Diary | Directory

Editorial Comment ~ Wendy Andrews.

February has been another wet month - good news for water levels but not so good for getting on with the job, especially tidying up around the Onslow Arms in preparation for the Easter Cruises. Talking of which, there are lots of opportunities to get involved 'landside' over the Easter weekend, be it car park patrol, entertaining, lock-keeping or meeting and greeting. It's a great opportunity to meet other members of the Trust and to spread the word to the visiting public. If you can spare some time please contact Rosie Sugar at rosiesugar@tiscali.co.uk or on 01403 752321.

For those of you who are not already aware, WACT has appointed Michael Joseph to the important post of Conservation Officer. Michael is a recently retired airline pilot and lives near the canal not far from Lordings. With his wife Jane, Michael has restored half an acre of pasture near his home back to a superb wildflower meadow with pond and hedgerow. His first priority will be landscaping on the new lowered banks and winding hole at Loxwood. That leads neatly on to a plea for help from our Maintenance Manager, David Jessop. We have an opportunity to transform an area of canal bank at Loxwood into a managed site to encourage existing plants and enable new species to be introduced. The team will aim to improve the view from the road after the recent major construction work. No heavy work is involved - the first jobs will include clearing brambles and thistles. At present, the intention is to work on Saturday mornings, (say) 10am to 1pm, but the day and times will depend on the availability of volunteers. If you would like to help, please contact David directly. Meanwhile Michael has agreed to contribute to future editions of WPN with his conservation plans.

WTS Group (formerly TSG Group) ~ Eric Walker

No work has been done at Loxwood lock this last month, as all efforts have been concentrated on the towpath behind the Onslow Arms.

Behind the Onslow work started putting up a wall alongside the fence around the pub's private garden. During one of the storms in the month, the fence was brought down, which put all the more urgency to complete the wall. The same storm also brought down four of the 60-foot high Leylandii trees by the pumping station. 'Changeable' is the word they used in the weather forecasts, 'wet' would have been a better word, which for the volunteers meant mud. However there was one Sunday when the turf was laid east of the pub and another when the units of the retaining wall were sealed. Oh yes, the milestone was put back, being incorporated into the wall at the back of the towpath.

Early March will see, again behind the Onslow and under the towpath, a drainage pipe and a duct for electricity being installed. With those in place the bridleway reinstatement can start.

The diversion of the BT cables on the Loxwood canal bridge site is almost complete, but the ducts are so full that getting the last cable in has proved very difficult and there has been a lot of digging in the B2133 verge and road to get the 1600m long optical fibre in, from the telephone exchange in Loxwood to the junction at Plaistow Road.

Tickners Heath Depot ~ (Colin Gibbs)

Nothing to report this month. Colin is always pleased to welcome anyone with an engineering or mechanical background who would be prepared to work with Stuart Savage on repairing and maintaining our tools and equipment.

Winston Harwood's Group ~ Lawrie Wraight

Our group has been working at Loxwood, initially clearing up after the contractors have left the site, so that the area behind the Onslow Arms looks tidy. The fencing of the pub next to towpath has suffered from the severe weather, so building a retaining wall became top priority. We assisted in shoring up an earth bank and laying a foundation, and later cleaned reclaimed materials for use in the construction of the wall.

Keith Nichols' Group ~ Keith Nichols

Greetings fellow workers from the Hedge laying Group!

February 1st and 6th saw us planting 12 trees at the Brewhurst Lock end of the layed hedge and tidying up. We then transferred to the Onslow overflow car park. This was to coppice a third of the hazel and construct a protective loosely woven rustic fence so that cars won't run over the regenerating stools. This work continued on the 14th and 19th although I was in need of a snorkel/aqualung set on the 14th as the tide came in rather rapidly. The 19th also saw Dave Kersley and myself take the tool bin, 5 bundles of binders and 16 of stakes to Harsfold - NICE and MUDDY - Cheers Dave!

The 20th was the first day (or night? - it was grey, misty, miserable with light rain) of work on the Harsfold Hedge. After battling with straining wires, 'dug in' rabbit proof fence and tangled branches the dynamic duo achieved 3m of layed hedge, starting at the southern end.

The 21st saw four of us on a cool but bright sunny day succeed in laying another 15m. This is out of 70m of really lovely sticks, right age, height, thickness of stem and bushy, but it is always surprising how much material needs to be cut out. This section is a real pleasure to work on after the Brewhurst hedge and is in a lovely quiet area.

