cotswoldsman
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Posts posted by cotswoldsman
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Thanks Dave I am visiting my Mother for a few days having just driven back from Greece. I am due in Birmingham on Sunday and leave for Greece (by plane this time) on Tuesday so if that short time frame works great.Best of luck John. This is a huge loss to the canals, given all the work you've done for us over the years. Sadly, cloning technology hasn't reached the point where we can create a second John to keep up the waterways campaigning.
Let me know when you're next visiting Brum and we'll go for that long overdue drink. I'd love to hear all about your work in Greece.
I don't think CRT would like the idea of a clone
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Good luck John in your new endeavours.
You lasted on the waterways longer than perhaps you yourself expected I think. You may not remember but when we were looking way back in 2009/10 I remember your post saying 'I may be selling my boat soon' or similar.
We had some pretty feisty exchanges on here since too but I think we did find some common ground on some issues, notably the issue of the current refugee crisis and the fall out from it.
Good on you for doing something practical.
I often thought about selling my boat. When I originally bought it I was only ever going to be boating for 2 years, I lasted 10. The problem was whenever I thought about selling it before I was never quite sure what I was going to do so kept going, I guess now I have found something to do.
Yes I have had feisty exchanges with you and many others, I have always enjoyed debate but it was never personal just simply different views.
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Thanks everyone for your kind words and support. I will certainly be popping in when time allows my booat and my time on the system were amazing and the many friends I made.
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Good luck John. We only met once but respect, especially for your new venture. When you are ready, please post details of the charity. We have some very good Greek connections who may be wiling to help in some way.
Thanks for that a few links below
If you do Facebook Refugee Support Page >> https://www.facebook.com/RefugeeSupportGreece/
My own Facebook >>https://www.facebook.com/john.sloan.39
Website >>> http://www.refugeesupport.eu/
My email >>>>sloan.john@yahoo.co.uk
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Very Good Luck with your new project
I have always enjoyed your posts
Keith
When time allows I will be popping into the Forum but it is difficult to contribute to boating topics when not boaating I think.
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Sorry to hear that you are leaving the waterways, John, but pleased to hear of your ongoing efforts to ease the plight of refugees.
But who will cruise with Stan?
He will most probably manage better without a full time grump arround. In normal boating fashion seem to be lots of people about who are only to willing to give him help when needed, I might even offer to do the odd few days just to ensure I keep my hend in.
You are a thourghly sweet person and giving person. I wish you all the best on your next chapter in life.
Thank you I am embarrassed now
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I have now sold my boat and my life will head in another direction.
I did spend 8 days boating in early July on my last boat related project Dance on Water for those interested the video is now available on Youtube. We took 20 children on a boat trip for 8 days and during that time they learnt and put together a new dance routine that was performed at both The Lowry in Manchester and The Hippodrome on Birmingham. It took a great team to put this together not least being the volunteer skippers who steered the boats from Birmingham to Manchester.
On a personal note I have now sold my boat and for the foreseeable future will be basing myself in Greece where I and a friend have started a Charity to help Refugees who find themselves stuck in Greece.
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Yesterday was our first full day on the Canal after spending our first night at Norbury Junction. The Hire Boats are all from Norbury Wharf who have also allowed us to use their Restaurant boat so we have a good space to eat in every evening. Today the Dance Company went off for rehearsals at 10 am and the volunteers skippers lead by Chris Pink (of this Parish) set of for Adderley Locks where the Dance Company would rejoin us for Lock training.
It was great to see the excitement on the children's faces as they arrived on Friday evening for their first night on a Narrowboat. Chris Pink gave a full safety briefing and then it was a Fish and Chip Dinner.
Tomorrow there is no rehearsal so a full day for the children as we go down Audlum Locks and onto Barbridge for the night. If anyone is about please stop and say hello.
The Company and volunteer skippers before setting off
Chris Pink in full flow on Lock training
The training worked
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These are the Dancers that were selected for the Dance on Water project starting from Norbury tomorrow
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Just to let everyone who is interested know Dance on Water starts on Friday 1 July and departs Norbury Junction on 2 July making its way to Manchester.
This has been part of my life for 18 months since I was wintering in Burscough and had this crazy idea to take 20 kids from Birmingham to Manchester and that they should learn to dance. My biggest surprise was when Sir Matthew Bourne's dance company New Adventures expressed an interested in this crazy idea. We were soon joined by Birmingham Hippodrome and Lowry in Salford. CRT soon agreed to the project and have been very active in making it happen so a big thank you to them and the amazing people who have funded it.
As some might know my life changed in August last year but I have made a lot of the meetings to watch it all take shape. Helen Prosser a London Boater has been and is an amazing project manager. Please support the project if you will be boating along the route.
I am flying back from Greece on Wednesday to do the trip so might see some of you along the way.
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"Jo Cox's Passionate Speech Urging The Government To Help Child Refugees" - http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2016/06/16/jo-coxs-passionate-speech-urging-the-government-to-help-child-refugees_n_10510074.html
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I had the pleasure of meeting Jo Cox twice concerning the Refugee Crisis. She was a great advocate for all refugees a true humanitarian she will be missed by many and remembered by millions.
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Thanks Andy will pass your numbers onto Helen who is doing an amazingly time consuming job as project leader. We were lucky Helen joined us not only was she a producer with RE:Bourne working on Lord of the Flies she is also a boater.
