CRT’s policy statement and report on its 2022 consultation on a minimum standard for boaters’ facilities, published on 30th May and 5th July 2023, states that CRT will increase its minimum cruising distance between facilities from 4 hours to 1 day, even though 25% to 35% of respondents (depending on the specific facility) thought a gap of 5 hours was too great. Since then we have had multiple reports of CRT closing facilities all around the waterways.
WE HAVE CHANGED THE PLAN FOR SATURDAY 27TH JANUARY, AS CRT HAS CANCELLED THE OPEN DAY…….
WE WILL MEET AT DUN MILL LOCK AT 10.30AM AND WALK UP THE TOWPATH TO HUNGERFORD TOWN CENTRE. WE WILL LEAFLET THE PUBLIC ON THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER THE CANAL AND UNDER THE BRIDGE.
THEN WE WILL GO TO THE PUB AND DISCUSS MORE ACTIONS AGAINST CRT’S UNJUST SURCHARGE!!
Protest and engagement against the surcharge, 27th January, meet at Dun Mill Lock at 10.30am. Join us to protest against the surcharge on boats without a home mooring and engage with the public to get their support!
Around 12 liveaboard boaters attended the meeting of Wilcot Parish Council on 9th January 2024. There was discussion of a letter from a boater to Wiltshire Councillor Paul Oatway objecting that the rubble and earth banks in the lane by the canal were constructed without planning consent and were an unauthorised waste disposition. Two boaters spoke in the public question time.
There will be a Kennet & Avon Canal User Forum on Wednesday 24th January 2024 from 10:30 to 12:30. The in-person forum will be held at the St James Centre, Estcourt Crescent, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1LR. CRT’s Sarah Cook says “Please join us for some short presentations, have your questions answered and an opportunity to talk to us directly.”
It has been suggested by Wiltshire Councillor Paul Oatway that boaters should attend the Wilcot Parish Council meeting at 7pm on 9th January 2024 to demand that the recent obstruction of parking in Wilcot is reversed and the lane beside the K&A canal is cleared of the rubble and earth that is obstructing parking.
Voting opened on 13th December in the CRT Council elections. We recommend voting for Rosie Strickland and Nick Corrigan in the Private Boating constituency. Both are members of the NBTA and intend to promote the interests of liveaboard boaters without a home mooring if they are elected. Please vote for both of them as your first and second choices. Below are their manifestos from the CRT web site – see
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/how-we-are-run/the-council/council-elections-2023-24/private-boating-candidates You may also be interested in voting for Penelope Barber and Fiona Burt in your third and lower choices.
If you or anyone you know would like a helping hand and could do with a bag of coal or wood from Pay It Forward, please fill out this quick form below or get in touch with floatyboatfund@gmail.com
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNgbB3d5oJBtKPvXiCiiD9fonHDhQ8CbaPHX0ZA4XcvUIDNg/viewform
Due to a clear need in the community on the west end of the K&A, Bradford Wharf Services (BWS) and Floaty Boat are teaming up to run a coal boat between Bath and Foxhangers this winter. They will be using Ishtar, a boat built by BWS in 2007.
This is a not for profit service for the community and any profit made will be donated to Floaty Boat for other community projects. The plan is to deliver every Wednesday, one week from Bradford Wharf to Bath and the next week from Bradford Wharf to Foxhangers so deliveries will happen fortnightly.The next run will be to Bath on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st December. The run to Foxhangers will be in the first week of January.
The second meeting of the new Kennet & Avon Boaters Association takes place tomorrow, Thursday 7th December 2023, at 6pm to 11pm. There will be a Community update on the activities of the association; family-friendly films between 6pm and 7pm, and more boater-orientated short films later. The meeting will take place at the Party Spot at Horsefield, below the towpath between Smelly Bridge and Avoncliff aqueduct.