C O N T E X T 1 2 4 : M A Y 2 0 1 2 13 and vandalism are problems in some areas. CRT will be a member of the Heritage Crime Initiative, involved in finding ways to combat these social nuisances. Further problems faced by working heritage come with unsympathetic or failed past solutions, such as rendering buildings or spraying concrete on to bridges in a vain attempt to halt water ingress and decay. The hydraulic ‘granny paddles’ of the 1970s (easier to use than the traditional rack-and-pinion type) are a classic example of well-intentioned but ultimately unsatisfactory improvements. It is important not to overstate these pressures.They are common to many historic estates throughout the UK. A great deal of working heritage on the waterways survives and works well. A key aim of CRT will be to keep it that way into the future through a combination of sound heritage management, best practice and innovative thinking. There are a number of ways in which CRT will secure and effectively manage its many heritage assets. For a start, there are written standards and processes for activity affecting heritage. CRT will continue to employ qualified and dedicated heritage advisers who are regionally based. Heritage training, both practical and awareness-raising, remains an objective.There are currently 70 candidates enrolled on the NVQ3 heritage skills programme.These people are practical champions for heritage around the waterways network. CRT will increasingly engage with and offer quality opportunities to volunteers who can add greatly to the resource of talent, expertise and enthusiasm the trust can draw on. Some voluntary groups, like the Lancaster Canal Trust and the Midlands-based Guild of Bricklayers, for example, are self-supervising and well able to work on historic and designated structures. In 2010/11 volunteers donated 14,600 days of their time to British Waterways/CRT across a range of activities. Among these was heritage activity, which clearly benefits from voluntary work. The volunteers and the nation benefit too. Volunteers have the time and inclination to help CRT engage with intangible heritage such as waterways Right: An ornate chimney from a vanished pumping station in Bath was repaired in 2011 and is no longer at risk. Left: A rare early 19th century barrel-vaulted lock cottage on the South Stratford Canal Right:Traditional equipment at Naburn Locks, River Ouse,Yorkshire Left: Gloucester Docks, an inland port at the junction of the River Severn and the Gloucester and Sharpness Ship canal
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