Vote for the Mirfield Community Partnership!

If you're a member of the Co-op then every time you choose one of its branded products and services (which can be anything from buying a loaf of bread to bigger things such as making a Will or planning a funeral) both you and your community will benefit.   The Co-op will give 5% of what you spend into your Membership Account and 1% to your community - and you can choose where this goes to from a number of local causes.

Mirfield Community Partnership is one of those local causes - can we ask you to vote for the Partnership? 

If you're not a member - then here is the link to the site where you can join.

The Canal through Mirfield

Here are some interesting, old photographs of the canal through Mirfield.

Those of you who are on Facebook can see many more fascinating photographs and videos of the area by visiting the Mirfield History Archive pages.

Mirfield Community Partnership

The Mirfield Community Partnership - and the canal - got a well deserved mention in this Co-op advert in some of the Sunday papers.

Words on Water by Ian McMillan

The Bard of Barnsley - Ian McMillan - has written a poem to celebrate the special bond between Yorkshire people and the county's historic waterways, reflecting on the role that local communities have played in improving them for people and wildlife. 

To see and hear Ian reading his poem - you can visit the Canal and River Trust site.

Words on Water

A canal is a mix
Of fragility and strength
Of ancient locks
Up and down the length
And breadth of the North
And, for what it’s worth (they soon dry, wring ‘em out)
Pairs of soaking socks
Oh yes,
Pairs of soaking socks.
  
A lot of people lend
Willing brains and hefty brawn
A helping hand
In a flooded dawn
In all the pouring rain;
And in Pocklington (or Mirfield, or Naburn)
Loads of great ideas
Oh yes,
Loads of great ideas.
 
A canal is a road
For a lot of freight to ride,
Landscape to read
Two centuries wide.
Kennet in the sun
Workshops growing strong
And, to top it off (and here, and now)
Waterside restored
Oh yes
Waterside restored.
 
A lot of people love
The canals and what they mean
To work and live
By the water’s gleam;
They will have their day
Then everyone will say (or sing, or shout)
Canals are back for good
Oh yes
Canals are back for good!

 

5 Nov Clean Up

Thanks to everyone who joined in with the clean up last Saturday - as you can see from the photo a massive amount of rubbish was removed.

River clean up - Saturday 5 November

The River Calder is a great place for everyone to enjoy.  On 5 November between 10 am and 1 pm the Canal and River Trust will be running a volunteer day, doing a general clean up along the River from Battyeford to Ledgard Bridge.  

The Safe Anchor Trust and Pennine Canoe Club will be providing volunteers in boats to undertake a clean up within the River.

The CRT is looking for volunteers to join the clean up along the river bank, starting from the canal next to Waterside Walk off Wood Lane, Mirfield.

Volunteers at work

These are photos of our volunteers who were busy tidying and improving the paths alongside the canal in Mirfield on Tuesday:

 

Launch of the Kennet Flotilla: 15 October

Join us on 15 October at 10.30am at Granary Wharf, Dark Neville Street, Leeds to see the Kennet and a flotilla of boats start on their journey along the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

Just for pleasure: Impressions of Mirfield

From 8 September to 15 October there will be an exhibition of paintings by Dinah Bowden at the Creative Arts Hub, 
51-53 Huddersfield Road, Mirfield.

The Gallery's opening times are: 
Wednesday to Friday 10 am to 5 pm and 
Saturday 10 am to 3 pm.  
Other times by appointment only.
Creative Arts Hub: 01924 492775.
email:  info@creativeartshub.org.uk

The Canal through Mirfield

Here are some photos that show the improvements being made to the Canal towpath in Mirfield:

Open Day at Stanley Ferry Workshop - 3 September

Discover how lock gates are made during this very special open day at Stanley Ferry Workshop.  

Meet the expert lock gate makers and find out how the Canal and River Trust is keeping a centuries-old tradition alive. During your tour of the lock gate workshop, where gates are still made by hand, you'll be amazed at the size of the gates (some are the same height as two-storey houses!)

