Interreg IVB – North West Europe

Canal & River Trust – Lead Partner:

And

Notes to accompany power point presentation to The West Midlands External Funding Action Group

In attendance

Presentation by Chris Bailey – Canal & River Trust (CRT), Enterprise Manager – European Projects

Peter Morgan – Heritage Lottery Fund

Nigel King – Natural England

Sam Todd – Environment Agency

Mark Schneider – West Mids – EU Services

Yvonne Gilligan – Sustrans

Dan Wrench – Shropshire County Council

Clare Fildes – Shropshire Hills – AONB

Simon Papprill – CRT

Presentation and notes distribution list

Mike Morris – Severn Trent Water

James Dennison - Staffs Wildlife Trust ( SWT )

Emma Beaman – Cannock Chase AONB

Kevin Peel – Sustrans

Adam Edwards – National Trust

Joanne Hickman – RSPB

Simon West – Forestry Commission

Adam Edwards – National Trust

Amanda Smith – English Heritage

Jason Leech – CRT

Guy Corbett Marshall - SWT

Janet Armstrong – Groundwork UK

Mike Bentley – Small Woods Association

Anne Walker – Staffs County Council

Presentation subject

Numericanal / Green & Blue Futures – What is being achieved on the ground and the importance and benefits of transnational exchanges and cooperation

Brief background

These Interreg projects were initiated by a call for partners to discuss project concepts

Numericanal – how can we improve the management of our inland waterways using new technologies?

Call was from Niverlan , Burgundy and spotted by WM EU services

Green & Blue Futures – How can we assist the public sector in managing public open spaces using social enterprises?

Call was initiated by CRT through our current European network contacts

Initial meeting of potential partners took place and concepts developed – Partners agreed to take it forward as an application – further developing ideas until final submission

Both projects were approved, Numericanal conditionally , in the last round of INTERREG IVB 2007 to 2013

CRT is the lead partner in both projects and costs are built in to the projects to cover this

Partners – What are they doing and what is the transnational value?

CRT – Research remotely operated inland waterway structures and develop systems for introduction in the UK , Investigate the potential of mobilising inland operational workforce via mobile devices and mobile device work instructions and consider the control centres that would be need to manage such operations

Progress so far

Remotely operated structures – desk top research and site visits to partners operations show there a lot or inland waterway structures that are remotely operated and these range from control systems on site with operatives , control systems operated remotely via CCTV and computer systems

Following lots more research and testing technologically advanced models it has been decided to pilot RADAR operated systems – ground-breaking in NW EU , European and we believe World terms

The reality of this , which has been tested on CRT structures , is that from a mobile device ( mobile device app ) our customers will be able to operate a lock / moveable bridge by their boat breaking RADAR beams , RADAR beams checking boats location for safety and using beams operate the structure

This operation will not require any human interaction – obviously all risks will accounted for and eliminated

All partners will visit this operation and analyse the opportunities for adoption in the partner countries

Mobile working – following extensive research and partners visits – we found no inland waterway has an operational workload that is managed via mobile devices

Research into other industries and organisations has concluded that workforce tasks and work instructions can be relayed via mobile devices

CRT have tested the mobile systems using risk assessments and timesheet input as a pilot , which has worked successfully

CRT have purchased 750 mobile devices and software systems for work planning to roll out the mobile working programme – work instructions will be relayed weekly at first aiming for daily instructions in the future

CRT will hold a workshop at a midterm event , in September , in Maastricht where all appropriate European Inland Waterway Operational Managers will be invited to witness the systems first hand

VNF , the French Navigation authority are practically interested in the technologies

Control Centre – Working closely with Partners in Eindhoven we have discussed control centre models that will suit both partners and in the UK the centre is likely to be

-Fully operated by CRT directly employed staff

-Based in the Midlands

-Will be used for remote structure operations , mobile work planning and instructions , water control and emergency responses

Again , once operational all partners will visit to decide if the model has the potential for replication in their countries

France – VNF – User information

Our French partner VNF have consulted with users and analysed user needs on the requirements for information to be provided by new technologies

Some great innovations in the potential platform have been researched as well as potential ground-breaking social media application for users to exchange information

The end result may be on diffing platforms , be in the form of a mobile app , social media toll , sat nav system or something completely different – we don’t know yet

We do know that our partners user want the following kinds of information - Where can we moor , what are the operating times on this waterway , where are the facilities such as water, toilets , laundry etc , whats in the next village – doctor , restaurant , bar , shop etc where is my next point of interest etc etc

Initial roll out has been agreed as South Wales with the rest of Partners to follow

The Netherlands – SRN , Eindhoven and Eijsden-Margraten – Nautical safety

Keep out of the blind spot – a number of people are killed each year navigating Dutch waterways – mainly through the larger commercial craft being unable to see the leisure craft because of the blind spot ( see illustration - Blijf uit de dode hoek )

Eindhoven – large craft / Leisure craft sharing the same Canal – see photos

Maastricht – High Capacity Lock approach – see small vessel on lock approach to appreciate scale

Dutch Partners are developing a mobile device based “Danger Zones” warning systems for roll out in Partner countries as well as a training and education programme

Partners – What are they doing and what is the transnational value?

