Your chance to help win a £50,000 grant for a canal restoration project

[sassan]

Voting has now closed

 

Hi folks,

 

The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust (a charity restoring the Wilts and Berks Canal, which joined/will join the K&A at Semmington) are finalists in the "People's millions" from the Big Lottery Fund. You can help us get £50,000 to restore a kilometre of canal at Wootton Bassett and bring us a step closer to linking the K&A at Semmington to the Thames at Abingdon.

The phone number for mobiles is 6228216; from landlines: 09015 228216. Please call and vote for "Studley Wildlife Trail".

Voting is open today only, until midnight and costs only 15p from mobiles or BT landlines. You can vote for us up to 10 times.

You can help us get a very large amount of very useful free money to turn a disused landfill site back into a section of navigable canal. We are competing against only 1 other charity, so we have a very good chance! Voting takes about 10 seconds! You can vote up to 10 times!

 

Many thanks in advance,

Sassan

 

PS, I had a good dig around for the forum rules and found nothing forbidding this type of post, please do remove it if you feel it inappropriate.

Edited November 27, 2014 by sassan

[Machpoint005]

Hi folks,

 

The Wilts and Berks Canal Trust (a charity restoring the Wilts and Berks Canal, which joined/will join the K&A at Semmington) are finalists in the "People's millions" from the Big Lottery Fund. You can help us get £50,000 to restore a kilometre of canal at Wootton Bassett and bring us a step closer to linking the K&A at Semmington to the Thames at Abingdon.

 

The phone number for mobiles is 6228216; from landlines: 09015 228216. Please call and vote for "Studley Wildlife Trail".

 

Voting is open today only, until midnight and costs only 15p from mobiles or BT landlines. You can vote for us up to 10 times.

 

You can help us get a very large amount of very useful free money to turn a disused landfill site back into a section of navigable canal. We are competing against only 1 other charity, so we have a very good chance! Voting takes about 10 seconds! You can vote up to 10 times!

 

Many thanks in advance,

Sassan

 

PS, I had a good dig around for the forum rules and found nothing forbidding this type of post, please do remove it if you feel it inappropriate.

 

Where does it say anything about this section becoming a navigable canal?

[sassan]

 

Where does it say anything about this section becoming a navigable canal?

 

This section of canal will be restored to navigable standard as part of the project. It will be isolated from the main network for many years (being somewhat in the middle of the canal line), but it does join an existing section of the restored canal in Wootton Bassett. There is the hope of running trip boats on this section in the future (as we do on another restored section).

 

It may be 20 years before you can get to it, but every mile (or kilometre in this case) is a mile closer to completion!

[Athy]

_{Thanks for the information. I have just voted.}

_{However, one aspect of your post puzzles me. I have read elsewhere that the Wilts & Berks society aims to have the whole canal open in 2020. So your references to "many years" and "20 years" are rather out of line with that aim. Could you explain, please?}

[sassan]

_{Thanks for the information. I have just voted.}

_{However, one aspect of your post puzzles me. I have read elsewhere that the Wilts & Berks society aims to have the whole canal open in 2020. So your references to "many years" and "20 years" are rather out of line with that aim. Could you explain, please?}

It really depends on how optimistic the person you ask is. I've not heard 2020, I've heard 2025.

 

Total completion may well take quite some time, but there's a good chance we'll have the connection to the K&A within the next few years (planning permission expected in the next couple of months).

[Athy]

Thanks.

I trust that you have ordered your new shovel in readiness.

[sassan]

Thanks.

I trust that you have ordered your new shovel in readiness.

We're very keen to get this particular bit done soon, as if we time things right the material dredged from the canal can be used in landscaping the rest of the old landfill site (saving us a lot of money on disposal).

 

I'm not personally involved in this particular project, the trust is split into local branches and I am involved with the branch working on the canal in Melksham Chippenham and Calne (section furthest south/west). Wootton Bassett is a bit far from me at the moment!

