V enters the lock, the amount of water in the locks is now (WLD) - V.
We now empty the lock and the water level drops to depth d. The same formula applies and the volume of water in the lock is now (WLd) - V. The difference between the two volumes is the quantity of water used and this equals
(WLD)-V- ((WLd)-V) = WL(D-d)
The point is that although the larger boat displaces more water when it enters the lock, it is still displacing more when it comes to leave. The only thing that has changed is the quantity of water under the boat, which is the same whatever the size of boat.
The thing that really does make a difference is the number of times the lock is used, which is why we should always share a lock with other boats when possible and give way to other boats when the lock is set for them. The 1778 Canal Act prohibition on barges carrying less than 15 tons was presumably intended to cut down on the number of boats needing to use the locks. Wider boats that are unable to share a lock with others could cause more water to be used, and the BCA's policy of leaving locks empty may have its reasons, but it also may lead to unnecessary use of water.
Pablo's proof is as follows:-
B boat volume, L1 empty lock volume, Lr lock rise volume
C12 canal volume between 1 & 2
boat enters Lock 1, water in lock LI - B
add water in lock, water in lock L1 - B + Lr
water above Lock 1 C12 - Lr
boat leaves Lock 1, water in Lock LI -B + Lr + B = Ll+Lr
water in Canal 1 - 2 C12 - Lr - B
boat enter Lock 2, displacing water out of lock
water in canal 1-2C12-Lr-B + B=C12-Lr
after top lock water in top Ctop - Lr - B
add volume of boat above top lock Ctop -Lr
Q.E.D.
Any further questions?
Roger Cansdale
[back to top]
page 12
Yet another piece of canal grafitti, this time on the offside wall of Goldsworth Bridge.
Grafitti on Goldsworth Bridge
Is this again aimed at BCA staff? It could well be, because they certainly have their difficulties, with problems seeming to pile up faster than they can be fixed.
Around this time, the bywash at Lock 27 collapsed (below).
 Lock 27 bywash collapse | |
This is not the first time this problem has occurred and the cause appears to be the way the bywashes were constructed during the restoration programme. Both the Society and Surrey County Council who were overseeing the work were on a pretty steep learning curve and it is easy to be wise after the event, but there does seem a real likelihood that most of the bywashes will need to be redone.... |
Indeed, a hole opened in the towpath at Lock 26 where the bywash runs under the towpath because of Curzon Bridge, which suggests that the same thing was happening there. However, both Locks 26 and 27 were fixed by the end of May.
Farnborough Road Bridge
Good news for a change - despite the late start, Farnborough Road Bridge re-opened on time. It doesn't look really any different from the canal side, but should be less likely to drop into it under the weight of traffic.
Odiham Castle
Work on King John's Castle at North Warnborough has started with some extensive tree felling and clearance work, which certainly make it stand out more, albeit rather starkly ---
Odiham Castle and moat, after some tree clearance
However, it has exposed the moat and there are said to be plans to excavate this and put it back in water.
Dry Dock
The dry dock saga seems to get worse every day. If we are to believe the Environmental Health people at Guildford, any sustained noise above 5dB above the ambient level is illegal, no matter how low it is in absolute terms. Leigh Thornton has issued instructions that will restrict its use so severely as to make it useless for many people. The only answer would seem to be to put an effectively sound-proofed building over it and we can only hope that the owners of the canal will pay for this. Perhaps they might approach the owners of the Wilderness for a contribution....
On Television
The canal featured on television recently as a rather improbable subject for the BBC's Sunday lunchtime Politics Show. The programme was about the financing of inland waterways and was mainly an interview with Robin Evans, the Chief Executive of British Waterways, about new funding sources, such as fibre-optic cables under towpaths and a new chain of BW-owned pubs.
However, the TV crew also visited the Basingstoke and interviewed Leigh Thornton and Peter Redway about its funding problems. They also spoke to Hugh Gough, Chris Wilson and David Rackham (below), who were crewing in the Pinkerton and managed to get some good quotes.
The programme should provide some good ammunition for future funding battles with the likes of Hart, as well as being a good bit of advertising for the Pinkerton. Interestingly, the interviewer asked Robin Evans whether he would like BW to take over the Basingstoke, but he was diplomatically non-committal!
