Firstly we had the successful completion and opening of the Holland Moorings at Farnborough Road. This project provides 200m of mooring facilities with the £60,000 cost being paid for by the BCS with monies coming from a legacy from the Holland family. Not only does it provide much needed moorings for visiting boats but the income generated will go to the BCA towards to cost of running the canal (members can see more details about this project in the next BCN).
Going forwards we have a number of other BCS projects and collaborative projects with BCA, in addition to supporting day to day maintenance, the main ones being:
INFORMATION BOARDS :
Great news that an order has now been placed by BCA for 15 new oak framed A1 size Information Boards at specific locations along the canal. This project is fully funded by donations to the BCS through our fund raising programme. The content of each board is currently being finalised but will provide a mix of local information and history. Production of the boards should commence shortly.
ACCESS TO OUR ARCHIVES:
With 70% of the BCS Archive material digitised the proposed on-line archive/museum is progressing well. The team are busy with the file and item referencing related to both the digital and physical archives before the remainder of the digitising progresses from September. Ultimately members will be able to access the archive through the website and the physical archive will be reviewed
LONGER TERM PROJECTS:
Regarding longer term projects discussions are progressing to recreate, as a footpath route, The Last 5 Miles, although in some locations the exact line of the canal can no longer be followed. Currently the Society’s largest project is the replacement of Kitty, our trip boat based at Woking, with a new fully electric boat together with the charging infrastructure. A number of boatbuilders have been approached and we are looking to draw up a shortlist this autumn. This project will require very significant external funding and our fundraising team have a proposed strategy and are already progressing grant funding.