Diary | Directory

Editorial Comment ~ Wendy Andrews.

A Happy New Year to All Working Party Members and All Readers of Working Party News! Thank you to all the group leaders for their contributions to this month's edition.

Christmas Lunch ~ (Colin Gibbs)

There was a maximum turnout for the Christmas lunch which went off very well - a great time was had by all. We were sorry not to have Janet with us as she fell ill on the day.

A Reminder - attendances for the 4th Quarter should be returned by 15th January 2007 please.

WTS Group (formerly TSG Group) ~ Eric Walker

At Loxwood lock the electricity was connected on the due date (6th December) and the submersible pump could be left on until the water level was down to a reasonable level. The smaller of the permanent back pumps is now on order and due for delivery on the 22nd Jan. The stop planks have been fitted.

Burras working behind the Onslow Arms has put the pile-capping beam and the retaining wall along the towpath and a bund between them before Christmas. A further twenty metres of retaining wall and pile capping beam will be made in January. Once that is complete, the towpath has to be reinstated and then the bund at Brewhurst can be removed.

Once the pavement along the B2133 had been reinstated following the water diversion, BT turned up to do their work, eight weeks late! The initial part of their work was to dig up the new pavement to install two new inspection boxes. Not included was bursting the water main, which was just where they wanted to be. Building two other boxes on the west of the road revealed that there is a live electric cable in the centre of the road, which was not supposed to be there. Also, there is another road surface, 'black top' to use the jargon, about a foot below the current road surface and about 8 feet to the west. Previously we had been told that the road had been realigned in 1964, was this part of it? The realignment of the road to the east, accounts for the services being further west than expected and the conclusion that there were no 'as built' drawings for the new position of the road.

Priority for the volunteers is the reinstatement of the bridleway behind the Onslow, this is a major job requiring over a hundred blocks, each weighing over a couple of hundredweight, to be made and installed. While at the lock the installation of the quoins and back pump are to be done with other smaller jobs, as time permits.

Winston Harwood's Group ~ Lawrie Wraight

Our group has been winding down in December and has been spread out, assisting on various sites. We hope to start work near Lordings in January, weather permitting.

Keith Nichols' Group ~ Keith Nichols

Happy New Year to all and sundry!

Hedge laying has continued at a pace, the pace being non existent over Christmas, finishing on the 18th December and restarting on the 31st. To date, Wednesday 3rd January, 79m have been layed, leaving 67m to completion with 64m being bound. Today we were mob handed, which made a welcome change from yesterday when I finished by the light of the full moon, having been by myself all afternoon (sob, sob!)

Free plants available from the Hedge Laying Group! Dig your own Blackberry! (We all hate bramble)

Mid Week Working Party ~ (Peter Jackman)

Firstly, an interim 'thank you' to everyone who has wished me well around the time of my hip operation. I don't know what I've done to deserve so many kind thoughts!

We've finished now at Devil's Hole and start work in Sidney Wood on Wednesday 10th for 1 or 2 weeks, depending on how much more material Keith needs for hedge laying. There will be NO FIRES!! Next move, always subject to alteration, is expected to be to continue along from Compasses towards the A281 and then on through to Mill Farm. While I'm out of action please contact Tony Lewis on 01306 886 415 for confirmation.

Maintenance Manager ~ (David Jessop)

LEE FARM HEDGE PLANTING or, no wonder I have to keep taking the tablets.

I am pleased to report that the big hedge-planting job at Lee Farm has been completed - and quicker than I expected. This was possible because of the hard work of many keen volunteers. I hope I have thanked them all personally but am very happy to do so again now. They were great! As well as our trusty regulars, there were some new faces helping with this task and we hope that we will see them again very soon. Richard helped with many ideas to speed and ease the workload. Perhaps the best of these was a measure to show where to dig holes to ensure we kept to a regular four plants per metre and the correct distance from the fence. So many people arrived on the first day (see below) that I began to feel slightly optimistic for the first time. By the end of the day, seeing how much work had been completed, I had converted to optimism. The second day was a bit colder with a nippy wind and everyone worked well so that by home time we were over 900 metres into the job.

I very nearly became a convert to pessimism when I thought of the very few people that had promised to turn out the next Saturday but was able to call in the Mid-Week Working Party at short notice. Their excellent work buoyed my faith - until I got home and heard the weather forecast for the weekend. Not good. Sustained bad weather could scupper our plans. Panic. I sipped of the cup of pessimism.

