Due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in February our activities have been somewhat restricted over the last few months. However, this does not mean that nothing as been happening on the restoration front. We've been very busy indeed:

Sunday 28th January: Winwick Dry Dock:

Site meeting to discuss final details of new lift bridge which is to be installed across the entrance to the dock. The bridge is being sponsored by the Environment Agency (£8000) as part of the Sankey Now! project.
Winwick Yard: While we were at the dock we took the opportunity to check over the tool trailer in readiness for the visit of the Waterway Recovery Group to Newton Common Lock the following week. The trailer tyre pressures were checked; three punctured barrow tyres were taken off for repair; and tools were cleaned and packed ready for use.

Sunday 4th February: Newton Common Lock:

In preparation, on Friday night the trailer was collected from Winwick and brought home so that the repaired tyres could be refitted to the wheelbarrows. During Saturday afternoon time was spent checking that we had all the equipment required for the task.
Sunday: On the road at 7-15 am, it's cold and raining. Collect Darren and Ian on the way to Newton Common Lock, arrive on site at 7-50 am. Our first job is to remove some of the fence from the end of the lock which is to be worked on, the next was to erect the hazard barrier to keep spectators out of the work area.
It was still raining when Malcolm Bridge arrived with "Blue", WRG's mini excavator. When 'Blue' had been off loaded, Malcolm and Ian went off to Winwick to pick up the dumpers, meanwhile more volunteers began to appear. Eventually the dumpers came - one had refused to start. Now work could start on the clearance of the lock area. "Blue" loaded the dumpers with infill and the dumpers took it to the tipping area. The tip is situated below the lock and away from the line of the canal. The site was then levelled.
By dinner time the rain had stopped but the wind was very cold and everyone was grateful for the hot soup that Mr.Mac had made.
While the work of the digger and dumpers took centre stage, the other volunteers were hard at work tapering the banks bordering the top of the lock chamber. This was carried out enthusiastically in wet and muddy conditions. By 3-30pm work began to wind down and the dumpers returned to Winwick. Meanwhile the site needed cleaning, mud had to be removed from the path and the fence around the lock replaced.
Malcolm and Ian loaded "Blue" on to the lorry and returned it to its overnight lodgings at Woodside Farm, (many thanks to Mr. Jim Collier). After saying farewell and thank you to everyone, Ian and I took our tool trailer back to Winwick and then returned home.

During the afternoon a number of visitors came to admire our work, to offer advice and tell us their tales about the canal.

Winwick Dry Dock:

During March a new lift bridge appeared across the entrance to the dry dock. The bridge was paid for by the Environment Agency as part of the Sankey Now! project. The contractors had special permission to gain access to the site to install it during the foot and mouth crisis.

Sunday 13th May: Winwick Dry Dock:

Today the weather was perfect, dry, sunny and a light breeze, just enough to prevent it getting too hot. We were joined by four young people on Community Service Orders from Warrington Probation Service.
Our project: to realign the fencing to allow pedestrian access to the bridge and to restrict entrance to the dry dock.
After a problem with the trailer, (flat tyre) work commenced on removing the wooden fence, this involved removing the cross bars and then digging round the base of the posts until they became loose enough to lift out, easy you might think. Not so - the posts where set in concrete and proved to be quite a problem, but in true SCARS volunteer fashion we got stuck in and by dinner time we had removed all ten of them plus a section of metal fencing with two posts. While all this post removal was going on three of our artistic volunteers where painting the nearby metal gates and fence.
After dinner new post holes where dug, sections of fence erected and concreted in. Then the site was cleared and tools cleaned and put back the trailer.
Many thanks once again to everyone who turn out, especially to the four young offenders and their minder who worked really hard.

Future Work Parties

Sunday 8th July : Hotties! World of Glass:

clearance of weed and rubbish from canal in the section of canal facing the museum in preparation for a model boat rally which will take place later in the month.

October 6th and 7th: New Double Lock:

to paint the lock gates.

Anyone interested in joining our work parties please contact:
Colin Greenall Tel 01744 731746 (evening) or 01744 732031 (daytime)

Return to frontpage