The IWA National Festival takes place at Beale Park, near Pangbourne, on the River Thames over the August Bank Holiday .

If you are cruising up the Thames from Limehouse, you might be interested in the video available of the PLA’s Boating on the Thames website here. Click on the Cruising through Central London link on the home page to see the video. There is also some useful information and reference guides for narrowboaters and cruisers available if you click on the appropriate button to the left of the picture on the home page.

Wallingford is upgrading the mooring facilities by the swimming pool.  Mooring is free until 4:00pm, and overnight mooring is available at a charge of £5. Maximum stay is 24 hours. Showers are available free for overnight moorers at the swimming pool.  There are local shops and restaurants nearby. (As we understand it, there are no effluent disposal facilities. Water is available from a standpipe in the campsite area, but this is some distance from the moorings. There is no designated rubbish facility, but it may be possible to use the leisure centre’s own facility. If anyone can update this information, please contact us.)

David Pearce, National Chairman of the AWCC, has written to DEFRA with the AWCC’s response to the draft “Waterways for Everyone” consultation published by DEFRA on 19th December 2009.  The text of the letter is shown below, and part one of the AWCC’s response is provided as a PDF document at the bottom of this post.

The consultation period closed on 26th March 2010.

The Club Handbook for 2010 is now available for purchase through your quartermaster, as usual, for the sum of £2.00. This year, although the layout and presentation is similar to previous years, we are providing the pages unbound but pre-punched so they can easily be inserted into an A5 two-ring binder which you can purchase from your local stationers or even your local supermarket.

From this year, there is an online version of the handbook pages in the members only area of the AWCC website. In this area, there is a PDF file containing the handbook information for each Club, which will be updated as soon as any changes are made. These pages are designed to be printed to your computers printer and can be interleaved with the classic handbook pages as updates are notified. If your Club secretary has not already got details of how your Club can access these pages, they will receive a communication shortly. Please note that at this time, access to the members only pages is only available to Club secretaries.

There is also a revised Club Finder map available for download.

The IWA have launched their SOS 2010 campaign against the threat of underinvestment in the Waterways.

The campaign states:

“The aim of SOS 2010 is to encourage all local waterways stakeholders – societies, trusts, boat hire companies, businesses, local community groups – to collaborate locally and to pursue local action, such as towpath events and communication with the local media, publicising the effect of the cuts on the quality of local waterways.

We are calling upon all stakeholders to work together and in partnership with local navigation authority managers to identify issues of poor maintenance and slipping standards, especially those issues affecting safety.”

More information is available on the IWA website at:

http://www.waterways.org.uk/SOS2010

You can download their campaing poster here here and their leaflet here

David and Sue Botham accepting the prize from the AWCC Free Prize Draw, held at the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) National Waterways Festival (NWF) 2009, held this year at Redhill on the River Soar.

David and Sue from Chesterfield, members of Sea Otter Owners Club and Boaters Christian Fellowship (BCF), both AWCC Clubs, seen here in their boat “Amethyst” about to set off for a BCF gathering at Wolsey bridge.

The AWCC Free Prize Draw held at this years NWF as part of the AWCC exhibition stand drew many people to take part, the prize a “Dream Pot” thermal cooker (a modern version of the hay box of times past) was sponsored by the supplier Cobb Barbeques.

David and Sue will now be able to test their “Dream Pot” while cruising up the Trent & Mersey Canal.

TB.

AWCC to attend National Waterway Festival.

The AWCC will be attending the Inland Waterways Association National Waterway Festival 2009 at Redhill over August Bank Holiday.  The AWCC stand (J15) will be manned every day by at least one member of the National Executive as well as boat club members from all over the Country.

If you are at the Festival come along for a chat and let the Exec Members know what YOU want from the Association.

There will be a Free Prize Draw for all to enter, with a prize of the brand new Cobb Dream Pot. You’ve heard of Cobb Barbeque and now they are producing the Dream Pot, a modern day version of the hay box, thermal cooker of old.

