I have started the mammoth task of scanning all my transparencies; more than 200,000. This will enable me to keep them on computer and use them in PowerPoint presentations. Progress is painfully slow, but I am concentrating first on those involving the our canal; there are around 7,000 of them. Before too long I should be in a position to re-present a historical perspective of the society over more than twenty years. Another digitising that I have been doing recently has been converting a number of VHS films to DVD and this includes one which celebrated the 1988 national waterways rally in Manchester. It featured the first major outing of the canal society sales stand, standing on the filled-in remains of the original Lock 1 beside the River Irwell in what is now the approach to the Margaret Fletcher Tunnel.

Having missed the story of the Fletcher family at our own open meeting I was delighted to be able to catch up and hear the latest version when Robert Cornish spoke on the subject to Manchester Geographical Society earlier this year. Talks such as this add considerably to the publicity for the restoration work not to mention the considerable funds generated by the sale of Robert's book.

Restoration achievements have not been as dramatic as in the heady days of the Middlewood project, but nevertheless slow and steady progress is being made, not least by the activities of our own working parties and those from outside the society with whom they are successful in engaging to garner further support.

I commented before about the aspiration for re-building a box boat at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port. I visited the museum over the Easter weekend for the working boat gathering. Tony Hales, Chairman of British Waterways, launched the Heritage Boatyard at Ellesmere Port by smashing a bottle of champagne over a newly constructed replica box for a box boat. It is reported the box came off best from the encounter.

We are investigating the practicality and cost-effectiveness of offering a plaque for sale to those who can demonstrate that they have cruised the open section of our canal at Middlewood. We hope it would encourage more boaters to use it. If this idea comes to fruition you will hear about it here!

I understand that the snagging work and final signage at Middlewood is about to be completed. Let us hope, therefore, that indeed there are a goodly number of visitors by boat over the coming months whether we are offering a plaque or not!

John Fletcher