CaRT Volunteer Article in Weekend Telegraph Today

[Victor Vectis]

How volunteers are giving back life to our canals.

 

Vicky Liddell goes for a boat trip along the Kennet and Avon Canal with a team helping to give cluttered waterways a clean start.

 

Not a bad piece, half a page of positive stuff, apart from:

 

"The hi-vis jackets lend a useful note of authority" admits (John) Inman (one of the volunteers). "It allows us to keep a wary eye out on boaters. We also crew a patrol boat which allows the Canal and River Trust officers to check on licences."

 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking CaRT or volunteers but I'm a boater and I don't feel I need a wary eye kept out on me.

And as for crewing a licence (and boat logging?) checking boat.................... well I thought we were told volunteers wern't going to have anything to do with enforcement.

 

Any opinions?

[Thorfast]

"It allows us to keep a wary eye out on boaters" sounds very sinister.

Perhaps we are the enemy after all!!

[pete.i]

He is the sort of volunteer that gives volunteers a bad name. I do volunteer work for the Canal and River Trust and I am certainly not in a position of authority even when I am wearing my HiVis vest. He probably isn't a boater but has "heard" all the bad tales about us horrible boaters cluttering up the canals in our unlicensed and uninsured boats. I would think he is proper jobsworth you do get them even in C&RT volunteer roles. Why he would need to be keeping a "wary" eye on us boaters is beyond me and in my opinion he should keep ill thought out opinions to himself. I also wonder how much of that piece of writing has been misquoted by that press (??) officer.

[Guest]

How volunteers are giving back life to our canals.

 

Vicky Liddell goes for a boat trip along the Kennet and Avon Canal with a team helping to give cluttered waterways a clean start.

 

Not a bad piece, half a page of positive stuff, apart from:

 

"The hi-vis jackets lend a useful note of authority" admits (John) Inman (one of the volunteers). "It allows us to keep a wary eye out on boaters. We also crew a patrol boat which allows the Canal and River Trust officers to check on licences."

 

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking CaRT or volunteers but I'm a boater and I don't feel I need a wary eye kept out on me.

And as for crewing a licence (and boat logging?) checking boat.................... well I thought we were told volunteers wern't going to have anything to do with enforcement.

 

Any opinions?

If he has been quoted correctly John is a bit of fool if he thinks his high viz jacket lends him a 'useful note of authority'. It's the type of thing you expect to hear from a plastic policeman/motorway womble.

 

At least he will be easier to spot and give a big body swerve around.

[Phil.]

If he is correctly quoted then he is an anally retentive prat who probably failed prefect selection at school. Just the type of busybody jobsworth that should be prohibited from volunteering for anything. Caveat, if that is what he actually said of course.

[Starcoaster]

motorway womble.

 

 

This is my new favourite phrase.

[Guest]

This is my new favourite phrase.

Shamelessly ripped from 'Jezza' Clarckson I'm afraid who was one of the earliest to coin the term (or more likely nick it from elsewhere himself)

[DeanS]

anyone ever taken a photo of one of these patrol boats....

 

is this is?

 

 

[The Bearwood Boster]

My other half is a volunteer one day a week & he does not wear a high viz jacket ! Guy in article sounds like a jobsworth ! Anyone spot the name John Inman -I'm free ! ?

[Jerra]

And as for crewing a licence (and boat logging?) checking boat.................... well I thought we were told volunteers wern't going to have anything to do with enforcement.

 

Any opinions?

I don't personally call crewing a boat which happens to have somebody on board checking boat details as having anything to do with enforcement. I they were on a boat and one of them was checking the details then I would count it as being involved with enforcement.

[kris88]

Wonder where he got the idea to flex his imagined authority over boaters ?

Regards kris

[Guest]

I don't personally call crewing a boat which happens to have somebody on board checking boat details as having anything to do with enforcement. I they were on a boat and one of them was checking the details then I would count it as being involved with enforcement.

Sorry but can you run that past us again because both those mean exactly the same.

 

Ie There is a volunteer on the boat and there is someone undertaking enforcement.

 

While we are on the subject it is perhaps a useful juncture to point out that 'enforcement' is often confused with the simple act of logging boat numbers.

 

Personally I have no problem with volunteers logging boat numbers as long as they are bona fide CRT engaged and trained volunteers using the correct kit as supplied by CRT. If that floats somebodies boat, good luck to them.

 

'Enforcement' should only be the domain of CRT employed staff.

[Sabcat]

There's few things more fun in this world than an idiot with no authority who thinks they have some authority. I do hope I meet Mr Inman

[Jerra]

Sorry but can you run that past us again because both those mean exactly the same.

 

Ie There is a volunteer on the boat and there is someone undertaking enforcement.

 

While we are on the subject it is perhaps a useful juncture to point out that 'enforcement' is often confused with the simple act of logging boat numbers.

 

Personally I have no problem with volunteers logging boat numbers as long as they are bona fide CRT engaged and trained volunteers using the correct kit as supplied by CRT. If that floats somebodies boat, good luck to them.

 

'Enforcement' should only be the domain of CRT employed staff.

Perhaps I am being to subtle or attempting to reduce my typing. Somebody = employee of CRT One ot them = volunteer.

 

So made simple if they are simply crewing a boat while an employee does something" they aren't taking part in the "something". However if there is no employee on the boat and a volunteer is taking part in the "something" then volunteers are involved.

