BEDFORD & MILTON KEYNES July 2015 WATERWAY TRUST Volume 13 no 3 PATRON Sir Samuel Whitbread KCVO

£1

Search Continues for New B&MK Trust Directors

At the recent B&MK Waterway Trust’s Ninth Annual General Meeting, Joint Chair Graham Mabbutt stood down as a director in order to concentrate on his role within the Trust’s Enterprise Board, which runs the John Bunyan cruises. Graham commented: ‘The past year has been my fourth year in office, and this year I shared the role of Chair of the Trust with fellow director Jane Hamilton, which was a great help and a positive move.’ ‘The Trust continues its steady move forward, but we do need to make a major move during the next year to prove that we still have the momentum in carrying the Waterway Park forward.’ Don Allison and Marilyn Leask were both re-appointed for a further three-year term. Our membership secretary, Leigh Willows, was elected to the Board. Three director vacancies remain. The Consortium The Consortium has re-arranged itself, with some new officers from Central Bedfordshire Council, the return of Sarah Evans from Milton Keynes Council, and Paul Vann retaining his lead role of providing the secretariat from Bedford Borough Council. The Consortium has now established a Programme Delivery Board, chaired by Jane Hamilton, and are looking to second a Programme Delivery Manager. They are also seeking match funding for this position. Trust Priority The Trust’s current priority is to work with South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership and the A509 Road Improvement Team to try to achieve a joint project of implementing part of the Waterway whilst the road is being improved by the inclusion of another carriageway from the Gallagher development roundabout to M1 Junction 13. Milton Keynes Mayor supports the Waterway Park As one of the last functions that he attended as Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor Derek Eastman congratulated the B&MK Trust for its continuing work in progressing the Waterway Park and spoke of the cross-party support for the project. His appearance at the AGM was very appropriate given that it was held in Newport Pagnell, which is the area he represents on MK Council (contd p.3).

Ray Orth, guest speaker, discussing the Wendover Arm.

A good turnout at this year’s Annual General Meeting.

2

B&MK News Published by the Bedford & Milton Keynes Waterway Trust. Editor….......................Helen Price Proof Readers.............Don & Jill Allison Photo enhancement....Keith Malone Distribution……….......Leigh Willows Printed by ………........Murrays Comments or articles for inclusion in the next edition should be sent to: editor@b-mkwaterway.co.uk

View from the Chair This is the first edition of the B&MK newsletter published since Graham Mabbutt stood down as Joint Chair at the recent AGM: It truly is the end of a very challenging but successful era. I want to take this opportunity to thank Graham on behalf of the Trust Board and all B&MKWPT members for the very significant contribution he has made to the organisation. As Chair for three years and then for the past year as Joint Chair with me, Graham has steered the Trust on a very difficult and challenging course, but with much success. In particular he must be thanked for his determination and persistence in getting funding for the John Bunyan boat built, launched and now operating so successfully under the management of Jane Wolfson and the Enterprise Board. I joined the Trust’s Board of Directors in the summer of 2013 and last year I took on the role of Joint Chair with Graham. Even in that short time, it has been very clear to me how much of the hard work to keep things afloat, in every sense, Graham has undertaken. He will remain as a member of the Enterprise Board, working with the team to maintain and build upon the John Bunyan’s very successful operation. We will all miss Graham on the Trust Board and he leaves a very significant gap in our team and our resources generally. Graham has overseen the establishment and regular updating of the Delivery Plan (the A to Z) and has worked with partners to ensure we take every opportunity to progress each section toward eventual implementation. Graham’s detailed knowledge of the projects and his very wide range of contacts has been absolutely invaluable. So Graham – a very big ‘thank you’ from all of us! In a roundabout way, that takes me on to where we go next in the remainder of 2015 and in the years to follow. At the moment, having joined the Board less than two years ago, I now find myself, pro tem, as Chair of the Trust following Graham’s decision to stand down – not quite what I had expected when I joined! Not only do we have the huge gap in resources which Graham has left behind but we also have three other vacancies on the Board. Filling these vacancies and strengthening the Board must be a top priority for all of us. Whilst we are all keen to see the Waterway Park built, to achieve that we must secure support from partners and bid for funding and, to do that, we must have strong governance in place. Over the next few months, I and my fellow directors will be looking at ways in which we can encourage members to join the Board. If any of you feel you have expertise or an interest to contribute, do not hesitate to get in touch with me or any of the other directors via the Project Office. Members of the Trust are always welcome to come to Board meetings to see what we get up to before considering whether you might want to join us!

