Working Party Report — May 2010

There was no report from me at the last Branch Meeting for which I apologise. However we have held 6 work parties at Pewsham since the 9th of March Meeting.

Boat trips were run with ‘Willow’ at Calne on the 3rd March for the Easter Bunny Hunt and, at Foxhangers on the 29th, we carried out some maintenance on ‘Damsel Fly’ in preparation for a Helmsman training session on the 30th April. We had 10 ‘students’ on this day practicing boat manoeuvres with the electric outboard motor and the Mariner engine, that we normally use.

At Pewsham the continuing strategy is to clear the trees and roots within the canal bed and structures These are  part of the major restoration project for this year.

Work on the Spill Weir has started and already bricklaying has begun to take shape around the culvert opening. Additional roots identified as being in the path of the required brickwork have been also removed. It is surprising how much timber was embedded in and around the old structure. There is still one significant root to be removed but this is not interfering with the bricklayers—as yet!   

At Triangle Wood the large Oak tree standing alongside the culvert has been totally removed as has also the large Ash tree that was close by to the south. Tim has started clearing porous soil away from the culvert but the canal bed was too soft for our newly acquired  4x4 dumper to operate. It was still too soft last Sunday so Tim assisted the Tirforing gang in their attempt to remove the two Ash stumps from the canal bed in the meadow. One stump has proved to be extremely difficult to shift and may only succumb to a full excavation or even a power winch - which we have not got.

At Calne, on the 2nd May, there was an attempt to mow the canal area but the weather was too wet and the event was cancelled. I hope to get this done during the week.

During the whole of  March our volunteers, worked a total of 444 man-hours which amounted to £6,203 and in April 355 hrs were worked amounting to £4,210 in volunteer value matched funding.

 

Douglas Harris

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  Working Party Report — March 2010

We have held 5 working parties since the last Branch Meeting—all at Pewsham.

The main thrust has been the clearing of the large trees growing out of the canal structures that are the subject of the restoration planned for this year.

The large Ash tree by the spill weir finally was removed on the 28th February when we had our maximum attendance so far - 21 volunteers. Needless to say not all 21 were employed at the Spill Weir and several other small trees that were in the canal or interfering with passage along the towpath were also removed. Other work included digging of trial holes in the in-filled section of the canal north of Double Bridge which is also scheduled for re-excavation.

The removal of the Ash tree now clears the way for us to start the Spill Weir restoration.

Re-puddling work on the Triangle Wood culvert depends upon the successful removal of the Oak tree standing alongside which hopefully will be achieved this coming Sunday.

During the whole of February our volunteers, worked a total of 386 man-hours which amounted to £4799 in volunteer value matched funding.

In future the matched funding hours will be identified with the work associated with its respective funding.

 

Douglas Harris

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  Working Party Report — February 2010

Just one work party since the last Branch Meeting but a significant one never-the-less as on the 31st January the team started the scrub clearance on the canal where it crosses the A4 road at Pewsham. The aim of this was to advertise the presence of the canal to the passing public. Wiltshire Council through the good offices of the Canals Officer, Ken Oliver, erected an official sign on the verge indicating that this was the Wilts & Berks Canal.  I was not able to attend being away in sunnier climes but 18 members of the team were and did a magnificent job in about 4 hours—without me.

With the good news of Kath’s success with funding applications we can look forward to a busy Spring & Summer. Some of the funding has to be spent by the end of March so as soon as the weather becomes a bit more open we will begin the rebuilding of the main spill weir below Bottom Lock. In the meantime we have to clear the remains of the large Ash tree that was growing out of the masonry and all the displaced brickwork.

Following that, the repairs to the two remaining culverts below Bottom Lock have to be completed and puddled before we can begin the dredging.

