Iwa Watford

[Still-waters]

Yep spitfire was on way to fairford air display so may not have been a big expence. Was good to see and hear it.

[GUMPY]

Yep spitfire was on way to fairford air display so may not have been a big expence. Was good to see and hear it.

Lechlade is a good place to moor when Fairford is on you get to see a lot of the aircraft on tbeir way in or out

[Tony Brooks]

I forecast a number of years ago that the IWA had to ensure there was more for boaters at the national or the boaters would not bother to come and from my visit to the show on Saturday and some of the views here that is coming to pass.

 

I am afraid that if they want to advertise 300 boats (as they have done in the past) they need to consider that 600/900/1200 boaters and the sort of things they may want. Including not having to walk maybe a mile to the show and back each day.

 

If they want to publicise the inland waterways to the local population then they might be on the right lines but they also need far better local/regional advertising and not just hope that their press releases will generate a free article or two.

 

Then there is the transport thing. I well remember the problem my wife had in getting from Wolverhampton station to the show. It seems no-one had briefed the local bus companies about where it was and there was no information at the bus or rail station. Someone has mentioned Beale Park as an ideal venue - that may be so as long as you have a car - try it by non-existent public transport. And - back to my first point - try getting a taxi close to your boat in the evening. The closest you can get is maybe a mile's walk along a dark, uneven towpath.

 

Then there is the matter of being both a boater and trader. You pay the same mooring fees as anyone else but there was no way one could get cleaned up after the day and then get a place at the evening entertainment, all the spaces were taken so all in all it seemed an expensive waste of time.

 

I noticed that many stands that might be of interest to boaters were simply missing this year and some had dramatically downsized. Those who I spoke to all remarked how quiet it was. How may will be back next year I wonder.

 

And what is this about next year's show being in early June when people are still working on Fridays? If they think the National will be a spoiler for Crick they are very much mistaken I fear.

 

Finally before anyone says that if i complain I should do something about it myself, I have been for a number of years at no charge to the IWA apart from a bit of space until they no longer felt it was a fair deal for them. I even collected donations for them (The IWA not IWA Festivals) during the shows I was active at.

[Tim Lewis]

Next years IWA National is at Stratford on Avon over 4th to 6th July, boat entry forms are now available. Heard that is due to be free entry.

 

Tim

[GUMPY]

Next years IWA National is at Stratford on Avon over 4th to 6th July, boat entry forms are now available. Heard that is due to be free entry.

Tim

for public or boaters?

[ditchcrawler]

 

That was how it always used to be, focussing on restoration or threatened waterways.

Maybe the IWA has lost its purpose as a campaigning organisation? It's a long time since I was a member so not really qualified to comment on that.

 

Tim

I think all its campaigning is done at a much higher level now and not in public with action covered by the media. For this reason a lot of people think the IWA doesn't do anything. I don't know their level of effectiveness.

Edit cause the key boards got a mind of its own tonight. Nothing to do with red wine I can assure you

Edited July 21, 2013 by ditchcrawler

[john6767]

We were at the Stratford River Festival a couple of weeks ago, and I spoke to one of the organizers, and he told me that they were hoping to get the IWA festival there next year and combine it with the river festival, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the South Stratford, and the 40th anniversary of the restoration of the Upper Avon.

 

If it follow the Stratford River Festival model, it is free for the public and £20 for boaters, but that also gives you a half price licence for the Avon, so over all if you use the Avon licence as we did it was actually cheaper the just buying the river licence on its own.

 

I will say though that parking in Stratford is not good at the best of time, so for an event like this it will definitely be park and ride.

[ditchcrawler]

We were at the Stratford River Festival a couple of weeks ago, and I spoke to one of the organizers, and he told me that they were hoping to get the IWA festival there next year and combine it with the river festival, in honor of the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the South Stratford, and the 40th anniversary of the restoration of the Upper Avon.

 

If it follow the Stratford River Festival model, it is free for the public and £20 for boaters, but that also gives you a half price licence for the Avon, so over all if you use the Avon licence as we did it was actually cheaper the just buying the river licence on its own.

 

I will say though that parking in Stratford is not good at the best of time, so for an event like this it will definitely be park and ride.

I don't think you will find next years IWA festival will be free entry. The are a charity and cant/shouldn't subsidies it.

 

Next point I disagree with, same at Evesham, Banbury, Festivals and Cavelcade, the boaters pay and everyone else gets it free and at the end of the day one of the attractions is the boats. Can you imagine the band paying to play at Cropredy and the punters getting in free

[peterboat]

A bit like most car shows cars have to pay and they are the attraction!! However their is a growing backlash amongst us old car owners to boycott the the shows that make us pay................

 

Peter

[Richard Fairhurst]

What's alarming is that IWA has just had a review of the National by a sub group of Trustees, but there's been very little publicity about it and, as far as I know, no report of what the conclusions were.

There's a little write-up at https://www.waterways.org.uk/news_campaigns/bulletins/iwa_bulletin_march_2013#nat . Whether anything will actually change...

[Dyad]

I thought the already had...

 

Would that be the Inland Waterways and River Trust ... IWART ..

[BruceinSanity]

There's a little write-up at https://www.waterways.org.uk/news_campaigns/bulletins/iwa_bulletin_march_2013#nat . Whether anything will actually change...

Thanks, Richard, I'd managed to miss that, despite being on the look out for it. I was one of those who submitted a paper to the review, but didn't get any notice of the outcome.

 

The links with other London events this year, and with the Stratford River Festival next are presumably attempts to deliver some of those ideas, but the feedback here suggests that it's been the same old, same old this year. Given that the event normally struggles to get the profit into five figures after some pretty neat accounting, spending even £5k on ten minutes of Spitfire fly past is just crazy.

[LEO]

Thanks, Richard, I'd managed to miss that, despite being on the look out for it. I was one of those who submitted a paper to the review, but didn't get any notice of the outcome.

 

The links with other London events this year, and with the Stratford River Festival next are presumably attempts to deliver some of those ideas, but the feedback here suggests that it's been the same old, same old this year. Given that the event normally struggles to get the profit into five figures after some pretty neat accounting, spending even £5k on ten minutes of Spitfire fly past is just crazy.

 

I tend to agree, but the residents of Watford and Ricky enjoyed it!.

 

Mike

 

PS Enjoy your blog.

[ditchcrawler]

 

I tend to agree, but the residents of Watford and Ricky enjoyed it!.

 

Mike

 

PS Enjoy your blog.

Just like the locals use to enjoy the massive firework display

[BruceinSanity]

 

 

 

PS Enjoy your blog.

Thank you kind sir! I'm glad there's a few people out there enjoying it as long as they don't take it too seriously...

[peterboat]

Hi seems that nobody disagreed with me? It would seem that the show may be over?

 

Peter