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News


Engine sponsorship

Boiler repair

Crane work

Photo competition

Training standards

New Lock gates

Easter Gathering 2010

Coffee and crochet

Birds - appeal

Kingfisher Project

Legacies

Engine sponsorship

John Bridgeman, the Deputy Chairman of British Waterways, has agreed to sponsor the refurbishment of two of the Museum’s engines as a present for his grandsons.  He has selected the Lister engine from Mendip and the Widdop engine from Aleida. Mendip's engine has already been removed and will be worked on shortly and the Widdop will be soon be removed from Aleida.

When the engines are up and running John will bring his two grandsons to see the engines and, hopefully, have a trip on the two boats.
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John Bridgeman's visit
John Bridgeman, 2nd from left, recently made a site tour to get an update on the plans for site development and a review of the boatyard progress. The real reason for the visit was to look at the engines from Mendip and Aleida.

 

Widdop engine

 

 

 

 

 

Widdop engine from Aleida
boiler maintenance
Martin tightens the last bolts before the boiler can be put back into service.

Not many people know this

Over the last few months the steam boiler has been undergoing a full overhaul and had its statutory inspection.

Why we don’t know about it is that Bill, Matt and new volunteer Martin, work out of sight and actually very few of us ever go over and see them.

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crane

Crane gets a lift !

For many visitors to site the first thing they see when they leave the reception is the crane. Recently Ronnie has been encouraging us to smarten it up for Easter. Risk assessments, working at heights, overhanging the water and all other issues make it quite a complicated job but it will be worth it. New volunteer Frank has started the job by rubbing down the winding gear and getting some primer on the rusty bits.

Watch this space.  back to list

Caught on camera: Capture the secret lives of our canals
and rivers and win a prize

The North West packs a punch when it comes to diversity of waterways – from the Leeds-Liverpool Canal to the River Weaver. Youth volunteering project, Waterways Action Squad, wants young people aged 16-25 to help celebrate the people, industry, wildlife and activity that can be found along the region’s canals and rivers by capturing it on camera.

The theme for the photography competition is ‘The Secret Life of Canals and Rivers’. Emma Wright, Volunteer Co-ordinator for the Waterways Action Squad, explains: “There is so much to see and do along the canals and rivers here in the north-west and we want young people to use their cameras to capture this unique environment so more people can discover this great secret.

“People can be as imaginative and adventurous as possible with their photographs, whilst staying safe near the water of course.”

The prize is an exciting day out for the winners and a group of their friends on board a canal boat, where they will have the chance to learn to drive the boat and generally relax and enjoy life afloat.

Entries should be submitted to emma.wright@thewaterwaystrust.co.uk by 15 March 2010. Winners will be notified by the end of March. By submitting a photograph to the competition, entrants are granting permission for its use for promotional purposes. 
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Competence and training standards for the workshops equipment

writing training manual
Tony and Charlie are writing procedures to allow the machinery in the cage and in the workshops to be used safely. All the equipment has been upgraded and fitted with all the safety stops that are required under the latest regulations. Writing the procedures is the last link in the chain.
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BW working on wide lock gates

British waterways are on site for the next couple of months carrying out extensive work on the wide lock gates. Hopefuly the work, which involves renewing three sets of gates, will be completed in time for the Easter gathering.
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Jim Taylor and John Inch
     
John Inch and Jim Taylor (BW supervisor) dicussing the work schedule
   

news logoImportant date for your diary

The traditional Easter Boat Gathering is an important date in the Museum calendar. Good Friday is April 2nd and the event covers all four days of the long weekend.

Some boats start arriving on Thursday and the site gets pretty full. There are also evening events to attend. On Friday it is the BMS meeting, when Norman Stainthorp will give us his personal history of Ellesmere Port Docks.     back to list

boats
         
coffee and crochet group

The coffee and crochet sessions on Tuesday mornings go from strength to strength. Congratulations to Ann and Jacqueline for all their efforts to get the events up and running. What is so good is that many of the people involved are new to the museum and are so clearly enjoying themselves. It is amazing to see the quality of the work that the participants are producing.  

Everyone is working on new 'soft furnishings' for the boats as well as getting advice on their own projects.
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Appeal launched to help protect Britain’s waterway birds

The Waterways Trust has launched an appeal backed by wildlife presenters Miranda Krestovnikoff and Mike Dilger to help provide homes for some of the nation’s most threatened species of waterway birds.

The banks, reed fringes, grassy towpaths, trees and hedgerows along canals and rivers offer a rich array of places for birds to nest, feed, shelter and gain protection from predators. Many hundreds of bird species such as kingfishers, grey wagtails, tufted ducks, terns, sedge warblers and barn owls depend on these inland waterways for their survival.

Wildlife experts are already comparing this winter to that of 1962-63, when the big freeze began on Boxing Day and did not being to thaw until the first week of March. During that period, it is estimated that half of the birds of Britain died. The cold weather was particularly harsh on kingfishers.

Joanne Darlington, Development Director, said: “The kingfisher rarely lives longer than one breeding season and is vulnerable to cold weather. Also, with only around seventy-five breeding pairs each year, the bittern is under threat in the UK and has a red conservation status meaning it needs urgent help.

