October 2009 |
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The Group's AGM |
The second Group AGM held in October 2009 saw a well attended and lively
meeting receive presentations on the year's activities from Chair of the
Trustees, Richard Davenport, and on the accounts from Treasurer David
Snelgar. After retiring in rotation (required by the charity's Articles)
Secretary and Trustee Jon Foster was re-elected and officiated at the
meeting, whilst sponsor Peter Prior congratulated the Group on its progress.
Patron Sir Nick Winton MBE made an impromptu speech calling to action
"all in Maidenhead who sleep in their beds each night, leaving others to
deliver community projects, to get actively involved with something that
can be so positive for the town." |
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July 2009 |
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Canoe Cavalcade |
35 boats with c50 people of all ages took part in MWRG's second canoe cavalcade
in 2009 down the waterway from Green Lane to The Thames, nearly twice as many
as the previous year, with participants joining us from canoe clubs at Marlow,
Longridge and Windsor. We even had a rare 100 year old Canadian canoe take part
and safely compete the journey. Afterwards 36 members and guests celebrated the
navigation with a barbecue at Bray Lake water sports centre. The trip proved again
that the lower waterway is already navigable by small boats, despite the fallen
trees and other obstructions that make passage difficult in places. |
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November 2008 |
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Bulb Planting |
MW again joined in the RBWM sponsored community bulb planting scheme for 2008.
40 members and other volunteers spent a November morning planting 2,500 daffodils
in swathes alongside the waterway just above Stafferton Way. We were delighted with
the support and publicity received for the event, which included additional
volunteers from Furze Platt Scouts and Rotaract. |
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September 2008
Updated 2010 |
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Group walk along the Waterway |
All of 24 members and friends of the Waterways Group dodged the showers to "walk the route"
one September morning in 2008. After a safety briefing, they set off from Town Moor to walk
the 6 Km route along the waterway to The Thames.
The walk was an opportunity for members to see for themselves the neglected state of the
waterway, to discuss with MW officers the emerging plans and to understand the potential
for the project. As demonstrated by the earlier canoe survey trip there is already a
substantial and viable waterway there which with only minor work could quite easily be
brought back into use. |
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July 2008
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Members BBQ at Maidenhead Sailing Club |
Around 30 members and friends enjoyed a social and fund raising barbecue in July 2008,
raising a useful sum for the group's funds. |
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July 2008
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Canoe Cavalcade |
The survey trip in July 2008 down the lower Waterway proved an enormous success, with 24
canoeists in 20 canoes setting off together from Green Lane to publicly exercise their
navigation rights along the waterway and also to survey channel conditions, water depths
and bridge headroom.
This last 3.5Km of the waterway connecting Maidenhead town centre to the river Thames is
remarkably large in places and navigable for canoes and small boats, but for some minor
obstructions. |
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February 2008
Updated 2010 |
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Theresa May goes Borehole Dipping |
Local (now Home Secretary) MP Theresa May joined our regular bunch of volunteers to go
borehole dipping in February 2008 down at the York Stream.
Volunteers have to date (2010)
been monitoring ground water and stream levels for over three years, to better
understand the dynamics of the water flows - both under and over the ground. The
resulting data is being shared with the Environment Agency and will feed into the
final design for the waterways. |
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January 2008
Updated December 2009 and March 2012 |
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Groundwater Levels Testing Programme Begins |
Following discussions with the Environment Agency,
in 2008 we adopted a testing programme
using piezometers (boreholes) to measure ground water levels and test the permeability
of the ground adjacent to the stream.
The boreholes have been monitored by volunteer members for over 4 years now to capture and chart
the movements in ground water and stream levels in the area over time. Rainfall data provided by
Reading University also helps to interpret and correlate the changes measured.
In addition the Environment Agency is supplying us with data from its boreholes to the north of
Maidenhead, plus information on pumping rates from the various
licensed extractions in the area.
River bed samples were taken for analysis and a programme of Falling Head tests was undertaken for
us by the Costain Group, to measure the actual permeability of the ground in the vicinity of each
borehole as part of the overall water supply assessment. The results plus other geological data are
helping our advisers assess to what extent we will need to line parts of the channel, to maintain
water levels and avoid impacting on ground water levels below. |
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