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Number of articles:-11
1...See Section below item 10: re I.W.A Waterways Festival: and BCNS involvement which takes the place of all work party activities for August.
The area covers Factory Locks, Malthouse Stables, Boatmans Mission and the Gauging Station, with three bridges over the canal. Much of the surrounding area has since been thought to be worthy of inclusion so Sandwell Council have therefore considered that the existing Factory Locks Conservation Area should be extended to take in the complete circle of canals around the town centre ( inclusive of the infilled section of the former Tipton Green Locks). Stretching as far as Pitchfork Bridge on the Old Line, the Birmingham New Road bridge on the Dudley Canal and Watery Lane Bridge on the New Line. Item 1... BCNS Hit Squad:- YOUR SOCIETY NEEDS YOU The National Waterways Museum at Gloucester Docks is set to re-open its doors on 24th May 2008 in time for the Spring Bank Holiday. The Dudley Canal Trust plans that formed the bid to the 'Peoples Millions' televised vote have been revamped. Both Dudley Council and the Trust vowed after narrowly mising out on the last bid to continue with the plan. The plans have been resurrected with plans for a new lottery bids. The Inaugural Meeting of the S.O.W took place at Stafford Boat Club on Thursday 10th April 2008. Earlier this year the campaign stated that it was going to re organise its self into a membership based organisation. The National Waterways Musuems held a conference in March at Ellesmere Port where it was announced that the museums had come to realise that they cannot restore or conserve all the boats in the collection on their own. They had broken down the collection into a number of categories A, B and C. and where exploring ways that the collection could be saved using other agencies and funding streams. Further to the below facts once again interested parties are trying to save this important canal structure from the wrecks ball. The BCNS Bonfire Rally has become, without doubt, one of the most enjoyable events on the BCN. What we sometimes forget is that it is very much a community event for the public as as boaters. It is a free show to anyone who wants to walk through the gates. Addressed to you Barry but really meant for all who played a part in this years Bonfire Rally so give whatever distribution you wish. Certainly comm, possibly BP. Too many names to pick individuals, but you bore the overall responsibility, certainly whenever I asked a question the answer invariably was, ask Barry. Red Diesal is set to stay at waterside locations when the fuel duty derogation is removed in November 2008. So waterside yards etc need not go to the expense of fitting extra tanks to service boaters. The Droitwich Heritage Project Group recieved a 10,000 pound grant from Awards for All to record the history of the canals as told by the poeple who worked on or lived alongside the waterway.
BCNS Work Party News
News
No 11:-Tipton Conservation Area Upgrade
These linear routes have sufficient charactor and historic fabric to warrant designation, containing as hey do a further three listed buildings and no fewer than 23 structures which warrant local listing. In addition, this enlarged Conservation Area would link several important pockets of public open space.
For further details including a map of the area see Sandwell site on:-www.sandwell.gov.uk
May 2008
No 10:-I.W.A Waterways Festival News
The Society has volunteered to be toilet cleaners at this years Festival. Any donations will boost the society funds:-
Update from Dave Dent
This is not the team to run the daily "Lavender Boat" up and down the moorings. Our role will be to maintain the on-site mobile tiolet blocks on the festival site. Most of the time this will involve a bit of sweeping up, mopping down and replenishing supplies. We will make sure that the Visitors and Boaters/Campers are aware that it is the efforts of the BCNS that are providing their facilities and seeking donations ("spend a penny with the BCNS"?) Naturally all supplies and protective gear will be provided. If there is a serious cleanliness issue, this will be handled by a special "volunteer" - probably me!! Dependant on numbers and availability, this may only involve a couple of hours a day, leaving you free to enjoy the other amenities of the Festival.
If you are not attending by boat or caravan, we can arrange a day entry pass - I know this may seem little compensation but you also get to raise funds for the Society. Plus you will become the proud owner of an exclusive BCNS *HIT SQUAD T-SHIRT!
We have a core of volunteers but we would welcome more members and friends to ensure we provide a high level of service to the reputational and financial benefit of the Society.
Please let me or any other council member know your contact details so we can organise a rota to suit your commitments!
Item 2...Festival Goes Footbal Crazy
Wolverhampton Wanders Football Club is keen to support the Festival and will be attending at various times throughout the weekend. Sports Connections of Peterborough will be providing football activities for visitors, one of which will be their penalty speed challenge! World Class ball jugglers will also be giving demonstrations of their skills.