Surrey CC's new HQ
Surrey County Council's proposal to build its new headquarters on the Brewery Road car park in Woking were mentioned in the last issue. They made vague promises to enhance the canal aspects but these look like amounting to nothing....
The Society had proposed a hard edge to the towpath to allow for easier boat mooring there, but English Nature has objected on the grounds that there might be rare 'Cut Grass' growing there (nobody has seen any....) and that although the canal in Woking is not designated as an SSSI, a mooring there might act as a barrier between the SSSIs either side. (WebEditor's note: Wouldn't it be a breath of 'fresh air' if English Nature would, for once, act sensibly....)
Surrey CC appears to be using this pathetically weak argument as an excuse to save money by doing nothing. In fact it looks as if they might be there for only a few years, after which the building would be turned over to commercial use, so the chances of any planning gain for the area look very slim.
Local residents are not too happy about this, nor about the huge increase in traffic that will occur. It will also be interesting to see how the proposed underground car park fares if seepage starts from the canal.
Tree felling at Ash Vale
The tree felling on the offside bank at Ash Vale (above) seems to have been done with some thought about the appearance of the canal and the result is rather attractive, certainly compared to what happened at Brookwood.
[top]
page 14
Dear Roger,
At the March 2004 Woking social, a gentleman called Brian Andrews, was passing round a sketch of a bridge and a boat called "ISOBEL". The location was given as somewhere on the Basingstoke Canal.
When I saw it I was able to identify the location as Arthur's Bridge, with Brewster's Timber Yard buildings in the background, the chimney of the house now converted to Bridge Barn seen through the trees across the canal.
The picture took me back more years than I care to remember, to when I was 10 or 11 years old. My grandparents lived in Mabel Street, just round the corner from Arthur's Bridge, so it is a place I know well. As a school girl. I used to walk with my young brother from Goldsworth School to my grandparents' house to meet mum who had spent the afternoon with gran. We would then walk my grand mother's dog Roddy, before going home with mum. Our walks with the dog would usually be over Arthur's Bridge, sometimes along the towpath past Brewster's Timber Yard.
One day we were met by several excited school friends saying some boats were on the canal and one had stuck under the bridge. We ran to Arthur's Bridge where we found a number of people pulling on ropes down on the towpath. Two other boats were behind the one under the bridge; we had never seen boats on the canal there before.
After a few minutes a man called "give us a hand" and in seconds Roddy was tied to the railings and we joined the others on several ropes tied to the boat. Two men with long poles levered along the sides of the boat, and after some time the boat was just clear of the bridge. It was then we realised the dog was barking and decided we had better return to gran's.
As we entered the gate, mum and gran were coming to look for us, as we had been longer than usual. Their horrified looks stopped our excited explanations and looking at our school uniforms we realised how wet and muddy we were. We were promptly cleaned up in gran's kitchen (no bathroom then) and taken home. Roddy had missed out on his walk and we missed a visit to our other gran where we were usually given a home made cake or some other treat.
That day has often crossed my mind during the years spent working on the canal, returning home covered in mud. My brother also recognised the view and the boat when he saw the sketch and remembers friends telling him about their angry mums the next day because of the extra washing they had made.
Margurite Redway.
P.S. Can anyone also remember the bucker dredger that my brother and I used to watch from Chobham Road bridge?
[back to top]
page 15
Hi Roger,
Proposed Links
As promised, a few words on the topic of proposed links. I read with interest Roger Reed's letter in Basingstoke Canal News No.200 and attended the talk given by yourself and Roger in Woking about the proposed link to the Kennet & Avon. Having only recently become a Society member, I missed the items in Nos. 198 and 199 mentioned by Roger, but I believe that the new link is the way forward for the Society and I would love to see further details.
As the stated intention is for the link to be funded by development in a similar fashion to the proposed new waterway between Bedford and Milton Keynes, perhaps we should invite a speaker from that Society for the next session of talks to be arranged.
I further wonder if it is time to leave Greywell Tunnel to its bats and consider linking the Western End to the proposed new link; if you look at the SHCS archives on the Website, one is entitled "The Tunnel that nearly wasn't" which states that the original intention was to go around Greywell Hill to the North on the level, but a local landowner of the time objected. This route is now, of course, crossed by both the M3 and the railway, but, from the map, access points would appear to be available to the West of the Tunnel which would enable a link to be made to the proposed new link, thus reconnecting the Western End to Up Nately.
