K&A Canal will close this summer says national newspaper — it will not, says Waterway Manager

According to a story in a Sunday newspaper the Kennet & Avon Canal will be closed this summer and hire boat holidays for disabled people will have to be cancelled — and the story says that the River Kennet is now completely reliant on treated sewage for water supply in its upper reaches.

Writing in the Sunday Times, the paper's Environment Editor, Jonathan Leake quotes an unnamed Environment Agency source as warning that the current 'drought situation' will prompt a range of potential restrictions on activities such as angling and boating.  

He goes on to say: "The situation around the Kennet is certain to mean closure of the Kennet & Avon Canal to boating traffic, ruining holidays and damaging businesses that rely on boating traffic."

K&A Canal Trust President David Bruce

These alarming predictions are supported by the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust President,  David Bruce, who founded and is still active in running the Great Bedwyn based Bruce Trust that runs specially designed boats for disabled people and their families to take boating holidays — he told the paper: "The Trust's four boats, which provide holidays for 600 disabled people each year, may be forced to cancel all its bookings — this drought is a tragedy in the making." 

K&A Waterway Manager, Mark Stephens

The Kennet & Avon Canal Waterway Manager, Mark Stephens, responded by saying: "The implication of the article that the Kennet and Avon canal will definitely be closed for the summer is disappointing — and misleading." 

He explained that British Waterways has replaced pumps on the canal and done work so that 'off-the-shelf' replacement pumps can be brought into use in under 24-hours if the need arises.

However, Mark Stephens did sound a note of warning when he said: "The Kennet end of the canal will prove harder to maintain and is dependent on a groundwater supply that is at a very low level.  With everyone around the canal appreciating the importance of conserving water we fully intend to sustain the canal environment for the enjoyment of our visitors and to safeguard the important habitats that it supports."

Russell Fletcher a hire boat operator based at Lower Foxhangers and Chairman of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trade Association says that over the last few months their organisation has been monitoring and supporting BW in planning for any potential impact this year from water supply shortages. 

"The problem in a nutshell," he said, "is the overall low levels of aquifers that indirectly supply water for the K&A Canal."  

Russell is emphatic that the canal is very much open for business as usual, but  he calls on canal users to save water wherever possible by sharing locks and closing paddles after use.

The Trade Association also supports the use of volunteer lock keepers at Bath, Bradford on Avon and Crofton and they hope that there will be additional lock keepers at Seend, Semington and Kintbury if enough volunteers can be found.

He said that other waterways are already being affected by the drought — and  to reduce lock demand and conserve reservoir levels the South East Waterways are imposing 10am - 2pm and 10am - 3pm restrictions in some places including the Southern Oxford Canal and the Grand Union Canal.

Russell said: "Since Autumn 2011 BW has been working hard behind the scenes on the issue of low water supply both nationally and locally and identifying where the highest impacted areas are likely to be.

"The Winter maintenance programme along the K&A has included replacing pumps and lock gates as well as canal bank leak reduction work… and the Waterway Manager, Mark Stephens, managed to get an extra £250,000 for the K&A from a central BW fund this year."

A boat owner who moors his boat on the K&A on the Long Pound near Pewsey said, "We are no strangers to water problems on the K&A — we have suffered them for most of the 25 years I have kept a boat on the canal and BW must understand that boaters will always respond positively to realistic water conservation measures that will keep the canal open for private boaters and the many people who come to enjoy our canal as visiting boater owners or hirers. 

"Ask us to conserve water by sharing locks, accepting evening to dawn lock closures and we will be happy to cooperate — but BW have to keep us informed of the situation."

Bruce and Hales spat — a bar-room brawl — says The Times

Read➤➤

British Waterways couldn't even organise a piss-up in a brewery says canal trust president 

Chairman responds to Canal Trust President's criticism of its financial record

British Waterways couldn't even organise a piss-up in a brewery says canal trust president

K&A Canal Trust President, David Bruce
Picture by Bob Naylor©

By Bob Naylor

Brandishing a copy of the British Waterways Annual Report at a meeting in Devizes about the transfer of BW to a new waterways charity David Bruce, President of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, made a savage attack on what he sees as the financial mis-management of BW.

