A Night in the country
A Night in the country
by: Buffs
Throughout the year a dedicated band of volunteers criss-cross the hinterland of the canal giving talks and presentations to a wide variety of organisations and interest groups on request and for a small donation to the Trust.
A typical event was an address to the WI at Sheepscombe. The meeting had been opened to the wider community in the village reflecting the wider interest in our waterway. Although Sheepscombe is halfway between Stroud and Gloucester high above the Painswick valley it is not the easiest place to visit. The heavy rains of recent times made the drive a little more interesting. For the unknowing the drive from Stroud up the Slad road and then through the narrow lanes in the rain and darkness of the unlit and winding road was challenging. The steepness of some of the road was only apparent when the car came close to stalling. The well-lit village hall was a welcome site as was the offer of tea by the chair of the WI, Caroline, once through the door. Andy B had arrived earlier and was setting up the projector. An earlier conversation with Caroline had led to some tailoring of the presentation and a paper run through of the evenings work was discussed by the presenters. Whilst the WI had their formal meeting further tweeking of the slides on the laptop to ensure the smooth flow of the address was done.
And then it was time.
Speaking without notes but being prompted by the flow of slides Chris talked through the history of the canals and Trust, the activities of the volunteers in as many roles as he could remember and the future plans for restoration. One slide took our presenter by surprise when he turned to point out a feature. The slide was of Oil Mills Bridge and embankment. Readers of this blog will know that there has been some weather induced slippage of the bank at this bridge which has been made safe. Further work is needed to reduce the risk of slippage further. The upstream bank was originally a stone block wall which rose to the level of the old bridge. The stone blocks are no longer in place, probably robbed out when the canal was lying derelict. The image on the screen showed that some at least of the block footings are still in place becoming visible when the water level is lower than it has been of late.
The design of the new locks at the M5 and the A38 roundabout excited some questions both during and after the piece. The work of our archivists was highlighted to this particular audience as their work is done in the warmth of the Gloucester archives. This brought a later enquiry to join the team.
The vote of thanks from Caroline included best wishes for the future and particularly with the soon to be delivered final project proposal to the HLF.
Driving away from Sheepscombe guided by the SatNav was interesting as the shortest and quickest routes were different from the route in. Second and third gears were in constant use as were all the forward facing lights.