As I mentioned briefly to Peter Redway, I see the proposed new link as just the first step; I believe that we should also considerthe possibility of a further link via Basingstoke and Whitchurch to connect with a restored Andover Canal, thus joining our Canal to Southampton and the South Coast and achieving another dream of our predecessors. This would have the advantage of re-involving Basingstoke Council and also involve Andover, Romsey and Southampton communities; both Basingstoke and Andover are listed for future development, so sources of funding might be available that could be tapped. The Basingstoke Canal would thus become the central element in a network of waterways between the Thames and the South Coast. Admittedly, part of the Andover Canal was converted to railway, but it should still be restorable - other societies have faced worse problems. These are, of course, thoughts for the future, but now may be the right time to at least consider them and I offer them for further discussion.
Regards,
Brian Andrews
I agree with Brian's view that the Greywell Tunnel should be
left to the bats, although it would be nice to see the Western portal restored. However, if the tunnel is to remain blocked, I cannot see anyone going to the trouble of tunnelling under the M3 just to link to the Western End; better to leave this undisturbed. Linking to Andover, Winchester, Southampton would be splendid, but let's not try to run before we can walk. If we go over the top at this stage we run the risk of being branded as unrealistic lunatics. See Page 17 for the latest on the K&A link.
Dear Roger,
In the Spring edition of the Basingstoke Canal News in the Events for 2004 section you make note of some angling matches coming up in June. However, you do not mention two even larger matches which are Sat 18th June (100 pegs) between Eelmoor and Ash Lock and Sat 3rd July (800 pegs). Is it possible that the BCA have left these off their events list? I will check.
I was planning to write to you anyway, to ask you if you could inform your members in the next edition of the second match which is the Division Two National Angling Championships 2004. The format will be the same as previous years with 700 anglers spread along the canal between Lodge Bridge, North Warnborough to Mytchet Lake Rd with another 70 anglers in the Brookwood area. The match takes place between 11pm and 4pm and hopefully we will be able to keep any disruption to a minimum. It will mean that all the major canal car parks servicing these areas will be full and access may be difficult for other users.
As in the past we respectfully ask for the co-operation of all users of the canal and if possible avoid using the canal or towpath during this period for boating or cycling. After all it won't be too much fun for you trying to negotiate your way past 800 anglers; we have had excellent co-operation during previous events, and hopefully this will continue, thankyou. Spectators on foot are more than welcome, though we ask you to be patient when negotiating the towpath and observe any reasonable requests made by the competitors and/or stewards. The stewards are there to assist with any enquiries you may have so feel free to ask them.
If you have any questions beforehand I will be happy to answer them either by email at a.grandjean(g).ntlworld.com or by phone on 01256 412680.
Best Regards
Andre Grandjean
BCAA Match Secretary
PS. Most people think we look like aliens when we are out
fishing anyway!!
The Woking Group
As most of you active Society members know, the Woking Group has for many years been involved with Canal Events within the Woking area, the Bridge Barn Festival being probably the best known, the one just past being the 11th that we have organised. It should have been the 12th but shortage of water led us to cancel one year. I would add that many of the dedicated team of helpers are based in faraway places such as Ash Vale, Fleet and Farnborough and without their efforts and enterprise, to put it bluntly, things would be "difficult".
If you would bear with me for a short while, I will remind you of the history of the Group. It was formed in the mid 1970's in those enterprising early muddy days of restoration. A small band of enthusiastic characters used to sit on the floor of members' houses planning programmes that would keep the momentum going. The first actual public meetings when interesting speakers wetted our appetites for what we should aim for, took place in the long since demolished Centre Halls in Woking. Our compere was Mike Grist. We then moved to the old Christ Church Hall ( now Barclays Bank) and fora time I presented the evenings. Then followed a period at the Methodist Church Hall and I am sure all of you that attended those meetings will remember the ex-sergeant major caretaker!! Our next venue was St.John's Memorial Hall. Ginny Millard took over from me during this next period. For the last few years, our current meeting place has been at the Westgate Centre again in the heart of Woking. Arthur Dungate was now our master of ceremonies and we are all very grateful for his dedicated work in providing those who attended with a wonderful variety of interesting speakers. Unfortunately, subject to receiving approval of their lottery bid, Woking Galleries are almost certainly going to build a state of the art 21st Century Museum and Art Centre on the site of the Westgate building.
