N E W S L E T T E R
No 26 Winter 2004

Contents
AGM date
Correspondence
Treasurer's Report
Website
Bude Canal Project
Schools Liaison in 2003
River Name
Sherry & Mincepie Walk
Virworthy View
Canal History documents held
Membership & Events

 

Apologies - pictures to follow

   

Annual General Meeting
Please note the change of date of the AGM to 29th February 2004 at 2.30pm.
The original date was agreed by the committee before The Tub Boat No 25 went out. Later, when we attempted to book the Carriage Room at the Falcon we discovered that all the Saturdays in February had been booked for weddings. Hence the change to a Sunday.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this change.

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Correspondence

Dear Editor
Congratulations on another excellent edition of the "Tub Boat". It so inspired me that, instead of putting the enclosed subscription on one side to deal with it later, I reached for my cheque book right away.
Then I noticed that the Life Membership rate is only £120. I did not need a calculator to work out that £120 in my bank acount even it I could get 5% interest, would only bring in £6 per annum - not nearly enough to pay my annual subscription. So why not pay over that £120 to the Bude Canal & Harbour Society now, and never have the pain of writing another subscription cheque so long as I, and the Society, survive?
Why not indeed? My cheque is enclosed and I look forward to receiving many more "Tub Boats" in the years to come.

Chris Hassall

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Treasurer's Report


The balances of the Society' s accounts as at 31.12.03 are as follows:

Account 1 £1913.02
Account2 -Educational fund 905.01
Account 3 - Project Fund 1652.29
Account 4 - Canal Day 532.58

Total £5002.90

The Society has enjoyed another busy and worthwhile year, as the balances reflect.

Account 1 is the working account which receives all income initially. The balance includes a surplus of about £800 - £900. This will either all be transferred to Account 3 - Project fund or part used to replace, uipdate etc the Society's resources with the balance going to Account 3. The Trustees will decide what is necessary in the early part of 2004.
Account 2 This holds the donations and 10% of any profit on sales items. The balance includes £400 donated for use in the revision of a Canal leaflet due to be republished in early 2004. Bude-Stratton Town Council and Bude Area Tourist Board are joint partners in this venture. This account is also funding the setting up of our new website.
Account 3. The balance includes the £1000 set aside for use in the Canal Project as requested by North Cornwall District Council. The Trustees have agreed that whatever sum remains will be available to aid any work necessary on the tub boat, now owned by Bude Sttratton Town Council., as a result of the recent examination by Dr Lucy Bleu, a marine archaeologist and an expert conservator.
Account 4 - Canal Day The balance is the surplus from Canal Day in July 2003 and will be held for use in 2004 for the next Canal Day.
Whilst the society has had useful fund-raising activities, the year end balances also reflect the continued support of our members by their renewal of membership and generous donations.
On behalf of my fellow trustees and myself I thank all members for their continued faith in and support for the Bude Canal and Harbour Society.


3rd Annual Canal Day
Hopefully this will be held on Sunday 18 July 2004. It will be a joint event with Bude Stratton Town Council who will be repeating their successful "Gurney Day". Further details in the April "The Tub Boat".

Chris Jewell. Treasurer

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Website
Work continues on the new site which is active and can be viewed. The new address is:

www.bude-canal.co.uk.

It will continue to be updated and expanded during the coming months. It is intended to have the latest 4 issues of "The Tub Boat" on the site starting with issue 25. The site will also have links to Bude Stratton Town Council's and Bude Area Tourist Board's websites to give a broader view and use of our website. These links will work both ways. In due course a series of e-mail addresses will be available to contact some of the Trustees directly.

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Bude Canal Project
North Cornwall District Council has submitted the application for planning consent for works to be done in due course on the barge section of the canal.. This includes land adjacent to the canal, particularly from Nanny Moore's bridge to the wharf at Bude.
Bude Stratton Town Council and Marhamchurch Parish Council in whose area the canal and lands lie have no objections to the proposed works.
However, the displaying of the pink planning notices, giving details of proposed works at the appropriate locations has woken up local people and interest groups who are fervently consulting North Cornwall District Council.
The canal project has been running since 1998, has had two consultant reports, reports in the local papers, public displays and meetings, all of which have occasioned very little concern shown by the public. So, never doubt the power of the pink planning notice to raise awareness, but better late than never!
The irony is that the planning consent is needed to advance the funding applications and if and when the funding is obtained it will be February 2005 before any of the proposals on the pink planning notices sees the oncoming of civil engineering.
Of course, if, for whatever reason, the planning consent is not obtained in the near future then the whole project will be dead. Likewise, if the funding bids fail the project will be equally as dead.
Nevertheless, the pink planning notices have demonstrated their power to wake up the public to take an interest.
Chris Jewell

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River name
The more recent of the two reports mentioned above refers, inter alia, to confusion of the names of the two local rivers. At their confluence at Helebridge the Neet, coming from Wainhouse corner, clearly flows into the Strat below the A 39, yet in Bude the river is known now as the Neet. A 1904 map of Bude showing the canal, etc clearly labels the river in Bude as the Strat.
Can anyone tell me why the change of name has occurred? The consultants were clearly puzzled as am I. Ed.