Moving on to 2015 calendar events, on 23 April we held a successful Spring Dinner at Milton Keynes College and, of course, the AGM took place on 14 May at Newport Pagnell. We also had a stand at the Crick Boat Show over the May Bank Holiday weekend. All three events are reported on elsewhere in the newsletter so I just want to thank those who attended and supported all three. The next big event in the diary is the celebration of 200 years of the Northampton Arm, being held over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Once again we are looking for volunteers to help on our stand! In the meantime, I will be focusing on strengthening the Board and working with partner organisations via the Consortium, who last met on 18 March 2015. The Local Authorities are leading on a number of initia-tives, including: ways of marking the safeguarded

Waterway route using planting that stands out in the wider landscape or by creating footpaths and cycle-ways

potential routes to promoting and filling a project management post for which we now have an agreed job description

creating a visual picture of the Waterway Park and all it embodies to assist us in promoting the project.

Each of these initiatives will be taken forward by the officer-led Joint Project Board, set up by the Consortium last November and which I now chair. All of this work is taking us in the right direction, albeit not as fast as some of us would want! Finally, Laura, who runs our project office, is also leaving us at the end of August to begin a university course so may I take this opportunity to thank her for all the hard work she has contributed and wish her well for the future.

Over the course of the summer we will be working to appoint a replacement for Laura so that the project office can continue to be run effectively.

Jane Hamilton

P.S. Follow the B&MK Trust on Twitter: JohnBunyanBoat

3

Graham with Don Allison, appointed for a further three-year term.

(contd from p.1) Projects Group The projects group, under the chairmanship of director Marilyn Leask, has begun work on a project that involves working with the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) Waterway Recovery Group to involve volunteers in building a part of the waterway. David Fowler is leading a separate group involving Bedford Borough Council and the Environment Agency with a view to extending the navigable part of the River Great Ouse from Kempston Mill towards Box End Park. Wendover Arms Trust Ray Orth provided us with an enlightening talk about the recent progress on the re-opening of the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal. We discovered that there are many steps in lining the waterway and some unexpected obstacles to overcome, including capping a pipeline, getting the equipment to the location and re-routing public footpaths. Ray provided a wonderful selection of photos showing the before and after progress and he discussed working with Kent and East Sussex Canal Restoration Group to restore the brickwork at the Whitehouse Pumping station. For more information on the restoration and to see the photos please visit their website at www.wendoverarmtrust.co.uk

Graham Mabbutt with the Mayor of Milton Keynes, Councillor Derek Eastman.

John Bunyan News The John Bunyan Boat continues its season of cruises on the Great Ouse and is offering some tantalising special cruises which you can find on the new website www.johnbunyanboat.org. Treat yourself to a cream tea, have a hot and cold buffet at The Anchor in Great Barford, groove to a jazz cruise or just relax and sail through the heart of Bedford. The team is also attending the Heritage Days in Bedford and shares the stand with The Higgins Museum and others. These Saturdays give us a perfect chance to spread awareness of the Boat and the work it is doing to support The Trust. The team engages with the businesses and communities of Bedford and has been very successful in doing so. Setting sail for a career in event management, tourism promotion and more, are talented HNC/HND students at Bedford College. The Travel and Tourism cohort have been working closely with the John Bunyan Boat team to come up with a dream deal for The Barns Hotel in Cardington. The riverside venue has its own moorings from which bridal parties can set sail on the popular boat, so the college students have been preparing a brochure to market the wedding and cruise combination. Onwards and upwards . . .