Now, I hope that this is not the end of the Woking Group story, but we have a problem, as yet unsolved. Finding a hall suitable from both the availability and price angle, is not easy. However I am pleased to be able to report that I have a "pencilled in" arrangement with Chobham Parish Council for us to rent their Pavilion in the Recreation Ground in Station Road. The hall is large enough for our meetings, there is sufficient car parking and a kitchen is available for those very important "half time" breaks. The price is also acceptable.
Now we come to the make or break problem. Arthur is willing and indeed wishes to carry on with his compere position. But, he regrets that he must hand over the job of finding and booking speakers. I am willing to carry on with the administration of the meetings i.e. opening and locking up, settling accounts etc. My wife, Maureen is also happy to
prepare and serve the teas/coffee forthe time being. At 75+ and after some 30 years of committee work of some form or other, I am not going to take on the additional job of talks organiser.
So, will a kind member who I know exists somewhere out there, who does not have to live in Woking, volunteer for this not too onerous task and by doing so, ensure that this vital 30 years old means of membership communication continues. Please support the dear old Basingstoke Canal.
My telephone number is 01932 344564. My E-mail address is peter.coxhead@btinternet.com.
Peter Coxhead
Dear Editor,
Reading "Millett's Musings" in the Spring Newsletter, I was surprised to see that he thought there were very few moorhens and coots on the canal.
Andrew and I were walking by Great Bottom Flash recently and were pleased to see dozens of gulls, Canada geese, a pair of Great Crested grebe, mallards and tufted ducks, and approximately 50 coots, maybe more; it was difficult to count them all. Also we see moorhens regularly along the canal at Ash Vale, also the swan family, so hopefully the coots will thrive in parts of the canal if not the whole length. Herons fly over ourhouse regularly and occasionally land on my neighbour's pergola - lovely to see so close up!
Yours sincerely
Betty Scammell
I have seen the latest Guide Map to the canal, and once more it does not indicate a boat turning point two hundred yards west of Sheerwater Bridge (Lock 6). On the older maps the turning by Bridge Barn also was not shown. Perhaps members might like to correct these errors, all the rest will have to turn at Monument Bridge, which ever way they are going.
Pablo Haworth
Pablo is right - apologies.
[back to top]
page 17
KENNET & AVON LINK - Roger Cansdale
[A progress report on what is being done to carry forward Roger Reed's ideas for a link between the Basingstoke and Kennet & Avon Canals - a "Hants and Berks Canal"?].
Several things have happened --
Roger has further refined his proposals into a very useful report and, in the finest traditions of the Civil Service, a Working Group has been set up. Members include Roger Reed, Philip Riley (a former Secretary of the Canal Society), Verna Smith (the current Society's Secretary), Graham Hornsey, Roger Cansdale, and anyone else who is interested.
There have been several meetings and as a result, a letter was drafted and sent to WS Atkins and Scott, Wilson, Kirkpatrick asking for quotations for a preliminary feasibility study. This followed advice from Andy Stumpf that a professional study by a reputable company was essential to give the project credibility when discussing it with interested parties such as local councils.
WS Atkins has been involved with other similar projects and Scott, Wilson, Kirkpatrick did the study for Basingstoke & Deane Distrct Council some 10 years ago into the feasibility of restoring the last 5 miles into Basingstoke.
There has been [as of the end of last April] no response from either firm, but thanks to one of our members, Colin Pye, the Group has been put in touch with a third company, Hyder Consulting. The name may not be familiar to many people, but the company was formed from the amalgamation of Freeman Fox and John Taylor & Sons.
Mr Fox first made his mark by constructing the Crystal Palace to the design of Joseph Paxton and the two companies have since been responsible for a few bridges, including those for Sydney Harbour, the Humber, and the Severn, and some water supply projects in Shanghai, Leningrad and Tehran amongst others. The company would appear to have the ability to cope more than adequately with a small canal!
Colin put us in touch with the company's Engineering Services Director and we had a very useful meeting with him earlier in May. We explained what we were after and although he clearly thought that it was an ambitious project, he undertook to give us a quotation, which should be arriving shortly.