For more info on this event call 0870 240 2438.
May 2008
No 9:-Museum Re-opens in May
The building has re organised its space with new graphics and interpretation boards, interactive and hands on exhibits bring the the story of living, working and moving on the waterways of Britian to life.<
Prices start at £2.75p for children, a family ticket for four will cost £12. Discounts for groups and season tickets are available.
For further information tel no 01452 318200.
May 2008
No 8:-Dudley Canal Trust Relaunch Plans for Caverns
The plans will enable the Trusat to build a state of the art visitors centre for its canal trips into the limestone caverns and mines which already attract around 100,000 visitors a year.
The councul is planning a seperate bid to seek funding for a visitors centre at the Wrens Nest nature reserve and the fossil rich limestone beds.
Both bodies will help one another with the bids especilly in the preparatory work. The Trusts Chairman, Vic Smallshire, said "The Trust has completely outgrown its present visitor centre and desperately needs a custom built centre not only to cope with rapid increase in boat trip passenger numbers but to provide a comprehensive interpretation and educational centre" "If the council and the Trust are successful in their schemes, the pressure to complete the project by reopening, the other canals and caverns will be irresistable".
May 2008
No 7:-Save Our Waterways
The new organisation been formed with the specific aim of taking the campaign to the 95 per cent of waterways users that are unrepresented by any existing user group. The campaign orginally focused on known supportors, who by definition, normally belong to other user groups. It was felt that many users of our waterways were un represented and that by reaching out to this community led group a new membership could be formed that will carry the SoW forward and enhance the profile of the campaign for securing adequate, long term funding for the nation's inland waterways.
The annual subscription has been set at just five pounds, so that all users of the waterways not just boaters will join.
To Join:
CHEQUE: Make Five Pounds payable to: Save Our Waterways and post to:- Save Our Waterways, 36 Micklehome Drive, Alrewas, Staffordshire DE13 7AT
BANK TRANSFER:
Transfer Five Pounds to: Save Our Waterwayss, The Cooperative Bank, Sort Code- 08 92 99, Acount No - 6522629
ONLINE(Paypal or Card)
If you have access to the Internet, just visit the below web address and follow the instructions:
New Save our Waterways Website www.saveourwaterways.org
No 6:-Old Boats, New Life
The categories are thus:-
A:- Boats which have a long term future, accession in the collection of the Waterways Museum. These are important boats nationally, which tell the story of the history and development of Britains Waterways. sub divided into the following groups:-
A1- Boats whose preservation, restoration and interpretation is proposed to be funded through a single strategic bid to the Hertiage Lottery Fund.
A2- Boats which are not currently in need of major funding and which can be preserved through normal day to day conservation and maintenence.
A3- Other nationally important boats that we need to find other funding/support for - retain in collection.
Boats whose preservation and restoration could be suitable projects for individual sponsorship or other seperate sources of funding.
B- The future preservation of these boats lies in the curatorial assistance from other organistations including loans or, if necessary, tranfers.
C- Boats, or parts of boats, which no longer have a place in the collection, and which wil be carefully recorded and then disposed of.
A large number of issues are caused to this society by attempting to help in this area, all of which need to be discussed by the council. one being do we have the necessary skills to take on what are mainly wooden boats?
For a more detailed break down of the boats etc please visit NWM Website www.nwm.org.uk
March 2008
No 5:-Boat Inn Coseley:-Due for Demolition: Urgent update
Lawrence Hogg the well known BCN stalwart has been busy contacting Engilish Heritage about the situation. He has had a reply from EH that they did look at the structure within the last five years and came to a conclusion that without further facts they would not get invovled.
Lawrence has spread the word on various web and other canal based publications for persons/info that could possibly help in presenting a factul historical account as to why the site should be saved. Lawrence is only interested in FACTS NOT OPINIONS to be forward directly to English Heritage on the following E mail address:-deborah.porter@englishheritage.co.uk
Lawrence has asked that any info sent to EH be copied to him at:-LHPVIDEO@YAHOo.co.uk
Have also seen this address written as:-lhpvideo@yahoo.co.uk
If you have any problems with the first address. The matter is URGENT: TIME IS SHORT SO ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY RECIEVED:-
Dated 28th March 2008.
Original Article
The 'Boat Inn' Coseley is going to be demolished according to notices displayed on the building.
