98 November 2017 Canal Boat canalboat.co.uk

1

What first attracted you

to the waterways?

A hire boat holiday on the Grand Union

with our three young sons back in the

late 1960s. That as they say “was it”.

2

Which is your favourite canal?

Each canal in its own way is unique.

The Southern Oxford and the

Macclesfield possibly top my list. Our

‘home canal’, that is the K&A between

Bath and Bradford-on-Avon, has

magnificent scenery but is sadly

spoiled by the numbers of continuously

moored boats.

3

What do the waterways have

to offer the country?

They represent 2,000 miles of what is

in effect a ‘Linear Park’, itself a

potential wildlife sanctuary with its

urban sections offering a catalyst for

residential and commercial

development.

4

Tell us about your

boating experience

Perhaps two separate phases. Initially,

wonderful family hire boat holidays with

our three young sons and my then

widowed mother, and during the time

when my wife Olive was teaching at

Primary School holidays with up to 20 of

her 10 to 12-year-old pupils on a pair of

old working boats. I learnt so much from

Gary Ward from the legendary working

boater family, about not only their way of

life afloat but also considerably honed

my boat handling skills. On nearing

retirement from professional practice in

1999 we commissioned the building of

the first of our two boats on which we

had wonderful cruises exploring with

friends most of the system ‘south of

Manchester’.

5

Have you ever fallen in?

Fortunately, no.

6

What do the waterways

need most?

Recognition that they represent a

valuable asset in terms of both heritage

and as a leisure facility which must at all

costs be preserved. Facts need facing as

to how funding is to be dealt with after

the current government support ceases

to be forthcoming. I appreciate the

difficulties of tackling this since in reality

it is only boaters, who comprise less

than five percent of the users, who

actually pay to use the system This is

a ‘nettle that has to be grasped’.

7

How important are volunteers?

We have an important role to play.

We concentrate on jobs that would

otherwise not be done. The Canal &

River Trust help enormously in

providing tools, equipment and

training. The more of the latter that

they can provide increases the range

of work which volunteers are able to

tackle. We work on the basis that we

are a back up to the Canal & River

Trust’s skilled labour force and it is

with some pride that they accept

us as such.

8

What do you get up to

in the work gang?

The obvious routine tasks comprise

litter-picking, repainting lock gates,

bridges plus vegetation management.

We have for part of the year the use of

a work boat which enables us to

tackle offside vegetation management

and other tasks requiring access from

the water. Other specific tasks

undertaken include sundry brickwork

and masonry repairs, the renovation of

a lengthsman’s ‘hovel’ and a Toll

House, as well as hard landscaping

at the river/canal junction. We have

also rebuilt the last surviving example

of the timber wharfside crane at

Burbage.

9

What did you want

to be aged 12?

After being evacuated to rural

Somerset I recall wanting to be a

farmer. This was soon overcome by

my fascination for anything to do with

construction. Perhaps this was

inherited from my paternal grandfather

who was a carpenter.

10

How can we improve

the canals?

By recognising that we have a

200-year-old infrastructure which

needs serious money spent on it if it is

to be preserved, and both prioritising

and putting in place funding so that

the system can be saved for the

benefit of future generations

11

Who would be your ideal

cruising companion?

Olive, my wife who has put up with me

for over 60 years. What better than

enjoying one of her wonderful meals

accompanied by a glass or two of

good wine all whilst moored for the

night on a rural towpath.

12

What has been your

biggest task?

It has to be the rebuild of the Burbage

Wharf Crane. Apart from the challenges

of repairing and reconstructing the

foundations and supporting structure,

there was the wonderful opportunity of

handling and fabricating some four and

a half tonnes of green oak.

13

What do you think of people

on the canals?

Interesting folk from diverse

backgrounds all with a love of the

waterways and by and large friendly

and prepared to help.

14

What are your fondest

memories of the waterways?

Cruising to waterways not previously

visited. Crossing Pontcysyllte Aqueduct

and mooring overnight in Bugsworth

Basin are two stand-out memories.

15

What is your proudest

achievement?

Three wonderful sons and eight

super grandchildren.

16

What would you like to see

happen to the waterways

in your lifetime?

A commitment to a realistic funding

package to recognise both the imminent

termination of the current government

funding and to take into account a

realistic appraisal of the works needed

to put the 200-year-old network back

into a good state of repair as well as

being able to maintain this for the future.

17

Do you own a boat.

We did until May of this year.

Sadly my wife’s arthritis and advancing

years for us both meant having to give

up after 18 years of having our own

boats.

18

Tell us about your Gold

Volunteer Award.

It came as a complete surprise to know

that since the Canal & River Trust set up

their volunteer initiative I had apparently

put in some 2,000 hours.

19

Where in Britain would you

most like to cruise?

I very much regret that having to give up

our boat meant that we could not fulfil

my long time ambition to cruise the

three northern transPennine canals.

I would have loved to have tackled

Standedge Tunnel.

20

What would your

superpower be?

Someone with the power to stop what I

would call man-made as distinct from

natural disasters.

20

Questions

At 83, CRT volunteer John Webb has been given a

Gold Volunteer Award in recognition of the 2,000

hours he has spent helping to care for the K&A

‘Our waterways at all costs

must be preserved’

JOHN WEBB