After looking at my incoming e-mails, I began to feel that this optimism thing might suit me after all as more people indicated that they were coming along. Saturday the 9th December dawned frosty but sunny and the keen volunteers were planting by 9.30 am. At elevenses, I was cautiously optimistic about finishing, but didn't dare tell anyone. Then someone (Tony, I think) told me that the finishing line was in sight. He actually said, 'The end is nigh', which didn't help my faith at all!

Then, shortly before lunchtime, we had done it. It was over, no more mud and dirty, cold fingers. No more barbed wire to avoid. No more spiky plants with enormous roots to cram into small holes. We had a continuous, neat double line of plants complete with bamboo stakes and rabbit guards stretching from Lee Farm Lock northwards to the right angle bend in the canal. A Result!

A few facts: total length 1.5 kilometres (= nine tenths of a mile); 6,000 hedging plants, bamboo stakes and plastic guards; 43 people helped at various times (many, more than once), mostly from Sussex and Surrey but two from Buckinghamshire and one from France; 29 people on the first day, 13 on the second, 14 on the third and 17 on the fourth; 380 hours worked over 3.5days; farmer very pleased. So are we. Let's hope that the plants all grow. I might stay an optimist until I know. What's that you say? There's a hedge at Loxwood to plant? When? I know a team that can!

Loxwood Link Maintenance Unit ~ (Peter Wilding)

No news from Peter this month.

Monday Working Party ~ (John Empringham)

Two further 'keeping up appearances' visits to the Utworth Manor section of canal in December have nearly restored it to the tidy condition that MWWP left it after their major clearance last winter. We have a section of bank still to clear towards Mill farm and no less than 12 bonfires piled up and ready to go when they have dried out a bit.

In January we will be out on the third and fifth Mondays of the month (as the first Monday is New Years day) and, subject to landowner permission, plan visits to Malham Lock and Rowners Lock as these have not been visited for a long time.

We are usually out on the first and third Mondays of each month.

Visiting Groups ~ (Graham Baird)

Nothing from me this month as not a lot has been done. Two weekend camps are planned for January however, so there will be more news next month.

If you do not attend regularly, please contact the site manager before joining a work party.

First & third Mondays of the month
Mrs Bucket' - Keeping Up Appearances Details from John Empringham

Most Tuesday mornings
Maintenance sessions at Tickner's Heath Depot Check with Colin Gibbs

Every Wednesday
Mid-Week Working Party Ring Peter Jackman for site details

Every Wednesday
Loxwood Link maintenance Contact Peter Wilding

Every Wednesday, Thursday & Sunday
Mainly construction work. Meet at the Onslow Arms, 09.30. Contact Eric Walker for details

Every Thursday
Winston Harwood Group, usually Lordings but elsewhere this quarter Contact Lawrie Wraight for details.

February: Sun 4, Tue 6, Sun 11, Wed 14
Keith Nichols Group
Check with Keith for last minute changes to dates and for venue

WACT Office, General enquiries, 01403 752 403 email: office@weyandarun.co.uk
Wendy Andrews, W P News Editor, 01403 752 170 email: wendy_andrews@weyandarun.co.uk
Turlough Bamber, Restoration Manager, 01483 421 305 email: restoration@weyandarun.co.uk
David Jessop, Maintenance Manager, 01403 269 384 email: david_jessop@weyandarun.co.uk
Eric Walker (Loxwood Area) 02392 463025 email: ericwalker@onetel.com
Peter Jackman (Mid-week Working Party) 01483 772132
John Empringham, Keeping Up Appearances, 01483 562657, email: john@empringham.com
Dave Junkison (Lordings Lock & Aqueduct) 020 8941 0685
Peter Wilding (Loxwood Maintenance) 01483 422519, email: peter_wilding@weyandarun.co.uk
Colin Gibbs (Tickners Maintenance) 020 8241 7736 email: colin-gibbs@blueyonder.co.uk
Don Gibson (Midweek Walks) 01903 201375
Lawrie Wraight (The Winston Harwood Working Group) 01903 721404
Bill Nicholson, Visiting Groups, 01844 343 369, email: bandsnicholson@tiscali.co.uk
Graham Baird, Brewhurst Lock Reconfiguration, 01403 262 515, email: graham@gbaird.plus.com