Action Briefing Oct 2006 - Nov 2006
	The Newsletter of Birmingham Friends of the Earth

Kayak or Canadian?

Hats off to British Waterways (BW) who are putting boats back onto a seldom-used canal. A BW-led effort has funded the Brownhills Canoe and Outdoor Centre. During the school summer holiday, a scheme in partnership with the local Council has coaxed children to the waters of the Wyrley & Essington Canal to learn about canoeing.
The Centre, developed in partnership with the British Canoe Union, Brownhills Community Association, the European Regional Development Fund, Sport England, Big Lottery Fund, Walsall Canoe Club and Walsall Council, opened in June 2006. It lies close to Silver Street and includes a reopened canal basin, a canoe launching slipway, and new visitor and residential moorings for canal boats. You can contact Brownhills Community Association on 01543 452 119.
Making the most of local facilities and broadening the appeal of the canals is good news. We hope that there will be a network of canoeing centres across Birmingham and the Black Country.
British Waterways has responsibility for a network of around 2000 miles of navigable waterways, mostly developed to transport goods. The organisation falls under the funding umbrella of Government Department DEFRA and, having once been a part of DETR, works to principles known as ‘Greening Government’ (eg. using recycled stationery etc). All in all, BW can be a positive force in Birmingham.

John Hall