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Events 20th/21st March 2010: Working Party, Daisy Nook [info: 0161 355 5557] If you have not been on a working party before, why not come along and join in? You will be made welcome! Big muscles are not essential as you can be given work to suit your capabilities! Meet at Daisy Nook Car Park, Stannybrook Road, at 9.30 am on either day. Strong footwear and waterproof clothing recommended. Light refreshments provided. Lunch available at minimal cost. Please phone our Working Party Organiser, Mike, on 0161 355 5557 for more information. Canal and Society News New Footbridge in Droylsden: A new bridge has gone in place over the canal line in preparation for the Metrolink. Read more and see photos. 
Canal Heritage Day 2009: Was held on Sunday 16th August at Daisy Nook Country Park. It featured guided walks where visitors could learn about Daisy Nook and its Locks, Aqueducts and Tunnel, Crime Lake and other features. In the Visitor Centre there was a continuous slide show of old photographs of the canal and displays from local canal groups. There was also a range of canal-related activities for children. Annual General Meeting: Was held on July 15th 2009 at the Dog and Partridge, Oldham Road, Ashton under Lyne. Working parties with WRG. Daisy Nook Country Park: To Droylsden Marina to view re-opened section and new marina basin.  Droylsden Wharf Opening, September 2008: The residential development was opened and guests took a boat ride around the marina. Read more and see photos. 
Canal Day, August 17th 2008: Our Canal Day once again took place at Daisy Nook Country Park, with guided walks, children's activities, etc. 
Droylsden Marina now in water, July 2008: The marina basin is now in water with floating ponttons in place. Read more and see photos. 
Annual General Meeting: The 2008 Annual General Meeting was held on July 9th at the Dog and Partridge, Oldham Road, Ashton under Lyne. Water let into Droylsden Marina, May 2008: Water was let into the marina. Read more and see photos. 
Progress on Droylsden Marina, May 2008: Construction of the marina at Droylsden is now complete. See photos. 
Progress on Droylsden Marina, March 2008: Construction of the marina site at Droylsden well under way. See photos. 
Walk - Daisy Nook and Park Bridge: On 15th March 2008 members of the Hollinwood and Stockport canal societies enjoyed a walk around the Fairbottom Branch, Fairbottom Bobs, Park Bridge and Rocher Vale.   Work starts on Droylsden Marina: Construction of the marina site at Droylsden has now started. Read fuller details and see more photos. 
Canal Day at Daisy Nook: The society held its second "Canal Day". Read more and see more photos. 
Working party week-end: The Waterway Recovery group joined Canal Society members for the working party weekend in May, removing tree stumps that were pushing up the edging stones. 
Working party week-end: Volunteers from Waterway Recovery group joined Canal Society members for the working party weekend in November, clearing vegetation between Lock 19 and the Visitor Centre at Daisy Nook. See Before and After photos. 
Clearing reeds below Lock 19 Tameside History Day: The Society display boards were on show at Tameside's "History Alive" Day at Stalybridge Civic Centre in November. 
Tameside's "History Alive" Day The display is visiting Limeside, Failsworth and Oldham Libraries this Autumn. Earlier in the year it was on show at Portland Basin Museum and Ashton and Droylsden Libraries. Working party: Canal Society members had a very productive working party on 16th September, clearing vegetation around Lock 19 at Daisy Nook. See Before and After photos. Locks and Quays: In August a camera crew from Centini Television spent a day at Daisy Nook filming an item about the Hollinwood Canal for the next series of Locks and Quays, to be shown on Granada TV in the New Year. 
David Heyes MP being interviewed for the programme Walk: There was a walk to explore lesser-known parts of the Hollinwood and Fairbottom Branches on 23rd July. Working party weekend: Canal Society members and members of the Waterway Recovery Group got together to work on an area of the Fairbottom Branch on 20th and 21st May. AGM: The Annual General Meeting took place on 18th February at Taunton Sunday School, Newmarket Road, Ashton-under-Lyne (near Daisy Nook). Working party weekends: Canal Society members joined with the Waterway Recovery Group for a working weekend at Valley Aqueduct in December. Click here for more. Further working parties have taken place on 4th and 5th February and 18th March. Leaky embankment: Concerns about the embankment near Crime Lane Aqueduct make the front page and TV news! Click here for more. IWA Jubilee Grant application: The Hollinwood Canal Society has missed out on a share of the IWA's Jubilee Grant, but the society's bid reached the final short-list! Click here for more. Abandoned Waterways Bill: Local MP David Heyes has presented the "Abandoned Waterways Bill" to Parliament as a ten minute rule bill, which would improve the protection of canal routes. Read the text of his speech in Hansard (external link). Members living in other constituencies might like to ask their MPs to support the bill's second reading on May 12th (Bill No 95). See www.writetothem.com (external link) Droylsden Marina: Tameside Council has given outline planning permission for proposals to develop a site in Droylsden, which would see the re-opening of the first section of the Hollinwood Canal. Click here for more. IWA National Festival: The society's new display stand made its first appearance at the IWA National Festival at Preston Brook at the end of August 2005 - the first time the society has had a presence at such an event. The stand was purchased with a grant from SRB6 funding. Thank you to the ten members who took their turns on the rota to man the display. The society's presence attracted a lot of attention from those interested in canal restoration and 25 new members were signed up! 