At Calne there remains the clearance of the towpath to do which we hope to complete during the coming weeks. Also the Castlefields Canal & River Park Association (CARP) are well on their way to securing funding for the rehabilitation of the lock and have passed Stage 1 of the their application. Together with ourselves in the Trust and CARP we have to convince the ‘Facilitator’ that we can complete the Project. One of the benefits of this work, apart from an improvement in the appearance of the lock, is that more water may be extracted from the River Marden, when permitted by the Environment Agency, which will refresh the water in the canal near the lock. It will also enable us to re-water further extensions of the canal with confidence.

All very exciting stuff.

During the whole of January the team, worked a total of 212 man-hours which amounted to £2587 in volunteer value matched funding. Not bad for starters.

Douglas Harris

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  Working Party Report — January 2010

There have been just two work parties since the last Branch Meeting on the 8th of December. This was mainly due to the Festive Season and a request from the farmer on whose lane we use to gain access to the Pewsham site.

One meeting was held at Calne on the 13^th December, where the team enjoyed a well earned 'Mulled Wine & Mince Pie Bonfire', and the other last Sunday, 10^th January 2010, at Pewsham in Artic conditions. What a contrast in the weather conditions.

The event at Calne was photographed by Justin Guy our Press Officer. The picture taken at site has subsequently appeared all the local papers. It must have been something to do with having our Chairman beaming happily in the foreground or possibly my unfortunate absence. Never-the-less it was very good publicity.

Last week we were to hold a midweek meeting at Pewsham on the 6^th January but weather conditions were difficult, to say the least, so we met in the Red Lion at Lacock instead to discuss our future plans and the necessary funding. It's not all work on our work parties.

Last Sunday seven of the gang turned out on a bitterly cold morning and managed to clear the remaining tree tops and logs from the canal left by the tree surgeons in October. Some of the logs required three people to lift them. Ideal work for ‘Gorillas’ really. We also had a very nice bonfire.

During December the team, worked a total of 543 man-hours which amounted to £8635 in volunteer value matched funding. The total for whole year ending 31^st December amounted to £78,132 which has totally smashed last year's total of £51,811. Well done team.

Are we going to do this again this year?

Douglas Harris

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  Working Party Report — November 2009

There have been 8 occasions where members have been working on site. I am not calling these work parties this time as some were only attended by one or two, such as at Calne this past weekend when we were hosts to a visiting group of volunteers from the Kent & East Sussex Canal Restoration Group (KESCRG). Such is the attraction of working at Pewsham. More on this later.                  

At Pewsham the task of clearing Middle Lock has continued. It has been hard going, wet and mucky most of the time but the team have made good progress. We are about ¾  the way through to total clearance.  Then only two more to go. But there may be a better way!

Down at the Reybridge end of the section six members of the team have been busy erecting a post and wire fence along the towpath to restrain Messr’s. Doel’s cattle from going walkabout along the towpath. This took part on two mid-week occasions finishing on Friday 30th October when Colin and I finally strained the wire.

On Friday 23rd October we had a team of tree surgeons on site to fell three large trees that were growing on or interfering with canal structures. This job took all day and was completed with only minor collateral damage. We have been clearing tree tops and logging the timber ever since.

Mowing has progress slowly by the few who see this as a better option to lock clearance. It’s a strenuous and sometimes tedious job which when done in the late Spring seems a waste of time as it grows back again so quickly but, believe me, it does make the Autumn mow much easier. If, as was the case last year, parts were missed altogether, the task is sometimes like scrub clearance all over again. So it has to be done. Our fund raising team are working on ways to provide some more exotic machinery to speed up the process.

At Calne KESCRG were given access to Mrs Sutton’s land at the western end of the re-watered cut. Here the scrub resembled a jungle but over the past weekend the visitors made short work of all but the largest trees. They are coming back this way again on the weekend of 5/6 December to start clearing the scrub from the canal at the A4 crossing (by the SAAB Garage). Their forestry team will initially return to Calne to fell the large trees left standing then come to Pewsham. KESCRG may even come back again on the 12th & 13th December to Pewsham when we might persuade them to look at the locks as well.

During October the team worked a total of 342 man-hours which amounted to £4639 in volunteer value matched funding. The total for the year so far has reached £62,125 which looks as though this might be a record year.

