Wey-South front cover Wey-South issue 130
 March 2005 - May 2005

 
PART 1

EDITORIAL - Tim Jolly
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A bumper issue this time with 32 pages. Thanks to all those who sent in text or photographs. Thanks also to those who read my plea in WS129 and volunteered to hand-deliver Wey-South in their area

This issue is all about what's coming up this year. We have a new venue for our AGM in April - possibly the first change we've ever had!

Also a new venue - Fisher's Farm Park near Billingshurst - who have kindly allowed us to use their theatre for a performance by Mikron Theatre in July. For those who don't know, Mikron travel around the country, mainly by narrow boat, putting on shows in Pubs, Clubs etc.- wherever they can. We don't know what the play is yet. More details next time.

Before that there is a Barn Dance in Wisborough Green in April, put on for us at no cost to us, see page 16 for details. Please go!

Another new feature this time is a Diary of upcoming events. See Page 14. People have been asking for this so we'll try to make it a permanent feature. The Poddle, our annual sponsored walk and major fund-raising event, appears herein, see Page 15. The organiser, Jo Beagles, does a sterling job but needs helpers - as ever!

Talking of helpers, we do have a large number of willing volunteers. Maybe even the most of any canal society in the country? As far as working parties are concerned we seem to have more than any other.

Volunteers are our lifeblood as we don't have the financial backing of the likes of British Waterways. We have to rely on grants (take a bow Jim Phillips!), but some of these will only pay up to the level of the value of the volunteer labour put in - so-called 'matched funding'. For this and for health and safety reasons, we have to keep records of who does what and when. On Page 28 there is a summary of the hours for 2004, together with their worth. Very impressive.

We look forward to having our 2000th member this year. Who could ever have predicted that!

The Christmas Dinner at Arundel went very well as usual. A record 67 people attended and a good time was had by all. My thanks go to Joy Wood and Vanessa Lamey for their help and to Bob Pawley for selling 115-worth of raffle tickets! I'm sorry for getting muddled about the cost of the dinner in WS128.

The Christmas Raffle raised over 2,100 with the sale of 3,843 tickets. As both prizes and ticket printing were donated everything went to Trust funds. There were 13 different payees on the 305 cheques sent in, including eight unfortunately made payable to me, and 60 who sent cash.

Two of the three winners were from Bramley, including one who bought her ticket at the exhibition there. The winners:-

1st Emma Williams - Bramley
2nd Lyn Nash - Loxwood
3rd Jill Wilson - Bramley
No men and none down south!

Apologies to Tony Pratt for not finding room for his article on the environmental issues that affect our work in the Arun Valley and the need to consult with the Environment Agency and English Nature. Until the next time.

The Quarterly Bulletin of The Wey & Arun Canal Trust, Registered Charity no. CC265331

The aim of the Wey & Arun Canal Trust is the preservation and conservation of the former inland waterway route between the Rivers Wey and Arun, with a view to reopening this to navigation.

Editor: Tim Jolly
All communication and copy either by post to:
2 Southdown Close
Roffey
Horsham RH12 4LD
Or email to: tim.jolly@tesco.net

Material published in this bulletin represents the views of the contributors and should not, unless specifically indicated, be assumed to be the policy of the Trust.

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - Peter Foulger
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It is good to see life along the canal beginning to awaken after the short days of winter. Lots of committee time has been taken up in the dark evenings preparing plans for future work, especially the B2133 Crossing project, as well as planning activities to run throughout the summer months. There will be lots of opportunities for members and friends to be involved by supporting these activities. We start with Easter Bunnies in March, Small Boat Rally in May, The Poddle in June, Haybarn Swing Bridge opening ceremony, and Mikron Theatre at Fishers Farm in July. We need to fit in the unveiling of a plaque, very kindly organised and funded by Sylvia Harrison, at the Three Compasses public house, Dunsfold to commemorate the opening celebrations of the Wey & Arun Junction Canal held there in 1816. Also we hope to enrol the 2,000th member some time during this year, a milestone which could be recognised at one of the above events. You may remember we had to change our Articles of Association to allow the membership to exceed 2,000 - presumably we have gone beyond the expectations of the founder members who wrote the document over thirty years ago.

This year will see the commencement of the B2133 crossing in Loxwood, the largest project in the Trust's history. This highway crossing is one the most difficult owing to the constraints of adjacent properties, major sewers, and realignment of the road that has taken place since the canal closed in 1871. When completed considerable opportunities for further restoration both north and south will exist. Strategically extending the navigable waterway will allow boats to make full use of the water as soon as it is available, an important point that must be kept in mind.

A recent Public Open meeting, called by the Loxwood Parish Council to ensure residents of the village were aware of, and understood, the consequences of WACT's planning application for the B2133 crossing, was well attended, and resulted in a huge majority in favour of the work. Concern was voiced about traffic disruption and fears that the local shops would suffer as a result. Trust representatives at the meeting assured the residents that everything possible would be done to mitigate any problems as far as was possible. I urge members living in the area to make use of the village shops.