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LOCAL SCHOOLS LIAISON IN 2003
2003 saw some useful contacts between the Society and local schools; something we have been working towards for some time.
In the summer, we organised a painting competition for the junior and infant schools, with a theme of “Bude Canal in the Olden Days” for the juniors, and for the infants a choice between “Bude Canal on a Sunny Day”, and “Bude Canal on a Rainy Day”. There was a good range of entries from several schools, although one disappointingly dropped out at the last minute. The paintings were put on display in the Parkhouse Centre over the Canal Day weekend, and several happy prizewinners had their photos in the local paper.
Also featured in the local paper were the results and prizewinners of Budehaven School’s competition, run for Yr 8 pupils by the school’s History Department, and part-sponsored by BCHS. There were two categories; one to design a website, and one to design a publicity leaflet suitable for young people of their own age group. The winning entries were very well produced, and full of useful information about the Canal.
We hope to be able to build on this good start in the future, to increase awareness of the Canal’s history among local young people.
Anne Longley

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Sherry & Mincepie Walk
Early rain and a bitterly cold west wind meant that the walk from the sea lock to the Barge workshop consisted of only two members and a visitor. A further complication was that the walk was advertised on the back page of The Tub Boat No 25 as starting at 11.30am but the posters gave 11 am. In consequence I arrived at about 11.05am to find David Phillips and a visitor, introduced as Jill, sheltering in the lee of the old Lifeboat Hut. We waited there together until 11.29am when no other likely walkers were in view and so we set off briskly with the wind behind us and a low sun ahead.
I was glad of the opportunity to pause to point out items of interest along the canal, aided by David who interjected the odd points I had overlooked. The other two, being younger than I, set a brisk pace and I was pushed to keep up. I had nostalgic memories of the summer walk with ten or twelve people who tended to dawdle!
At Helebridge we found the Vice Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Events and Membership Secretaries had been joined by Ian and Liz Whitfield and were all busily quaffing sherry and munching mince pies. Nobody else appeared and so almost everyone but the Vice Chairman and TTTB editor won a raffle prize!

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Virworthy View

One of the problems of writing articles for a quarterly magazine is that topical subjects at the time of writing are very often not relevant at the time of printing. Nevertheless, I do try to give a picture of the changing climate as it affects the vista of our very beautiful area together with some anecdotes of life at Virworthy.
To start with I did notice a strange phenomenon this year - that is 2003! Although the hedgerow fruits were in abundance, our three old oak trees did not have a single acorn among them. I am told that it was probably because of a dry spring. Perhaps you know differently.
During November Yvonne took herself off to Australia to visit family. Being on my own looking after all the animals for a month kept me out of mischief. One day when I counted up the birds I thought we had another peacock but it turned out to be a heron just visiting.
One of our ornamental pheasants, a Melanistic hen, escaped one morning when I was feeding them and is still at large. She is a very nervous bird and I feared she would not survive in the wild but, after some six weeks, she still comes into the garden for food. I think she has got a boy friend now as a wild cock pheasant is a regular visitor too. So, if you see an exotic pheasant it is not an illusion!
Heavy rain in early December caused some flooding of the river Tamar and the road was flooded to a depth of six inches, which is equivalent to a rise of river level of some four feet. Fortunately, the Whaerf is much higher than the river and even with the aqueduct full of water we kept our feet dry.
On my walks along the towpath I have noticed a 'deer run' across the canal and there are regular fresh hoof prints. I have had only occasional sightings through the buishes but my dogs are certain the deer, and foxes, are around.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year.
Geoff Lowe

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Canal Documents etc.
A list of Bude Canal documents; plans, books, etc held by the Bude Stratton Town Museum has recently been drawn up and can be inspected by contacting Mrs Phillippa Fitzpatrick at the Castle, Bude; 01288 353576.
Other documents are held at Cornwall Record Office, Truro.
The Centre for Kentish studies at County Record Office, Maidstone, Kent holds some records pertaining to the Bude Canal listed under Stanhope of Chevening manuscripts, Estate papers: Devon, Holsworthy estate, and Bude Canal.

Membership Report
We welcome the following new members who have joined since September:
Mr J M Paddon, Farnborough, Hants
Mr K Davies, Ocean View Road, Bude
Membership Renewal

Many thanks to those members who have already renewed their subscription for 2003/2004 and particularly to those who have given additional donations. However, some members have still not renewed. Will they please complete the enclosed renewal form by return to maintain their support for the Bude Canal & Harbour Society and receive future newsletters.
Remember that only fully paid up members can vote at the AGM in February.
You can help us reduce costs by using the Standing Order Mandate attached to the renewal form.
Mike Moore

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Forthcoming events
Sunday 29th February 2004 Society AGM Falcon Hotel 2.30pm
Saturday 17th April 2004 Hartland Quay Museum Meet at 2.00pm Mark Myers
Saturday 26th June 2004
Coach trip to Plymouth and/or Boat Trip along the Tamar River with a short stay at Calstock then return to Plymouth for shopping or sight seeing. Coach leaves Plymouth at 6.00 p.m. for return to Bude. Prices and times will be in the next newsletter.

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