It may be already to late to do anything about it but its loss will be a loss to the 'canalscape' of the area.
The pub is to this day entirely original with all of its out buildings intact, access to the towpath being via a brick archway in the rear wall to the yard of the pub. The canal wall has many types of brickwork and stone work in its make up depiciting years of history.
Surely British Waterways pub chain should be in the market of safing and restoring such pubs as a vital part of the canal infer-stucture???
The charactor of the canal area around the Anchor Lane and Biddings Lane will be changed for ever. Once a very busy area with the pub being on the opposite side of the canal to the once busy Matty's Basin, itself full of the yellow painted boats that made up the fleet.
March 2008
No 4:-BCNS Bonfire Rally 2007
BCNS make little or no profit and if it were not for the sponsor money the fireworks would not be possible. The following write up was published in the Sandwell Chronicle on November 8th 2007. Don't be frightened by it- WE WILL HAVE A BONFIRE IN 2008! We will find the funding!
Every November the area around the Engine Arm Aqueduct over the New Main Line Canal is transformed into the setting for the Birmingham Canal Navigations Society annual bonfire rally. But plans for next year's rally, an event which has been running for 18 years and has attracted as many as 110 boats, could go up in smoke if a new sponser is not found to save the event.
The rally has previously been funded by a grant from Sandwell Canals for Communities, a group promoting canal heritage. Organisers say funding has now run dry and hey have been forced to look for another sponsor to foot the 1000 pound fireworks bill.
BCNS vice-chairman, Barrie Johnson, said; "If we could not get sponsership we would have to finance the event ourselves".
"We will stand the cost of the insurance for the bonfire but we're looking at 1000 pounds in sponsorship.
"If it were to cease it would be a great shame."
Mr Johnson said the charity organisation, which promotes the use of waterways in the area, recently had to pay out 635 pounds in insurance fees for just 20 minutes of fireworks.
He also fears ambitious plans to convert the Millennuim Basin business complex into a housing development would mean moving the traditional event to another site.
The proposed Brindley 2 scheme will see hundreds of waterside homes built along the historic canal network between Lewisham Road and Rolfe Street, if it goes ahead. Mr Johnson added: "We would not be able to put the bonfire on. We need a lot of space to view the bonfire and give good public access."
Hopeful of finding a sponsor, the BCNS committee has earmarked November 1st for this years event!.
Thank You from David (BCNS President) & Myrtle Smith
What was good to see was the number of younger members giving more than a passing hand, not the younger than Eric, Ron and I but the younger ones like Bevis and Kate and Robert and Kate. Now I've done it, namedcnames and missed someone out!
So well done all helpers and on behalf of the membership, and that's one thing I can do, thank you very much indeed. Myrtle and I like many others had a super day out. We are looking carefully at ways of attending the 40th Birthday Celebrations on July 11th - 13th 2008. Members please put it in your diaries NOW.
No 2:-Red Diesal
Although boaters should expect an increase in duty from that date for purposes of propulsion when buying red diesal a lower rate of duty will be charged for commercial purposes and for fuel used for domestic and heating purposes.
A HM Revenue & Customs statement said "Private pleasure vessels will continue to be permitted to use marked (red Diesal) but at a rate for heavy oil, repaying the rebated duty via the Registered Dealers in Controlled Oils, who will declare this to HMRC. An allowance for domestic use will be permitted.
So boaters may continue to use red diesal at a lower rate, even though it may go into the same tank used for propulsion.
The HMRC decision means that boaters will now have to declare at the point of purchase what proportion of the fuel bought is for domestic use and the vendor will charge and acount for the duty due on the transaction. Although HMRC state that vendors will not be required to verify the validity of declarations made to them by users; they need only retain the declaration in their records to support their own duty return to HMRC.
So while no one can pretend that the duty increase on red diesel is a good thing it appears that HMRC has managed the consultation process well, have listen to the concerns of the marine industry and come up with a system which the British Marine Federation can support. The proposed system spreads the burden between boaters and the industry in a fair way, this should keep the existing infrastucture, boaters will still be able to access fuel in convenient locations.
March 2008
No 1:-Droitwich Canals
The memories will be recorded in print and a DVD, capturing those who remember the working boats on the canal through to the years of restoration to the use of the canal today. If you have any memories to share about this canal Tel 01452 318000
March 2008