spring volunteer celebration event
TRANSCRIPT
7th April 2016
… and thank you to all our
volunteers and partners.
Wayne BallVolunteer Development Coordinator
A charitable company run
entirely by volunteers
Michael Edwards
Trustee
The Chesterfield Canal Trust / Society, has been in existence for
39 years.
• To promote the restoration of the Chesterfield Canal.
• To promote the fullest use of the waterway for the benefit of the public.
• To promote, and educate the public, in the history, use of and associated wildlife of the waterway.
• To date 12 miles of canal, 36 locks, and 11 major road bridges have been restored, plus two new marinas have been built.
• There are 8 miles left to restore, and the Rother Valley Link to build. The total cost for work to be done stands at £60 million
• Volunteer hours contributed by members
has increased from 17,000 to 25,000 since
2011 - an increase of 47%
• Membership 1557 (September 2015)
• What we do........promoting, improving and
protecting the canal
• Over 4,500 people experienced
the canal on our trip boats and
learnt about the heritage and
ecology of the Chesterfield
Canal.
• 2,000 people met Santa on a
canal trip, and helped
contribute to the continued
restoration of the canal.
• Our trip boats raised a
considerable sum for the Trust
and its restoration activities.
• Dawn Rose, the first wooden
Chesterfield narrowboat to be
built for 80 years, was launched
in April 2015, named in June
2015 and continues to develop
as a project.
• Volunteers have contributed
over 10,000 hours of work since
the project began.
• Python, our 85 year old work
boat, has been re-bottomed
and will be back promoting the
canal and telling the story of
life on the canals.
• The Trust took part in the
Canal and River Trust
"Worksop Water Day" in June,
but did not hold its own festival
this year.
• The Trust will host the Inland
Waterways Association
National Trailboat Festival in
May, 2016 at the Staveley
Canal Basin.
• Towpath walks have often been oversubscribed and the canal
has been the walk of choice for many individuals and walking
groups.
• 55,000 walkers and 18,000 cyclists used at least part of the
Cuckoo Way.
• The Cuckoo members' magazine went into full colour production this year as it has now become cheaper to print in full colour than with black and white photographs.
• The E newsletter now has a mailing list of 1,200 up from 80 at its beginning
• The Trust has now appointed its own Wildlife Officers to stimulate greater environmental awareness along the towpath.
• The Trust continues to monitor planning applications along the canal, working to ensure good design and best practice, and where necessary making the case for or against planning applications impacting on the canal.
• The Trust’s Talks Team have attended 25 engagements through the year including local history, wildlife, British Legion, Women's’ Institute groups and with audiences varying between 12 and 200 people.
• The Trust spent over £63,000 on canal restoration during the year.
• The Work Party has virtually finished Staveley Town Lock.
• None of this work would have been possible without the partnership with Derbyshire County Council and Markham Vale and without the support of the IWA Waterway Recovery Group.
• Over £40,000 has been raised for the Lock Fund from donations since the project started.
• The Trust will not hear a decision on the route of HS2 until
autumn, 2016 - this will slow restoration beyond Hartington and
the railway line. Plans are afoot to move on to other sections of
the canal in need of restoration.
• The Trust continues to be represented on all elements of the Chesterfield Canal Partnership.
• The Partnership is 20 years old, and continues to command support from our Partners. The geographic Delivery Groups are all active, pursuing restoration and promotion.
• The Rother Valley Link is being actively investigated, led by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council, as part of the creation of a walking, cycling and eventually cruising ring linking the Chesterfield Canal through the Rother Link, to the South Yorkshire Navigations and using the River Trent.
• From Derbyshire County Council on restoration and development of Staveley Town Basin and Lock;
• From the Canal and River Trust in respect of matters relating to the development of HS2
• From the Inland Waterways Association, through the Waterways Recovery Group, for restoration, and through the Keith Ayling Bequest in the restoration of Python.
• Chair on East Midlands Waterway Partnership group
• Development strategy – Rother Link
• Joint working – clean up days
• Links with Towpath Rangers
• Taskforce Days
John Guyler
Ray Rogers
Treasurer