Restorative thoughts

The other week Paul asked if I was a member of any restoration groups. The best I could offer was a lapsed membership of the Wey and Arun Trust.

So I followed the failsafe practice that led me to join the Ramblers, got up very early, and downloaded a couple of membership forms and wrote a couple of cheques before I could think better of it.

If you compiled a list of canal restoration projects in rank order of their likelihood of being completed, I reckon my two would be somehere near the opposite extremes (whereas in an alphabetical list, (and my, what a long list it is) they're both fairly near the top).

It's lucky that I made myself do it on impulse, because I'm already having doubts about the Barnsley, Dearne and Dove Canals Trust. It's not just that there's a vital 'and' missing from their name - that bothered me from the start. There was a Barnsley Canal, and there was a Dearne and Dove Canal. So it should be the Barnsley and Dearne and Dove Canals Trust. It's also that going by their website, they appear not to have done anything substantive since 2006, when they had a feasibility study done, and last posted some news (they showed someone the feasibility study) - ending, hopefully, with 'watch this space' - five years ago.  We shall see what arrives in the post.

The Chesterfield Canal Trust on the other hand seem pretty lively - and I got an e-newsletter two days after posting off my form, and a big package in the post by the end of the week.

I have no particular plans with regard to either of them, but I thought I might get to meet some people, and maybe do something useful, one way or another.