Referring to the annual report he spoke of the failure of the BW nationwide pub partnership last year saying, "It went into administration — they cannot even organise a piss-up in a brewery — this report says 'Our venture into pub partnerships had to be put into administration by the creditors'".

David who has run successful pub and brewery businesses and started a charity that makes it possible for people with disabilities to take a canal holiday then rounded on British Waterways Marinas which he said spent £5.8 million to generate £6.6 million: "Its not worth getting out of bed for." he said, "Why are they fiddling about with marinas -  trying to break even? These are the guys that are going to be running our charity next year." 

Pension Fund deficit

He pointed out that in the financial year ending March 2011 there was a pension deficit of £59 million, which he said will be transferred to the new charity. "While Defra were concerned about who's going to use the towpath - and access to it - not one word has ever been mentioned in any consultation document about what's going to happen to the £59m pension deficit."

Emperor's new clothes

Likening the unquestioning acceptance of the plan to create a new waterways charity to the children's story of "The Emperor's New Clothes", he again read from the annual report saying, "On page 33 it says that the whole group has a net cash flow deficit of £6.6m - and the deficit on the operational activities before tax is £10.1m. That doesn't come out when you get open letters from the Waterways Minister. He just says, 'This is a super idea - I do hope you will co-operate in making sure it happens'.  

Directors

There were nine directors last year whose salaries cost £1.4 million  — paid by the British taxpayer, "These are the guys that are going to be switched into the National Waterways Charity —  they also get taxable benefits such as company limousines that add £77,000 on top of that 1.4 million." 

"I've never met the CEO", he continued, "He may be a lovely bloke — but last year he trousered £234,000. How is the new charity going to pay for that next year? He is the chief executive of what will become a charity. Even if the charity cannot afford it and decides to make him redundant imagine what his pay off is going to be.  And he referred to a BW executive director who left last year saying: "I don't know if he was sacked or just decided to leave, but he got paid £188,000 in lieu of notice and he walked away with a total of £342,000 of our hard earned taxes.  None of this has ever been touched upon in the Defra consultation documents".

Directors pension pot

"These executive directors - and there are only eight of them now, because, remember, the other bloke cleared off with over a third of a million quid last year — well the accrued pension value of those eight people is £6 million. So in the year when, to quote from this report, the 'group deficit for BW was £29 million' they still managed to keep £6 million for the directors' pensions."

Flogging off the nation's assets

He expressed his concern that BW are selling off real estate and cutting off one of the revenue streams of the new charity. He said, "In the chairman's report it says that in the last three years £45 million worth of freehold assets have been sold by BW to 'retain liquidity'. In my language that's to stop the cash running out and had they not sold £45 million worth of assets they would probably have gone bust. But they weren't just assets — these were 'income generating assets' - they generated rent and that rent went into looking after the canals.

"And they are awfully pleased with themselves at the moment because they say that they have managed to make a profit of £11 million — but they only managed that by flogging off the nation's assets."

Directors' bonus payments

As to the 'performance' bonuses the directors awarded themselves after the AGM — he encouraged people to sign the e-Petition calling for  the Government to put a stop on the £15,000 lump sum bonus for Chief Executive, Robin Evans and the £12,500 for the other Directors. 

The petition is at: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/14617

Maintenance budget cuts

All the country’s canals and, from David’s perspective, particularly the K&A, need appropriate and adequate maintenance if they are to remain open to traffic and continue to be an asset for the communities through which they flow. And herefered to the experiences of hirers of his Bruce Trust boats  —  explaining that recently BW bankside staff have had to help to push the boats free when they have become stuck.

Lack of maintenance and dredging in particular is having effects on businesses and other users of the canal. The K&A Canal Trust tried to get some new trip boat licences and was told 'no you can't because the canal is too turbid'. David's response to this was clear:, "The reason it is too turbid is because the canal hasn't been dredged and boats just stir up the mud - if the mud gets stirred up you get turbid water. And every now and then that turbid water goes down into a nice clean river like the Kennet and that upsets the fishermen so you then get the Environment Agency and Natural England involved. But if BW had not reduced its water maintenance budget by £9.5 million we probably wouldn't be having those problems."

