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Bourneville moorings - safe?


homer2911

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I'm pleased to learn that chocolate is still made in Bourneville. I read somewhere that Cadbury's had started making it in Poland and shipping it over here!

There is some controversy over this.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/dispatches-documentary-accuses-cadbury-betraying-11064526

 

It seems that the Polish factory was built by Cadbury before the takeover by Kraft.

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There is some controversy over this.

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/dispatches-documentary-accuses-cadbury-betraying-11064526

 

It seems that the Polish factory was built by Cadbury before the takeover by Kraft.

They closed the Keynsham factory and moved production to Poland, they had promised to keep the Keynsham factory open. I think they should be banned from trading in the UK.

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 year later...
On 18/08/2016 at 13:41, ditchcrawler said:

You mean its just a tourist attraction and not a factory?

old thread i know.....but been catching up lol

 

They make Cadbury Dairy milk, buttons, Wispa, creme eggs, easter eggs in Bournville

Poland production is Crunchie, Curly Wurly, Fudge, Roses, Milk Tray, mini eggs and a few others.

 

The area that can be viewed when visiting Cadbury world is a functioning Factory, but low volume, not cost effective and only kept open to keep tourists happy.

There are several other areas of the main factory that produces huge volumes of the products i mention...but away from tourists eyes

 

The Polish factory was planned 10 years before Kraft took over...and building work started 5 years before.

By the time Kraft got involved 90% of production had moved from Somerdale to Poland...and it was way too late.  They shouldnt have made promises about things they knew nothing about.

 

Wouldn't stay on those visitor moorings over night personally.  You might get lucky and be ok, but i wouldnt risk it...and ive heard about many incidents in the area over the years.

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9 minutes ago, kawaton said:

 .

 

Wouldn't stay on those visitor moorings over night personally.  You might get lucky and be ok, but i wouldnt risk it...and ive heard about many incidents in the area over the years.

I must have been lucky but I don't like them as the trains start early. Any one on here had problems?

 

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I thought the area everyone avoids stopping is beyond the northern end of Wast Hill tunnel, up to the junction? 

I wouldn't say it's a case of every urban area having the same risk as has been implied above - I doubt many would bat an eyelid about mooring up 'unsecured' overnight in Castlefield or as mentioned above in Droitwich, but most boaters would be wary about overnighting here in Selly Oak or if in Manchester in Hulme or Newton Heath for example, for good reason.

Edited by Philip
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4 hours ago, kawaton said:

Wouldn't stay on those visitor moorings over night personally.  You might get lucky and be ok, but i wouldnt risk it...and ive heard about many incidents in the area over the years.

Yep, loads of boats have been trashed there, well advised to keep away from the area.

:)

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Bournville is a lovely 'urban village' and there is rarely any trouble. The problem is that it's the other side of the factory. Where the moorings are is sandwiched between Selly Oak and Stirchley, both which are rough areas.

 

I lived in Bournville for a number of years. I certainly wouldn't use those moorings for an overnight stay and probably not even in the daytime if I was leaving the boat for more than an hour.

On the subject of the factory tours (now Cadbury World), I remember when they were around the proper production lines, not the mock up ones they have these days. I also remember that on very hot days, production had to be suspended because being mainly a manual operation the chocolate would be ruined by the worker's finger marks! There was of course no air conditioning in those days.

As a  resident pf Bournville we used to have a pass for the Cadbury's shop and could buy chocolate at a fraction of the shop price. Very nice but not very healthy! On some days we could smell the chocolate odour from our house which was lovely at first but sometimes by the end of the day it became a little 'sickly'.

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53 minutes ago, Grassman said:

 

Bournville is a lovely 'urban village' and there is rarely any trouble. The problem is that it's the other side of the factory. Where the moorings are is sandwiched between Selly Oak and Stirchley, both which are rough areas.

 

I lived in Bournville for a number of years. I certainly wouldn't use those moorings for an overnight stay and probably not even in the daytime if I was leaving the boat for more than an hour.

On the subject of the factory tours (now Cadbury World), I remember when they were around the proper production lines, not the mock up ones they have these days. I also remember that on very hot days, production had to be suspended because being mainly a manual operation the chocolate would be ruined by the worker's finger marks! There was of course no air conditioning in those days.

As a  resident pf Bournville we used to have a pass for the Cadbury's shop and could buy chocolate at a fraction of the shop price. Very nice but not very healthy! On some days we could smell the chocolate odour from our house which was lovely at first but sometimes by the end of the day it became a little 'sickly'.

Selly Oak and Stirchley are hardly rough areas!  In fact there amongst the more sought after areas to live in Birmingham these days and Stirchley has, in recent years, come on leaps and bounds and is now considered to be 'cool'!  (Hipster pubs, artisan bakery, craft ale etc etc)

The entire length of the W&B between the centre and Kings Norton has becomes steadily safer over the last few years.  The main reasons for this are that there are increasing numbers of continuous cruisers and increased enforcement on them so it's now becoming normal to see boats moored at various points along the towpath.  Also, the tarmaccing of the towpath has brought many more users (cyclists, walkers, runners) which although have their downside (and have been discussed elsewhere) have also made the whole canal environment safer.  It used to be that the cc'ers moored at The Vale, Bournville and occassionally at Kings Norton Junction.  Now there are boats often moored at various points through Selly Oak from the University to the Bristol Road bridge.  I'm not aware of any recent trouble.

