Boaters' meetings

I THOUGHT I would just update you on the progress of the series of Boaters Meetings we have had so far with Canal & River Trust, three have taken place so far and the next one is taking place in Birmingham next month, writes John Sloan.

These meetings have been open to all boaters though at this stage we have had to limit numbers in order to have meaningful discussions.

Senior members present

The Trust have ensured that senior members of staff have been present at these meetings and I would like to thank publicly Sally Ash (Head of Boating) and John Dodwell (Trustee) for the way they have embraced these meetings.

There is a feeling among boaters and the Trust that these meetings have been useful to both parties. Open and honest discussion is often the best way forward. As boaters we feel that at last someone is listening to us and that we can work with the Trust to be part of the process of finding solutions to the many concerns that both boaters and the Trust have. I would like to stress these meetings do not represent any organisation, just simply the boaters that want to be part of ensuring the long term future of the canal system we all love.

Voice of boaters

This is just the start of a process to ensure the voice of boaters is heard and just as important that the Trust have the ability to communicate directly with boaters. Some might well say "we have seen it all before" such as User Groups, etc. I am hoping that the difference this time will be that these meetings will be open to all interested parties to move forward.

Yes we all have issues that concern us and we all have different solutions and this is good, but what we must do is ensure that we discuss these problems and solutions in open meetings.