IWA News (Long) - Page 4
Neil Edwards
National Lottery Sports Awards
During 1996, 26 sailing schools and clubs from around the country
benefited from grants from the National Lottery Sports Fund. The money,
in some cases more than 100,000 - is earmarked for a wide variety of
purposes, from building new club-houses, jetties and workshops to erosion
prevention and buying new sailing dinghies. So far, all such awards
appear to be for offshore or non motor boating schools and clubs - but so
far as we know, no inland waterways boat clubs have yet applied to this
fund for a Sports Lottery Fund grant. Further details of the Fund are
obtainable from IWA Restoration Committees Andy Screen, via Head Office.
National Waterways Festivals
The 1998 IWA National Waterways Festival and Inland Boat Show will be held
at Salford Quays in Greater Manchester from Friday 28th to (Bank Holiday)
Monday 31st August, 1998. IWA were invited to hold the Festival in
Salford by Salford City Council who control the Quays, but the Festival
site will be on land owned by the Manchester Ship Canal Company.
1998 is the second year of British Marine Industries Federations
sponsorship agreement for the Festival and BMIF will be organising the
trade exhibition, the same as for Henley this year. It is the first time
that the Festival has been held on the Manchester Ship Canal and the venue
will allow for much larger craft than usual to attend.
National Waterways Restoration & Development Fund Grants
At the recommendation of West Midlands Region, IWAs National Waterways
Restoration & Development Fund has made four grants of 400 each to the
Ashby Canal Restoration Fund, Droitwich Canals Trust, Lapal Canal Trust
and Lichfield & Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust. A grant of 400 was
also made to cover costs of the Walsall Canal clean-up. These grants
result from last years National Waterways Festival held at Dudley.
Parliamentary Waterways Group
The General Election will see the departure from the House of Commons of a
number of MPs who have been particularly supportive to IWA and the inland
waterways in recent years. We are particularly sorry to lose Sir Anthony
Durant, MP for Reading West, who has been a most active and effective
chairman of the all party Parliamentary Waterways Group and a gallant
supporter of the River Thames and its users.
Fortunately, Sir Anthony has graciously agreed to be President of the 1997
IWA National Waterways Festival and Inland Boat Show at Henley-on-Thames
in August.
We are also very sorry to see the departure of Nigel Spearing MP, whose
Newham constituency has been split up in a reorganisation of boundaries.
Nigel Spearing has been a regular attendee at meetings of the
Parliamentary Waterways Group and has actively fought the IWAs corner on
various occasions, most recently over the metrication of speed signs on
inland waterways. We are also grateful for the useful snippets of
information that occasionally arrived in the post at IWA Head Office from
Newham.
Take a Friend Boating Weekend - 12th-13th July, 1997
The Take a Friend Boating Weekend is an initiative by British Marine
Industries Federation and supported by IWA and the Royal Yachting
Association. The objective is to encourage newcomers to try boating by
stimulating existing owners to take a friend, relative or neighbour out on
their own boat.
The marine industry is anxious to encourage new boaters for the obvious
reason of greater trade, but all waterway organisations stand to benefit,
not least from increased public support for IWAs aims and objectives.
The scheme is very worthy of support and IWA commends you to take a friend
boating over the weekend of 12th/13th July - and at any other opportunity!
TV Licences on Boats
In a parliamentary written answer in February, the Minister for National
Heritage, Mrs Virginia Bottomley, MP announced new consolidated television
licence fee regulations.
Amongst other measures, these extend the coverage of a television licence
to permit the installation and use of television in any vessel used by
members of a household for which a TV licence is held for the main place
of residence. There had been some debate as to whether TVs on a boat
required additional licences, and Mrs Bottomleys announcement clarifies
that such additional licences are not required, except where TVs in a
house and on a boat are used simultaneously. Licences are still required
by residential boaters and special arrangements apply for hire craft.
--------------------------------------------------
ne...@waterway.demon.co.uk