WILTS & BERKS CANAL TRUST

Hi Boy's and Girl's. Here we go again with our autumn report on canal activities in Swindon. Talk about hectic you want to try and live here in this town.

I will try and start with what I can remember but may well leave something out because so much happens at such a fast rate that I forget many things

17th June and we have a work party from the council helping us on an away day down at Westleaze, over 30 people turn up and we get a huge amount of weed out of the canal and believe it or not the sun shone all day. great job done Ray.

28th June and Jan runs the Old Town Festival display with her small team and we have another great day making well over £100 for the branch

11th July and its Fairford Air display, Keith and I go out on the Friday and put up the tent and display but the whole event is cancelled because of the rain ( first time in its history ) bad day for us but devastating for the folks that put so much in to this event.

17th July and Jan is running the Farringdon Road Park Children's event, another good day for us.

16th August and it's the Wanborough Show. The sky is overcast all day but we make it through before the rain comes, 6 of us turn up so we can run the Human Fruit Machine outside the Marquee.(me dressed as a woman) This is always a fun event and even though we paid out a lot of winners ( because we run it fair ) we still make £62 for the branch funds.

And as I write this Jan is running the Forest Festival Event on the Lawns so I am not sure about the weather there yet.

Next the shop, We still open only Friday's and Saturday's because of staffing problems but we have noticed a change in the people that walk in. We hardly ever get the really negative members of the public now, Maybe they have had their shout or maybe they know we have all the answers, Whichever it is I have not had one good row in the last few weeks and am beginning to suffer withdrawal symptoms, You need a good row to get your thoughts going so I will have to go home to the long suffering wife and tell her she cannot cook that should do it.We have had Rob Bluh Council Leader in to see us and also Derique Montaut ex Mayor and Councillor for the area that the canal will effect if and when it gets built. So that's both sides of the fence politically speaking which is exactly where we wish to be.

This canal is not about politics its about Swindon's Future and those that help it to happen will be remembered those that do not will be forgotten. ( here endeth the first lesson ).

Still on the shop we are going to have all new windows fitted and a face left of the area very soon with the opening of the new Library opposite us, this will bring in huge amounts of new people into the area and so we are braced for a new onslaught of members of the public who will see us for the first time as they enter and leave the library.

Our new Magazine is now out courtesy of the local paper (Swindon Advertiser) they kept the advertising revenue and we got a magazine printed for free, It never cost us a penny and we ended up with over 5000 copies to give away. (win win situation there)

After my appearance on the new local radio station Swindon 105.5 on three occasions they have now asked us if we would like to participate in a totally new programme called Water and Wagons, more on this in the next issue.

Finally Swindon has been awarded a £10,000 grant from the lottery / breathing spaces programme for work to be carried out at Cheney Manor to help clear the towpath and canal bed in that area to be completed by June 2009.

So not a bad summer after all despite the weather.Sorry for all the things and people I have forgotten will try and do better next time.

Roy Cartwright