20th & 21st March - IWA,WRGS,BCNS, BW Cleanup at Horseley Field.

On Thursday 18th we took Phoenix up to Broad Street Depot, Wolverhampton, in readiness for the annual Cleanup. Saturday morning saw Phoenix towing a dayboat - with the assistance of several WRGies - to the BW dredger about a mile up the Wyrley & Essington. From there we picked up the crew - Martin,Barrie,Bob May etc for a day of rubbish collection and dayboat moving before returning Phoenix to Broad Street for the night.

Sunday saw Phoenix up the W & E again, picking up an empty dayboat and taking it to the end of the cleanup site. Both boats were then loaded to capacity over a distance of about one to one and a half miles. The dayboat was returned to the transfer site at the Nickleodeon where she was moored for the night. Pheonix was then returned fully loaded to Broad Street.

As Phoenix was the only boat working on the Sunday, a lot of rubbish was left on the bank and it took BW until Wednesday to clear it. Phoenix remained at Broad Street until Thursday when she was returned to the Engine Arm by Andy and myself.

18th April - Smethwick Gauging Island

The island was again the site of a work party and this time the vegetation was cleared and the roots left from the previous WP were cleaned of soil and burned. The towpath on the offside was cleared and strimmed and the bushes and tree growth removed and burned. It was a very successful cleanup and thanks go to the usual 5 or 6 members who made up the party.

20th & 21st May - Collection oif dayboat from Coven

Jeff Barley and Andy Meek took Hawthorn towards Wolverhampton on Wednesday evening and down the 21 on Thursday morning. I joined then at the bottem and we proceeded to Coven to collect our new dayboat.- courtesy of Ian Brain and Canal and River Services. Actually it's not exactly new - she was built in 1870 something.

We winded with some difficulty and returned to Autherley Junction, collecting Phil Clayton who had spotted us passing his garden. We worked both boats to above lock 17 where we moored for the night. After our evening meal, several hundred litres of water were bailed out of the dayboat, making her much easier to tow.

Friday morning Phil joined us again and the boats were worked through the remaining locks. After a brief lunch at Broad Street I collected my car from the yard and drove back to Titford to set the locks for the boats, that travelled back along the Wolverhampton Level. Later we worked both boats through the locks and they moored at the Pumphouse for about 4pm.

13th June - Pre Rally Work Party

Andy, Kevin, Ian, Michael and I took Phoenix up to Titford Pools collecting a good deal of floating rubbish on the way. The weather was extremely hot and abreak was necessary by the time a very dehydrated work party reached the "Navigation". Following a much needed respite we tackled Titford Pools and after a trip around both pools we filled Phoenix with tree stumps, branches and other floating rubbish until we could get no more on board. The improvement in the Pool was very rewarding and we - tired and a bit sunburned - -returned Phoenix to the Pumphouse. She was emptied by BW in time for the Rally.

Jeff planted a BCN boundary post on the green outside the Pumphouse.

A week prior to this, Kevin and a group of scouts had a very successful workparty on the Old Main Line, filling Phoenix with a good selection of bridge'ole rubbish.

Well done to all who took part.