 

We do also have exciting things happening on our section. We recently received planning permission to restore one of three locks at Pewsham near Chippenham and the associated lock cottage, dry dock and sawpit; we have now started work. We are waiting for the results of a similar vote to hear whether we have received a grant from the Yorkshire Building Society for the restoration of a collapsed culvert on the Pewsham site (which has begun, but needs more funds for bricks to complete and materials/plant to reinstate the canal bank and towpath over the newly rebuilt culvert).

 

Then there is the Melksham Link project which I briefly mentioned before. We are hopefully receiving planning permission soon for a project to create a new link with the Kennet and Avon at Semmington!

[Athy]

Excellent news, Sassan, I am delighted to read that there is progress on a variety of fronts. Thinking back, I believe that I first heard the "open by 2020" bit when we had a boat built at Foxhangers. The boatbuilder had premises in the grounds of a farm. The farmer, whose name I recall as Colin, was a person of some standing in the W&B society and told us about it. (He also towed our new boat to the nearest slipway behind his tractor).

 

The lock cottage and ancillaries project sounds especially exciting. Are there any pictures of it on the internet?

[Black Ibis]

Voted

 

I grew up visiting my grandparents who lived in Wantage alongside the old Wantage Arm, and as a kid we often went for walks along a bit close to Grove which was still in water. I just knew it as "the canal", it was the only one I ever visited and I loved it. I'd dearly love to see the whole canal open again.

[sassan]

Excellent news, Sassan, I am delighted to read that there is progress on a variety of fronts. Thinking back, I believe that I first heard the "open by 2020" bit when we had a boat built at Foxhangers. The boatbuilder had premises in the grounds of a farm. The farmer, whose name I recall as Colin, was a person of some standing in the W&B society and told us about it. (He also towed our new boat to the nearest slipway behind his tractor).

 

The lock cottage and ancillaries project sounds especially exciting. Are there any pictures of it on the internet?

 

I've gathered some photos from the facebook page for you. Can't find any of the lock cottage (although only foundations remain at the moment).

 

http://imgur.com/a/8vnMq

 

There's some much older photographs here, including the dry dock: http://wbct.org.uk/branches/melksham-calne-and-chippenham/structures/311-pewsham-lock much clearance work has been done since then!

Thanks to everyone voting!

 

If anyone would like to join the trust and hear more about progress in our quarterly magazine, membership forms can be found here: http://wbct.org.uk/get-involved/join

[Mac of Cygnet]

But what is the other charity? I may want to vote for that.

[sassan]

But what is the other charity? I may want to vote for that.

It's a community choir. It's a nice charity, but I think we can bring benefits to more people.

 

After all, people may have their lives enriched by performing in a community choir, but noone has ever had their life enriched by being in the audience!

 

On a serious note though, they do seem like a worthy cause.

Edited November 26, 2014 by sassan

[Athy]

But what is the other charity? I may want to vote for that.

Hustings he wants.

 

Sassan, thank you for extra info and links. Where is the Peterborough Arms and when will it reopen?

Edited November 26, 2014 by Athy

[whitty1]

We went and looked at the Peterborough Arms the other week during their open day. The plans look exciting and I think (Sassan can correct me if I'm wrong) that they are trying to get it partially opened ASAP. Planning has gone in for work to bring the toilets up to scratch and to bring the Trust Office over from Wootton Bassett. It's located on the Lyneham Rd between Dauntsey & Lyneham Banks.

[Athy]

Thank you, Whitty.

 

Now, I really must lodge a protest in the strongest terms regarding the blatant advertising present in this thread and its potential effect on susceptible and impressionable people, in particular me. After reading the OP's message and looking at the W&B web site I was unable to stop myself from down-loading the membership application form, filling it in and writing out my cheque. He really should be ashamed of himself.

 

Perhaps the cheque will pay for that new shovel.

[sassan]

Thank you, Whitty.

 

Now, I really must lodge a protest in the strongest terms regarding the blatant advertising present in this thread and its potential effect on susceptible and impressionable people, in particular me. After reading the OP's message and looking at the W&B web site I was unable to stop myself from down-loading the membership application form, filling it in and writing out my cheque. He really should be ashamed of himself.

