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< Back July 2023 Monthly Litter Pick Abbey Park & Gamston Canal A small group of us headed out today. Thankfully, there wasn't a lot of litter to be found until we got to the area just before Gamston Bridge (opposite side to Morrisons) where some local youths have recently been frequenting. Previously, I have twice taken four shopping trolleys back to the shop. This time we were able to clear away all the trash they had left; that is apart from the car tyre which has been dumped in the water!. Previous Next

Title Back to Home Back to WeBCan WeBCan General Meeting Minutes Thursday 2nd Nov 2023 held at the Poppy & Pint Committee attendees: Marek Korczynski (MK) Paul Abel (PA) Penny Gowland (PG) Chris Harries (CH) 1. Actions agreed at last General Meeting on 10th August PA reported that he had been unable to find out any more regarding EA plans for their section of the canal; PG reported that Via’s inspection of the culvert under Lady Bay Bridge Rd has been delayed because the culvert had been too full of water for the inspection to take place. Work Party lead to organise removal of pulled reed waste bags, using services of Grantham Canal Society (if needed) and the far bank of the canal for disposal of reed taken from the area beyond the spillway; PA reported that he had been unable to find out any more regarding environmental approval from CRT for using black plastic membrane as a reed suppressant; PA reported that he had been unable to find out any more regarding the possibility of there being a (leaking) plug in the canal but the next steps would be covered later in the meeting; MK had submitted grant applications East Midlands Airport Foundation & Lady Bay Community Fund & was preparing a submission to the RBC Biodiversity Grant. 2. Committee Changes & Forthcoming Events PA appointed as interim Secretary, until either Kathleen Dunmore is able to resume her position, or the next AGM (whichever is soonest). Room reserved for Christmas Get-Together at Poppy & Pint on 14th December AGM date arranged for 4th April 2024. New Committee members will be welcome. 3. Partnership with Canal & RiverTrust Chris Harries reported on our tour of the canal with Jaco Kruger, the Canal & River Trust’s community liaison officer, and our main point of contact regarding our adopted area of the canal. JK is very amenable and we hope to get keys for the towpath gates which will make it much easier to move equipment and bags used by work parties. 4. Work Party progress & winter plans PA reported that WeBCan volunteers had now contributed over 2100 hours of work during 27 work parties since the end of July and showed slides (see attached) as to where this had taken place. He explained there were 4 main objectives to address while the weather allows: Removal of reed opposite the spillway to expose the bed under which the leaking plug may be found; Clearance of reed blocking the canal on the northern side of Gamston Bridge Removal of the collapsed willow blocking the canal opposite Eltham Rd Allotments Removal of Norfolk Reed near Canal House, subject to the availability of funding to cover the cost of black plastic sheeting. PA thanked a team of 15 volunteers who had worked tirelessly since the end of September and their names are listed at the end of the attached slides. 5. Grants & Fundraising MK updated the meeting with progress on: RBC Community Support Grant (a total of £800 now received from 4 local councillors) East Midlands Airport Foundation (application for funding to meet the cost of a variety of tools has been submitted) Lady Bay Open Gardens grants (application for funding to meet the cost of printed waste collection bags has been submitted) RBC Biodiversity Grant (application to cover the cost of black plastic sheeting to be submitted). RBC Shared Prosperity Fund (subject to discussions with Canal & River Trust) 6. Water Levels PA reported that he had been unable to continue with daily monitoring of water levels but he was now much more confident as to how leaks can be identified, and potentially repaired. Discussions with pond experts have informed PA of the need to look for areas in the canal where the gravel bed of the canal is exposed. In these areas, the clay bed will have been degraded and leaks will have sucked the black sludge out of the canal, leaving just gravel on the bed. These gravel areas can then be treated with a water-resistant polymer sealant which blocked the gaps between the grains of gravel. PA reported that he had tested the sealant, known as Damit, on in a leaking bottle half filled with coarse sand and half with water. Treating the coarse sand was found to reduce the rate of flow through the leaks in the bottle by 95%, the same rate as claimed by the manufacturers. What we need to do now is: 1) Identify all the areas of the canal where gravel, rather than black sludge is covering the bed 2) Control water levels with the use of sluices at each culvert so we monitor the results of specific repairs 3) Procure the appropriate quantity of Damit and apply the sealant to the areas of the canal where gravel, rather than black sludge us covering the bed 4) Perhaps start with trials (in conjunction with GCS) in the KInoulton area, in the meantime, where the location of leaks is better known. This will help confirm the effectiveness, or otherwise, of Damit before applying to the Lady Bay stretch. 7. Any other Business Publicise the Christmas Get-Together at the Poppy & Pint, 14th December October Work Parties Role of Honour A big Thank You to: Jez & Pam Chris & Bev Margaret Les David Cath Howard Sue & Richard Chris Holmes Ursula Previous Next

