Most
of the physical progress lately here in WV has been on the restoration of
Steppingstone
Lane
Bridge
and due almost entirely to the efforts of WRG.
London
Waterway Recovery Group came the weekend 18-20th November, and with 28
volunteers a lot was done. At the bridge two main tasks were done, one team
installing a drainage pipe whilst another team were set to breaking more
concrete around the copingstones. (The original copingstones from the
parapet were buried in the canal as foundations to the foundations for the
drainage pipe which was installed when the bridge was deliberately collapsed
on safety grounds many years ago). The copingstones were then hauled out and
safely stored for future use. Quite a task.
At our
Canalside
Park
site another team set about scrub bashing and clearing the site around our
storage containers and site hut. The idea is to create a ‘sort of
secure’ storage area and thus they set about erecting some high chain link
fencing. (Donated - ex tennis court). Luckily we have very little trouble at
the park with the local ‘little darlings’ but they will use our concrete
blocks and scaffold planks etc. to make mountain bike ramps and dens etc.
and as you will of guessed do not put them back! We hope the fence will
prove to be a bit of a deterrent! and thus don’t have to waste valuable
time every workparty recovering stuff and tidying up.
WRG
‘camp out’ in
Watchfield
Village Hall, very good accommodation and much appreciated all round. After
they’d gone we received a very nice letter from the hall organiser
congratulating them on the extremely clean and tidy state they had left the
hall in.
Well
done WRG and thanks for all your hard work. We
hope to have a couple of visits again next year.
The
local volunteers are also still hard at work – there is always litter
picking, grass control and hedge trimming to be done. Behind the scenes
paperwork takes up a tremendous amount of time – especially the lease
negotiations – but we are making progress.
The
East End
Branches Skittles Challenge had to be cancelled at the last minute, the
landlord of the local pub where the event was to be held phoned with less
than two weeks to go to say that the pub was closing and being sold – but
don’t panic the prestigious trophy will be eagerly contested as usual at a
rearranged venue in the new year. It’s not all digging in the mud, you
know!
Happy
New Year
Alan Norris
Branch Chairman