Canal Boat — January 2018

18 January 2018 Canal Boat canalboat.co.uk

May I make a minor observation regarding Martin
Ludgate’s very welcome article on the Pocklington
Canal.
The formation of PCAS was indeed partly due to
Operation Ashton and Eric Lount. However TV was
not part of that mix.
As a close friend of Graham Palmer, I had been
involved with Operation Ashton from the early days
and in the build-up to the Big Dig day, what spare
time I had from my Fleet Air Arm flying training was
mainly spent at Graham’s parent’s flat in Finchley or
on the Ashton.
One Sunday however, I ventured out from
Linton-on-Ouse, where I was based, to investigate
the Pocklington Canal. I parked my old Morris
1000 Traveller – much festooned with official and
homemade Op Ash publicity – by Thornton Bridge
and strode up the towpath armed with my small
camera.
Returning after 30 minutes I saw a farmer coming
towards me and I wondered if somehow I had
blocked his access to a field. This turned out to be
Eric Lount and we spent a long time discussing how
we could get ‘his’ canal reopened. The discussion
continued at his farm with tea and sustenance
provided by his wife Doreen.

The upshot was I talked to Graham Palmer and

though he was supportive, we both felt the very

scarce national funds/time should not be diverted

at this stage but that anything we could do locally to

preserve the status quo should be done.

I then talked to David Tomlinson whom I knew

from Stourbridge 16 days. He was willing to come

to Yorkshire and drink tea. Our initial meeting was

again at Eric’s farm and included Sheila Nix.

Thus was PCAS born and I found myself the first

(and short lived) editor of Double Nine, the PCAS

magazine. Almost instantly I went down to Cornwall

to continue the next phase of my training and

shortly after, out to the Far East.

I have always retained membership of PCAS and

my interest in the Pocklington despite having been

in Dubai for the past 40 years. To me one of the

great joys of the restoration is that it came from the

locals wanting their canal back.

MALCOLM HARRINGTON

MARTIN LUDGATE comments: Many thanks to

Mr Harrington for his correction and his useful

and interesting information about the formation of

PCAS. Incidentally, on the subject of the Operation

Ashton Big Dig, there are plans to mark the 50th

anniversary which falls in September 2018.

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CONVERSATION

My photo... when out with my dad at

Basingstoke canal

Rega @Regathedragon

Falkirk Wheel

Tony mcgeever @grasstalavista

Beautiful sky tonight. A warm fire and

a cup of tea added make the perfect

moment.

Gilly nb TheLadyAda @GBlatch

Pocklington remembered

I read with interest your article about the restoration of
the Sankey canal.
Although I commend this project and I wish
everyone success for the future, there is a quote from
the CRT’s North West manager, Chantelle Seaborn:
“The long-term aspiration is for full restoration of the
route.”
That I find is a little misleading. The Sankey is not a
route that normal canal users would probably travel
on, as the only access is via the tidal and fast flowing

River Mersey. While on the opposite bank of the

Mersey there is a campaign to reinstall the Runcorn

Locks, which would make a fine circular route

between the Bridgewater and the River Weaver using

the Anderton boat lift on the return link.

As we pay the CRT’s salaries via our licence fees

would it not be better for CRT to put its weight behind

the Runcorn project and reopen a canal we can all

use.

BARRY CAPEWELL, nb Worrow Yuse

Get behind Runcorn project

Need for transparency

After reading the latest Steve Haywood article

regarding the alleged consultation by C&RT on the

matter of licence overhaul for boats, and may I add

that I wholeheartedly agree with his comments on

the alleged consultation so far.

I have now received the document for the

stage three of the C&RT alleged consultation

process.

In the consultation document for completion,

however, the questions have been ‘weighted’ so

that answers can only be answered in the way that

C&RT want them to be answered,

But it does give an option for the documentation

to be completed by requesting an online Word

document so that it can be filled in and returned.

Can I suggest therefore, in the interest of

transparency as well as accuracy that Canal Boat

readers request this word document option for

the alleged consultation process and copy the

completed return to Canal Boat so that Steve

Haywood can go through the returns also and

ensure that, as far as is possible, an accurate

response is actually being reported when the

results of this consultation are published

by C&RT.

MALCOLM HUTTON