The Wendover Arm Trust Working Party News – Issue 120 – April 2017
A remarkable milestone
Since my last 6-monthly progress report the Trust has reached a significant milestone. The total cost of restoration works since Phase I commenced in 1997 has passed the £1 million mark at £1,013,999! This means that the Trust has raised over £1 million pounds from fund raising events, mainly the Annual Festivals at Little Tring, and donations. The Trust also received £200,000 from the then BW in lieu of replacing the 18” pipeline under the bed of the canal and the Tim Wilkinson bequest of £100,000 that is represented by the £300,000 currently in the bank ring-fenced against matched funding for the Heritage Lottery Fund bid.
Photographs
Many thanks to those who have sent me photos – please keep them coming although I may not be able to print them all.
March and April Working Parties
The weather has now improved and progress was made with Stage 3 bank and bed lining but photo 1 (right) shows the difficult working conditions due to the wet weather.
May and June Working Parties
During these working parties work will concentrate on profiling, laying the Bentomite lining and hollow concrete blocks on both banks in readiness for the visit by BITM in June ready for them to lay the high density concrete blocks. Hopefully this will help to significantly advance bank lining over the summer.
Tracked dumpers
These pictures show how much more useful the Morooka dumper (photo 2, right) supplied by Morgans was for work such as transporting concrete blocks. It has a rectangular body with a flat deck whereas the more expensive dumper (photo 3, right) we now have to hire has a hopper shaped body. This makes it more difficult to unload ready-mix concrete with an excavator when concrete cannot be directly discharged to where it is wanted.
Whitehouses
We await details from CRT for their proposal for a pseudo weir and wing walls to the wharf wall at Whitehouses. Once this is to hand it is hoped that the Trust will be able to complete the higher level pipe capping in front of the wharf wall.
You can see from photo 4 (right) how the brick base to the wharf wall and settling tank projects into the canal and requires special attention because of the shallow depth – well above normal bed level.
Volunteer’s lunch
The volunteers’ lunch in April was a very enjoyable event at which it was nice to meet up with past and new volunteers.
Tidy Friday
John Reynolds and his team continue with their good work of vegetation control. See schedule on page 4 for dates.
I requested donations for planting new trees as part of the environmental aspects of restoration in the February newsletter.
I am pleased to say that the response has been good and we will not be requesting any further donations until late autumn.
This because newly planted trees have to be kept watered and no more will be planted until November this year.
Open days
Again a reminder that the Restoration Open Days this year are on Sundays 4th June and 3rd September.
General Notes
We operate as a self-supervising group under CRT and all volunteers receive and sign for the Trust’s Restoration Handbook that includes full Health and Safety requirements for the restoration works.
The handbook is the property of the Trust; if you leave the working parties for any reason, please return your Handbook to either Ray Orth or myself.
Hard hats for use at all times and high visibility jackets to be worn on sites with mobile plant in use are kept in the store at Tringford and must be drawn/returned there.
One first aid kit is kept in the store and one in the Nissan Cabstar and each qualified first-aider will have their own kit with him/her when on site.
Also available in the store at Tringford are ear defenders and goggles that must be worn when using strimmers, angle grinders, concrete breakers and the like. CRT will supply hard hats, gloves and footwear with reinforced toecaps on request.
We normally work from 9am to 5pm (or dark if earlier!). There are breaks for morning tea/coffee, packed lunch and afternoon tea/coffee. We take our own food and drink.