Lynne Gray

Students from Bedford College have been busy creating a wedding and cruise promotion for the John Bunyan boat.

4

Projects Update The Trust’s Project Group and the Consortium’s Joint Delivery Team continue to work on the various sections of the Waterway Park route as described in our A to Z. Following are the main projects we have looked at in recent meetings. Milton Keynes Sections B–F Milton Keynes Development Partnership are promoting two sites for development at Newlands/Campbell Park (Section B1) and at Atterbury (C1), both of which include a requirement for a section of Waterway to be provided. The Newlands site includes a proposal for a small marina. A development partner is currently being selected for the Newlands/Campbell Park site. The process is confidential but as soon as information is publicly available we will be able to report the name of the developer. The Atterbury site is not as advanced but re-mains an opportunity for us. Section G: A421 dualling project We continue to work with South East Midlands Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP), who are providing the funding), and with the two Local Authorities involved. Central Bedfordshire Council is leading on project delivery and we hope to meet with the current project team very soon. Section V: Extending the Head of Navigation to Box End Work continues with Bedford Borough Council and the Environment Agency looking at how best we might progress this initiative. However, as with work on other sections, we are limited because there is currently no budget or resource for a business plan and technical work. In addition, we have agreed with the Local Authorities that they will all adopt a protocol to ‘mark the route’ wherever possible as development sites come forward. In summary, the protocol aims to: mark the route for as much of its length

as possible create a metalled cycle-way/footpath

(National Cycle Network route 51) plus bridleway alongside for as much of the length as possible, also linking to green spaces along the route

create an aggregate footpath plus bridleway alongside if a metalled path is not practicable

where appropriate, create linear ponds along the route; for example, for landscaping or for Sustainable Urban Drainage in development areas

where practicable and as an alternative

to linear ponds, create a wildflower meadow, matching the proposed water surface area and using a significant blue flower content

provide pathway/bridleway through tree-planted areas or over agricultural land where a close alternative does not exist

in general, leave trees on the route intact to continue to grow (and sequester carbon) or allow agricultural crops to grow

provide safe highway crossings for footway/cycle-way/bridleway.

Some of these actions are already being implemented so soon we should see more of the route standing out in the landscape.

Founded in 1965, the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) has grown to become a global network of city and regional planners, creating and sharing knowledge for better cities, promoting education and planning practice, and supporting city and regional planners in all places and all fields of activity. Chris Gossop, a UK member of ISOCARP, recently presented a paper at one of the workshop sessions at their 50th Annual Congress in Gdynia, Poland. The subject of the Congress was 'Water and Cities: Managing a Vital Relationship’. The paper was well received and was selected to appear in the Congress publication, available soon. It can also be found on our website: www.b-mkwaterway.org.uk/

Obituary David Massingberd-Mundy We are saddened to report the death of long-time B&MK supporter David Mundy. Although over the years he had been involved in numerous activities and voluntary organisations in his home town of Newport Pagnell, he had also been a keen supporter of the B&MK, attending major events such as the conferences and AGMs. On every occasion, David had apologised profusely for not becoming more active because he was so busy with his work in Newport Pagnell. He was greatly interested in the new boat venture and generously donated £1000 to assist in its purchase. As well as losing someone with belief in our ventures, Don and I have lost a great friend.

Jill Allison

Urban Transformation

5

Dinner Raises Funds for B&MK Trust and

IWA MK Branch Around 28 people attended the joint B&MK Waterway Trust and Inland Waterways Association (IWA) Milton Keynes Branch fundraising dinner at the Brasserie, Milton Keynes College in Bletchley on 23 April. Graham Mabbutt, Joint Chair of the Trust, welcomed guests who included Councillor Keith McLean, Deputy Mayor of Milton Keynes, and John Best, Chairman of the South East Waterway Partnership. The bright and pleasant Brasserie is staffed by students at the College, who laid on a splendid Greek-style meal with a high standard of service. Guests were invited to take part in a fundraising raffle, where prizes included a day’s boat hire at MK Afloat (Milton Keynes Marina), concert tickets (Milton Keynes City Orchestra), vouchers for a hair and beauty treatment (Anne McGuigan hairdressers, Leighton Buzzard) and cosmetics. Thanks are due to Graham Mabbutt for hosting the evening, to Laura Jones, Trust Project Officer, who did most of the organising, to the Brasserie Restaurant, to those who arranged or contributed raffle prizes and to those who attended and took part in the raffle.