We will have full information available on all AWCC Clubs for anyone who is interested in visiting other clubs, finding out what the Clubs have to offer both boaters and social members, or to put you in touch with a Club in the area you are interested in.

If you’d like to order any of the AWCC regalia, perhaps pick up a Calendar a new venture this year or a special offer for Club Members, or just enjoy a natter like we all do, drop by the stand and say hello.

If you want to volunteer for a short spell on the stand, then just turn up and offer yourself, the more the merrier.

You’re welcome!

AWCC Calendars are now available to buy priced at £4 each plus delivery.

Place your order now to guarantee getting one or more.

Clubs featured are :

• Wilderness at the (Falkirk) Wheel (night view on title page, daylight view inside)
• A Crisp Winter’s Day at Thrupp CC
• Broken Cross on the Thames (cruising under Tower bridge)
• South Pennine Boat Club  (Aerial)
• St Pancras Cruising Club at the (Thames) Barrier
• Bridge 27, Caldon Canal, looking into the Stoke on Trent BC arm
• Dunstable Boat Club.
• Sale Cruising Club in its 50th year
• Saul Junction Boat Owners Club moorings
• Lichfield Cruising Club, Wyreley and Essington Arm
• Sandiacre Lock Cottages, HQ of Erewash CPDA
• Coventry Cruising Club moorings
• Lea and Stort meets Cutweb, Eckington Bridge, R Avon (January 2011)

Size approx 148mm x 420mm

Orders can be placed with your Region Quartermaster or through me

Terence Balchin, on 0115 925 2917 or inkers@btopenworld.com

Collection can be at IWA NWF 2009 at Redhill, or by arrangement.

Whilst we now have many Restored Canals on our waterways nationally, proud to say we another brand new canal has opened in the AWCC North West Region, the Liverpool Link. Read the rest of this entry »

At the request of a number of members, I have added the old Club maps under the Club Finder whilst I work on getting the new Club finder in place.

Note that the information on these maps is not fully up to date – some flags may be shown on the map indicating Clubs that are no longer part of the AWCC, and some Clubs may not be shown on the maps.

Please check with the handbook and the 2009 updates for the latest information on a Club

Brian Rich
AWCC Communications Officer

The Federation was formed in 1963 to link the six Bridgewater Boat Clubs, socially, on Bridgewater Canal affairs, and in their dealings with Peel Holdings, the Authority who control the Bridgewater Canal. The six Clubs, all AWCC members, who all give a warm, northern type welcome to visitors, are, from east to west:

Worsley C.C. situated on the Leigh branch of the Bridgewater, which runs north, from its junction with the Main line at Waters Meet, to join the Leeds Liverpool Canal at Wigan . Nearby are the famous but closed underground canal workings which serviced coal mines. Quite an historic area.

Watch House C.C. in the Stretford Area, with handy adjacent shopping, and easy access to Manchester Centre. An atmospheric club house, part of which is an old stable block.

Sale C.C. Long established, active, friendly club, good facilities. Access to fast Metrolink tram service into City Centre.

Lymm C.C. next, situated near the picturesque Cheshire Village of Lymm, a village well worth a visit. with good walks in the surrounding areas. Again another active, friendly club.

Preston Brook Boat Owners Association is situated near to the Junction of the Bridgewater Canal, Trent and Mersey Canal, and the Runcorn Branch Canal.

Bridgewater Motor Boat Club is at the end of the Runcorn Branch, well worth a trip, not only for the welcome you will receive at their club house, but you can walk down and visit the site of the Runcorn Locks, at the bottom of which is the Manchester Ship Canal.

There is now a society working to restore the Runcorn Locks, which will add more adventures in the NW. Down the locks onto the Ship Canal, west towards the Weaver River at Marsh Lock, or further down to the River Mersey, or East up to Salford Quays, then up the Pomona Lock back onto the Bridgwater Canal.

Roland Dotchin
NW Region AWCC