There's no need to book but arrive early to avoid the queues - this event has been extremely popular in previous years.

For more information click here

Toll bridges over the Calder

Thanks to The Mirfield History Archive for this photo, taken in 1949.

Halfpenny Bridge, Battyeford

Not sure of the date of this photograph of Halfpenny Bridge

If you would like to see other photographs of Mirfield from years gone by - visit the Mirfield History Archive at http://www.mirfield-2ndlook.info/ or on Facebook

Mirfield Towpath Task Force

The next meeting of the Mirfield Towpath Taskforce will be on 31 May from 10am to 1pm, at Gill Bridge (WF14 8LU).  The group will be continuing the work that it started at the last meeting -  including tending the garden and clearing the area of litter.  If you'd like to get involved, you'd be made very welcome.

To find out more about the Towpath Taskforce Groups, please visit the Canal and River Trust site.

New Welcome Station to open at Salterhebble Locks

The Canal and River Trust is set to open a new Welcome Station in a historic stable block at Salterhebble Locks.

The Welcome Station will enable people to find out more about the canals, local facilities, wildlife and nearby volunteering opportunities or even enjoy some family activities. It will be run by local volunteers who will greet visitors and give information on what they can do in the area. Over time it’s hoped that the Station could develop into a focal point for walking, school and community groups.

To mark its opening, the Trust is inviting local people along on Saturday 14 May to explore the new Station, find out more about local volunteering opportunities and help local artist Ged Walker paint a mural on the side of the building, inspired by the rich, colourful history of the Calder and Hebble Navigation.

Tom Wright, Development and Engagement Manager for the CRT said; “Salterhebble is a really popular spot and the Welcome Station will be a great focal point directing people to the best wildlife walks, pubs and places to visit. We really hope that local people will come down to the launch, explore a little bit of their local history, have some fun and leave with a real sense of pride in their local waterways. They may even want to volunteer to help run the Welcome Station which would be fantastic".

The launch event is taking place on Saturday 14 May between 10am and 2pm at Salterhebble Locks (Halifax, HX3 0QL) - accessible by car from Wakefield Road (A6026) or a 10 minute walk from Halifax or Sowerby Bridge.

To find out more about volunteering at the Welcome Station, or elsewhere on the region’s waterway network, email becca.dent@canalrivertrust.org.uk. 

Mirfield Towpath Taskforce

The Mirfield Towpath Taskforce met yesterday at Gill Bridge.  The Group got quite a lot of work done - in particular clearing brambles and overgrown vegetation. Good to report that everyone enjoyed themselves. 

The weather ranged from lovely, warm sunshine to cold, horrible hail. Fortunately not too much of the latter, that came later in the day. 

Many of the plants previously put in have survived plus the Group left some of the wild flowers. They did put some more plants in but with the frosts still occurring they resisted planting the less hardy ones - these will be planted when the nights warm up a little. 

New Mirfield Towpath Taskforce

Tuesday 26 April sees the first meeting of the Mirfield Towpath Taskforce Group.

The Group, which will meet on the last Tuesday of every month, will take on such tasks and projects as litter picking, working on the garden that was started last year, creating a rock garden by Gill Bridge, installing another seat that has been donated, and painting existing benches.

If you would like to get involved with this worthwhile work - the Group will meet next Tuesday at Gill Bridge (WF14 8LU) between 10 am and 1 pm.

To find out more about the work of Towpath Taskforce Groups - visit the Canal and River Trust site.

Love My Stretch

The Canal and River Trust started this scheme late last year - for a small donation you'll receive a dedicated space on the CRT map and a certificate to show your regard for your favourite part of the waterways.  

To find out more visit - Love My Stretch.

National Go Canoeing Week

This year National Go Canoeing Week will run from 26 May to 5 June 2016. British Canoeing has launched a new website for this week-long paddlesport extravaganza. Here, paddlers can log the miles they have paddled and help propel MacGregor, British Canoeing’s mascot, on his journey around the UK and on to Rio and the Olympics. This year’s target is a 30,000 miles! 