Canal Discovery Day: The society ran a successful Canal Discovery Day at Daisy Nook Country Park, in conjunction with Oldham Countryside Service, on 14th August 2005. The day included children's activities, opportunities to create canal art and a continuous slide show of old photographs, which was a popular talking point with the older visitors! 
Canal Walk: We took a walk along the complete proposed route between the Rochdale Canal and the Ashton Canal on June 19th 2005. The walk was approx 7 miles, with a bus journey to the start of the walk in Failsworth. 2005 A.G.M. took place in February. Members enjoyed a presentation of old photographs of the Hollinwood and Fairbottom Branch Canals. Events that took place during 2004: Canal boat outing on the Ashton Canal at Droylsden. Walk around the canals near Daisy Nook. Walk around open and derelict canals around Droylsden. Working party on the canal at Daisy Nook. Trees and vegetation that were affecting the canal structure were removed under direction from the park warden. More than a dozen members turned out. Local MP David Heyes turned up to offer moral support and said that next time, he would bring his wellies! Members' Christmas Meal at Woodhouses Gardens. Click here to see photos of Members' Activities. What has been done so far... The Society has been set up and a bank account opened. The Society has been formed into a limited company (limited by guarantee no. 5056634) and is also a registered charity (no. 1104942). A logo has been chosen for use on the Society's letters and website. Roy Sutton, consultant engineer for the Inland Waterways Association, has undertaken a preliminary engineering assessment of the route, including all the remaining structures, and is preparing an estimate of cost and viability for the scheme. Contacts have been established with Oldham and Tameside Metropolitan Borough Councils and with British Waterways. These organisations are likely to be the key partners at a later stage of the project. The councils have offered some support financially and in expertise in the setting up of the organisation and to enable the initial studies and investigations to be carried out. British Waterways, the Huddersfield Canal Society and the Rochdale Canal Society have confirmed their willingness to support where they can. The Society's aims fit in well with Oldham's plans for Daisy Nook Country Park. Oldham Council is considering the viability of a Heritage Lottery bid. Negotiations are ongoing regarding protecting the integrity of the remaining line. The local MP is considering the implications of reopening the canal and creating a new link to the Rochdale Canal. A link has been established with Oldham Countryside Service, who manage the canal within Daisy Nook Country Park. Contact has also been made with the Inland Waterways Association and the Waterways Recovery Group, who are interested in holding regular working parties on the canal in Daisy Nook, perhaps from 2005. An initial study of the canal route has been undertaken, including checking the UDP at the local planning offices. Likely significant issues have been identified. A preliminary investigation has been carried out into possible areas of conflict with wildlife habitats, including areas with special designations. Contact has been made with relevant organisations. A preliminary investigation has been carried out into possible areas of conflict with other existing users, such as horse riders, anglers, and other existing visitors. Large scale maps of the entire route have been obtained. The domain name hollinwoodcanal.co.uk has been purchased and this website has been created in order to help promote the Society and its aims. Subsidence It is known that the canal line was affected by mining subsidence in the Littlemoss area. Some surveying of levels has now been carried out by members to establish the extent and amount of subsidence. It would appear that the canal in the area of the M60 crossing at Littlemoss has sunk by around 1.3 metres in relation to the Ashton Canal at Fairfield. While this means that a raised channel would be needed for the canal in this area, it also means that a conventional aqueduct across the motorway becomes more practicable. It would still mean diverting the canal north of its original alignment, but this may not need to be too far to gain sufficient headroom over the motorway. The position may be clearer when we have had a detailed response from the Highways Agency. |
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