IWA Birmingham goes fishing for trollies!

A series of canal clean ups and work parties have been organised as well as the annual BCN Clean up by IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcestershire Branch. Their plan is to hold clean ups on different waterways in the branch’s area, and to involve the different local canal societies.

The first of these on was run in conjunction with the BCN Society, at Bentley Bridge on the Wyrley & Essington Canal on Saturday 11th August.  The Canal & River Trust supplied tools and equipment, and a workboat from the Wolverhampton Probationary Service was used.  Volunteers cleared the basin (which is the end of the former Bentley Canal) of rubbish, repainted the bridge handrails and carried out some vegetation clearance.  The improvements encouraged a boat to moor in the basin that night.

The second branch clean up took place on when volunteers from IWA and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Society joined forces to spend an enjoyable day in the sun on Monday 3rd September, tidying up the canal in Kidderminster in advance of the Kidderminster Canal Festival the following weekend.  Equipment and disposal of the rubbish at the end of the day was provided by the Canal & River Trust.

The towpath was cleared of weeds around Weavers Wharf and a mile of towpath between Round Hill Bridge and Limekiln Bridge was cleared of litter.  Meanwhile teams with grappling hooks retrieved a total of 24 shopping trolleys (including 9 all attached together and in very good condition which were returned to a certain well known high street store for re-use once they have been hosed down and sterilised!).  A couple of bicycle wheels, one whole bicycle, the remains of a sprung mattress and several heavy fence blocks were also removed from the canal.

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Volunteers retrieving shopping trolleys from the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal in Kidderminster

The next clean up is a joint project between IWA Birmingham, Black Country & Worcestershire Branch and the Worcester & Birmingham & Droitwich Canals Society.  The clean up will take place at Kings Norton Junction on the Worcester & Birmingham Canal, over the weekend of the 17th and 18th November.  The clean up is scheduled to take place while the planned stoppage to Kings Norton stop lock is going on, although the main site for the work will be along the Worcester & Birmingham Canal in either direction from the junction.

Further clean ups are planned, with the next one likely to be back on the BCN some time during the winter months.

Advance notice of the annual BCN Clean Up weekend is 13th/14th April 2013.

Anyone interested in taking part in any of these events should contact Alison Smedley (01538 385388 or alison.smedley@waterways.org.uk) for further details.

 

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