Les Franklin

Guests, including Councillor Keith McLean, joined Graham Mabbutt to enjoy a fundraising dinner at the Brasserie, Milton Keynes College.

John Bunyan Photographic

Competition Details You may stand anywhere you like and you can even take the photograph from on board. Photographs must be submitted by Friday 31 July 2015. They will be considered by an independent panel of judges and the best will be published on the B&MK website and our pages on Facebook and Twitter. Please send your photographs by email to contact@johnbunyanboat.org and state JB Photography in the subject line. Please ensure you provide your name, address and phone number. You can see lots of great photography examples on our new boat website at www.johnbunyanboat.org/ and please do like our Facebook page and follow us on twitter.com/JohnBunyanBoat

6

Events Calendar 2015 Tuesday 21 July Projects Group

CRT Offices, Milton Keynes, 7pm

Saturday 29 – Monday 31 August

IWA Northampton Festival of Water The event will be centred around the waterfront at Becket’s Park and will have an array of attractions on and off the water, provid-ing a fun day out for all the family! Come and help on the B&MK stand for a few hours then enjoy the show. Contact laura.jones@canalrivertrust.org if you are interested in helping on the stand

Sunday 13 September Bedfordshire Walking Festival We will host a circular walk from Kempston Mill, by the river, to Queen’s Bridge, returning via New Denham and the proposed country park area (approximate duration 2 hours)

Tuesday 15 September Projects Group Box End Park, Bedford, 7pm

November (date TBC) 6th Annual Partnership Conference Milton Keynes, venue TBC

Tuesday 17 November Projects Group CRT Offices, Milton Keynes, 7pm

Talks Update

Requests for talks to a variety of groups continue to come in, adding valuable donations to Trust funds. There are nine talks arranged for 2015, with several bookings already for 2016. If you would be interested in joining the team as a speaker, or would like to book a talk for your group, please contact us: John & Sally Gunning Email: talks@b-mkwaterway.co.uk Tel. 01234 305925

September Walk

Details of the planned walk on Sunday 13 Sep-tember are as follows:

Start at Kempston Mill footbridge, 11am. To arrive via public transport, take the Stagecoach Number 1 bus from Bedford and alight at the King William pub, from where it is a five-minute walk to Mill Lane.

An easy amble alongside the River Great Ouse, to Queens Bridge follows, returning on the opposite bank via New Denham and the proposed country park area.

The approximate duration of this walk will be two hours of easy walking.

Dogs are welcome and food and rest are available (cost involved) at the King William pub afterwards.

Parking is available near Kempston Mill footbridge.

Do come along and join us in September!

7

B&MK WATERWAY NEWS is published by the Bedford and Milton Keynes Waterway Trust, a non profit-making company limited by guarantee (No.5760839). Registered office 30 St John Street Newport Pagnell MK16 8HJ and a Registered Charity (No.1114294). Contact us at enquiries@b-mkwaterway.co.uk or Tel 01908 302592 (mornings)

Weekly and Short Break Holiday Hire 4-8 berth self drive Luxury Narrow Boats

Excellent Boats on a Beautiful Canal Cruise through the waterside parks of Milton Keynes

Our base at Linslade is within weekend reach of the Waterways Museum at Stoke Bruerne or the Chiltern Hills and Aylesbury. Choice of exciting one or two

week cruises including the River Thames. Also ‘Waterside Cottage’ (sleeps up to 11) set in the boatyard grounds

The Wyvern Shipping Co Ltd Rothschild Road, Linslade, Leighton Buzzard, Beds, LU7 2TF

Tel: 01525 372355 Fax: 01525 852308