Lost: A Friend of Canal Restorers

Four members of our Executive joined hundreds attending the Funeral at Bolton on May 16th of Margaret Fletcher. Margaret had been a Member of SCARS since 1988, and addressed the Society, encouraging our work, just over two years ago. She did so as Chair of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Society, and of the North-West Region of the Inland Waterways Association. Her success with the MB&BC restoration which, sadly, she won't now see complete, had not been easily won, and she willingly passed on the benefit of her experience to us, without hiding the fact that success had come as a result of hard work, which we would find unavoidable if we were to see the Sankey restored. Margaret's hard-headed enthusiasm will be missed in the restoration movement and in the waterways world generally, where she was an indefatigable support for husband John, as National Chair of the IWA.

Your Society

We hope the improvements we've made to this newsletter (we're using a new printer, allowing better photographs, and more coloured ones, and more striking presentations) meets with our Members' approval. We also hope that the changes in the way our website has been run in the past twelve months is appreciated, and also that the efforts of Executive members in organising our Talks Programme, the Work Parties, participation in events like the IWA's Festival at Runcorn last summer, the visit of the Northern Canals Association in March, and our presence at numerous Rallies and Fairs promoting our Society and Canal, are all noted and approved of. Great! We're putting on a good show - getting around, getting seen. But we could do more. For instance, next year is the 250th Anniversary of the opening of the Sankey for trade. It's a major landmark in the Sankey's history, but also in the history of canals, and the industry of the whole region. We want to celebrate in style... but there are limits to what the Executive Committee itself can be committed to. We need help, now, to form a Committee to plan our 2007 Celebrations. Get in touch (see opposite) to offer your help. Soon, please.

Society Matters

We welcome new Members:-

Liverpool Water Witch Marine & Engineering Co Ltd
Mrs Joan Harpin - Warrington Cyril Kerley - St Helens

Index for this issue     Index of all Canal Cuttings issues      Home Page

Site design and content © 2002 - 2006 Sankey Canal Restoration Society
Site design by Phil D.Long