Bags of Help result

We are  pleased to announce that following the Bags of Help public vote in our local Tesco stores, Mirfield Promenade came third and has been chosen by Tesco customers to receive a grant of £8,000! 

A very big thank you to everyone who voted for us.

Tesco teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help initiative across England and Wales.  The scheme has seen three community groups and projects in each region awarded grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 - all raised from the five pence carrier bag charge.

Bags of Help offers community groups and projects in each of Tesco's 390 regions across the UK a share of revenue generated from the five pence charge levied on single-use carrier bags.   The public voted in store to decide which local groups should receive the £12,000, £10,000 or £8,000 awards.

Tesco Bags of Help - vote for Mirfield Promenade!

Vote for Mirfield Promenade

Clean for the Queen - 5 March 2016

Clean for the Queen is an opportunity for all of Mirfield to be involved in a huge clean up of our tow paths.  This work will help towards the planned renovation and improvement of some sections.

We are hoping for many organisations, community groups and local folk to come together to clean up the tow paths and be sure that we can benefit from joint working.

The morning of  Saturday 5 March, at 10.00 has been set aside and the lead organising groups will be The Rotary Club of Mirfield, Mirfield Community Partnership, supported by Canal and Rivers Trust.  Please come along to Shepley Bridge Marina - and remember to wear sturdy shoes and bring your gloves!

Tesco's Bags of Help

Tesco has teamed up with Groundwork to launch its Bags of Help initiative across England and Wales.  The scheme will see three community groups and projects awarded grants of £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 - all raised from the 5p bag charge.

Bags of Help offers community groups and projects in each of Tesco’s 390 regions across the UK a share of revenue generated from the five pence charge levied on single-use carrier bags. 

The public will now vote in store from 27 February until 6 March on who should receive the £12,000, £10,000 and £8,000 awards.

Mirfield Promenade in the centre of town, is one of the projects going forward.  We will be removing self-set trees and scrub; putting in new seating and paving; building flower beds; painting lock gates; planting bulbs and planting new mature trees.

The works will be further enhanced by new build development and plans to regenerate the Library and its environment.

Vote for us!

Big Garden Birdwatch 2016

If you can take a break from canal walking, watching or boating this weekend - please find time to join in the Big Garden Birdwatch.

The weekend of 30/31 January is the time of the 2016 RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. It will take you an hour and is suitable for all ages and abilities.  

Throughout the country more than half a million people are set to take part by counting the birds in their gardens - they can also make a record of the other wildlife that they see throughout the year, providing a vital snapshot of UK nature.

You can request a free pack from the RSPB or simply register your details - and save yourself time this weekend.

Boaters help to steer recovery from Boxing Day Floods

The following has been taken from a press release issued by the Canal and River Trust:

Canal engineers have been buoyed by the support of local boaters as they attempt to assess the full damage caused to the historic Calder and Hebble Navigation by the Boxing Day floods.

Members of the Calder NavigationSociety (CNS) and Inland Waterways Association (IWA) have been offering their boat-handling skills to enable staff from the Canal and River Trust to assess the damage from the water.

The floods were some of the worst ever seen on parts of the waterway network in the North and the scale of the damage means that the Trust’s own workboats either can’t get to some areas or are being used on other flood-related repairs.

Using a boat lent by hire firm Shire Cruisers at Sowerby Bridge, members of the CNS and IWA have taken staff from the Trust out on to the water to get a better look at lock gates and mechanisms and also to check out any obstructions in the water. The Safe AnchorTrust based in Mirfield has also made a similar offer of help.

Jon Horsfall, waterway manager for the Canal and River Trust said; “We were delighted to receive the offer from the Calder Navigation Society, IWA and Shire Cruisers and it’s been a genuine help in enabling us to get a clearer picture of the damage caused by the floods.