 

Perhaps the cheque will pay for that new shovel.

 

Fantastic, welcome to the trust!

[Machpoint005]

 

Where does it say anything about this section becoming a navigable canal?

 

 

 

This section of canal will be restored to navigable standard as part of the project. It will be isolated from the main network for many years (being somewhat in the middle of the canal line), but it does join an existing section of the restored canal in Wootton Bassett. There is the hope of running trip boats on this section in the future (as we do on another restored section).

 

It may be 20 years before you can get to it, but every mile (or kilometre in this case) is a mile closer to completion!

 

Sorry if I seem to be labouring the point, and not wishing to be negative, but I was slightly concerned about the emphasis in the press reports and voting pages on nature and walkers. Could it be that a habitat within the isolated restored section could actually impede full restoration to navigation? I'm thinking rare marine amphibians here, and wondering if there could be a whole raft of unintended consequences.

[sassan]

 

 

 

Sorry if I seem to be labouring the point, and not wishing to be negative, but I was slightly concerned about the emphasis in the press reports and voting pages on nature and walkers. Could it be that a habitat within the isolated restored section could actually impede full restoration to navigation? I'm thinking rare marine amphibians here, and wondering if there could be a whole raft of unintended consequences.

 

It is something we have to consider. I know a great deal of planning goes into these things.

 

Not having been involved in the planning of this project I don't know details, but the trust is at this point very aware of ecological issues (including how they can affect planning permission and working). This is by no means the first section we have restored, so we have had to make these choices before.

 

As you say, this will be creating habitat for our great crested friends (which is good) and it will need to be carefully considered how this affects future work.

 

The heavy focus on walking and habitat creation is a fact of life regarding funding. Noone is willing to give you money to restore a canal just because "we like canals", you have to really push the ecological, recreational, health, "green commuting" and "urban regeneration" angles.

 

However, it does bring us closer to getting the canal fully restored!

[Black Ibis]

When do we find out who won?

[sassan]

Some time between 18:30 and 19:00 tonight. I shall update the thread

 

Thank you all for your support

[Machpoint005]

 

It is something we have to consider. I know a great deal of planning goes into these things.

 

Not having been involved in the planning of this project I don't know details, but the trust is at this point very aware of ecological issues (including how they can affect planning permission and working). This is by no means the first section we have restored, so we have had to make these choices before.

 

As you say, this will be creating habitat for our great crested friends (which is good) and it will need to be carefully considered how this affects future work.

 

The heavy focus on walking and habitat creation is a fact of life regarding funding. Noone is willing to give you money to restore a canal just because "we like canals", you have to really push the ecological, recreational, health, "green commuting" and "urban regeneration" angles.

 

However, it does bring us closer to getting the canal fully restored!

 

Thanks for the explanation. I voted anyway!

[PaulG]

 

Noone is willing to give you money to restore a canal just because "we like canals", you have to really push the ecological, recreational, health, "green commuting" and "urban regeneration" angles.

That is also true of the public money that is given to CRT to fund existing waterways.

Perhaps this is something that "certain other waterways-related websites" might want to take on board as they typically whinge about any money that is spent on waterways that is not directly beneficial to boating

(and thereby miss the point that a lot of boaters go boating, at least in part, to appreciate the wildlife).

[sassan]

Update:

 

It was announced on the news that we unfortunately lost. However, they went on to announce that we did win the prize for highest voted runner up (ie: we got more votes than the runners up from the previous 2 days).

 

The result is: we got the £50,000!!

 

Thank you to all who voted.

[Athy]

Splendid!

But if you lost, how did you get the dosh? Also, how much did the winners (presumably the choir) get?

[sassan]

An odd situation, but basically, there are 6 finalists (in each region).

 

Each day, two of those compete for £50k.

 

At the end of the three days, the highest-voted loser also gets £50k. I hadn't actually realised the runner-up prize was so generous before!

 

So we lost, but we won!