As a wider point, across the BCN the cc'ers are making their presence felt and I see this as a good thing.  Boats regularly moor on the mainline at the entrance to the Icknield Port Loop, on the Soho Loop, along the Galton Valley, at Spon Lane Junction and near Bromford Lane bridge.  This can only make the canals safer for all of us.

 

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A stabbing that left an 8 month pregnant woman fighting for her life, 2 muggings ( I know both victims), a sexual assault and a rape that im personally aware of make it an undesirable enough area for me. (Ok to pass through and moor during the day but certainly not to stop overnight)

 

Edit to add, Staff shop is closing this year apparently. Seems Kraft don't like giving pensioners, locals or employees access to cheap out of date chocolate anymore

Edited by kawaton
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On 10/01/2018 at 09:33, Dave_P said:

Selly Oak and Stirchley are hardly rough areas!  In fact there amongst the more sought after areas to live in Birmingham these days and Stirchley has, in recent years, come on leaps and bounds and is now considered to be 'cool'!  (Hipster pubs, artisan bakery, craft ale etc etc)

The entire length of the W&B between the centre and Kings Norton has becomes steadily safer over the last few years.  The main reasons for this are that there are increasing numbers of continuous cruisers and increased enforcement on them so it's now becoming normal to see boats moored at various points along the towpath.  Also, the tarmaccing of the towpath has brought many more users (cyclists, walkers, runners) which although have their downside (and have been discussed elsewhere) have also made the whole canal environment safer.  It used to be that the cc'ers moored at The Vale, Bournville and occassionally at Kings Norton Junction.  Now there are boats often moored at various points through Selly Oak from the University to the Bristol Road bridge.  I'm not aware of any recent trouble.

As a wider point, across the BCN the cc'ers are making their presence felt and I see this as a good thing.  Boats regularly moor on the mainline at the entrance to the Icknield Port Loop, on the Soho Loop, along the Galton Valley, at Spon Lane Junction and near Bromford Lane bridge.  This can only make the canals safer for all of us.

 

Few CCers on the BCN at the present though, as far as we've seen. We were in the city centre last weekend, 6 boats moored by Symphony Court, 3 by the Fiddle & Bone, lots of space at Cambrian Wharf and one boat opposite the Cube. Everywhere else empty. 

Went on to Windmill End passing a regular BCN CCers moored at Smethwick Pumphouse and another just past Bromford Junction. On our own at Windmill End. Now moored with one other boat at The Waterfront. 

Maybe the difficulties of getting to Birmingham at present are having a result. 

Incidentally, I see a new mooring has been created just past Vincent Street Bridge when heading out

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11 minutes ago, pearley said:

Few CCers on the BCN at the present though, as far as we've seen. We were in the city centre last weekend, 6 boats moored by Symphony Court, 3 by the Fiddle & Bone, lots of space at Cambrian Wharf and one boat opposite the Cube. Everywhere else empty. 

Went on to Windmill End passing a regular BCN CCers moored at Smethwick Pumphouse and another just past Bromford Junction. On our own at Windmill End. Now moored with one other boat at The Waterfront. 

Maybe the difficulties of getting to Birmingham at present are having a result. 

Incidentally, I see a new mooring has been created just past Vincent Street Bridge when heading out

I can't speak for all areas, but there are currently 3 boats moored on the Soho Loop (2 with regulation enforcement notices, and to be fair 1 is not inhabitable), there's also a boat by Bromford Lane bridge in Oldbury and another has just moved on from the Smethwick pumphouse.  A boat was also moored at the western end of the Icknield loop until a couple of weeks ago.  On the Selly Oak visitor moorings there are two boats which have been there for months, I know a little of the stories behind these two so don't really want to comment on the overstaying, but that spot used to be avoided by all (probably something to do with the memorial flowers hanging from the trees).  These are all areas which I never saw boats mooring a few years ago.  Having said that, I haven't seen any boats mooring in Monument Road basin for a while, whereas 2 or 3 boats seemed to have set up a semi-permanent encampment there a few years back. 

I do stand by my impression that the numbers of cc'ers is increasing.  Over the next few years i expect that to continue and I hope that it will open up other no-go parts of the BCN for overnight mooring, in the way that has happened in London.  Obviously I would prefer that the BCN doesn't turn into a linear housing estate but I find it hard to imagine that's possible in Birmingham - smaller city, more canals, cheaper housing.

 

21 minutes ago, pearley said:

 

Incidentally, I see a new mooring has been created just past Vincent Street Bridge when heading out

Other new moorings have been created along the Soho Loop by installing mooring rings, but it's in the wrong place IMO.  The obvious place to install new rings would be close to the junction with Hockley Port but they've put them alongside the park where there's more likely to be troublemakers hanging around.

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