All Party Waterways Group

The non-political group of MPs and Peers who make up the All-party Parliamentary Waterways Group have been discussing the proposed move to a charity. David reported that they issued a report as recently as last June saying that the new waterways charity must not be BW by another name. "But", he added, "I think this new charity is going to be exactly that even though the APWG has said it must not be. How do you avoid that when three of the new Trustees are BW directors including the chairman and the vice-chairman?"

David concluded by saying  that the K&A Canal Trust would be making a robust reponse to the latest Supplementary Consultation document and he expressed his disgust that Defra had reduced the 12 week consultation period to six weeks: "For no other reason than to meet their own deadline of creating the charity on April Fool's Day 2012."

The Annual Report & Accounts is available to read online.

Read Celebrating Our Canals & Rivers 1948–2011, British Waterways' Transition to Charitable Status.

You can read the full consultation response at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/files/110912-waterways-summary-responses.pdf.

You can read the supplementary consultation at: 

http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/2011/09/12/waterways-1109/

Fact File

David Bruce has been in the international brewing and leisure industry for more than 40 years and he was the founder of the Firkin Brewery pub chain.

He set up the Bruce Trust in 1988 with his wife Louise and the Trust operates four wide beam boats specially built to make it possible for people with disabilities and their families to take canal boat holidays. They operate their boats from Great Bedwyn and Lower Foxhangers on the Kennet & Avon Canal.

David is currently Executive Chairman of Country Food and Dining which has five farm shops — mostly in the south of England.


Comments:

Simon R said...

BW Directors' pay- off if they are made redundant is at least a year's salary. (Annual Report 2010/11 page 50) http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk/media/documents/BW_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_2011.pdf

September 29, 2011 10:42 AM

Kirsten Elliott said...

While a lot of what he says is true, I can't help thinking this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black, given the parlous state of the K&ACT's finances. Is anyone interested in forming a new K&A pressure group? I even have the name - KAPITAS. It stands for Kennet and Avon Pain in the Arse Society - the aim being to be a perfect nuisance to the powers-that-be till they appreciate what an important asset they have here.

October 2, 2011 3:09 PM 

K&A Canal Trust distances itself from new President's forthright views

Has the new president been 'got at' ask K&A Canal Trust members?

New Kennet & Avon Canal Trust President, 

David Bruce: Picture by Bob Naylor©

Following a recent story on KAcanalTIMES about the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust Chairman, David Bruce's  inaugural speech at the recent Trust AGM it seems that those who actually control the K&A Canal Trust have clearly felt a need to distance themselves from his views and they have recently posted on their website a 'sanitised' version of what they would really have liked him to have said — but he didn't.


See: K&A Canal Trust President slams Government's 'stupid' waterway charity plans

Inspirational

David Bruce's views clearly struck a chord with both the rank and file of the Trust and former senior members of the organisation who feel that what he said is an inspiration and a return to the spirit of the old K&A Canal Trust that fought so hard against the abandonment and deriliction of the K&A Canal.

In his speech at the Trust AGM in Devizes David Bruce called for members of the Trust to make their feelings known about what he described as 'stupid' government policy and to get it reversed. 

However, it would seem, that this level of activism is at odds with the current 'leadership' of the financially ailing and leadership bereft Trust who at their AGM tried to claim that a loss of £65,000 over the year ... and merely 'breaking even' with the operation of a trip boat that has no paid staff and is run entirely by volunteers is, in fact, a successful year.

Former Trust General 

Manager — now
Chairman: Mike Rodd

The Trust Chairman, Mike Rodd, who was the General Manger with a responsibility for fundraising until late last year when the Trust, after two years with him at the helm,  found itself unable to meet its wages bill terminated his post — and then co-opted him on to the board of Trustees and made him Chairman — answered his own question.., "What does the Trust do?" with "Actually at the moment it doesn't do much but sustain itself."  See:  Trust does little for canal admits K&A Canal Trust Chairman

The K&A Canal Trust website carries a report of David Bruce's speech that no one who was there would recognise as an accurate record of what he said …  but you can read it for yourself at: President's address

K&A Canal Trust President slams Government's 'stupid' waterway charity plans

K&A Canal Trust President, David Bruce Picture by Bob Naylor ©

K&A Canal Trust President, David Bruce

Picture by Bob Naylor ©

By Bob Naylor

Plans to turn British Waterways into a charitable trust are 'stupid' says David Bruce who became President of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust following the recent resignation of former MP Michael Ancram.

