SCARS executive committee members

Continuing the potted biographies of those elected to serve on the SCARS Executive Committee this year. The range of interests and skills represented remains, as you will see, very wide and varied.

Neil Forshaw: Neil has lived in Newton-Le-Willows all his life; he used to open (along with a dozen other kids) the swing bridge at the bottom of the "mucky mountains" for barges going to Sankey sugar works. He is married to Philomena with two sons, three grand children and a cat. A member of Haydock Male Voice Choir, his other interests include local history, lancashire dialect and crown green bowling.

Peter Keen: Peter is a native of Manchester; and married with two children. He is a teacher; his interests are Canal Restoration, Environmental Conservation, Classic Archaeology, Industrial Archaeology, History, Transport, Travel, D.I.Y., Books and Philately.

Pat Robinson: Pat has been a member of St. Helens Metropolitan Council since 1986; and is Ward Councillor for Thatto Heath. She is a fully trained teacher, and is married with two sons and one daughter. She is very active in local environmental, heritage and educational activities. Among the many committees she serves on are the following:-

Board of Management and Sub-Committees for Groundwork Trust
Chairwoman of Merseyside Valuation Tribunal
Vice-Chairwoman of the Board of Sutton Communities' Opportunities for Pathways to Employment
Honorary Member of St. Helens Transport Museum
St. Helens representative on the Mersey Forest Steering Group
Member of Council of Liverpool University
Chairwoman of the Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education
Governor of Nutgrove Methodist Primary School
Governor of Rainhill High School

David Callan: Dave is a retired Government Officer (college technician), and a former local councillor. His other interests include walking with St. Helens Ramblers; and local transport affairs. Dave serves on the St. Helens Mersey Travel Advisory Panel.

Clive Smith: 43 years of age, Clive is married to Elaine and has four children; three girls and one boy. He runs trips in the canal boat Wizard for people with disabilities; Wizard being owned by St. James' Church, Westbrook. Clive also looks after the Church's second hand book shop. SCARS chairman David Long introduced Clive to the Society.

Edmund Southworth: Edmund has lived in St. Helens since 1983. He is a trained archaeologist and now works at the Liverpool Museum. A founder member of SCARS, his other interests are in publications, planning issues and economic development. Edmund's wife Helen is the new MP for Warrington South.

Bill Highcock: Now retired, Bill formerly worked at A.E.I./G.E.C., Trafford Park, Manchester. His earliest recollections of the Sankey Canal go back as far as the 1930's. In those days, the area between Pocket Nook, Gerrard's Bridge and the site of the old Globe Chemical Works was regarded as one glorious adventure playground when on the way home from school. Later, in the 1950's, Bill photographed many of these boyhood haunts as a member of St. Helens Camera Club. The publication of Barker and Harris's book did much to present the canal and its environs in a new light; and in the process triggered off a latent interest in local history which eventually to the Camera Club undertaking the St. Helens Past and Present Project. This was followed by an exhibition of the resulting photographic collection in the public library before being accepted into the libraries' local history archive. Bill has been adding the odd photo to this collection ever since. Bill's other interests are the Merseyside Archaeological Society and the British Society of Dowsers.

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