Diary | Directory

Editorial Comment ~ Wendy Andrews.

Having been away on holiday from late September, hence the delayed publication of this WPN, I came back expecting to see progress on the tunnel at the B2133 crossing; it seems we still have some red tape to cut through - let's not talk about the war!

Both the Heritage Weekend and the Loxwood Steam Rally went off very well - thank you to all those involved in making things happen. We look hope to repeat these events in 2008. This month we look forward to the Autumn Meeting in Billingshurst Village Hall and, it will be over by the time you read this, the Small Boat Rally at Dunsfold, also a visit from our EU Twinning Friends from Ireland.

Christmas Lunch ~ Geoff Perks

This year's Christmas Lunch will take place on Monday 10th December at the Three Compasses. After organising these events so successfully since their inception in 1994 Colin Gibbs has passed the job to me. At the moment I await details of the menu options and price, which seems likely to be about the same as last year, £21 including tip. Hopefully this information will be available in time for full details to be published in the November WPN.

Educational Project Infoposts? ~ Don Gibson

David Isted has enquired about the progress of installing the notice board at Loxwood wharf and I have left a message for Brian but he has not contacted me yet. The posts are at my home, as are all the other materials. I will make a report to David when it has been installed.

Mention of Brian reminds me he has corrected my arithmetic, saying that age does have an effect on one's calculations and that the combined age of our working party is not 235, but 245. The years do pile up, don't they? Southland Lock is still on hold, as Mike Biles has not given us the go-ahead yet.

My walk from Milestone 9 (Wey 13 miles) at Onslow Wharf to Long Meadow was attended by eight walkers - three 'new' ladies, two from Arundel, one from Ferring plus five regulars who must be getting a little bored with my spiel.

Conservation Officer ~ Michael Joseph

As you may know, I will be giving a short presentation on conservation at the EGM at Billingshurst on the 27th October. The talk is designed to be interesting, educational and informative such that you will be better able to work in an environmentally friendly way. Canal conservation is a vital part of restoration and we all need to look at the positive contribution it can make. To do otherwise is to invite resistance and put us on the defensive. If you have any comments, questions or complaints do please come and talk to me. I hope to see you there.

Tickners Heath Depot ~ Colin Gibbs

Some more moans from the Depot. I reported recently how difficult it is to keep tabs on what is brought in and taken out. Only this week it was suggested a hand pump (PATAY 1.5 inch) may solve one of our Maintenance Manager's problems. Well it might if we still possess it. It's not in the depot and what is very annoying, was not signed out. Would the person who took it please own up and return it - and actually sign it back in!!! In passing may I ask group leaders to let me know if they have pumps and/or mixers on site - ones that have not been signed out? I must say, almost everyone does this religiously. (Many thanks Bob for recording the arrival of the blue whale) Another submersible pump and various other items arrived last week - strangely also blue. However, unlike Bob, the person who left the gear wasn't letting on!! Believe it or not, working in the Depot is great fun, especially when Richard or Phil or Tony or David bring life back into some of our aged equipment

WTS (formerly TSG) Group ~ Eric Walker

Putting the coping stones on the wall behind the Onslow is moving gently on. This work has been undertaken by the Thursday group.

On the last Sunday in September the group returned to Drungewick to split the bank and re-puddle the clay with Bentonite. There was a significant amount of water in the adjacent field, Long Meadow, and the previous visit seemed to have reduced the leakage, so fingers crossed this will be successful too. John Verrall, of Penfold Verrall, again helped by sponsoring the work by supplying the 8-tonne digger. Subject to equipment availability and there being no Foot & Mouth restrictions we will return to bank splitting a Drungewick on the weekend of 13th /14th October.

Len Milsom has found a stone mason who will help at Drungewick, so as last time, is anyone interested in stone working? We have also been given an air compressor, if we had some air driven chisels that may make the work easier. Then of course we will need an air regulator.