Douglas Harris

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  Working Party Report — October 2009

There have been 10 work parties since the last Branch Meeting held on the 8th September. Six of these were held at Pewsham two at Forest Farm and two at Calne.

At Pewsham the task of clearing Middle Lock has continued. It has been hard going as the material in the lock chamber is full of broken bricks and steelwork from the gates. But we are making progress - sometimes in spite of poor weather.

We have also started the autumn mowing and are now about halfway along the whole section. Some parts have not been cut for more than a year because of the previous wet state of the canal bed last year. The mowing here has been difficult and indicates that we should ensure at least one cut is made during each year.

At Calne we have tidied up the wharf area by Chaveywell Bridge, mowed the whole length and pulled timber from the water that had been blown down during the past gales.  On Town Lock some additional exploratory excavation has been undertaken at the site of the upper gate so that the extent of  existing masonry can be determined.

The CARP organisation are lending their good offices to seek further funding for the completion of the lock rehabilitation. This is not restoration as a navigavable structure but in appearance it will look like a lock complete with gates. It will, however, have a large diameter pipe laid along the whole length of the chamber which will convey water from the River Marden to the canal. This will significantly improve the water quality.

At Forest and Queenfield Farms we have made up for last year’s neglect and mowed the whole section thoroughly.

Attendances have still be good, usually above 10 on the Sundays. On the 23rd August 19 turned up which included a photo shoot of the ‘big cheque’ representing the proceeds of the Sponsored walk earlier this year.

During September the team worked a total of 362 man-hours which amounted to £4760 in  volunteer value matched funding.

I am sorry that no report was given in my absence at the last Branch Meeting. However, for the record, during August there were two work parties, both at Pewsham, clearing Middle lock. They worked 279 man-hours which is valued at £3903. We also held a work party management meeting at my house. A revised work programme was put forward but, during my absence, restrictions on our access to the Pewsham Site, has put this on hold for a while.

Douglas Harris

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  Working Party Report — August 2009

There have been just three work parties since the last Branch Meeting, again held at Pewsham.

At both the main thrust has been the clearance of Middle Lock including the stump of the large Oak tree growing in the lock.

Without mechanical assistance progress has been slow but not because of lack of effort. The stump proved resistant to the end when it was finally removed last Sunday. The return of wet weather has put the repair of Cocklemore Brook culvert on hold for a while and we are hoping for a return to drier weather before the summer ends so that we can continue with the repairs.

On Wednesday 29th July a small party surveyed the brook downstream of the culvert to see if it was possible to permanently lower the water level. This will help with access for the repairs and provide a permanent scouring to keep the culvert free of silt. It was found that dredging would greatly improve conditions at the culvert. This work has to be agreed with the farmer.

Attendance has been good even with summer holidays taking their toll.  Despite the good attendance, working normally on only two days each month does not see much progress over the year and there is an ever increasing amount of restoration to do not forgetting maintenance of those parts completed.

The Work Party Management Team are considering introducing more working periods each month. This could be achieved by working each Sunday with possibly different people and another dedicated team leader, mid week work parties for mainly maintenance work (for the retired amongst us) or working 2, 3,or even 4 day weekends where a specific task is to be undertaken. This option would be desirable where extra plant has to be hired. The ‘management team’ hope to meet shortly to discuss these options and would welcome suggestions from the workers.

During July the team worked a total of  442 man-hours which amounted to £7,388 in volunteer value matched funding. Not bad for normal working.

Douglas Harris

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Working Party Report — July 2009

There have been 11 work parties since the last Branch Meeting, on 9th June, all held at Pewsham. The large number was primarily due to our hosting a week long camp from Waterways Recovery Group where we provided experienced digger and dumper drivers as supporting effort.

The main task was the clearance of Top & Middle Lock but the wet ground at Top Lock prevented much removal of the sediment. However many items of ‘archaeological’ interest were extracted and left alongside for any ‘collectors’ to take away should they wish. Otherwise we shall have to take it all up to the tip—eventually.