We shall then have to start looking for some money....
Does anybody know Chris Tarrant to get us onto "Who wants to be a Millionaire?"
ARCHIVES
The Society has a considerable collection of archive material which, thanks to the BCA, is now housed in our office at the Canal Centre. It contains sets of newsletters, sets of Committee minutes, collections of photos and many miscellaneous documents.
Also, most importantly, they include two or three filing cabinets containing the archives of the New Basingstoke Canal Company. These are still formally the property of Liz Dodwell, whose mother, Mrs Joan Marshall, was the general Manager for many years.
Jill Haworth has been custodian of the archives for some time, but the task of cataloguing them properly is far too much for any one person and their long-term preservation needs expert handling. The Society therefore approached the Surrey History Centre in Woking, who have offered to catalogue the collection and house the important material at no cost to the Society.
Liz and Tim Dodwell have some concerns about delaying public access to some of Mrs Marshall's papers which may still retain sensitivities for members of her family, but this will be addressed when the papers have been catalogued and we know what is in there.
FUEL SYSTEM TREATMENT
Fortran Automotive Products wish to give a 30 minute presentation, including a demonstration of water in the fuel and the damage it can cause, a talk on maintaining the fuel system as well as informative information on the varying qualities of fuel on the market. Total Fuel System Treatment can be purchased on the day at a discounted club rate. Byfleet Boat Club are willing to host the evening on Friday 17th September. To ascertain if there is sufficient support for this talk please register your intention with Dave Venn on 01252668697 or david.venn@ntlworld.com.
The club prices for the product are
325ml bottle will treat 325litres of fuel £12.93 (mail order
£19.98)
1 Litre bottle will treat 1000litres of fuel £30 (mail order
£42.43) inc VAT
[top]
page 18
# Meridian TV's 'Country Ways' programme featuring the Basingstoke Canal in Autumn proved to be an excellent advertisement for the canal. Scenes showing the John Pinkerton with Ron McLaughlin and the Basingstoke Canal Canoe Club came over very well. Thanks Meridian and the John Pinkerton team. (At least 3 JP charter bookings have been received as a direct result of the broadcast).
# Good to see that our regular annual touring theatre group 'The Mikron Theatre Company' had a fifteen minute slot on Channel 4 TV recently. The programme showed them on board NB Tyseley and also featured examples of a performance in a pub garden. Don't miss them when they visit the Fox and Hounds in Fleet on Sunday 4th July.
# The saga of the Dry Dock at Deepcut takes some beating. Shades of moving to the country and then complaining about church bells or cockerels crowing. When will people learn that doing their homework before moving is very important. The Dry Dock is a very useful source of finance for the canal and its use must not be made over restrictive.
# The latest survey for the proposed mooring basin/lay-by at the Canal Centre should have been undertaken by the time you read this. Let's hope that finally the latest target date for completion of Easter 2005 is met. This is another saga that has been running for too many years. Once again, income for the canal is at stake here.
# The opening of the new Four Seasons Hotel at Dogmersfield Park did not take place in February as I indicated in the last issue. Projected opening date is now late summer or early autumn. Building delays have put the date back.
# The winter clearance work by Society volunteers west of the Greywell Tunnel has put the towpath back in excellent condition. Well worth a visit for an afternoon walk and to see the remains of the old Brickworks Arm of the canal.
# The Bridge Barn Boat Festival at Woking at Easter was its usual excellent event this year. A very good advertisement for the canal in Woking and a good social gathering as well. Congratulations to all concerned.
# With April's rainfall being above average with some very wet days towards the end of the month, the water supply for the canal this summer augurs well. However, the only way to prevent bring entirely reliant on the weather is to finish the back-pumping schemes and have a reservoir supply for the top pound. Both must remain top priorities.
# Saturday 3rd July once again sees a major angling match on the canal with 900 pegs between Lodge Farm Bridge, North Warnborough and Kiln Bridge, St.John's, Woking. This is the NFA Division 2 Championship. Best to keep clear and not use the canal or towpath that day.