For the future - they all seem heavy jobs, like dressing stone both at Drungewick for the aqueduct and at Devils Hole for use at the lock, but there are a number of lighter jobs, like painting, awaiting before the weather breaks.

What everyone wants to know is when the work will start on the Loxwood canal bridge. On the 6th August we received the draft legal document from WSCC. With that signed we could start the next day. What with holidays and one solicitor only giving his response after his fourth promise of delivery, here we are at the beginning of October and there is still not an agreed document. Just to remind you the legal document saga started in February this year. I could whinge on, but I won't, I just feel sorry for those who work 8-hour days but expect to be ready for the Olympics in 2012.

A donor has offered to fund the walkway for the top gates at Baldwins Knob lock. A similar walkway is required at Drungewick lock as are metal bollards for both these two locks. As with the funding for the coping stones above, these items are individual ring-fenced donations for specific items. While gift aid continues, the Trust can recover VAT and installation is by the volunteers so the total cost is about 30% of what it might be in any commercial situation.

I feel immensely proud of the work done by the volunteers at Loxwood, especially when total strangers who are civil engineers say what a good job has been done. Well done to all!

Mid Week Working Party ~ Peter Jackman

Work at the locations known as Utworth and Elmbridge, the home of the Mid Week Working Party since June, is going well, and will continue with a burn-up (when wind conditions permit), which will leave some tree stumps/roots to be dug out, removed with the Tirfor and ultimately burned. We have a couple of big trees to fell, rotten willows with just a half-ring of bark; the problem is that they are currently let to thousands of wasps. So we are looking at changing our work site on October 17th to Run Common, where the MWWP last cut and cleared four or five years ago (I personally will be in hospital; hopefully Ian and Tony will lead in my absence). So, provisionally, work sites and dates are as follows: Elmbridge October 10th Run Common October 17th & 24th and back to Utworth on October 31st (when we anticipate that the wasps' lease will have expired).

Please check with Alison before just turning up

Winston Harwood's Group ~ Lawrie Wraight

At Lordings the routine mowing was carried out and more posts and barbed wire were installed. Two heavy duty spillways were put into the waterwheel to replace the damaged ones and the wheel was restarted. Tickners was visited to clear overgrown shrubs, and then the group were deployed to Loxwood to clear the empty section of canal up to Devil's Hole Lock. We successfully removed logs and branches from the bed and cut down the invasive young trees. Heavy storm damaged branches from the mature trees had to be cut up before they could be removed from the canal.

Loxwood Link ~ Peter Wilding

No news from Peter this month. His group continues to mow around the locks and keep the tow paths tidy along the navigable section of the canal.

Monday Working Party ~ John Empringham

We have continued to visit our regular sites during September and early October. As part of that we managed to devote a whole morning on further clearance at Three Compasses in mid September in preparation for the small boat rally. The team has now had a briefing from Michael Joseph on what we can do to aid conservation with the result that our next meeting will include preparation of an area at Drungewick Lane for seeding wild flowers.

Very soon our 'keeping up appearances' commitments will be completed for 2007, although much depends on how long the grass and other vegetation continue to grow. As a consequence our leader will soon be putting together our winter programme of visits to other venues along the canal after consultation with others. This is likely to include our annual 'tidy up' at Malham lock and a 'go' at Loves Bridge.

We meet next on October 15th and November 5th. Please contact John E for details if you would like to join our happy band!

