Good turnout for West Midlands meeting
VENTURING out on a cold, dark winter’s night in February isn’t everyone’s idea of fun. Still, a significant number of people did just that to attend the Canal & River Trust West Midlands region’s annual public meeting and showcase.
The event was held in the impressive surroundings of the County Buildings in Stafford town centre.
After an opportunity to view a large number of displays showcasing the work of various volunteer groups, the meeting got under way with a welcome and keynote speech by John Henderson, chief executive of Staffordshire County Council. During his speech, he highlighted the importance of the canals to the region. The theme of public health also featured more than once during his speech in which the Caldon Canal was cited as a good example.
He went on to welcome CRT’s involvement in the development of the Rugeley power station site which sits on the banks of the Trent. The power station closed three years ago, but the French owners are creating a 100% renewable energy mixed-use site in the area.
Roger Savage, chairman of the
Staffordshire Waterways Group, provided an overview of the work of the various groups that make up the county-wide organisation. He explained that the group’s area encompasses 152 miles of canal and he took the opportunity to talk about the work they have done and continue to carry out. He also mentioned the group’s involvement in the promotion of tourism in the area and the participation of Julie Arnold in the tourism initiative.
Julie Sharman, chief operating officer of CRT, presented regional director Adnan Saif ’s report due to Adnan being unable to attend the event at the last moment. She too highlighted the achievements in the previous 12 months and outlined the plans for the coming year.
Many of these centred around the Commonwealth Games and the continued emphasis on community engagement.
Encouraging more people to be involved in both using the waterways and volunteering on the waterways is high on the agenda for the next year.
It was good to hear that the environment hasn’t been overlooked with the environmental volunteers still required to help maintain the areas around canal towpaths.
Julie also mentioned a new initiative that, it is hoped, will see police special constables and cadets being specifically tasked to the towpaths.
With the pressures on police forces continuing, it will be interesting to see if these new recruits will be able to keep the towpaths their primary focus.
CRT chief executive Richard Parry took questions and a few statements from the audience which included a thank you to CRT for its involvement in Let’s
Fish, the campaign to encourage more people, including many young people, to try fishing on their local waterway.
It seems that this campaign has been particularly successful with figures of 30,000 people trying coarse fishing being mentioned. The removal of single-use plastics as part of the WASAP project was also mentioned after a successful launch in Walsall; it has also been launched in Coventry.
The meeting concluded with an opportunity for attendees to chat with the significant number of CRT staff who attended. There were no significant policy changes or announcements, but it would seem that the trust will continue to build on its links with local councils and groups. The shift towards making the trust, and its waterways, a resource for all and to broaden their appeal, remains a priority.