Programme : LANCASHIRE TONIGHT
Station : BBC LANCASHIRE
Date : 09/10/02
Time : 1630
Duration : 4 mins

STEVE BECKER:
Now to travel of a slightly slower more sedate kind, 4 miles an hour in fact. Only a couple of weeks ago we had the opening of the long awaited Ribble link and today there’s more good news for the canals here in the county. A stretch of the Lancaster canal at Hewitt field? has won a major national award after being judged the most improved part of the entire network operated by British waterways. Tim Padfield’s there now.

TIM PADFIELD:
Yes Steve I’m here at Hewitt Field just north of Carnforth at the very top end of the award winning Lancaster canal, and with me is the British waterways Chief Executive Dave Fletcher. Dave, why’s the canal won this award?

DAVE FLETCHER:
Because it’s a fantastic improvement to the area. It’s the commendation award, so it’s the national winner for the most improves area on the waterway for the lock and the length of the waterway. So it’s just a vast improvement on what it was and obviously you have to bear in mind this is still the derelict lock area but it’s been improved... (Sound cuts out)…to do so I think it’s a very important commendation for the future of the waterways and hopefully the future extension all the way to the Lake District to Kendal of the Lancaster canal.

TIM PADFIELD:
What competition did it have to beat off?

DAVE FLETCHER:
It is very, very tough. I mean there’s marginal differences, just the odd point here and there so you have to be very, very good, you know in your grass cutting, your preparation of the flower beds, the quality of the stonework, the painting, you know the whole presentation, the whole customer experience. It’s really very tough now to win this. I mean this is a very worthy winner against the fiercest national competition, so the length and breadth of the country have competed for this prize, so well done to Hewitt Field.

TIM PADFIELD:
Now not long ago here in Lancashire, we had the opening of the Ribble link for the 1st new canal for over 100 years, these must be very exciting times on the waterways?

DAVE FLETCHER:
Yes. I mean this is a very special time. I think we’re now restoring the waterways quicker than they were built 200 years ago so it’s quite a remarkable achievement and we had the Secretary of State, Margaret Beckett up here opening the, formally opening the Ribble link just a couple of weeks ago and it is really I suppose a special message to the waterways to build or to create a new navigable link that’s never existed before to link the Lancaster canal onto the network now, the whole national network so today you can now cruise from London to Lancaster and I think it’s a very good foretaste of the extension all the way to Kendal.

TIM PADFIELD:
Well also with me is Brian Pennington, who’s carried out some of this award winning work. Brian congratulations.

BRIAN PENNINGTON:
Thanks very much.

TIM PADFIELD:
You must be delighted.

BRIAN PENNINGTON:
Yeah, yeah, really pleased with it. I mean the lads who have worked on it have done an excellent job. I mean the improvements over the last year have been amazing round here.

TIM PADFIELD:
What sort of work have you had to do?

BRIAN PENNINGTON:
We’ve done bank protection because we were limiting moor runs in Hewitt’s Field but now we’ve extended it from bridge 138 to 139 so it’s invited a lot more boats up to Hewitt’s field and we put a planting scheme in, we’ve done the grass cutting, we’ve left areas, environmental issues as well and we’ve also done up the first lock as well.

TIM PADFIELD:
So there’s a lot of things to consider, not just the water?

BRIAN PENNINGTON:
Not just the water no. There’s a lot of issues with it, yeah.

TIM PADFIELD:
What more is there to do?

BRIAN PENNINGTON:
Well it’s hopefully the Northern reaches next thing. I mean hopefully we can get the boats, get the interest up here and then push for the Northern reaches being opened and…

TIM PADFIELD:
And that’s linking it to Kendal?

BRIAN PENNINGTON:
Linking it to Kendal then, an extra 15 miles, yes.

TIM PADFIELD:
So going back to you Dave, obviously the link to Kendal must be the next big thing?

DAVE FLETCHER:
Yes, it’s very important and I think we all need to bear in mind that canals are not just about boats you know. The inland waterways are about what they bring to the whole community so they’re about quality of life, they’re about jobs, they’re about regeneration, you know, post foot and mouth, this area really needs jobs, it really needs rejuvenation and we see the waterways as a catalyst, I mean bringing new jobs and employment in this area, so they’re important to everyone who lives in and near the waterways.

TIM PADFIELD:
Dave Fletcher, Brian Pennington, thanks very much. This is Tim Padfield for Lancashire Tonight at the side of the award winning Lancaster canal at Hewitt Field.