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Thanks for advise. We are doing full H&S assessments as as we did last year when it was 30 children. There are 8 adults plus skippers and chikdren all over 16 only spend half day on boat as the other half they are taken to rehearsals. They do spend the night on boat but Norbury Wharf have kindly donated Resuarant boat for evenings eating and relaxing.
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The advice we have is that the children are not fare paying passengers and are simply being taken on a holiday thanks to the generosity of a number of people. The insurance has been checked and we were advised that as long as there were no more than 12 people on boat at any time insurance was fine. 2 of the boats are 10 berth hire boats and insured as such hence to be extra safe we will stick to 10 per boat for those 2 boats.
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Thanks to all those that offered to help. We now have required number but interested to hear from those interested to go on reserve list incase anyone has to drop out.
We have had a fantastic response from children wishing to take part and have been holding workshops in Manchester and Birmingham. This weekend we did Manchester yesterday and Birmingham again today. I attended a Birmingham workshop last Saturday and to just see the enthusiasm of the children made me finally realise all the hard work by the team is worthwhile.
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Whilst this argument continues to go around in circles it may be of value to view the legal definition of 'bona fide', the clearest that I have found is 'without intent to deceive'. So in this context it would seem that if you take out a licence without a home mooring with the intention of merely using the boat as somewhere to live rather than principally for navigation, then you would fail the deception test.
Why? I bought my boat principally for somewhere to live.
PS have not read the complete thread. I b
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Where does DEFRA get its funding from...
Oh yes! A big chunk of it comes from the EU. And they give some of it to CRT.
The EU doesn't get listed as a line on management accounts!
Anyway, I've made it clear that in my career experience working with organisations like local authorities all over the UK, heritage sector and charities like CRT, how leaving the EU will decimate the waterways, boaters' lifestyles and wallets, and affect us all socially in terms of what we think local and central government currently pays for.
People who want to learn and make an informed decision when they vote next month will do so. People who don't will rant with their fingers in their ears and their eyes shut and have no intention of emerging from the primordial soup of their own naivety. Some people are just like that.
It's your decisions, fellow boaters.
You get my vote as does staying in now you have explained the effect on CRT funding
The so called EU money spent on canals is only part of what we give to the EU being returned to us, but with strict instructions attached to it as to what we may spend it on.
When we leave the EU our government will be at liberty to spend the same amount of money on canals or whatever else it decides. It will be up to us to lobby the government as every other interested body will be doing.
The only difference will be that the pot of money will be bigger, so we could end up with MORE being spent on canals if that is what our own democratically elected government decide to do.
George ex nb Alton retired
I think far more chance of getting the money from EU just look at all the money they paid into Dutch Canals
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The Mon & Brecon is in for part of a £27 million funding from EU
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Hi John, it seems that you haven't publicly had many offers, although obviously you may have had plenty of offers via PM.
This trip is something that intersts me very much, but as much as I'd like to, working commitments prevent me from offering to do the full trip.
I'm not sure how much use to you this would be, but if you get closer to the trip and find yourselves short of volunteers I may be able to do a couple of the days. So feel free to put me down as a back - up plan if you wish. I appreciate that it would have to be with enough notice to sort the DBS check.
Personally, I have experience with Community Boats, hold a NCBA CCBM (community Boat Skipper Certificate) as well as having been previously DBS Checked so I should be 'on their system'. I also have good knowledge of the route!
Thank you so much I have had 4 offers from here and a number from Facebook so it is looking ok but yes having some more names would be helpful and at present it is only people showing an interest so no commitment yet.
My problem has been that I have been rather disstracted by events in Europe so have not given this the time I originally commited to but thankfully I am working with a fantastic team so my absence has made no difference. Does not say much about me hehe
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Try and keep one skipper for the trip with the children the relationship between everyone on the trip with the children is very important and also how we all work as a team.
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Journey Plan for those interested
Day 1 – 01/07
(Shropshire Union Canal)
Skippers collect boats from The Wharf, Norbury Junction, Staffordshire, ST20 0PN
Day 2 – 02/07
(Shropshire Union Canal)
Norbury – Adderley Locks )Hawkesmoor visitor moorings
Day 3 – 03/07
(Shropshire Union Canal)
Adderley Locks - Barbridge
Day 4 – 04/07
(Shropshire Union Canal/Middlewich Branch/Trent & Mersey)
Barbridge – Billinge Green Flash (below Rudheath Br 180A/180)
Day 5 - 05/07
((Shropshire Union Canal/
Middlewich Branch/Trent & Mersey)
The Flashes Br 180/181 to Anderton Boat Lift (Trent & Mersey)
Day 6 – 06/02
(Tent & Mersey Canal/Bridgewater Canal (non CRT))
Anderton Boat Lift – Lymme (Lymm Br 23, A6144)
Day 7 – 07/07
(Bridgewater Canal (Main Line/Manchester Ship Canal))
Lymm – Lowry
My Last Contribution to Boating
in General Boating
Posted · Edited by cotswoldsman
Thanks for that Allan, yes it was rather low key CRT certainly did not seem interested compared to last year where they had a team of people doing PR. I wonder if a certain person at the top of CRT ignored it due to my stronger participation this year. In the end it is all about the children and opening their eyes to the waterways and in this case combined with the arts. I think the video shows the benefits.
Thankfully we managed to find the funders. Look forward to the link I know how much you do for children on the waterways.