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Spooky boat trips along the Hudderfield canal. Join our scary crew from Marsden Station to Standedge tunnel on 30 and 31 October From 11am – 4pm No set fares but donations welcome

Lots will be going on at Standedge during Halloween including trips on our Scary boat, trips into the tunnel on the Canal & River Trust’s Spooktacular boat & more in the Watersedge Café, the Devil’s kitchen and more in the North of England Centre for Music & Arts building and more………………………………………………………………….

Jointly promoted by the Huddersfield Canal Society, the North of England Centre for Music & Arts and the Canal & River Trust

Spooky boat trips on the Little Blue Boat. Join our scary crew at Uppermill 31 Oct and 1 Nov 11am- 4pm st st No set fares but donations welcome (Boat located rear of Saddleworth Museum)

HCS boat crew volunteers were instrumental in promoting and creating the Pirate Day over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Working with Friends of Standedge, CRT volunteers and Hanson’s Music a wide range of activities were available to an eager public during the mainly fine weather.

Pictured here is a queue of land lubbers being welcomed onto the e-Shuttle at lock 42E by Pirates Syd and John. You can see that a lot of work had been put in to dress the crew and boat. The idea had originated amongst the boat crews at Uppermill at Easter and the opportunity was taken to expand the activities offered. Mention must be made of the work of Mike Bull who produced a fantastic range of pirate props and flags

The final photo shows the e-Shuttle being turned for its return to Lock 42E. Also illustrated is the towpath improvement which has benefited folk who need a smooth surface.

We are now running Thursdays though to Sundays during the local school summer holiday. On the 23 to 25 August bank holiday weekend we plan to run Pirate Days so watch this space – the photos are from our Pirate Days in Uppermill earlier this year.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal is currently closed at Lock 11W following damage to the supporting embankment resulting from the heavy rain on 1st January 2025. The problem originated with the culvert near Wagon Road Bridge, which erupted into the canal, sending a surge of water downstream, bypassing Lock 12w before overtopping Lock 11w. It looks as if the bank failure may have been compounded by the River Tame eroding the base of the embankment, causing it to slip away from the lock.

The Canal Society is grateful to Duncan Roberts for allowing us to publish these two pictures taken soon after the bank failed.  Duncan retains copyright of both pictures.

Canal & River Trust is committed to carrying out repairs to the embankment during the coming months but is faced with the challenge of gaining access through tje woodland on the opposite river bank.

Lock 11W in happier times during the Pennine Explorer cruise of June 2022. Photo by Alan Stopher

In view if the inability to traverse the Narrow Canal fully during this lengthy stoppage we understand that Canal & River Trust is considering promoting up and back visits from the east side including Standedge Tunnel passage both ways whne the tunnel reopens before Easter.

On the east side there is still a towpath closure in place between Lock 4E at Longroyd Bridge and Stoney Battery. Though CRT has reported that negotiations with Network Rail regarding working under Longroyd Railway Viaduct continue and before work can commence. Sadly it is unlikely to mean reopening of this important section of towpath until Spring 2025. This closure has no impact on boat movements.

Elsewhere on the canal there are a number of winter maintenance works ongoing.

Come aboard our little blue boat on Good Friday through to Easter Monday 2025 and join the pirates for a trip on the canal!

The current Government funding agreement for the Canal & River Trust ends in four year’s time. The current annual grant of £52.6 million a year represents about a quarter of the Trust’s income, the rest coming mainly from user licences, mooring charges, income from land holdings and charitable donations. As the grant is fixed and does not increase with inflation, it is already causing financial problems for the Trust and we are already seeing indications of spending restraints despite increases in volunteers taking on many roles.

On 10^th July the Government announced the funding for the next ten year period commencing in 2027. Although they accept that the Canal & River Trust has provided value for money since its takeover from the nationalised British Waterways in 2012 the Government states that the Trust should not need Government support and should seek other forms of funding. They have, therefore, said that the grant will be reduced to £50 million in 2027 and be cut by 5% each year after that. At the end of the period in 2037 the annual grant will have reduced to £31.5 million. In total this means that the Canal & River Trust will lose £320m. This comes as maintenance costs for ageing canal infrastructure – 200-year-old plus locks, aqueducts, reservoirs, embankments – is increasing due to climate change with more periods of drought and extreme storm events. Such a drastic decrease in funds will inevitably result in a decline in the overall condition of our waterway network, and, alarmingly, the possibility of canal closures. It puts at risk invaluable natural habitats, historic infrastructure and cherished public spaces.

The Trust believes that the substantial reduction in support will mean that maintenance will have to be cut back and there are likely to be canal closures. The Northern canals and navigations with their low number of boats and high maintenance costs are most at risk.  As it stands we are facing an existential threat to the Huddersfield Narrow Canal.

Please write to your local MP telling them how much you care about the canals and why they need to be funded properly. Urge the Government to reconsider their decision and protect our waterways for the future.

And how can you do it?

The best way is for you to email or mail your MP with your own thoughts. Personal representations are always best. Alternatively you can go to the Canal & River Trust website and follow the links here:

https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/donate/our-campaigns/keep-canals-alive