It has always been said that restoration of the canal relies on three main headings, access to land, money and water. Each of these headings is continuously reviewed and addressed to the best of our ability. Funding is the aspect that regulates the rate of progress to the greatest extent. I could not hazard a guess as to the amount of money that could be spent at present, if it were available. We have funds for all of this year's work on the B2133 project and expect more money to be pledged once work gets under way, as was the case with the Drungewick Lane project. Apart from that, we are raising money for the Canal Completion Strategy document. We could also spend money on investigating further the route through Bramley, and the canal between Lordings Lock and Lee Farm Lock could use more funds. There is also the desire to create a Property Purchase Fund. As you can see the CoM has to make difficult decisions, and make the best use of available resources.

These funds come from many sources including contributions in kind and business sponsorship. Many of these sponsors have supported the Trust over a long time, for which we are most grateful. Harwoods of Pulborough are long standing supporters and have just renewed their sponsorship of a Land Rover support vehicle. This is a very valuable asset to the Trust. With so many of our work sites being in remote places away from good road surfaces, a Land Rover is the ideal vehicle. It allows our volunteer work parties to transport materials and tools to sites such as Haybarn Bridge and Sidney Wood, etc. On behalf of the Trust I offer our sincere thanks to Harwoods.

I shall look forward to meeting you all at our various summer events.

Peter Foulger

 

 

SECRETARY'S COLUMN - Julian Morgan
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Regular readers will remember that the Secretary gets the most responsible, prestigious and influential job on every occasion. After an understated triumph as chief car-parking monitor at the Bramley Exhibition, what more natural promotion than the pivotal role of lock-keeper (assistant) in the 2004 version of Santa Comes to Loxwood (a Lyn Nash Production)? A turn in the bright lights, indeed - or, to be precise, the chance to untangle a string of coloured light-bulbs and dangle them artistically around Brewhurst Lock footbridge.

Of course, the real drama always takes place behind the scenes and this time it was Santa (played by Mike Anderson) addressing some words that I don't think were in the script to the Brewhurst back-pump. Until that is, the Good Fairy (played by Peter Wilding) appeared and cast a magic spell on the float-switch. Then there was just the small question of shifting the medium-sized tree that was leaning across the canal. Let's just say that if our first boatload of guests had looked hard at Santa's little helpers' costumes, they might have noticed that they were not as pure white as the Lapland snow.

Santa Cruises are a huge organisational effort and from all I have heard they were a tremendous success, thanks to Lyn and her helpers. The Boxing Day cruise experiment was on a smaller scale, but the Mad Hatter (played by Robert Hutty) enchanted his audience in the bright sunshine, even stopping the boat to allow a keen photographer a cleaner shot. There seems to be a digital camera behind every tree around the Onslow Arms these days, which can only be good for our PR effort.

As briefly previewed last time round, the 2005 AGM moves on from the North Hall at Loxwood to a larger and brighter stage (appropriately the Arun Hall) at Pulborough (see map on Page 8). Our inspector has given the venue a 5-star report. Those who think that Pulborough is too far south (and it's quite a step from Secretarial HQ in Chilworth) may like to know that we plan to hold the October meeting in Cranleigh. At the AGM we have to elect at least one new Trustee; it is very easy to put your name forward (see Page 8 for details) and it really isn't that intimidating - or at all boring, either.

At this time of year, we workers are like nocturnal creatures who emerge lost and blinking on the rare occasions when our hutches are opened in daylight. So it was marvellous that the sun shone for some of those precious days between Christmas and New Year, giving your Secretary and PR Officer the chance to explore the remote Arun Navigation. The mile or so walk from the road to the Haybarn bridge can be highly recommended; apparently the Restoration Group plan to answer the pedantic quibble that the swingbridge would look better if it crossed a canal with some water in it. Actually, there was quite a convincing amount of water when we inspected, even if didn't stretch far into the distance.

I look forward to seeing many of you at Pulborough. Do we have any volunteers to stand at the North Hall and guide lost members who turn up there out of habit?

Julian Morgan (Honorary Secretary, WACT)

M O N E Y
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2005 IN PROSPECT

The Treasurer writes on the year to come

2005 should be a busy year for spending and for fundraising. That is as it should be: charities should not be sitting on large cash piles and I am much in favour of spending the money on the Trust's aims in as timely and as prudent a way as your Council of Management approves.

I hope that by the time you read this we will have permission from both County & District levels to go ahead with Phase 1 of the B2133 Onslow Arms crossing. Seeing things happen on the ground should be some reward for those who have helped us with funds for this purpose. We have spent money on planning applications, on designs and on legal costs but we have been as frugal as we can. Fortunately some bills have kindly been made out at discounted rates. Ticking the box on grant applications where it reads 'Has planning permission been obtained?' should mean a step forward in fund-raising.

Legacies are always a touchy subject. Treasurers should not be seen pushing their members in front of buses on the off-chance of a legacy. Legacies are, anyway, chancy affairs; we have recently seen a former member's estate ravaged by the taxman and by legal costs, so that the residual beneficiaries - among them the Trust - finished up with nothing. While you are alive, the taxman is helpful with tax relief on Gift Aid; in 2004 he refunded the Trust some 18,000. Once you're dead, inheritance tax kicks in with a vengeance and the sale of even a modest house can mean large sums going to the taxman, with no clawing back available to the Trust.