“Their offer has helped us to see things that you wouldn’t be able to from the towpath and to get into hard to reach places on the opposite side of the canal. It’s a fantastic, and very warmly received, example of people pitching in to get things back up and running as quickly as possible.” 

Mike Fretwell, Secretary of the Calder Navigation Society said; “The damage to the navigation is obvious and we wanted to help out in any way we could to get things reopened as quickly as possible. While we may not be experts in bridge construction, we are practised boaters and used to operating locks and so we were happy to offer our help in surveying the navigation, where possible by boat.”

Nigel Stevens from Shire Cruisers said; “Everybody is pitching in and it was nice to be able to help. We had one of our hire boats available and wanted to do our bit to help get things back up and running.”

Elaine Scott, IWA West Riding Branch Chairman said; “It is brilliant that the Canal and River Trust can bring different people together to try and get the navigation open as quickly as possible”.

For more information on the impact of the Boxing Day floods on the region’s waterways go to:

www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/our-regions/north-east-waterways/flooding-updates-in-your-area

Clean-up efforts on flood hit Calder and Hebble Navigation swing into action

Local people are being asked to lend their support to clean up efforts on the flood-hit Calder and Hebble Navigation.

The Canal and River Trust, the charity that cares for 2,000 miles of historic waterways in England and Wales, is organising a clean-up of the canal after the Boxing Day floods caused widespread damage to the towpath and dumped rubbish and other debris.

The Trust is holding a volunteer event between 10 am and 1 pm on Saturday 23 January focused on the canal between Elland Lock and Park Nook Lock. Local people can help repair the towpath, rebuild a damaged dry stone wall and clear the rubbish that the floodwaters have dropped.

Jon Horsfall, Waterway Manager for the Canal and River Trust said; “The Boxing Day floods were the worst we’ve ever seen on our waterways and have caused major damage on the Calder and Hebble Navigation.

 

“You only have to take a walk to Park Nook to get an understanding of the havoc that the floods wreaked. The towpath has been washed away, walls have been destroyed, there’s rubbish lying everywhere, a boat was even lifted onto the bank and dropped against the trees – it really is a chaotic scene.

“We want to get the canal and towpath back to its best as quickly as possible so that it can once more be enjoyed by the local community. That’s why we’re asking local people to help where they can and this volunteering day will be a great opportunity for us all to pull together and begin to get things back to normal. We’ve already had lots of fantastic offers of support and we’re very grateful for any help that people can give.” 

The meeting point for the clean-up is the Colliers Arms, off Park Road, HX5 9HZ at 10 am on Saturday 23 January. The Colliers Arms has kindly offered the use of its car park for people wanting to help out.

For more information on volunteering contact Lucy Dockray on 07767 383736 or lucy.dockray@canalrivertrust.org.uk.

Rebuilding canals in the heart of flood-hit communities

Since the dreadful floods over the Christmas period, staff from the Canal and River Trust have been busy inspecting bridges, embankments and wash walls - assessing the damage and putting together plans. Many individuals and local voluntary organisations have already been heavily involved in helping to deal with the damage the flooding caused.  You can read about some of the work that has taken place by visiting the Canal and River Trust website just click on this link.

As CRT says "The kindness and spirit of those that have helped so far has shown what can be achieved in the face of adversity".  But the Trust needs to raise significant funds to make sure that this wonderful work is not wasted. The money will be used to repair things like major structural failures and to deal with canal breaches and landslips. CRT must also fix holes, washouts and clear deposited silt that have forced the closure of towpaths and waterways.

Please show your solidarity with the thousands of people whose lives have been turned upside-down. Help the Trust rebuild canals in the heart of flood-hit communities by making a donation today.  Flood appeal - donate now

Water Resources Strategy 2015-2020

The Canal and River Trust has published its Water Resources Strategy:  Putting the water into waterways.  A lengthy document but well worth the read.

Flooding in Mirfield - Boxing Day 2015

This is a video which appears on YouTube - Mirfield Floods