# Funding for the regular maintenance and repair of the canal gets more difficult year by year with more local authorities cutting back on their contributions. The canal is a man-made structure and without regular attention will soon deteriorate both from an engineering and environmental viewpoint. There is the very important safety issue too with many cuttings and embankments to maintain. The recent audit has identified 200 jobs that need attention and funds must be found for these over the next few years.
# The massive Project Connaught in Aldershot on both sides of the canal can, hopefully, benefit the canal with some much needed facilities on the canal for the residents of Aldershot. A recent survey in Rushmoor showed that residents really do appreciate having the Basingstoke Canal on their doorstep even though it is at present almost entirely bordered by military land. The canal is a green lung through the garrison area.
# The consultation on the new Canal Management Plan, which is now ongoing, is vital for the long term future of the canal. Let's hope the final draft, which goes before the Joint Management Committee in October, reflects all interests.
[back to top]
page 19
(From Society Newsletters No.58 Sept-Oct 1974 and No.59 Nov-Dec 1974)
# Following on from Surrey County Council's application for a Compulsory Purchase Order for their section of the canal under the provisions of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, the canal owners the New Basingstoke Canal Company have applied to SCC for an Alternative Development Certificate, the reason being to establish the market value of the property.
# One reason for the delay in confirming the order is the question whether the canal can be defined as 'countryside'. If SCC maintains that the canal can be valued as a navigation and does not grant the ADC then the owners could appeal to the Secretary of State for the Environmentfora hearing, which will cause more delay.
# Such a move could raise the complicated legal position surrounding the existence of the right of navigation, which could cause further delay. The then Society Vice-President and MP for Woking, the late Cranley Onslow has asked a question in the House to the Secretary of State asking him when a CPO decision would be made. The reply was 'as soon as possible'.
# On the Hampshire section the new Canal wardens are getting to know each other and struggling to raise the water level near Odiham, mainly by filling rat holes to stop leaks. Contractors are repairing culverts and the Whitewater aqueduct.
# The canal sponsored towpath walk in July raided £4027 with over 500 people taking part, 278 walking the full distance of 15 miles. A total of 6,848 miles were covered during the day. The oldest walker was 72 and the youngest was 4.
# On the 29th.July the Society's newly acquired steam dredger achieved a once-in-a-lifetime speed of 30 miles an hour across Hazeley Heath on the back of a 60ft.trailer. The lifting out of the canal at Reading and the lifting into the canal at Colt Hill, Odiham were exciting spectacles. A hole had been dug into the silt at Colt Hill to take the dredger and pontoons. The Watney Mann Group sponsored the cost of the transportation.
# A small sub-committee of the Society is being set up under the leadership of David Robinson to organise the setting up of a small canal museum. This would utilise the collection of interesting items and artefacts being gathered together.
# £ 1000 was allocated from the recent sponsored walk to build four sets of lock gates to be used on the Surrey section when the future restored locks are ready to receive them. They will be built of greenheart which will be stronger than the now rotten and derelict oak gates.
# The Society's lengthsmen scheme is to be revamped and re-organised to supplement HCC's five full time canal wardens. The sections will be split into smaller lengths so that the task is easy and only requires a pleasant walk along the canal in Hampshire at regular intervals.
# The first major working party of the winter season cleared some 200 yards of the non-towpath side of the canal below Claycart Bridge, Aldershot. Other tasks being undertaken are the clearance of the Colt Hill bridge hole at Odiham, which is nearly complete, and a start on the bridge hole at Swan Bridge, North Warnborough.
# Frank Jones is organising two small groups to revive the work on Ash Lock and to rebuild Artillery weir. Budding or experienced bricklayers are required for bricklaying, pointing, concrete laying and suchlike.
# Colin Bonsey, the HCC Recreation Officer made the following quotation to David Gerry when he took over the canal manager job:
"Remember, this canal will be restored not by us but by voluntary labour". So, let's all get stuck into it(!) this winter. To paraphrase the wartime slogan, "We have the tools, let's finish the job".
# Overheard on the dredger
"Excuse me" "Pardon?"
"You're standing on my hand" "Do what?"
"Get off my xxxxxxx thumb"
The following people have donated money to the Water Appeal since the last news letter was printed:-
Norman Simmons of Fleet, Andrew Collins of Addlestone, Les Harris's book sale, Tom Howe of Walton on Thames.
I am eagerly waiting to receive the money we made from the Bridge Barn Boat Rally.
