Volunteers' first outing
THIS Saturday, was the first outing of my local volunteer group based on the Tarleton Branch of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, writes John Hall.
Our first project chosen was to provide landing areas on the offside before and after the swing bridge above Rufford Lock. The purpose behind doing this is to facilitate single-handed boaters' passage through the swing bridge.
No tools
I must confess I had reservations as to how smoothly the operation would go. As it happened, we had a reasonably good turnout, 10 of us being present. However the British Waterways supervisor was delayed so did not arrive on site until some time afterwards.
Consequently we were left without any of the tools required to deal with the task - clearing vegetation, and it was only due to the inventiveness of one of the volunteers begging, borrowing and stealing gardening implements that we were able to make a start. The team worked very well, and both areas were cleared as well as reed-growth from the water's edge.
Secure area
What is then left is around 8 to 10 tonnes of mixed spoil which will have to be removed, to level the landing areas enabling them to be topped with a suitable surfacing material, to provide a secure area on which to get on and off one's boat, as well as installing mooring bollards.
This amount of material is quite considerable for removal using only hand tools, so a request was made to the supervisor for British Waterways to provide a 'mini-excavator' to carry out the work, only to be told that he had already had two jobs requiring said machine turned down. Apart from levelling the site, either gravel or concrete will subsequently have to be laid, again requiring the excavator. A task even less realistic for manual labour to achieve.
Risk assessment
Prior to even starting any work, we were all asked to read and digest British Waterways' 'risk-assessment' guidance notes. These lay out the requirements that British Waterways expect all their employees and agents (volunteers included) to adhere to. This includes life- jackets, safety lines—required when working close to the edge of the canal—which we were. Hi-viz jackets and various other stipulated items of equipment.
We had none of these, though two or three people had their own Hi-viz jackets, but the point is, all this equipment is supposed to be provided. When the supervisor did arrive he brought some tools without which we would never have removed the reeds.
Not slave labour
All in all it was a reasonably successful first outing for us, but it is to be hoped that when British Waterways approve the volunteers proposal for any project, that it will provide full support in all aspects. We are providing our time and our labour free of charge for the benefit of all, but we are not slave labour and ask only for full and open co-operation.