Volunteer group disbands

A VOLUNTEER group who have been operating the historic narrowboat, Barnet, have decided to disband with the boat to be sold because Canal & River Trust (CaRT) have failed to find sufficient work writes Allan Richards.

Posting in the CanalScape-BCN Yahoo group and later on Canal World Discussion Forum and his Facebook page, well known canal enthusiast Laurence Hogg has blamed CaRT for the decision to disband after seven years of operation, with Laurence telling:

The post

'I have taken the decision to close down the operational side of CanalScape-BCN, not an easy decision for me to reach but under current circumstances one that is the only way forward.

Formed in 2007 the group of operational volunteers used my boat Barnet for various works with British Waterways (BW) and latterly with CaRT. When out with BW we did some really useful work, surveying for dredging, tunnel inspections, waterway inspections etc. and this seemed to be going well.

With BW permission we undertook minor 'offside' tasks with veg clearance and rubbish removal of large items.

With the formation of CaRT the work fell away until during the whole of last year we did just five days out on 'official' work, now during this current year we have only done a paltry three days.

However the chance came for 'proper work' when we were asked to survey an unloading wharf on the BCN Bradley arm which could be used for the clearance material from the collapse in Coseley cutting on the BCN main line. This we did and then inspected the collapse site and from that worked out how to get the soil away from the site using Barnet and two joey boats, we of course have employed the services of a professional boatman (Barry Lycett) who would have co-ordinated the task, all we would charge for is our travel and fuel so the job would be at cost to CaRT saving the Trust an awful lot of money, plus it would have given the trust something to publicise.

Jonathan Pritchett got back to us a month later with an email, stating No CaRT personnel or volunteers will be used at this site due to health and safety issues, a specialist contractor will be used for the whole job.

I was somewhat dismayed and argued the point that we were only providing the transport not wishing to be involved in loading or unloading but the answer was still no. So I argued with CaRT why has it been safe for ordinary boaters to keep passing the site up to now? Had this been a road or a railway it would have been closed until cleared and safe!

But still the answer is no.

I am then told by Vince Moran that they are looking into other stuff we could do, he then lists tunnel inspections, dredging profiles etc as a possibility, well actually, we have done those previously with Dean Davies.

Left with a hopeless situation of almost certainly getting no proper work in the carrying mode and of late only doing boating buddy, heritage interpretation trips and the like, what is the point of the group being in existence?

We are not litter pickers, or wanting to be volunteer cleaners and painters, we want the harder jobs.

We have asked repeatedly for proper loads, assisting with raw material movements and the like, nothing has ever come our way.

So what use are we? We have a grace and favour mooring on the CaRT wharf at Wolverhampton for which we are thankful, a maintenance work boat licence on a boat that can be crewed at a moment's notice, are covered by CaRT insurance if working with CaRT and have our own equipment, safety gear and above all a 71ft working boat. But you don't use us?

We are apparently a useful statistic in my opinion which ticks boxes in favour of CaRT working with outsiders.

And so on Wednesday November 5th nb Barnet left the mooring in Wolverhampton and headed off to our mooring on the Cannock Extension canal at Yates dock (Norton Canes Boat Builders), a uneventful journey along a canal which today is as good as any cruiseway and in which we played a small part in helping to get it into that condition.

The group has now been disbanded and the asset will eventually be disposed of.

My sincere thanks to all those who have crewed with us both CaRT and our friends. My thanks to those who helped obtain the Barnet and those who worked to maintain the boat in a splendid looking condition and finally made the last run. Barnet has always been turned-out well with a smart crew and we were proud to have been a part of the CaRT volunteer team.

In my 46 years of boating involvement I have spent some 42 of those years acting as a volunteer and supporter of BW, TWT and CaRT, I have to say I now feel thoroughly let down by CaRT and now loath the day BW died, BW was better to work with in my opinion.

Whilst my desk activities to support and monitor CaRT and the waterways will continue, sadly our day operational in the field is over.

The online group will remain as is'.

Richard Parry

Although Mr Hogg's post says that it was his decision to close the group it is understood that this was supported by members.

In an email responding to the decision, CaRT's chief executive, Richard Parry, states:

‘I understand if you still decide to wind down your operation but I think it is very unfair to attribute this to the Trust—in effect basing your criticism of our commitment to volunteer input on the basis of a single project—when we have given a clear indication of our appetite to work with you. If it helps to convince you I am happy to meet you to give you my personal commitment'.

However, that is the problem! For over two years the Trust has demonstrated time and again that it does not wish to work with this group. Quite simply BW was happy to work with them and CaRT is not. The latest project fiasco was simply the 'last straw'.

Given them work

.... and now the group is to be disbanded and the boat sold, suddenly CaRT says that it has given the group ‘a clear indication of our appetite to work with you'.

Perhaps it would have been better to have provided this ‘clear indication' earlier by giving these volunteers some work over the last two years.