Pablo
[back to top]
page 20
 | |
For several years, the job of stuffing the Newsletters into envelopes and consigning them to the post has been done very efficiently by David and Margaret Back and Duncan and Ann Payne.
David and Margaret are now moving away from the area and we are looking for some replacements to help Duncan and Ann, preferably living in or near Fleet. The job is not too onerous as the Newsletter only appears 4 times a year. About 1200 copies have to be folded and put into envelopes which are self-adhesive, so you don't need to lick them all! They are franked by the Post Office, so no stamps to stick on either.
If you would like to know more or to offer your services, please give me a ring on 01252616964.Thanks.
Roger Cansdale
|
Date for next copy 31st July 2004
Published by the Surrey and Hampshire Canal Society Ltd., a non-profit distributing company limited by guarantee, registered as a Charity. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Society. Executive members of the Committee are shown in bold type and Directors of the Socie
have an asterisk (") after their name.
Editorial Team: Editor: Roger Cansdale
79 Gally Hill Road, Church Crookham, Hants GU52 6RU e-mail: roger.cans6ale@ntlworld.com 01252-616964
President: The Earl of Onslow
Chairman: Peter Redway* 1 Redway Cottages, St John's Lye, Woking, Surrey GU21 1SL 01483-721710
Vice-Chairman: Dieter Jebens* 60 Middle Bourne Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU10 3NJ 01252-715230
Hon. Secretary: Verna Smith* 63 Avondale, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Hants GU12 5NE 01252-517622
Hon. Treasurer: Jonathan Wade* 30 Hanover Gardens, Cove, Farnborough, Hants GU14 9DT 01252-524690
Membership Secretary: Doreen Hornsey 'Mallards', 94a Aldershot Road, Fleet, Hants GU51 3FT 01252-623591
e-mail: grador@totalise.co.uk
Working Party Information: Peter Redway* 1 Redway Cottages, St John's Lye, Woking, Surrey GU21 1SL 01483-721710
Trip Boat Manager: Ron McLaughlin 94 Guildford Road, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Hants GU12 6BT 01252-672189
Trip Boat Bookings: Marion Gough St Catherines, Hurdle Way, Compton Down, Winchester, Hants SO21 2AN 01962-713564
Sales Manager &
Mail Order Sales: Verna Smith* 63 Avondale, Ash Vale, Aldershot, Hants GU12 5NE 01252-517622
Exhibitions Manager: Position vacant
Website Manager: Arthur Dungate 39 Sian Close, Church Crookham, Fleet, Hants GU52 6BT 01252-622101
e-mail: arthurdungate@onetel.com
Talks Organiser: Position vacant
Press Officer: Dieter Jebens* 60 Middle Bourne Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU10 3NJ 01252-715230
Gift Aid manager
& Lengthman Organiser: Graham Hornsey* 'Mallards', 94a Aldershot Road, Fleet, Hants GU51 3FT 01252-623591
e-mail: grador@totalise.co.uk
200 Club organiser: Jim Johnstone 20 Hawkins Grove, Fleet, Hants GU51 5TX 01252-626749
Archivist: Jill Haworth Sheerwood, 501 Woodham Lane, Woking, Surrey GU21 5SR 01932-342081
Woking Organiser: Peter Coxhead 17 Abbey Close, Pyrford, Woking, Surrey GU22 8RY 01932-344564
Safety Manager: David Venn* 75 Carfax Ave, Tongham, Farnham, Surrey GU10 1BE 01252-668697
Director: Philip Riley* Wincombe Cottage, Broad Oak, Hook, Hants RG29 1AH 01256-702109
Director: David Lloyd-Langston* 7 Fernhill Close, Upper Hale, Farnham, Surrey GU9 OJL 01252-723309
Director: Bob Malcolm* Little Willow, College Road, Ash, Aldershot, Hants GU12 5DA 01252-659876
Director: Peter Wright* Holly Lodge, 39 The Avenue, Crowthorne, Berks RG45 6PB 01344-772461
Basingstoke Canal Authority:
Canal Centre, Mytchett Place Road, Mytchett, Surrey GU16 6DD 01252-370073
Canal Society Internet Website: www.basingstoke-canal.org.uk
Printed by A3 Design & Print, Farnham
[back to top]
|