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News

Committee Nominees / AGM January 24th

As two Committee members have decided to leave at the end of 2023 the Secretary and Treasurer have decided to ask for nominations for two or three Full members to join the Committee.

The list of nominees will be open until a week before the AGM that’s Wednesday the 17th of January, no nominations will be accepted after that date or at the AGM.

The Full members present at the AGM will be asked to vote for the nominees, only votes from Full members attending the meeting will be accepted.

You can express your interest by contacting the Secretary by Email frank.bagley@gmx.co.uk

or mobile,

07989 566219.

You will be notified of the AGM venue at a later date.

Bank Clearing following the Floods

The River didn’t go down for last Wednesday in fact it was half way up the steps. The task hasn’t changed though, we have 26 dangerously unfishable pegs with flotsam and mud to clear. The Bournville Club have re-scheduled again and now trying for the 25th November.

The Weather forecast says no rain all next week (hard to believe) so Wednesday or Thursday is favourite.

Forget strimming, all you need is a shovel and a broom, so here we go again, many hands make light work and your help would be appreciated.

There’s a Beer waiting in the Anchor Inn for anyone that deserves it.

Bank Clearing following the Floods

The River has gone down and left us with 26 dangerously unfishable pegs with flotsam and mud to clear. The Bournville Club have booked pegs 13 to 26 next Saturday 18/11/2023 so we have some work to do to prepare the pegs in time. Checking the weather forecast Wednesday is favourite.

For this session all you will need is a shovel and a broom, so here we go again, many hands make light work and your help would be appreciated.

October and early November Floods

After a superb September of matches our luck turned and the end of October was a wash out causing us to cancel the first and transfer the second Winter League match. The river turned into an ocean with the road from Jubilee Bridge to Fladbury impassable. We thought that we could get down there and sort out the pegs then storm Ciaran arrived. This was a proper storm badly affecting the south of England and right across western Europe.

With further heavy rain forecast for Saturday the 4th of November the guys deciding to stay at home and we cancelled the scramble at Lower Park. We have one more match booked on a pool that’s Riddings on the 25th of November.

Assuming the river goes down we have the pegs to sort out for the final Aggregate match on the 11th November, it’s an even bet between sorting the pegs in time or transferring to a canal.

Bank Clearing Sunday 8th October 2023

With the match pegs 1-26 sorted there were a few maintenance jobs to complete. On arrival we noticed that the field had been harvested but then found a huge willow branch down right across the access between pegs 10 & 11, that was soon cut up and removed.

The dodgy step which had slid forward in peg 24 had was levelled and made safe & the slabs bridging the bank to the platform in peg 7 were supported with rubble.

Peg 32 required a bit more work. Completely overgrown and with a rotten pallet, that was cleared and replaced.

There’s more strimming to be done in the lock stream pegs 27 to 35, that will allow us to check the integrity of the steps and platforms in the five pegs 27 to peg 31, ready for the winter.

Late Fladbury Booking – 14th October 2023

The Bournville Club have Booked Fladbury for the 14th October, see the Home Page / What’s New Box/ Fladbury Match Box.

They have booked pegs 13 to 26 so pegs 1 to 13 and the pegs in the lock stream 27 to 35 are available.

Rivers Action Day Sunday

The “Avonvale Group” based in Fladbury held a River Action day Sunday the 24th September paddling up the Avon and taking water samples to increase awareness of the pollution in the River Avon. ITV “Midlands Today” covered the event shown on Monday 25/9/2023. Andy Hammerton (GirlingAS Bailiff) and Louise Jane Bugg (Avonval Group) were shown being interviewed expressing their concerns.

Louise started the Action Group last year following teenagers becoming ill after swimming and being inspired by the Societies water quality results on our website. The Society have supported the group from their inception and helped by supplying water measuring kits funded by various local councils through the Angling Trust. They are now taking monthly samples upstream and downstream of Fladbury and submitting their results to the Angling Trust. What Louise has achieved in a short time is impressive and we will continue to support the group where possible.

Well done Andy for supporting the action day although he said he was shattered after paddling eleven miles and taking seven separate samples. Thanks Louise for giving the Society some credit during the interview, check out their website www.Avonvaleriver.org.

Current Status;- The river at the moment is full of weed and the theory is that pollution is causing water clarity which allows the sun through. This coupled with extreme levels of nutrients (from pollution) is accelerating weed growth choking the river. The weed acts like a filter holding the pollution, the result is black filthy weed. The fear is that we are nearing the point where the River cannot recover.

Going Forward;- The groups next objective is to attempt to reduce the Phosphate level in the river which has been very high for over a decade. Phosphate is introduced from treated sewage and of course untreated sewage and washed of the fields from Cattle Farms in times of flood or heavy storms. Both areas (water companies and farming) where the Environmental Agency should be regularly monitoring.