“Through our Waterway Birds appeal, we want to raise money to create vital habitats for threatened birds by installing bird boxes at key waterside locations, installing and repairing floating reedbeds and planting and maintaining hedgerows as well as undertaking other essential tasks to improve feeding and nesting sites along our canals and rivers.”

The appeal is backed by Miranda Krestovnikoff, TV presenter and wildlife film maker and Mike Dilger, Wildlife Presenter on BBC’s The One Show.

Miranda explains: “I really enjoy visiting our lovely canals and rivers and seeing all the wonderful wildlife that thrives there.  Our waterways provide excellent habitats for a wide range of birds, including some protected species.  But it’s important to keep adding new wildlife homes, particularly for the more sensitive birds like kingfishers, grey wagtails, barn owls, tufted ducks and terns.  By donating to The Waterways Trust’s Wildlife Appeal, people will support vital habitat improvements to help ensure the survival of threatened bird species.”

Mike continues: "There's only one thing that beats messing about on the water, and that's walking and stalking along the river bank with binocs in hand whilst tracking down the cobalt streaking bullet that is the kingfisher! In my adopted home of the southwest I feel spoilt for rivers in the form of the Avon and the Frome, and regardless of the time of year there is always something for the wildlife enthusiast to get to grips with in this most mercurial, wonderful and fragile of habitats.

“I have forgotten how many times I have filmed on the River Test in Hampshire or filmed native crayfish in Cumbrian becks, one thing I never forget however is that we must not take these precious habitats for granted. Our rivers and canals are now cleaner than they have been for over a generation, but there is still no room for complacency!"

To make a donation to The Waterways Trust’s Waterways Bird Appeal visit www.thewaterwaystrust.org.uk/wildife or call 0845 0700710 (9am – 5pm Monday to Friday). back to list

 

The Kingfisher Project in The Waterways Archive, Ellesmere Port

volunteers in archives
Volunteers working in the Archives

The archive service was suspended for 2 months earlier this year to enable staff and volunteers to focus on the Kingfisher Project. The help and support of Linda Barley and the volunteer team was crucial in the project’s success.

The benefits of this project:
  • It has given us a clear way forward with the future care, management and accessibility of the archives.
  • We have familiarised ourselves with the different documentation systems used in the management of the collections – this will enable us to bring all documentation into line with professional standards.
  • Physical access to the collections will be much improved.
  • It will enable us to make collections more widely available via online resources and outreach activities.
  • We now have a 5-year action plan to continue the work of the project.

5-Year Action Plan, April 2009 – March 2014

Now that the review of the archive is now complete, it is providing the basis for future collections management and will contribute to the museum’s strategic objectives. The aim from this point is to upgrade collection quality, improve preservation, further improve access to collections, integrate the archive into museum activities, upgrade the visitor experience, exploit secondary resources and tap into further funding resources.

Future Activity
Below are a few of the activities planned for the near future, or already underway. If you would like to see it, the full action plan is available in the archive.
  • Revision of the acquisition and disposals policy.
  • Deaccessioning of low grade and reference material.
  • Creating authority files to improve collections knowledge.
  • Conducting 4 workshops per year and other outreach activities.
  • Training for staff and volunteers in housekeeping, environmental monitoring, archive cataloguing and ICT.

The large amount of secondary material that has emerged is being arranged in the library, which is now such a large resource in its own right that the museum has decided to create a library in the room next to the actual archive, which will be run by volunteers. This will provide the friendly face to the resources available and will free up further space for the remaining archive material. The opening hours of the library will extend beyond those of the archive, making many of the resources more accessible, whilst enabling the archive team to deal with enquiries and open up the archives to more people.

An application is planned for funding for a cataloguing project to include all remaining archive material in May through the National Archives’ National Cataloguing Programme. If successful, the project will begin in May/June 2010 for 12 – 18 months and will enable us to complete the catalogues of most of the remaining archive collections, including the image collections, which will then be made available on the Virtual Waterways website.

There are also plans to complete the National Preservation Office’s Preservation Assessment Survey to inform all our preservation work.

Volunteer work
New and established members of the volunteer team have already become involved with these new activities. Plans for the establishment of a library in what is now ‘The Hidden World’ exhibition area are well advanced and once this is set up, we will need plenty of volunteers to help staff it during the week and particularly at weekends.
Lots to do! If you would like to be involved in the work of the archive

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scrollWhy not leave a legacy to help the future work of
The Boat Museum Society

The Boat Museum Society is a charity (number 501593) and welcomes donations which may be made by Gift Aid provided the donor pays sufficient income tax to cover the gross amount of the money given.

The Boat Museum Society welcomes legacies to help fund its work in furtherance of its objects. As the legacies are given to a charity they are exempt from Inheritance Tax.

As circumstances change over the years it may not be possible to fulfil specific donor requests such as the preservation of a particular boat so anyone  wishing to leave a gift to the Society in his/her will should use the words
"I give the sum of £... to The Boat Museum Society for the general purposes of the Society." 

When the will takes effect the Trustees of the Society will discuss with executors the most appropriate use of the gift  in the light of current needs and projects and the donor's known areas of interest in the work of the Society.

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