Maintenance Manager ~ David Jessop

Whilst removing the bramble runners from the high bank opposite the Onslow Arms at the end of September, members of the Saturday morning conservation team spotted a mouse, many pond skaters, some Devils Coachman (or Coach horse) beetles and lots of slugs enjoying the wet conditions. There are also many small frogs and dragonflies still about. The next task is to infill some of the runnels caused by water running down the slope and put in some plants to attempt to stop the soil being washed away after rain. We will also be trimming the grass round the hedge plants on top of the bank in order to give the hedge a chance in life and to recover the stones and half-bricks generously 'donated' by a mindless minority earlier in the year. If you are wondering how to spend a Saturday morning, you could try us. It would be a good idea to contact me first, on Horsham (01403) 269384, so I can look out for you. The banks have been re-seeded and frost will help to germinate the seeds. This could be the first year I have looked forward to frost! Many of the cornfield annuals that have bravely been putting on a show this summer are now seeding on the remaining bare patches. It's a case of watch that space next spring. Michael Joseph now has well over 1,000 pots of pond edge plants which will go in along the waterline between now and spring. We shall keep plugging away! Although hard to see at present, there are in fact many perennial 'plantlets' that will bloom next year.

In addition, near Drungewick Road Bridge, meadow flower seeds have been sown next to the fence inside the gate leading to the lock. It remains to be seen how they will compete with the dominant pasture grasses. If they do well the intention is to sow similar seed in the whole section next year. They will then compliment the cowslips which Keith Nichols rescued from other areas.

Have you seen the bird boxes on the trees in and near the car park at Loxwood? These were made by Peter Cooper and more are in waiting to be fixed soon. Another little job for the Saturday volunteers.

Hedge Laying Group ~ Keith Nichols

Work for the group restarted on Thursday 20th September when a working party of 2 trimmed the hedge between Brewhurst Lock and the Bridge which was layed last season. We removed 10 large ballast bags of clippings. This section had really taken off with regrowth of up to 6' due to the removal of a lot low overhangs from the large canal side trees (Many thanks to Dave Kersley).

On Sunday 23rd two of us went to attend to the very weak section of hedge between Baldwins Lock and Barnsill Bridge. Despite it being the first section to be layed back in 2001 most of it hasn't done well due to the lack of light because of the large overhangs. Unfortunately the tractor and flail had beaten us to it, trimming the longer stems that we could have woven in to improve the hedge structure. Woe is me - the flail had also severely damaged the section by the lock which we had relayed last year. We made three repairs where the binders/stakes had been broken by falling branches or cattle (falling cattle? I knew 'pigs might fly' but not cattle as well!) but the lock side part will have to wait until next season. We only finished half of this length so a second visit was required on the 28th. A larger group of 2 (it was a moist day so with the wet gear on we looked larger) finished it off including some barbed wire repairs to repel the cattle.

So?.onwards and downwards to Harsfold next. Future dates are likely to be October: Sunday 7th, Tuesday 9th, Wednesday 24th, and Sunday 28th November: Thursday 1st, Friday 9th, Sunday 11th, Sunday 18th, Monday 19th, Tuesday 27th December: Wednesday 5th, Sunday 9th, Thursday 13th, Friday 21st and 'THAT'S ALL FOLKS' for this year

Administration ~ Wendy Andrews.

Please remember to let me know if you no longer wish to receive WPN or, better still, if you are able to receive it by e-mail. Copies are sent free of charge to any one who has worked with a working party or expressed an interest in doing so. However contributions towards the cost of envelopes and postage are always gratefully received by way of sae's, stamps or cheques.

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

Usually 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 or Alison Saville for confirmation

Every Wednesday
Loxwood Link maintenance, Contact Peter Wilding

Every 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.

Some Saturdays Conservation and Maintenance
Get in touch with David Jessop or Michael Joseph
Starts again in September
Provisional dates: October 7th, 9th, 24th, 28th, November 1st, 9th, 11th, 18th, 19th, 27th, December 5th, 9th, 13th, 21st

Hedge Laying Check with Keith Nichols before turning up

October 27th Autumn Meeting, Billingshurst Village Hall 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: eric_walker@weyandarun.co.uk
Peter Jackman (Mid-week Working Party) 01483 772132 a.m.saville@btinternet.com
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 email: doncanalgibson@hotmail.com
Lawrie Wraight (The Winston Harwood Working Group) 01903 721404 email:Lawrence17@tiscali.co.uk
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
Don Gibson Educational Projects 01903 201375 email: doncanalgibson@hotmail.com