Making memories on the South Yorkshire Navigation
In our regular feature on the work of the National Community Boats Association, skipper of Adams Ark, Steve Scotthorne, describes how a second generation of young people are experiencing life on board.
CARLTON in Lindrick Youth Centre supports young people from Bassetlaw, which is at the north of Nottinghamshire, bordering with South Yorkshire. Many are living below the poverty line in this old mining community which has struggled like many other areas since the closure of the pits.
With the help of the youth workers and other agencies, the centre offers fun and informative activities that will help young people to reach their potential and in turn upskill the employment in the area.
The youth centre has had a relationship with Adams Ark community barge for many years and is now taking children of the first young people to whom it gave the experience of life aboard in the 90s.
My relationship with Adams Ark started in 2011 when fellow youth worker David Hamilton introduced me to the skippers and trustees on a training weekend. Since then, I have not looked back and now sit as a trustee on the board of the National Community Boat Association (NCBA), but I’m at my happiest when skippering the barge full of young people.
I attended a skipper training weekend to gain my NCBA community boat skipper’s certificate and since then have run residentials on Adams Ark every year until 2020 when, like most projects, we had to stop because of Covid.
Adams Ark’s main mooring is at Snaygill boat yard in Skipton which gives an excellent location for weekend and five-day cruising incorporating the locks at Gargrave, the Foulridge Tunnel and Bingley Five Rise to the east.
This year has seen us change our activities as we opted to keep the barge on the South Yorkshire Navigation moored up at The New Inn at Stainforth, with the kind permission of the landlord there, who serves a great pint and an excellent meal to hungry skippers.
This year’s trip would include two groups of young people over eight days travelling from Stainforth to the Sheffield Victorian basin and back. This was also a learning curve for me as the skipper as I had never been into Sheffield before with a boat.
On Monday, August 16 the group met at the youth centre with all their kit and with parents waiting eagerly to pass on their kin after weeks of isolation.
The trip to Stainforth included the A1, M18 and the new Hatfield Bypass which passes the now mothballed Hatfield colliery. This was the first chance of passing on our knowledge when to our amazement a young voice in the back pointed towards the colliery and asked: “What is that?”
On arriving at Adams Ark, we loaded our kit and supplies, went through the NCBA safety talk and fitted lifejackets. We then set off toward Barnby Dun and had soon mastered the first swing bridge and headed towards Bramwith Lock. John, the local Canal & River Trust lock keeper, made the young people feel at ease as they negotiated the workings of this lock.
We shared the lock with Ethel,a local community boat giving day trips along this stretch – it was good to see her out on the water again.
After thanking John for his help we carried on towards Doncaster; the young people enjoyed working the road bridge at Barnby Dun. Then through Long Sandall lock which is usually manned but today the young people had their first chance to work the mechanised lock. We were soon through Doncaster town lock and now on the River Don.
Sprotbrough was going to be our stop for the first night, but not before we had the chance to pass under the A1. The weather was kind to us and soon we moored up by the Boat Inn. We all had a walk up into the village, where we found a park with a zip wire that kept everyone occupied for a couple of hours.
After dinner, prepared by the young people, the rest of the night was taken up with starting our art project for the trip, which takes the form of a circular piece of art that everyone will have contributed to.
August 17
After an unusually quiet night we were up at 8am; after everyone was washed and dressed, beds put away and a good helping of bacon and egg butties we set off towards Conisbrough. This part of the River Don is aligned with the Trans Pennine Trail, so although you are out in the countryside, there are always plenty of people walking past to wave to.
After about 40 minutes you come across the Conisbrough Viaduct – a very impressive sight. Opened in 1909, it was part of a connection between the Hull & Barnsley Railway and those of the Great Northern and Great Eastern. It consists of more than 15 million bricks and features some beautiful decorative brickwork.
The young people were now becoming proficient at steering the barge and mooring up – they had mastered the locks although some still needed work on the rope throwing.
We soon reached Mexborough Low Lock and left the Don to carry on up the Mexborough New Cut; we would soon be at Swinton Lock to use the facilities and meet the volunteers and staff of that project.
Swinton Lock Activity Centre is a community-based charity developed in 2004 to meet the education and social needs of the communities in Rotherham, Doncaster, Barnsley and Dearne Valley. They focus on those who through disability, social and economic disadvantage face barriers to accessing these opportunities elsewhere. (Swinton Lock is always looking out for new and existing volunteer skippers and crew where full NCBA training will be given.)
They made us feel most welcome and gave advice on the trip ahead. Our main concern was where we would be able to get a pump out for the toilet, but they very kindly offered to sort us out on the return trip if needed.
We moved on through the lock and along the Kilhurst cut and rejoined the River Don at the flood lock. We would soon be entering the industrial areas of Rotherham and Sheffield, where the young people had chance to visit the Parkgate Shopping Centre for some down time and our thoughts were now where to find a safe place to moor up for the night.
We had a few issues navigating Rotherham Lock as the sides had been damaged and that night we moored at Ickles Lock accompanied by a couple of people magnet fishing.
August 18
By the time Nigel the lock keeper had arrived to unlock the lock we were all washed and fed and looking forward to mastering the Tinsley Flight, with the reward of a trip to Meadowhall if all went well.
We made our way to Tinsley Bottom Lock, passing the old iron works. This is where we met Dave and his crew of lock keepers who would see us all safely up the flight. All the way up the team made sure the young people were safe and entertained, telling stories of days gone by and the history of the flight. This is one of the times the NCBA and CRT come together to enhance young people’s enjoyment of our waterways, not only here but on all the canals and waterways.
What did surprise us was how many activities CRT was actively doing on this stretch of canal. We met a young lady from the trust working with vulnerable families providing activities for the children and refreshments. There were also gentlemen instructing young people in fishing from the banks, all, like Adams Ark, creating memories and empowering young people.
Moving on towards the Sheffield Basin, to the great delight of my co-worker Kat, we passed the place where the scene from The Full Monty was filmed when they were balancing on the car in the canal. Again, we found ourselves explaining the film to some young people.
That evening the young people had their trip to Meadowhall and the cinema. This rounded off the first stage of our trip and after breakfast the next morning we would be swapping groups and starting on our return trip.
August 19-22
The return trip was as eventful as the first with young people having the time to learn new skills and knowledge of the South Yorkshire Navigation. Cooking, baking, budgeting, self-hygiene, and the challenges they faced, would help set them up for life.
There is a chance that we may create new interest where young people will progress into future NCBA skippers but the most important thing for me is the memories that they will take forward, and hopefully get a chance to talk about and encourage others to become involved.
This trip would not have been as successful as it was had it not been for the volunteers and trustees of the CRT, NCBA, The Friends of Adams Ark, the help of people at Swinton Lock, Paul, the skipper of LB Hardfeet (A & G Passenger Boats Ltd), Sue, Kat, and Kath (youth workers) and all the other boat users and friends of the waterways.
Special thanks go to my crew, the young people of Carlton in Lindrick Youth Centre.