My thanks to all those who contributed to the Restoration Fund in 2004, either through a monthly Standing Order or by adding to their membership subscriptions. With help from the taxman, the Fund raised 11,807 last year - an excellent result.

Thank you, too, to those members who have lent money to the Trust this year to cover the so-called Performance Deposit needed by Southern Water Services before work can begin on diverting the Loxwood sewer. The sum was not as great as we had first feared, so it was possible to scale down some of the generous offers and even not call some of them in. The timely response by members was very welcome.

Sponsorship, in material or premises provided at no cost, was worth over 16,000 to the Trust in 2004 and I am most grateful for that. The three principal savings are the rent-free Granary office, the Tickner's Heath depot and the provision of the Land Rover together with its taxing, MOT testing and maintenance. Cash sponsorship was also gratefully received, especially to cover printing costs such as the raffle tickets, the colour sections of Wey-South in each edition and the entry forms for the PODDLE. All these eased the burden on Trust funds when we are scraping together what we can for the B2133 Crossing at Loxwood. We have also to put something by for the Canal Completion Strategy Report, which I hope will be enlightening as well as, I fear, expensive. We also need to spend some money on the surroundings of the swingbridge at Haybarn and we would like to improve the water capacity of the oxbow below Devil's Hole Lock though dredging is not cheap.

Jim Phillips

News from the Granary
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Jackie, Bridget & Susan
01403 752403 (Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9.00am - 1.00pm)

As always we start our first report of the year with a special mention about the Santa Cruises which, once again, were incredibly successful. A total of 1,050 tickets were sold in advance for the 7 days of trips - and we could have sold more! Many thanks to the huge number of people who worked so hard and contributed to the success and enjoyment of the trips - to all those of you who distributed posters, provided mince pies, filled slots to skipper or crew the boat, manned the sales stall or the lock, stoked the fire, supervised the car park?.. the list is endless - but each and every job plays its part. Lyn Nash, the supreme organiser, and our tireless and jovial Father Christmas were obviously the ultimate 'lynch-pins' of the whole event.

We had barely finished with the paperwork for the Santa Cruises when our thoughts had to turn immediately to Easter and the eagerly awaited return of the Easter Bunnies. The special Easter trips will be run on the same format as in previous years (see below for details). As with the Santa Cruises, tickets sell out very quickly so we would recommend that any members who are interested should give us a call at the Granary soon to reserve seats. Wendy Andrews, who is co-ordinating the Easter Cruises this year, would be grateful to receive any offers to help over the Easter weekend (Tel: 01403 752170 or e-mail: wendy.n.andrews@btopenworld.com).

Bookings for private charters are beginning to gather pace and we have a fair few provisional enquiries already pencilled into the diary. This year there will be the slight complication of the alternative departure point - that of having to replace the start of the trips from the Onslow pound to the landing stage below Brewhurst Lock, as and when the work begins on the B2133 crossing. At the moment we are unable to give exact dates as to when this will happen so there will inevitably be a little bit of "jiggling around" of the charters booked around May/June time, but we hope that charterers will bear with us.

A little reminder that the very popular day boat, the Pete Wynn, is open to all you members for a jolly along the canal. It can accommodate four people, so why not book a day to take it out and start planning your picnic?.

Jackie, Bridget & Susan
01403 752403 (Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9.00 - 1.00pm)

WAEL -

I had hoped that all of us in WAEL would have a few months of peace and quiet, before the season started with a bang thanks to an early Easter. The reverse has been the case. Just before Christmas I received the news that the hull of ZK was extremely thin in places. This led to the need for a rapid replating of the structure. The MCA (Marine & Coastguard Agency) were very clear that we must completely replace and remove all old metal. A lot of hard work went on to make the decision that we should do what would turn out to be a very expensive job and a welder was selected for the task.

To cut a long story short, he is now working hard and by the time this article is read, he will be finished and a band of, I hope, willing volunteers will be re-fitting the boat, ready for Easter. If all goes well, we will have a smarter and snappier boat for the season.

To report on the tail end of 2004, is to look at yet another good series of Santa Cruises. As usual everything went like clockwork and the towpath comments were all appreciative of the effort. Fanny Lines produced the best set of presents to date and Santa himself kept going for even longer than in 2003!

An idea at the autumn Boat meeting to have trips on Boxing Day proved very successful and thanks are due to Robert Hutty, Don Gibson and Bob Attridge for turning out and continuing the Christmas spirit, not forgetting our shore party of Lyn, Gail and Bridget. The trips were over 50% pre-booked, over 70 actually travelled and 80 plus were taken on the day, with an overall figure of over 270! It seems we have another seam of public interest to tap!

I should also welcome Rosie Sugar and Paul French to the WAEL Board; they will be carrying out the Operations Manager and Crew Coordination Manager duties respectively, I look forward to working with them over the coming year.

Dusty Miller

BACK Last updated Jun 2005