Communications Update 15 th January 2016 Happy New Year and welcome to our first communications update of 2016 The latest flooding news We re continuing to deal with the aftermath of the Christmas floods on parts of our network in the North. Our staff have been out inspecting bridges, embankments and wash walls, assessing the damage and putting together plans for repair - and we hope to provide more detail on the programme before the end of January. The scale of the damage The damage caused varies and we hope some sections of affected waterway could be reopened in a matter of weeks. However other stretches, where significant engineering works are needed, are more likely to be closed for several months. As well as getting everything in place for repairs and rebuilds, the clean-up operation has also swung into action. Our staff, contractors and volunteers have been busy clearing debris, washing down towpaths and cleaning moorings where access allows it. Volunteer spirit We re particularly grateful to all the volunteers who have given their time to help their local waterways to recover. There s considerable damage and disruption to parts of the network but, undaunted, volunteers have generously offered their time and support.
One example saw our Huddersfield Towpath Taskforce lend a hand to their counterparts in Brighouse and both groups joined forces on Friday to tidy Cromwell Lock on the Calder & Hebble Navigation. They helped to clear tree branches and other debris blocking the lock and removed rubbish that floodwaters had dropped onto the lockside. Over on the Rochdale Canal volunteers have also been out removing all the debris and mud from the towpaths at locks 8 and 9 and between 11 and 12. We ve been joined by new volunteers at Hebden Bridge a lovely example of the local community pulling together to help out. Starting from today volunteers will be working with our construction teams to begin repairs to the towpath at lock 8 in Hebden Bridge and lock 18 in Todmorden. There are still some places where the towpath is covered with slippery mud and we remind everyone to be careful particularly with icy weather forecast for the coming week. This map illustrates a generalised view of the areas affected by flooding. More details can be found locally for: Manchester & Pennine North West North East
Rebuilding canals in the heart of flood-hit communities A number of our northern waterways have been severely damaged by the recent flooding. Bridges, embankments and canal banks have been affected. Many stretches of towpath have been closed. We need to rebuild them, so we can continue to provide much needed places for people to escape to, now more than ever. Please show your solidarity with the thousands of people whose lives have been turned upside-down. Help us rebuild canals in the heart of flood-hit communities by making a donation today. News Round up Ecologist Laura Mullholland spoke to BBC Radio Wiltshire (7/1/16) about how this winter s mild weather has affected wildlife forward to 00:52:00 BBC 1 regional TV news (10/1/16) reported the closure of the towpath following a landslip behind Skipton Castle A number of publications, including The Sun (11/1/16) and Mirror website (10/1/16), reported the death of a man in a fire on a narrowboat at Bradford on Avon Presenter and wildlife conservationist Iolo Williams visited the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal for his new series on BBC 1 in Wales (13/1/16): Iolo's Brecon Beacons. He spoke to supervisor Kevin Phillips as some winter works took place on the canal
The Lancashire Telegraph (13/1/16) and BBC Radio Lancashire are among those promoting our open day at Barrowford Lock on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal The Londonist (13/1/16) featured our volunteer lock keeper in Camden, Peigi Mackay, as we appeal for new recruits In social media: Our best performing post on Facebook this week was our Humans of the Waterways post about Pam and Andy who make jewellery on their boat. This post reached 9,300 people with 182 likes, comments and shares, and is our second best performing post for Humans of the Waterways so far, reaching three times the normal post average On Twitter, we shared the news that Pontcysyllte Aqueduct has been nominated for the BBC Countryfile Magazine Heritage Site of the Year Award. This was our best performing post on Twitter this week reaching 8,560 people (twice our normal average reach for news stories) and gaining 252 likes, replies and retweets. The post was also retweeted by @CountryfileMag who have 54,612 followers This week we ll be promoting the flood appeal and Winter Open Days on our social media channels Richard Parry hosted a briefing for the waterways press this morning including giving journalists an update on the Boxing Day flooding that has caused widespread damage to sections of the waterways in Yorkshire and Lancashire We ll be promoting lots of opportunities for people to join the Trust as volunteer lock keepers for the boating season ahead. This weekend s Sunday Express is planning to run a feature Ahead of the Kentish Town Lock open day in London on 23/24 January, we re inviting the media to come down to see the old lock gates being craned out There are a number of other stoppages underway across the network providing lots of opportunities for positive coverage of the Trust s work With temperatures dropping around the country, we ll be reissuing a press release reminding people to stay safe on icy towpaths and to stay off the ice if the canals freeze over ITV Midlands is out on the canal this week filming four features (over three days) to be broadcast at the end of the month. They plan to feature volunteer lock keepers, the importance of canal hedgerows, community adoptions and winter maintenance
We ll be contacting longer lead media about the open days at hire boat bases across the country this Spring to encourage people to holiday on the canals We ll be promoting the outcomes of the three-year EU funded project exploring how to use technology on Europe s canals And finally, we re preparing a reactive statement ahead of the broadcast at 11pm on Tuesday of Channel 4 s documentary entitled, Manchester s Serial Killer, which is looking at the large number of waterway-related deaths in the city in recent years and is likely to be a repetition of previous sensationalised headlines Restoration & Repair open days During each winter works season we hold a number of free open days and this year is no exception. We're inviting you along to take a look behind the scenes and find out what it takes to keep our canals and rivers open to everyone. Reflecting the breadth of the work we carry out, each open day offers a different experience and you could find yourself descending into drained locks, taking a boat trip or strolling along an empty aqueduct. There s really no better way to get a feel for the ingenious engineering and precise workmanship that went into making our canals all of those years ago. Coming up in January 2016 Kentish Town Lock open days 23 rd /24 th January Leicester Line open weekend 30 th /31 st January Barrowford open day 31 st January Visit our website to see all the sites that will be holding open days through to March 2016. Events IWA towpath walks: Little Venice to Camden From the charming Little Venice to bustling Camden, this walk will take you along the scenic Regent s Canal. 17th January 2016
2:30pm - 4:30pm Little Venice Regent's Canal Address Warwick Avenue London near W9 2PT Meet us at Warwick Avenue on 17 January at 2:30pm for a group walk to take in the leafy oasis of Little Venice to the atmospheric Camden. Remember to wear suitable clothes and footwear. Normal charge: 10 Concessionary and Student rate: 8 No prior booking necessary, but for more information call Roger Wilkinson on 020 3612 9624.