A cruise along the Grantham Canal - Grantham on Water 2007
Grantham Canal Society Notices
Just to remind you of the BITM working weekend this weekend 13/14 Dec - its their Christmas bash. Working site is between Brs 20 and 21. Go to the Cropwell Bishop town bridge (near the C B Memorial Hall), and walk down the towpath for about 400 metres). Park at the C B memorial Hall. Timings, approx 0900/0930 to dusk each day, be prepared for a drop of mud!
Vacancy
A Minutes Secretary to attend Committee meetings of the Society and record decisions, significant discussion items and action points. Meetings are held every two months, usually on the second Wednesday at 7.30pm at Cropwell Bishop. The committee would like the minutes to be issued within one week of the meeting taking place. Whilst the use of a PC and access to e-mail is not essential it would significantly assist the post-holder in communications to committee members. The position is honorary
Volunteer Training British Waterways and the GCS are developing a series of training courses for volunteers which will enable them to participate in active restoration projects on the Grantham Canal.
There are three steps to full certification, steps one and two of which are essential before a member can join a working party. These are:-
Step 1 – Attendance at presentation of videos covering basic rules for Manual Handling and working in Confined Spaces - about 1 hour for each video with discussion time. Probably a group session of one half day at a suitable location.
Step 2 - New Recruit training – Working with equipment. Initial training on: Water safety, Fire safety, Working safely, Emergency First Aid. These will take 1 or 2 days depending on individuals learning ability.
Step 3 - Specific equipment training, including: - Brush cutter, clearing saw, strimmer, pruner, hedge trimmer and mower. Again these courses could take 1 or 2 days per equipment depending on individual abilities.
Once these foundation courses have been completed successfully there may be opportunities for individuals to participate in further training on other equipment
Certificates will be issued to each individual completing the courses who thereafter will be able to be active members of restoration working parties at the various project sites along the canal.
This is a great opportunity that British waterways are offering and I recommend that you put your name forward as a participant. There will be no charge to fully paid up society members who will be covered by the society’s insurance whilst on the course and on restoration work parties.
To enrol for these courses please send an e-mail to chairman@granthamcanal.com indicating your wish to participate and with your name, address and contact phone number.
The Grantham Canal was opened in 1797 and for well over a century was one of the principal waterways of the Midlands, offering a reliable and cost-effective alternative to the toll-roads for the transport of goods and materials between Grantham and Nottingham.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the growth of the railways led to an inevitable decline in the use of water-borne transport but the Grantham Canal fared better than most, and it was not until the age of the petrol engine that closure finally came in the 1930s.
A lengthy period of neglect and decay ensued. Brickwork crumbled, leaks appeared, sections of the canal dried out and nature reclaimed the land. Within 30 years, the Grantham Canal had fallen into a state of grievous disrepair, its purpose and presence largely forgotten.
The Grantham Canal Restoration Society was formed in 1969 by a small group of local people who recognised that we were in danger of losing a precious piece of industrial and architectural heritage, a rich habitat for the flora and fauna of the Vale of Belvoir and a potential source of enjoyment for current and future generations.
Since that time, an immense amount has been achieved; locks have been repaired and brought back into use; bridges have been rebuilt; the towpath has been resurfaced and stretches of the canal have been dredged. Groups of volunteers have tackled the encroaching vegetation, felling overhanging trees, cutting back overgrown banks and clearing out excessive weed growth to enable the water to flow again. And at all times, care has been taken to preserve and encourage the habitats of flowers and wildlife.
Today, The Grantham Canal Society has taken up the challenge. Its purpose is to continue the restoration of the canal, thereby creating a 33-mile leisure corridor running through the glorious Vale of Belvoir: a linear park to be used and enjoyed by walkers, anglers, cyclists, bird lovers - by anyone and everyone who takes pleasure in our natural environment. Eventually, the aim is to restore the canal to its former glory as a fully navigable waterway, not for commercial use but for trail boats and narrow boats to add their own colour and vitality to the rural setting.
Would you like to help?
The Society is run entirely by volunteers, supported by British Waterways and other organisations dedicated to the restoration and preservation of canals throughout the country. If you would like to get involved, for as little or as much time as you have available, go to our Volunteering page and find out more.
Today, The Grantham Canal Society has taken up the challenge. Its purpose is to continue the restoration of the canal, thereby creating a 33-mile leisure corridor running through the glorious Vale of Belvoir: a linear park to be used and enjoyed by walkers, anglers, cyclists, bird lovers - by anyone and everyone who takes pleasure in our natural environment. Eventually, the aim is to restore the canal to its former glory as a fully navigable waterway, not for commercial use but for trail boats and narrow boats to add their own colour and vitality to the rural setting.