Membership Matters

We welcome the following new members:

Adrian Shaw, Glossop
Mike Barker, St Helens
John Barker, Knowsley
Darren Clarey, St Helens
Paul Fletcher, Newton-le-Willows
George & Muriel Griffiths, Liverpool
Andrew Hughes, Newton-le-Willows

Society News

Congratulations to SCARS' members John & Margaret Fletcher on their recent appointments as IWA National Chairman and N W Region Chairman respectively. John and Margaret are have been long-standing members of SCARS, and have always been ready to offer support and advice. We are obviously very happy to have friends in such high places - and wish them well as they take up their new roles.

Travels of the Sales Stall - Cynthia Greenall

The season started with two Golden Jubilee Rallies. The first was hosted by the Bridgewater Motor Boat Club at Runcorn. Not only were they celebrating the Queen's Golden Jubilee, but also that of the Club itself - and gallons of gold paint were used to good effect. We are always made welcome there, and SCARS' members who recall us holding a series of meetings there will scarcely recognise the refurbished clubhouse. The next weekend we were down on the River Weaver at the IWA Chester Branch Golden Jubilee celebrations. Saturday was a fair day with people around but Sunday was very wet and the stall remained under wraps for most of the day. This however gave time to attend the church service and to walk along the long line of boats attending the Festival, where we found a cruiser, "Dabchick" proudly sporting "Sankey Canal St Helens".

Financial considerations apart, we did very well here - someone donated a nearly new and bigger awning for the caravan that we have been able to make good use of since at other shows, and a conversation with members of WRG produced a replacement for our defunct caravan fridge. We even earned a quote in Waterways World from Lynne Haye who on visiting the festival "found it interesting to see proponents of the Sankey Canal in attendance. More impossible dreams on the horizon?"

A surprise invitation to take part at short in the Rochdale Canal re-opening threw us a little, but our Chairman David Long and myself managed fly the flag for SCARS. The weather was particularly unkind but there was a good atmosphere of celebration, crowds came along and enjoyed it and, if the rain cut it short, it also drove them into the marquee at regular intervals

They must have been doing something right at Spike Island because we had a good day at the Boat Jumble in June, and the Halton Show the following month was very successful, as usual. Our thanks must go to the organisers of the show who were extremely generous in the allocation of our stall this year. During the course of events an opportunity was taken in the form of a boat trip to demonstrate to Halton Council officers the benefits a moveable bridge would bring to the stretch of canal alongside Spike Island.

A change of policy at the St Helens Show denied us the usual stall in the craft tent and outside space to accommodate the caravan and awning would have been too expensive. Instead, Colin and I became ambassadors for the Sankey by offering our help to the IWA Sales at the Royal Lancashire Show.

In August we tried a new venue - the Adlington Carnival, but it proved to be a failure for us. Not many people, no interest and the takings just cleared the stall rent in two days. Very memorable though if only for the liquid mud of the site! If anyone remembers the IWA National Rally at Wakefield, it was just like that, in fact probably worse where we were situated. The shovel-it-yourself wood chippings, newspapers, carpet squares all disappeared into the morass and anything dropped that wouldn't wash had to be binned.

In contrast, we really enjoyed the National Waterways Festival at Huddersfield. The weather was good and we had a superb site overlooking the main arena. Not having seen any of the acts before, we were still able to appreciate the motorcycle stunts and the horses after twelve performances but thankfully the dog man did not appear quite so often. Friday proved to be a very useful day for meeting people and sales were good over the whole period. All in all we were well pleased with our time there. I took time out one day to watch DayStar Theatre's production of "Moon on the Water" and was very impressed with their performance.

The last event of the season was a model boat rally held in Taylor Park in St Helens. It was a small event, not well-advertised, but the weather was hot and sunny and we had a very successful day. It made up in some part for the Rainford Craft Fair that we missed while at Huddersfield and the lack of a Castlefield Carnival event this year.

Thank you to everyone who donated goods and to Pam and Richard Chester-Browne, Ian Hornby, Peter Keen and Dave Smallshaw who helped with the stall.

Sponsored Walk - Cynthia Greenall

After a few years absence, the Executive decided to stage another Sponsored Walk by linking it to the Heritage Week Guided Walk being arranged by the Rangers of the three Boroughs of Halton, Warrington and St Helens. Despite much leafleting, only two walkers attracted sponsorship - but they raised the magnificent sum of £280 between them (helped by a further donation). Our grateful thanks to them for their support.

The Ranger Services' walk itself attracted about forty people who all seemed to enjoy their ramble. As many knew nothing of the Canal before they began, they were very surprised at what they were able to see and learn of it on their walk, so the event had other good results for us.

In the meantime, Committee member Neil Forshaw raised more funds for the Society by selling SCARS souvenirs and books at the Newton Heritage Fair.

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