S.O.S. fish—and canal

THE Grantham Canal is as most boaters will be aware a remainder waterway. It suffers from a lack of water on some stretches in dry periods, this recently resulting in an S.0.S being sent out in respect of fish inclusive of mirror and common carp, sadly close to breathing their last, writes Pam Pickett.

I doubt any of us like to see living creatures in this sort of trouble, so fishermen and the public alike turned out to effect rescue, giving up their entire Sunday afternoon and evening to do so. Incidentally at no small cost to the fishermen given the number of keep nets irretrievably damaged.

Perfectly reasonable

The point I wish to make here is that as a boater I obviously come across some 'grumpy' fishermen, though I find that like those fishermen involved in the fish rescue the majority are perfectly reasonable people, wishing only to cause, or be caused the minimum of disruption.

Thus, if we take the time to explain why coming close may involve them in fishing over our boat for the duration, or going wide would end us up in bushes, I find those on canal or river bank are as reasonable as were those pulling the fish out of the mud on the Grantham.

A bit of give and take surely is all that is necessary to allow harmony between fishermen and boaters, and writing of give and take, the Grantham Canal Society that is working so hard to open further stretches of this canal is in need of funding, funding reliant upon not our pocket but on a keystroke on our computer, a text message or by calling in at a Lloyds Bank, details as follow:

Help the society

Grantham Canal Society has been short-listed for an award from the Lloyds Bank Community Fund and we need your votes!

You can vote in three ways:

1) By going into the branch that has been allocated the four causes including Grantham Canal Society. The branch is: Lloyds Bank, 76 Front Street, Arnold, Nottingham, NG5 7EJ—Every time you go into this branch, you can collect a token from a member of staff and place it in the slot for the Grantham Canal Society.

2) You can vote online at www.lloydsbank.com/communityfund and search for Grantham Canal Society, submit your vote and follow all the instructions for your vote to be counted. One online vote per email address.

3) Send an SMS text: VOTEKDNC to 61119. One text vote per phone number.

We need your votes, please support the society!