CRT –Churnet Valley Living Landscape Partnership – in partners with GBF are connecting the Churnet Valley via 22 new or refurbished access on and off the Caldon Canal , refurbishing 6 km of Towpath , installing 1.5 km of vole friendly bank protection , renewing 4 km of hedgerow and undertaking a huge programme of biodiversity improvements – all to be delivered by social enterprise

CRT will mainly use existing social enterprises like the Caldon Canal Trust , The Inland Waterways Association and Leek Volunteer services as well as recruiting 100 young people placements ( with associated accredited training ) through the vInspired programme -

Site visits from all partners has already taken place – partners met CRT volunteers to explain the reason they volunteered for such work on the Caldon Canal , how their social enterprise is set up and how they operate – Belgian and French partners want to explore volunteer at such a level further

Scottish Waterways Trust ( SWT ) – Canal College

SWT are using the Canal infrastructure to create work experience opportunities that attain accredited training transferable into the work environment

This model is now well establish in Scotland and SWT have a reputation for delivery – 3 cohorts have complete their terms and received various certification and accreditation

Hainaut and Tipperary are keen to replicate this model

Scottish Canals – Helix project – regenerating as dynamic , interactive and vibrant open space between Grangemouth and Falkirk part of the project is to set up a Social Enterprise zone – which has been done and the social enterprises ( with meaningful names as an explanation of the kind of things they do are:

Mature, well established enterprises

  • Recyclebike
  • Bio Char
  • Helix Honey
  • First 4 kids
  • Delta Arts
  • Stenhousemuir FC
  • And many more!

Emerging, set up and running

  • Revamp furniture
  • The Music foundation
  • And many more!

Aspirational

  • Corsters computers
  • Social enterprise laundry
  • Community Orchard
  • And many more !

Tipperary – Creating a integrated social economy network along the River Suir – from Carrick on Suir to Clonmel via

  • Community led access improvements
  • Canoeing
  • Clonmel to Carrick towpath restoration
  • Youth connect project
  • Sounding lines arts project

All with strong links to Tidy Towns – Ireland -

A real strong community led Tidy Towns Programme

Succeed in Sambre ( SIS) and Hainaut – French and Belgian partners

SIS – using social enterprise to create work experience to lead peple back to work through a large project to grow Spirulina ( high protein foodstuff) in 40 acres of Greenhouses next the the River Sambre – scaling to a commercial operation

Hainaut – Creating work experience and roots back to work via 3 organic farms which teach beneficiaries agricultural skills to grow the seasonal crops , packaging such goods , marketing and sales to local communities

Hainaut aspire to make the farms sustainable via the Scottish enterprise zone model

West Flanders – Water corridor management (biodiversity and infrastructure management)

West Flanders use Social payback or community service to manager the local authorities public open space – scaling up the operation to win the locally awarded contract

Impressive set up that could act as a model for other EU local authorities

Presenation ends – at this point I presented the next GBF steering group meeting agenda ( see below ) to give a flavour of the benefits of the transnational exchange elements of the meetings

Green & Blue Futures

Steering Group Meeting 10/11 June 2014 – Falkirk

Agenda and Timings

Tuesday 10th June

9am – Welcome and Introductions

9-15 / 10 am – Action 2 – Staffordshire pilot

  • Vinspired – 100 young people’s placements - Lucie Unsworth / Simon Papprill
  • Practical delivery Susannah Ronan-Hill

Partners updates , knowledge exchange and output review

10-15 / 12 midday

  • West Flanders
  • Succeed in Sambre
  • Hainaut
  • SWT
  • Scottish Canals

12 / 12-30 – Monitoring and Evaluation subgroup meeting – feedback

12-30 – Lunch and site visits – visit Canal College work sites and meet cohort , lectures and mentors – followed by a tour of the Helix Project and Scotland’s social enterprise Zone

Wednesday 11th June

9-00 / 9-30 – Work package 3 – Social outcomes – Presentation from Succeed in Sambre

  • Management and Personal development of beneficiaries
  • Streaming for individual needs of beneficiaries

9-30 / 10 -00 – Transnational exchanges – feedback

  • Hainaut / Scottish Canals – Hainaut investigates the SEZ model for its operations
  • SWT / Tipperary – Tipperary aspiration to implement SWT Canal college model
  • Hainaut / Sambre – Scale , can Hainaut scale to SIS size of operation

10-00 / 11-00 – Finance and reporting updatesChris Barnett

11-00 am / 1-30 – Social enterprise exchange

  • Update on Work package 2 – Scotland’s social enterprise zone – Richard Millar and Social Enterprise Academy
  • Work package 4 - Sustaining social enterprises

Case study – Stourport Forward 2005 to 2014 – Chris Bailey

Case study – Canal Connections – Alan Bolton / Trevor Roberts

  • Work package 4 - Social enterprise V term contractors – Compatible or conflict? Tony Harvey
  • Work package 4 - Spring Vale – How to grow and sustainably and scale up