Attendance at our normal work parties remains high topping 19 on the 14th June. New volunteers continue to join us which is very encouraging.

There has been a slight air of anticlimax following the high of the official opening of Double Bridge by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall; but this could be cured by the queue of exciting restoration jobs coming over the horizon.

The first is the clearance of all three locks which has been kick-started by the WRG Camp. This work is necessary for us to establish the extent of damage caused by the demolition practice during WW2 so that detailed estimates for their restoration can be obtained.

The dry summer (so far) has provided us with a window of opportunity to get at the damaged masonry of Cocklemore Brook Culvert. Our workparty will be carrying on with the work which has been started by WRG but we will have to hurry as the current low water level may not last. I am thinking of weekly, if not midweek, workparties to speed the job along. Our experience with Double Bridge has shown how the momentum can be maintained by having just a few volunteers working extra days between the main work parties.

The large spill weir at Bottom lock is another project that can be started this Autumn but unlike Cocklemore Brook Culvert is not so critical on the water table.

Finally there are the towpath repairs that will be necessary if we are to fill the rewatered sections to capacity. However I cannot get too excited about this job until the funding is in place.

During the last month (June) the team worked a total of 315 man-hours which amounted to £4,302 in volunteer value matched funding. Not as much as for May but so far this month we have clocked up another 333 man-hours. Watch this space for this month’s total.

Douglas Harris

   

Working Party Report — May 2009

There have been 11 work parties since the last Branch Meeting; all held at Pewsham working on the restoration of Double Bridge.

The average attendance this month has remained high at 14 for scheduled dates and 7 for the additional midweek meetings.

Restoration progress on the bridge has been remarkable especially when one realises what work had to be done.

We are now in the final stages of the project. The parapet pillars are now adorned with the coping stones placed accurately by Tim and his machine. Under-arch masonry repairs have continued unabated and have now reach the final stage with the remaining pointing, planned for Wednesday’s work party. The towpath under the bridge is about 80% complete and we hope to see this completed also on Wednesday. The canal bed north of the bridge has been shaped into a temporary basin with a waterproof membrane installed to prevent the water leaking up the undredged canal bed.

The final work will be the construction of the connecting towpaths to the cycleway south and north of the bridge and the fixing of stop plank channels in the bridge masonry.

Re-puddling the canal bed over the leaking Naish Hill culverts last month appears to have been successful as water levels have remained static in the affected section for the last four weeks.

Following the installation of the stop plank channels and continued evidence that the leaks have been cured we will then lower the dam south of the bridge to let water in to re-water the bridge.

The final activity leading up to the visit of our Patron on the 26th May will be clearing the site of unused building materials, landscaping the ground around the bridge structure and final mowing.

We have had an impressive attendance to the work parties with a total of 26 volunteers being involved in one way or another since the end of February. During the last month the team worked a total of 861 man-hours which amounted to £11,103 in volunteer value matched funding. This must be a record. Well done everybody.

Douglas Harris

   

Working Party Report — April 2009

There have been 12 work parties since the last Branch Meeting; 11 held at Pewsham and 1 held at Calne where we ran boat trips on the occasion of the Castlefields Bunny Hunt.

The average attendance this month has fallen to 7 mainly because of the extra mid-week working needed to keep progress on Double Bridge on track. This is purely mathematical. Progress on the bridge has improved dramatically.

The main activity has been bricklaying on the wing walls. Arch repairs has worked well using the ingenious system of holding the bricks in place with a timber frame supported on a scaffold strut while the mortar set.

Double Bridge restoration overall has progressed well and we are well on the way to completion.

Today, an extra digger and dumper truck has been hired for the whole week to complete the work in sealing the two leaking culverts in the Naish Hill section. With Tim’s machine we will have two diggers and three dumper trucks working. Lookout for next month’s report to find out how well it went.

For the month of March we worked another 526 man-hours which amounted to £6530 in volunteer value matched funding. Another good record.