The Little Stranger A ghost story from one of Britain's finest and best loved writers. After her award-winning trilogy of Victorian novels, Sarah Waters turned to the 1940s and wrote The Night Watch, a tender and tragic novel set against the backdrop of wartime Britain. Short-listed for both the Orange and the Man Booker, it went straight to number one in the best-seller chart. In a dusty postwar summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become entwined with his. Prepare yourself. From this wonderful writer who continues to astonish us, now comes a chilling ghost story. Author Author Imprint Little, Brown Book Group ISBN Publishing date RRP (paperback) Pages 9781844086061 05/01/2010 £8.99 512 A novel that gives a glimpse through the curtains of the residents living in a village in the wake of a young girls disappearance. With no body or evidence of foul play, there isn't much for the police to work on. Being a fan of fast pace crime books, this wasn't really cup of tea. A gentle evocation of country life. Season come and go through the 13 years of the narrative. The small day to day lives of the village play out alongside the menacing threat of the disappearance of Becky. Not a novel for the whodunit fans, and its unique writing style might not be for everyone. A fly on the wall into the lives of the families in a rural village. In the wake of the disappearance of a young girl. An interesting take up of the changing seasons through the 13 years since the disappearance. I really enjoyed this book. But would have liked a different ending.

< Back October 29th Monthly Litter Pick ​ What a beautifully bright October day to spend a worthwhile hour tidying up our neighbourhood. Thank you as always, to our ever reliable pickers for their dedication in making Abbey Park a cleaner place to live. Previous Next

Title Back to Home Back to WeBCan Public Meeting I0th August 2023 Community Support Grant: applications to 13 different councillors with responsibility for Gamston and Lady Bay have resulted in 700 pounds funding from 4 councillors. Removal of Norfolk Reed: To be in undertaken by a series of work parties meeting on Sundays and Mondays). These will cover both the Gamston and Lady Bay stretches of the canal concentrating where reed coverage is most extensive. Now that we have a partnership agreement with CRT this gives us permission to work in water and use suitable implements provided training has been received. An offer of a storage shed has been received from the allotment holders at Eltham Rd Individual community gardens have been given additional green bins by RBC and it may be useful to approach them for a similar service to WeBCan. Query whether reeds can be dried and used as biomass. Streetwise will remove waste but would charge 100 pounds per session. Alternative supplier in Meadow Lane is cheaper than Streetwise. Can reeds be shredded? - this would require a free-standing shredder which WeBCan does not currently have Under the terms of the CRT partnership agreement, it would be useful for voluntary work to serve an educational purpose for scouts, school groups etc (tie in with wildlife survey?) There is scope for fund raising through applications for grants, appeals and social events. WeBCan organisational structure Chair Penny Treasurer, Website Ruth Secretary Kathleen Fund raising Marek Wildlife survey: Sue Mallender Other positions volunteers needed Relationship with Grantham Canal Society ( GCS) Complete agreement as to aims. GCS provided much valued support and commitment for clearance works earlier this year. However, GCS is responsible for the whole of the Grantham canal and cannot focus all its energies on the Gamston and Lady Bay sections. GCS now plans to repair the culvert at Fishponds which should improve links to the Grantham reservoir and potentially improve water flow to Gamston and Lady Bay. Continue to maintain close working relationship Rob Cook & Gary Dykes. Holme Pierrepont Kayak Group have boats and have expressed an interest in helping to clear our section of the canal. PA to contact them. GCS have offered to remove shopping trolleys in water at the bridge opposite Morrisons and to cut trees once a month. Next steps Simply pulling up reeds will not sort the problem of fluctuating water levels in the Lady Bay and Gamston sections of the canal. Replacement of Norfolk reed with bur-reed could be helpful. An alternative solution would be to install a black plastic membrane which would prevent the reed roots accessing the silt and deprives them of nutrition. Further information is required to determine whether or not there are environmental hazards to this approach and what would be the impact on wildlife. PG asked the question “What do we want the canal to be?” is it a wildlife reserve or a mini river? Is there scope for different approaches on different stretches of the canal? For further discussion at the next meeting. GCS is seeking to meet the groundsman at Cotgrave Golf Course to discuss access to their water supply to feed into the Gamston and Lady Bay sections of the canal. Questions were asked as to what action is being taken with regard to the willow tree at the northern end of Lady Bay section of the canal. Is this still seen as a potential cause of water loss? What will happen to the water level in the Lady Bay section of the canal when the Environment Agency clear the entrance to their section of the canal. Historically some canals had a plughole. Is there one in the Lady Bay section of the canal? Can this be established from historic records? Date of next meeting: to be determined. Previous Next