Speaking at the Trust's AGM he called for a campaign to persuade the coalition government to reverse the policy in the way that they did over selling off the forests and the proposed changes to the National Health Service.

He said: "Government came up with a stupid idea to hand responsibility for Britain's Canals from the public accountability of British Waterways to Parliament and the electorate and it now proposes that it be run by a small group of new Trustees who will only be accountable to the Charity Commission and the jobsworths that tick the boxes at Companies House."

He described as 'extraordinary' the fact that of the eight new trustees, three of them are existing British Waterways directors. "Guess what", he said, "they are the Chairman, the Vice Chairman and another director who happens to head the Audit Committee.

"When you are trying to change the culture of a body that used to report to Parliament and you have still got the same culture of the British Waterways Board leading those eight trustees then I treat that with a great degree of scepticism. This is a 'shoo-in' … a done-deal and I hate a done deal.

"It has been bad enough, I think, for poor old British Waterways, and I don't normally feel sorry for them, trying to keep Britain's Waterways going with their piddly little amounts of money from Defra - it may be 40 or 50 million pounds a year — but its not enough."

David Bruce, who started the Bruce Trust charity 22 years ago so that people with disabilities and their families can enjoy a canal holiday, went on to question how a charity is going to be
able afford to maintain the locks and the infrastructure and to maintain the water levels if British Waterways with Defra cannot.

He said: "My experience of charities is that they are not bottomless pits of cash — and I think it is really worrying that the government is now seizing this opportunity to pass our much loved national treasure of waterways from BW to a charitable trust — this new National Waterways Trust or whatever absurd name the jobsworths come up with.

"Who knows, if enough canal enthusiasts throughout the UK make their views heard then perhaps the government might listen as it did with the Forestry Commission proposals and the NHS reforms, when the public revolted and the Government listened. We have got to appeal to the Government."

Forest sell-off: 'This is what people power looks like'

NHS reforms: amended plans are 'car crash'

Bruce Trust Website: http://www.brucetrust.org.uk/

Comments on all stories are always welcome however a comment on this story by 'anonymous' has been removed on legal advice.

Boat-hire charity founder will be new K&A Canal Trust President

David Bruce
Picture by Bob Naylor©

With the resignation of former MP Michael Ancram after two years as President of the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust his place will be taken by David Bruce who founded the Bruce Trust so that people with disabilities could enjoy holidays on the waterways.

David has been an active supporter of the Canal for many years and he was the Chair of the 'Last Lock' Appeal, which raised money for the restoration of the grass-sided Widmead Lock (89) before the official re-opening of the canal by the Queen in 1990. He was made a Vice President of the K&A Canal Trust in 2008. 

David's love of the K&A Canal began in 1966 when he was a trainee brewer at Simonds Brewery in Reading where the River Kennet raced through the brewery site in what was known as Brewery Gut.

After selling a chain of London pubs he and his wife Louise formed the Bruce Trust in 1988 so that people with disabilities and their friends and families could take a holiday on the waterways.  

They based themselves at Great Bedwyn with their first specially adapted boat, which they named Rebecca, after their four-year-old daughter.  Rebecca became the Trust's administrator in October last year when she took over from Danese Rudd who had done the job for 21 years.

Fact file

The Bruce Trust now operates four specially-designed wide-beam canal boats on the K&A Canal from bases at Great Bedwyn and Lower Foxhangers.

The extra width of the boats gives plenty of space for wheelchair users to manoeuvre and the boats have special built-in facilities, including hydraulic lifts, wide-access boarding ramps, low-level bunks, heating and specially fitted showers and toilets. 

A Bruce Trust specially adapted wheelchair-friendly wide-beam trip boat passes Pewsey Wharf: Picture by Bob Naylor©

Rebecca, Hannah, Diana and Rachel have been designed so that wheelchair users can steer the boat using the tiller and both Hannah and Rachel have been fitted with a remote steering device that enables people with less upper body mobility to steer from their wheelchair using a joystick.

