THE Burscough Heritage Group was a community group that started life as the Burscough Village Canal Heritage Group and continued for more than 10 years, with the shortened name.
Until Covid hit, the group organised an annual heritage weekend, ran history meetings on winter evenings, installed information boards around the village, installed a much-appreciated bench on the towpath of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal towpath outside the wharf and did loads of work visiting schools and other groups informing people of the history of the town.
The main group of people organising the events, meetings and school visits had remained fairly constant, though with dwindling numbers throughout the years, and felt it was time for a rest. Despite appealing for new people to step up unfortunately no one came forward so the group is now being wound up and the artefacts and assets will be disposed of.
One of the last public acts of the group was the unveiling of two new benches for public use on the canal towpath alongside Burscough Wharf. They were installed to complement the one installed by the BHG back in 2016 to celebrate the bicentenary of the opening of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal.
Burscough Heritage Group had organised, with help of funding from the Tesco bags for life scheme, the benches which were dedicated by town council chairman Coun Brian Kennedy for the use of the local community and in memory of former members of the group, the late Kath Webster, Mike Allen and Sheila Petherbridge.
The members of the group send thanks to everybody, including all the other organisations and businesses that have supported the group over the years.
Burscough Town Council chairman Coun Brian Kennedy and the BHG chairman Tom Spencer take the first sit on one of two new canalside benches.
The Deputy Mayor of West
Lancashire, Iain Ashcroft about to smash
a bottle of ‘Kennet’ beer over the bow of Kennet boat to rededicate the
at Burscough Heritage was Week 2012. This
the boat’s first public appearance restoration by following
the Friends of Kennet,
Leeds & Liverpool part of the
Canal Society. The deputy mayor is watched by, from
left: Lynton Childs of the Friends of Kennet,
John Webster, Tom Spencer, and Sandra Nolan
Heritage of the Burscough
Group, Freda Childs, chair
Liverpool of the Leeds & Canal Society and the
deputy mayoress.
The Burscough Heritage Group’s team that ran the children’s sessions during the Heritage Week 2013. They are pictured beside the working narrowboat Aquarius that had called in at the wharf for a few hours along with the butty Ilkeston while passing through Burscough following a trip into Liverpool. Those present include: Tom Spencer, Mike Allen, crew of
Aquarius, Sandra Nolan, Trish Moran, Carole Wareing, Janet Lawson, Sue Webster, Cliff Boynton, Sheila Petheridge, Sue Bradshaw, Ivan Hicks, Gill Draper and Kath Webster. Colin Wareing was behind the camera.
PHOTOS: COLIN WAREING, COLIN AND CAROLE’S CREATIONS
Margaret Gardner and Cindy Robertson cut the ribbon to unveil the plaque recording the working boat families of Burscough on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. The plaque was produced by the Burscough Heritage Group in 2016 to help celebrate the completion of the canal in 1816, while Margaret and Cindy had just completed walking the entire 127¼ miles of the towpath to celebrate a significant birthday for Margaret. On the left is BHG chairman Tom Spencer.
One of the last commercial working canal boatmen from Burscough, George Lawson, wearing hi-vis, explains the job he used to do as visitors gathered to celebrate the Burscough Canal Heritage Week 2012. The photo was taken at Burscough Wharf with the Leeds & Liverpool short boat Ribble moored alongside.