Title Back to Home Back to WeBCan Constitution approved 13th April 2023 Constitution for WebCan Name West Bridgford Canal Group (WebCan) The aims of WebCan will be: Primary: To restore consistent water levels in the Lady Bay and Gamston Canal. Secondary: to maintain the Lady Bay and Gamston sections of the Grantham Canal as an attractive amenity for local people and haven for wildlife. These aims may be achieved through measures such as practical volunteering including maintenance of canal channel, bank, towpath and culverts fund raising and lobbying to support and activate measures to preserve and enhance the Lady Bay and Gamston section of the Grantham Canal. The group notes that the canal is owned by Canal and River Trust and any works on the canal may be limited by what they will allow. Membership There will be two types of membership: Appointed Representatives: Nominated representatives of each of the riparian councils (Parish, Borough or County) or community groups whose residents use the canal within the areas defined in the Aims above. Individual Members: Individuals who support the aims of WeBCan and whose membership will begin as soon as the membership form is completed and received. The Canal and River Trust, Grantham Canal Society and Friends of Lady Bay Canal are not members of the group but may be invited to attend meetings. A list of all members will be kept by the secretary. Ceasing to be a member Members may resign at any time in writing to the secretary. Any offensive behaviour, including racist, sexist or inflammatory remarks, will not be permitted. Anyone behaving in an offensive way or breaking the equal opportunities policy may be asked not to attend further meetings or to resign from the group if an apology is not given or the behaviour is repeated. The individual concerned shall have the right to be heard by the management committee, accompanied by a friend, before a final decision is made. Equal Opportunities WeBCan will not discriminate on the grounds of sex, race (including colour, ethnic or national origin), sexual orientation, disability, gender reassignment, religious or political belief, pregnancy or maternity, marital status or age. Officers and committee The business of the group will be administered by a Committee. The Committee will meet as necessary and not less than four times a year. The Committee will consist of: Appointed Representatives. Up to 8 additional members elected at a General Meeting or co-opted at the discretion of the committee. Committee meetings will be open to any member of WeBCan wishing to attend, who may speak but not vote. Officers are elected at a General Meeting and their roles are as follows: Chair who shall chair both General and Committee meetings Secretary who shall be responsible for the taking of minutes and the distribution of all papers Treasurer who shall be responsible for maintaining accounts In the event of an officer standing down during the year a replacement will be elected by the next General Meeting of members. Meetings Annual General Meetings An Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held within fifteen months of the previous AGM. All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post. Nominations for the Committee may be made to the Secretary before the meeting, or at the meeting. The quorum for the AGM will be 5% of the membership or 6 members, whichever is the greater number. At the AGM:- The Committee will present a report of the work of WeBCan over the year. The Committee will present the accounts of WeBCan for the previous year. These accounts will be subject to an independent examination by a suitably qualified individual or organisation appointed by the Committee. The officers and Committee for the next year will be elected. Any proposals given to the Secretary at least 7 days in advance of the meeting will be discussed and may be voted on. General Meetings General Meetings may be convened by the Committee as often as deemed necessary. All members will be given two weeks’ notice of such a meeting, giving the venue, date, time and agenda, and notice may be by telephone, email or post. The quorum for a General Meeting shall be 5% of the membership or 6 members, whichever is the greater number. Committee Meetings Committee meetings may be called by the Chair or Secretary. The quorum for Committee meetings is three Committee members. Rules of Procedure for meetings All questions that arise at any meeting will be discussed openly and the meeting will seek to find general agreement that everyone present can agree to. If a consensus cannot be reached a vote will be taken and a decision will be made by a simple majority of members present. If the number of votes cast on each side is equal, the chair of the meeting shall have an additional casting vote. Finances Monies received by WeBCan for the fulfilment of the Association’s objectives will be held in a WeBCan bank account created for this purpose and controlled by the Committee. All money raised by or on behalf of WeBCan is only to be used to further the aims of the group, as specified in item 2 of this constitution. Records of income and expenditure will be maintained by the Treasurer and a financial statement given at each meeting. Amendments to the Constitution Amendments to the constitution may only be made at the Annual General Meeting. Any proposal to amend the constitution must be given to the Secretary in writing. The proposal must then be circulated with the notice of meeting. Any proposal to amend the constitution will require a two thirds majority of those present and entitled to vote. Dissolution If a meeting, by simple majority, decides that it is necessary to close down the group it may call a General Meeting to do so. The sole business of this meeting will be to dissolve the group. If it is agreed to dissolve the group, all remaining money and other assets, once outstanding debts have been paid, will be donated to the Grantham Canal Society. This constitution was agreed, as amended, at a meeting of the full group on 13th April 2023 Date ………/…………/……………. Name and position in group …………………………………………. Signed …………………………………………. Name and position in group …………………………………………. Signed …………………………………………. Previous Next

