Society Matters

We welcome a new Member:-
Mr R Meadows - Platt Bridge, Wigan

Sales Stall

Looking back over the season the one recurring theme has been the weather - lots of it and often wet! Most of the events this year have had at least one downpour so we became proficient with the plastic sheeting.

The Leigh Carnival in July was wet on Saturday but the crowds came out on Sunday to make up for it. We missed the boats this year; Morris Dancers were the flavour of the weekend. Visitors to the Eco Parklife events in Widnes and Runcorn were not really interested in the stall but we gained an insight into the life of a travelling circus as we shared the show ground with the Green Roadshow.

The main event on our calendar was the National Festival at Burton-on-Trent at the end of August. The rain threatened this one too, both in the days before and during the festival. Mud management techniques have obviously progressed in recent years and the site teams are to be congratulated on their efforts. Hunt the entrance and exit became a challenge each day as they were moved depending on ground conditions.

We were disappointed not to be able to trade internally as promised on the Friday but it did mean that Saturday was hectic. Sunday and Monday were less busy but overall we raised as much money as last year. The siting of most of the canal society stalls in a 'market square' style arrangement at the top end of the showground was not necessarily a good idea. Everyone appeared to be selling books and bric-a-brac and this may have been too much of a good thing for some visitors. Integrating the stalls with the rest of the site would have avoided this and possibly we would have seen more of the official guests as well.

It was a very enjoyable weekend. Thank you to Dave Smallshaw, David Long, Andy Screen and Peter Keen for their help on the stall. (Colin and I have never had so much off duty time, we felt guilty). We've had a wonderful range of stock so thank you to everyone who has donated goods this year and especially those who carried it miles down to Burton.

The Rural Craft Fair at St Helens in September was an excellent show as usual but unfortunately rain after lunch chased many people away early. Our last event was the Fairground Organ/Vintage Rally in Widnes at the end of the month. This was a new show for us and an amazing weekend. Fairground organs from the biggest in Europe (?) to one on a pram chassis, traction and stationary engines, vintage vehicles, classic cars and crowds who asked question after question and spent their money. It proved to be a really good ending to the season.

Cynthia Greenall

Grant helps the Society get its message across

A grant of nearly £1,000 from the St. Helens Community Opportunities Fund has enabled SCARS to buy a large-screen laptop computer. This will be used to give lively, up-to-the-minute presentations about the Society, its restoration work, and the canal's history whenever we attend Rallies and Fairs such as those above, and when we are presenting the case for restoration to funding bodies, politicians, and officials. The equipment will also be used to improve communications within the Society, especially with our volunteers and members.

We are grateful for the support of the Fund for our work, especially as we step up our efforts in the anniversary year of the Sankey itself and SCARS, which you can read about elsewhere in this newsletter.

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