I'm off to Prague and the Czech/Polish mountains for 9 days so I hope the rest of the team will continue the good work over the next two weeks. I plan to be there again on possibly Sunday 11th March, definitely Monday 12th. (weather permitting!)

Thought for the day: We all work to reopen the canal but is there any point in the canal if there is nothing to see? The canal needs the wildlife (plants, fish, birds, animals) as well as a towpath, structures and views. ALL IS IMPORTANT. We should all strive to maintain a balanced view for the good of all future users.

Planned dates are Sunday March 11 (?), Monday 12, Tuesday 20. Wednesday 28.

Mid Week Working Party ~ (Peter Jackman)

As I write (February 25) we have been adhering to our previously arranged work sites. However with our intention to continue pushing on towards Mill Farm a problem has arisen - cattle are back on Mr Birtley's land so we may have to abort this site and revert to Plan B - back to the airfield bank towards Tickners. We would meet at the Compasses Gate at 09.30 where parking is available with the kind permission of Dunsfold Park. Please ring to confirm whether we're 'batting or bowling'

Maintenance Manager ~ (David Jessop)

Hedge - The new hedge on the high, off-side bank at Loxwood was successfully planted on a Sunday morning in February by a small working party. It had to be a small group as there wasn't much working space and any more people would have got in the way of each other. The little plants, with their plastic guards, now stand in neat rows against the fence, thanks to a cunning plan devised by Richard Watson.

On what proved to be the most difficult section, a mud bath beside Brewhurst Lock, we were glad to have the help of members of a work camp who had been toiling there. The new hedge plants in this section were baptised by deep, sticky mud, and so were we. We don't think they will lack water and nutrients for many weeks.

Weeds 'n' reeds - the Monday Group, Richard Emsley, the Mid-Week Working Party and Peter Wilding have cleared many of the overhanging boughs, trees and bushes along the canal between Brewhurst and Drungewick. Using the reed cutter boat, Richard has also started to clear the reeds. The difference is noticeable and will be very helpful to the future running of the trip boat. There is more work to be done (isn't that always the case?) but the team are up to it. Thank you to all of you for a good, concerted, effort.

Steep bank - Michael Joseph pointed out that the steep bank opposite the Onslow Arms PH needed a 'make over'. It's right in the public eye, has been knocked about a bit and cries out to be tended. Michael has plans to improve it by cultivating some of the current wild flowers and introducing others. Rather than getting in Alan Titchmarsh and his team (anyway we have our own water feature), we recruited a group to work on a Saturday morning. More details of their doings next month, I hope

Visiting Groups ~ (Graham Baird)

No news from Graham this month, he's been away on holiday. Nonetheless a thank you to KESCRG for their efforts over the weekend of February 10/11. There are no further planned visits until NWPG on April 21/22nd and Bill Nicholson will report back on that in the May edition.

Monday Working Party ~ (John Empringham)

This month we had two workdays helping to clear the Loxwood navigable section of fallen trees, logs and overhanging branches and pulling floating branches from the cut including a huge, and very heavy, fallen oak branch. There is nothing quite like having a big bonfire in February!

In March we will be out on the first and third Mondays of the month.

Loxwood Link Maintenance Unit ~ (Peter Wilding)

Following its use at Brewhurst by the MWWP 'May Upton' assisted the Monday Group there clearing the brambles and some dead trees at the bridge and the winding hole. After a pleasant Sunday morning cruise down to Long Meadow at Drungewick the Monday Group were busy the next day on May Upton tree pruning and removing a large oak branch blown down by the gale and blocking the canal.

All the working days had warm spring sunshine and with no rain for 14 days after the January 24 snow water levels in both main pounds had dropped by 12'. The Lox river pump and Baldwin's Knob back pump were switched on on February 7 so it promptly snowed again on the 8th and has rained every day bar three since, (94mm or 3.75") bringing water back up to level again and waiting to replenish the Brewhurst (Onslow) pound.

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, Check with Peter Jackman for confirmation

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. Contact Lawrie Wraight for details.

March: Sun 11, (?) Mon 12, Tue 20, Wed 28.
Keith Nichols Group, Check with Keith for last minute changes to dates and for venue

April 6 - 9: Easter Cruises Contact Rosie Sugar

April 28: AGM at Shalford Contact WACT office

May 13: Small Boat Rally at Loxwood Contact WACT office

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, (Mrs Bucket) 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
Conservation Manager 01403 783 485 email: michael_joseph@weyandarun.co.uk