Where We Belong One summer. One house. One family learning to love again. Cate Morris and her son, Leo, are homeless, adrift. They’ve packed up the boxes from their London home, said goodbye to friends and colleagues, and now they are on their way to ‘Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World – to stay just for the summer. Cate doesn’t want to be there, in Richard’s family home without Richard to guide her any more. And she knows for sure that Araminta, the retainer of the collection of dusty objects and stuffed animals, has taken against them. But they have nowhere else to go. They have to make the best of it. But Richard hasn’t told Cate the truth about his family’s history. And something about the house starts to work its way under her skin. Can she really walk away, once she knows the truth? Author Author Imprint Simon & Schuster UK ISBN Publishing date RRP (paperback) Pages 1471173860 27th May 2021 £6.29 384 There are multiple themes in the plot that gradually unfold; mental health, suicide, learning disabilities, dysfunctional families and their breakdown, relationships that aren't always what they seem and more Some of the plot is a bit predictable, some of the characters aren't very likeable, some of the characters behave completely out of their usual character and make strange decisions, but hey real life's like that too 7/10 Annette The author’s pleasant writing style made this book a very easy read but the whole plot was too contrived/predictable for my liking. On the positive side, Leo, the Downs Syndrome character was portrayed in a good, positive light and he was a strong character. He and his new friend Curtis were really the only characters I liked. Leo’s over protective Mum, Cate, made some silly decisions that an over protective Mum just wouldn’t make! So, all in all, not the best plot! 5/10 Catherine Novel steeped in grief, guilt and duty... I hugely fluctuated in my liking of this book. Found the plot lines somewhat contrived and implausible and just struggled to empathise with the main character, Cate, although I appreciated the other characters, especially Cate's son Leo who is such a positive role model of a young man with Down's syndrome. Not my favourite book club choice 4.5 /10 Caroline

< Back February Monthly Litter Pick Abbey Park & Surround Area. Sunday 26th saw us out and about litter picking around Abbey Park. So much rubbish was strewn about including many empty bottles of alcohol and a blue bag full of household rubbish which had been gaffer taped up and thrown into the grassed area near the bus stop on Buckfast Way/Dale close. We also found three lots of general waste dumped which has been logged with Rushcliffe Borough Council. Previous Next

The Midnight Library The Midnight Library is about Nora, a 35 year old who is regretful about her life and feels alienated and unneeded in this world. In the depths of her wallowing, she comes across the Midnight Library. In it, each book she picks up represents a portal into another version of what her life could have been. As she opens these books she is transported into different versions of her life -- relationships she could have had, careers she could have pursued etc. Author Author Imprint Canongate Books Ltd ISBN Publishing date RRP (paperback) Pages 9781786892737 08/02/2021 £7.49 304 An eminently readable and thought provoking book from an author not afraid to write about mental issues. 8/10. Catherine. A ‘marmite’ book that wasn’t for me, but offers a unique narrative and an insight into mental health. 4/10. Jenny. After a life of regret and struggling with mental health, Nora decides to commit suicide. She ends up in a place between life and death, she is given the opportunity to try out infinite variations of her life. This is a book about living, not dying. A great read. 10/10. Jo.

Cannery Row Meet the gamblers, whores, drunks, bums and artists of Cannery Row in Monterey, California, during the Great Depression. They want to throw a party for their friend Doc, so Mack and the boys set about, in their own inimitable way, recruiting everyone in the neighbourhood to the cause. But along the way they can't help but get involved in a little mischief and misadventure. It wouldn't be Cannery Row if it was otherwise, now would it? Author Author Imprint Penguin ISBN Publishing date RRP (paperback) Pages 978-0241980385 6/7/2017 £7.57 176 If you require your novels always to be pacey with a strongly defined plot line and resolution, then Cannery Row may not be your first choice. However I would recommend to take a chance on this highly descriptive, thought provoking short novel. Steinbeck's narrative of a community on the edge of society, exposing poverty, casual violence and desperation, yet encompassing friendship, compassion and hope is very moving. Caroline 7/10 The residents of Cannery Row are tramps, prostitutes and odd balls. These are people scraping by on the margins of society, but their humour, dignity, sense of community, and appreciation of life is a lesson for us all. A joyful collection of vignettes and a refreshing change for modern readers used to tightly plotted whodunits. Jennifer 7.5/10 Steinbeck is my favourite author. His beautiful prose makes an ordinary object extraordinary. The ordinary people on the margins of Monterey society become pleasingly extraordinary in this lovely collection of vignettes. Set in the 1930’s this is a must-read classic. Catherine 10/10. I just can’t fault it!! I found this novel to be somewhat dreary. I could hear the slow drawl of a narrator in my head whilst reading it which didn't help. Feeling I must be missing something, I downloaded the book on Audible and was disappointed to find it did nothing to lift the story or raise my interests further. Ruth 3/10