Douglas Harris

   

Working Party Report — January 2009

We have been on site four times since the last Branch meeting—all at Pewsham.

The first held on the 14th December. This being the last before Christmas we celebrated by having mulled wine and mince pies with our lunch. These were generously donated by our chairman and some of our more noble members for which the team were very grateful. The day, I recall, was rather damp & dull and the work in clearing scrub from the southern section of the Naish Hill pound was not uplifting but, surprisingly, after lunch work resumed with a greater gusto and by the end of the day a large amount of the towpath was cleared.

The ground was very mucky due to the prevailing wet weather we had to haul all the cut scrub to the bonfire by hand. The ground was too slippery to use our dumper. The volunteers besides covering themselves in glory by working in such conditions also got well covered in mud.

The next work party was held soon after Christmas on the 28th December when a few of the stalwarts carried on with the work again making good progress. Yours truly was not able to attend this time and it was noted that progress was quite unaffected.

We had another midweek site visit on the 2nd January to take delivery of some 300 old bricks kindly donated by one of our members. These were stacked by Double Bridge ready for the Spring bricklaying season.

Finally on the 11th January we finally completed the scrub clearance on the towpath over the whole length of the new work. The ground was still frozen from the past cold weather and timber that was half submerged in the canal had to be cut off where it lay and left to thaw out. As the weather had become warmer the surface of the ground was as sticky as ever and we had to be very careful not to slip. All that now remains is to remove the remaining arising to a suitable site for burning. A remarkable achievement is such a short time.

For the month of December we recorded 213 man-hours which amounted to £2,584 in volunteer value matched funding.

The final total for the year ending 31st December 2008 was 3992 man-hours worked which was valued at £51,811.80.

This was well up on last year when the total value earned in 2007 was £39,302. The increase is due to the significant larger average attendance at work parties and the employment of skills that command a higher rate of ‘pay’.

Well done everybody.

Douglas Harris

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Working Party Report — December 2008

We have been very busy since the last Branch Meeting on the 11th November, having held six work parties, all at Pewsham.

The first party was a mid week affair on Wednesday the 19th when we salvaged old bricks, scattered near Middle Lock, for use on the wing walls and towpath under Double Bridge. With three dumper loads we probably salvaged enough to complete the job. During the day we also took delivery of road stone and building sand.

The following Wednesday 26th November we laid two 150mm dia. pipes across the towpath/cycleway; one to drain the canal in Messrs Doel’s land and another near the winding hole, both to prevent the adjacent towpaths from being periodically flooded.  Tim brought his digger along to ‘help’ with the excavation. Even then it was nearly dark before we were finished.

A good turnout on both these days having 10 volunteers on the 19th and 7 on the 26th.

This last event was followed up with a short visit by Colin & myself on Friday 28th to re-erect the post and rail fence by the Doel’s section which we had disturbed to lay the pipe. I recall, whilst my back was turned in hammering nails into the rails, that I had commented aloud to Colin (holding the rail) how few people there had been on this day, being particularly pleasant, when someone passed by and stopped to congratulate us on the work had we had done.  We have received many comments of support which is very gratifying.

On the weekend of 29th & 30th we had a two day session. On the Saturday concrete backfill was laid against the new brickwork and old bricks cleaned while others moved the remaining puddle clay down to the so-called ‘Rill Culvert’ just south of the bridge.

On the Sunday more brickwork was completed to bring the bridge towpath wall up to the coping stone level for 80% of its length. The remainder of the team laid puddle clay over Naish Hill culvert (a very mucky job I recall) whilst the sensible ones cleared more scrub from the towpath on Messrs Doel’s land and enjoyed a bonfire. We had a total of 5 volunteers on the Saturday and 14 on the Sunday.

Finally, last Saturday 6th December, Tim brought his digger and laid puddle clay over the Rill Culvert and completed the work to 300mm below bed level. All that remains here is to lay the remaining puddle clay when more is delivered.

For the month of November we recorded 400 man-hours which amounted to £5,165 in volunteer value matched funding.

Douglas Harris

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