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Open Meeting with Richard Parry, Nott'n'ham


BruceinSanity

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I've had this from Fran Read at CRT:

 

 

 

The Canal & River Trust’s chief executive, Richard Parry, is hosting a series of open meetings for boaters and other waterway users. The meetings are a good chance to informally air views or have a chat with Richard about any local or national issues.
I would like to invite you to come along to the meeting from 3pm on Saturday 8 February in Nottingham. The meeting will take place at Waterfront, Castle Wharf, Canal Street, Nottingham, NG1 7EH, and a light buffet will be provided. The meeting is expected to last for a couple of hours. We are sending these invitations to boaters living or currently cruising in the Nottingham area and, while everyone is very welcome, Richard is particularly keen to reach boaters who don’t normally go to user groups or other meetings with the Trust and have not had the chance to talk to us face to face.
Please note that capacity is limited so do email me if you would like to come along, and please feel free to extend the invitation to other boaters who may be interested.

 

We're not going, but thought others might be interested. Email for Fran is the usual fran.read at canalrivertrust.org.uk

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Quite an interesting meeting at Birmingham.

No one mentioned Pillings or continuous moorers!

 

To me again Richard Parry came across very well and after the formal part of the meeting was over he was mingling and chatting to as many as he could.

 

One thing did slightly annoy me though, NBTA were handing out leaflets

 

"Don't trust the Trust".

 

Quote 1st paragraph verbatim.

CRT CLAIMS to be 'opening up the channels of communication for any consultations'.

This is a ploy to split boaters. CRT is trying persuade a some of us that our interests are with the Trust, knowing they can't persuade us all'.

 

No use to me I'm afraid as I'm not an "Itinerant boat dweller"'

Nothing in their flier would tempt me to join either.

 

Yes there were others handing out various leaflets but none slagging off CRT.

 

One interesting question fielded to Richard Parry was a young lady had recently bought a boat in the Midlands and was going to sail it to Wigan but she had heard that the Birmingham canals were a dangerous place to be. What protection could CRT afford her?

The roar from the crowd was tremendous. Richard Parry said "I think that answers your question".

 

Several folks did reassure her that the Birmingham Canals were safe.

Edited by Ray T
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I thought it was a good meeting, well attended, well presented, and informative. It was split into two sessions. The first was a 'questions from the floor' which were answered by Richard and some of his colleagues, and the 2nd (during and after the sandwich buffet) was a chance to chat to Richard and the other CRT people as well as other boaters of course.

 

Good to meet some of you others off here.

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He spoke very well although I did feel he never really answered any of the questions put to him. I did put one question to him re new works being fit for purpose but felt I just got a few platitudes in reply. To fair to him though,some of the questions were very parish council level. I spoke to him privately at the end on behalf of someone else and he does appear to be very enthusiastic and keen to gain experience in and around the canals. He is very approachable and while I am not entirely sure how usefull these meetings are, at least there is some interaction between boaters and CaRT.

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He is very approachable and while I am not entirely sure how usefull these meetings are, at least there is some interaction between boaters and CaRT.

I have now met Richard about 4 or 5 times, I think.

 

Not a one of these meetings yet, but at things like regional user groups, (which it seems being rebadged "Regional Forums" wacko.png), and at a NABO AGM, as well as in organised meetings on specific topics.

 

Why I think the face to face interaction is so important is that he gets to talk openly to real committed boaters of many different types, (both live-aboard and "leisure"), and to hear what we really thinki s important, not what someone sits in an ivory tower and decide must be important.

 

In BW days the senior management seemed happy to by guided by people like the senior "grandees" in the IWA, or those in the various boating businesses that made the most noise, and then tell us that they had "consulted". The fact that those heavily influencing BW & CRT policy and actions seemed to hardly ever actually go boating seemed to be somehow unimportant, and things suffered heavily as a result.

 

Some within CRT were initially severely taken aback by the fact that many of us do not feel represented by those methods, and fortunately Richard Parry seems very open to using any method at his disposal to seek the opinions of a much wider audience. Obviously he is never going to please all the people all the time, however passionate the are - what some of the "crustier" IWA trustees want to hear him say is, for example, a million miles from what the National Bargee Travellers want him to say! I have a reasonable confidence though that his new approach means that he is certainly aiming to try and please more of the people more of the time.

 

I remain hopeful!

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