Re-opening of Mon & Brec takes top spot
25 September 2009
British Waterways' (BW) chief executive, Robin Evans has announced that the overall winner of the Waterways Excellence Awards 2009 is the project that has seen the repair and re-opening of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal.
Robin said: “Judging the Waterways Excellence Awards has been hugely rewarding as I had the opportunity to see so many great projects involving great people in great parts of the network. The enthusiasm and commitment of everyone was outstanding. I am very grateful to all those who submitted their particular project – 100 of them this year!
“I was particularly impressed by two recurring themes – appreciation of the heritage and involvement of volunteers. Getting the best out of all BW’s resources and people was another recurring theme, as was partnerships, with a truly inspiring variety of outside organisations and people.
“The task of finding an outright winner will never be simple, especially when all the projects have clearly demonstrated excellence in their own areas. However, I have decided that the repair and re-opening of the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal is this year’s winner. This project had huge complexity in its design, execution and involvement of outside parties. What greatly impressed me was the way the local team managed those complexities – and they did so by using local and national resources to great effect.
“It was evident on my visit that there was huge pride in what had been achieved by our bank staff who made a major contribution, by the local managers who dealt with stakeholders so effectively, and by the central experts who helped find and then deliver the right solution to time and budget. It was a truly excellent performance by an excellent team with an excellent result.
“Many congratulations to Wales & Border Counties general manager, Julie Sharman, who played a pivotal role in bringing everyone and everything together.”
The Waterways Excellence Awards celebrate individual and team contributions to the achievement of BW’s vision of securing a thriving, sustainable waterway network that is used and cherished by the public. BW wants to promote community interaction and these awards are an opportunity to showcase how the actions of those who work with the canals can have visible benefits for waterway users.
Ends
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Notes to editors:
Regional winners and runners up:
Scotland
1. Lock 17 by-wash installation, Forth & Clyde Canal
2. Removal and replacement of mooring jetties in Crinan Basin
3. Creation of a comprehensive compliance review and monitoring system
North West
1. Coppy Bridge repair scheme
2. RBS volunteer day
3. Rehabilitation of Hincaster horse path – phase 1
Yorkshire
1. Multi User Towpath Improvement scheme Calderdale
2. Brookfoot dredging works, winter 2009
3. Reuse of material from Long Sandall tip, South Yorkshire Navigation
3. Towpath Tidy – various locations
Wales & Border Counties
1. Mon & Brec Canal Repairs
2. Bosley Locks restoration project
3. Middlewich towpath improvements
West Midlands
1. Lock 37 By-wash, South Stratford Canal
2. West Midlands Notification Procedure
3. Shrewley Tunnel vegetation clearance
East Midlands
1. Boston Tea Rooms, River Witham
2. Licence it or Lose it Campaign
3. Structure Monitoring Regime
South West
1. Bone Mill Sluice Refurbishment
2. Caen Hill dragonfly project
3. G&S drainage ditch clearance
South East
1. Foxton HLF project
2. Minimum safety standard dredging project
3. Sabey’s Pool barrier replacement
London
1. Three Mills Lock and water control structures
2. Designing and implementing an integrated safety, heritage and environment management system for operational works
3. The employment of London’s first towpath ranger
Central
1. Evasion reduction
2. Vegetation & facilities management contract
3. Liverpool Canal Link