 

N.B. For "something" insert the activity of choice - data logging etc

[patty-ann]

Wnder wot they've bin told about us if they are keeping a wary eye out for boaters.

Imagine the briefing........

Perhaps we r zee enemy.....???cluttering up zee water,

[Tuscan]

While we are on the subject it is perhaps a useful juncture to point out that 'enforcement' is often confused with the simple act of logging boat numbers.

.

But isn't the whole basis of ant subsequent enforcement based on the simple act of logging boat numbers - presumeably by the enthusiast in his high viz jacket

[cotswoldsman]

Sorry but can you run that past us again because both those mean exactly the same.

Ie There is a volunteer on the boat and there is someone undertaking enforcement.

While we are on the subject it is perhaps a useful juncture to point out that 'enforcement' is often confused with the simple act of logging boat numbers.

Personally I have no problem with volunteers logging boat numbers as long as they are bona fide CRT engaged and trained volunteers using the correct kit as supplied by CRT. If that floats somebodies boat, good luck to them.

'Enforcement' should only be the domain of CRT employed staff.

Not sure what you mean by proper kit. The kit issued to CRT enforcement staff shows a lot of personal details and I am not happy with that being available to any tom dick or harry. It shows for example home address not sure if people would be happy about that being available, it might even give a big clue to a house being empty while the owners are out cruising

[Guest]

Not sure what you mean by proper kit. The kit issued to CRT enforcement staff shows a lot of personal details and I am not happy with that being available to any tom dick or harry. It shows for example home address not sure if people would be happy about that being available, it might even give a big clue to a house being empty while the owners are out cruising

 

I did actually mean the proper handhelds rather than resorting to use a notebook and pen!

 

But yes I can see the associated risks with that.

[alan_fincher]

Not sure what you mean by proper kit. The kit issued to CRT enforcement staff shows a lot of personal details and I am not happy with that being available to any tom dick or harry. It shows for example home address not sure if people would be happy about that being available, it might even give a big clue to a house being empty while the owners are out cruising

 

But does the mobile phone and app handed to volunteer mooring rangers giver them access to such information,

 

Genuine question, I don't know, but I suspect the tablet type devices in use by permanent enforcement staff may have a lot more function than what the voilunteers get just to log your presence at a location?

 

That said I am not defending the use of voluunteer checkers, because even if they are only involved in logging, and not in enforcement, as Tuscan says, data they collect can presumably be used for enforcement, so, in a way, they are still involved in both.

 

I worry about someone who gives up their time to volunterr for CRT, but considers this a prime activity to volunteer for. There are so many things they could actually volunteer for that have some hope of being useful and actually improving things, but sorry, this one would appear to be taken up often by exactly the type of person you might expect to take it up.

[Guest]

But isn't the whole basis of ant subsequent enforcement based on the simple act of logging boat numbers - presumeably by the enthusiast in his high viz jacket

 

Yes but as I understand it the roles of the people involved are different. (or at least that is what I have been given to understand on here before - cant recall by who now but I did rather expect they knew what they were talking about) The simple act of logging a boat's name and location is different from the follow up action.

 

I think one can be done by a volunteer and anything subsequent to that if a problem is identified needs to be undertaken by CRT employed staff. If staff are currently doing both roles then using volunteers to do the basic logging could free staff up to undertake more work on the other tasks, some of which which usefully could be spent talking to boaters who are starting to come to the attention of the Trust.

Edited February 8, 2015 by The Dog House

[Laurie Booth]

If he is correctly quoted then he is an anally retentive prat who probably failed prefect selection at school. Just the type of busybody jobsworth that should be prohibited from volunteering for anything. Caveat, if that is what he actually said of course.

He probably was a school prefect.

[Peter Reed]

He probably was a school prefect.

Or a rejected prefect.

[cotswoldsman]

 

But does the mobile phone and app handed to volunteer mooring rangers giver them access to such information,

 

Genuine question, I don't know, but I suspect the tablet type devices in use by permanent enforcement staff may have a lot more function than what the voilunteers get just to log your presence at a location?

 

That said I am not defending the use of voluunteer checkers, because even if they are only involved in logging, and not in enforcement, as Tuscan says, data they collect can presumably be used for enforcement, so, in a way, they are still involved in both.

 

I worry about someone who gives up their time to volunterr for CRT, but considers this a prime activity to volunteer for. There are so many things they could actually volunteer for that have some hope of being useful and actually improving things, but sorry, this one would appear to be taken up often by exactly the type of person you might expect to take it up.

By proper kit I had assumed it was the hand held devices used by CRT not sure what information the app gives but then I doubt if it gives personal info but going by change in t&c guess that information is going to be made available to a whole new group of people

[alan_fincher]

By proper kit I had assumed it was the hand held devices used by CRT not sure what information the app gives but then I doubt if it gives personal info but going by change in t&c guess that information is going to be made available to a whole new group of people

 

I have some info about data entry into the kit used by the Volunterr Mooring Rangers, (which I think is mobile phone rather than "pad" based), but it is on another computer. I'll have a look later and see if it gives clues as to how much they have access to.

 

As an aside, I thought the standard "volunteer" uniform for these guys was stated as the simple blue sweatshirt. IThe ones I have seen, (and I've seen and talked to a few now), have not had hi-vis vests, (although Jeff Whyatt chose a "hi vis" jacket when he was playing the role!).

[matty40s]

I think Jeff was advised to wear the binmans jacket so he was easily spotted if someone pushed him in at Stoke Bruerne.

:-)