The Bruce Trust has made it possible for more than 11,000 disabled, disadvantaged or elderly people together with their carers, friends or family to enjoy participative canal-cruising holidays on the boats. As one woman commented: “With increasing age and disability my father Harry’s days of enjoying canal holidays seemed to be over. But last week, there he was rising up on the lift to take the tiller once again and having a wonderful holiday with four generations of his family”. 

The Bruce Trust has an enthusiastic, active volunteer force of more than 70 who help to maintain the boats do the turn-rounds between hirings. 

Some volunteers are now crewing day trips on the K&A Canal and last year more that 500 people from day centres or residential homes for the elderly were able to enjoy a day of peaceful cruising on the canal.  

Contact Details

Email: rebecca.bruce@brucetrust.org.uk

Web:  www.brucetrust.org.uk

Address: PO Box 21, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 9YY

Telephone: 01264 356451

Bruce Trust Administrator retires after 21 years 

The Bruce Trust, based on the Kennet & Avon Canal at Great Bedwyn, that provides boating holidays for elderly people and people with disabilities and their carers has just completed its 21st season and Danese Rudd who has been the Trust Administrator since it began has decided that it is time to retire from the role.

Bruce Trust founder, David Bruce, with Danese Rudd, left who has retired as Administrator after 21 years and 

his daughter, Rebecca who has taken over her job.

David Bruce said, "Danese has put her heart and soul into her work and she has achieved so much over the years. We are very pleased that she will continue with her voluntary work with the Trust."

Danese’s role evolved naturally as the Trust grew and her responsibilities have been many and varied: fundraising, design and building of new boats, marketing, bookings and administration, recruitment, organising a rota for voluntary helpers, weekend training courses, dealing with call-outs and winter maintenance are just a few tasks that the job entailed.

The Trust started with one boat, The Rebecca, in 1988, and the fleet has been increased to four boats through the sheer hard work and determination of Danese and the Trustees.  

And now ready to face the challenge of filling Danese’s boots is her replacement, Rebecca Bruce, who was only 4 years old when the Trust was created and after whom the first boat was named. 

Since leaving University Rebecca has worked in the charity sector and she pitched in as a volunteer this season — getting to know things from the bottom up.

Rebecca said, "I am really looking forward to continuing the efficient running of the fleet and we are also looking to expand the Trust. At the moment we are researching the feasibility of building log cabins and campervans, so that even more people with disabilities can enjoy holidays with The Bruce Trust in the future." 

The History of The Bruce Trust

The Bruce Trust was formed in 1988 by Louise and David Bruce after they sold their chain of Firkin Pubs in London. 

They were keen to plough some of the proceeds into a project that would benefit the community and they had become intrigued by the possibility of offering self-catering holidays to disabled, disadvantaged or elderly people cruising on the Kennet & Avon Canal. 

After much research they initially put their own money into the project — and over the years they have received many generous donations to the Trust enabling the fleet to be increased to four specially-designed, purpose-built, wide-beam canal boats.

The Bruce Trust specially adapted wheelchair-friendly wide-beam trip boat 'Diana' passes Pewsey Wharf: Picture by Bob Naylor

The extra width of the boats gives plenty of space for wheelchair users to manoeuvre and the boats have special built-in facilities, including hydraulic lifts, wide-access boarding ramps, low-level bunks, heating and specially fitted showers and toilets. 

Rebecca, Hannah and Diana have been designed so that wheelchair users can steer the boat using the tiller and both Hannah and Rachel have been fitted with a remote steering device that enables people with less upper body mobility to steer from their wheelchair using a joystick.

The Bruce Trust has enabled more that 11,000 disabled, disadvantaged or elderly people together with their carers, friends or family to enjoy participative canal-cruising holidays on the boats - as one family explained, “With increasing age and disability my father Harry’s days of enjoying canal holidays seemed to be over. But last week, there he was rising up on the lift to take the tiller once again and having a wonderful holiday with four generations of his family”. 

The holiday makers are helped on their way by the dedication of over 70 voluntary helpers who make sure that the Trust can operate in the best and most economical fashion. 

Some volunteers also crew day trips — this year more that 500 people from day centres or residential homes for the elderly were able to enjoy a day of peaceful cruising on the canal.  

Contact Details

Email: rebecca.bruce@brucetrust.org.uk

Web:  www.brucetrust.org.uk

Address: PO Box 21, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 9YY

Telephone: 01264 356451