Performance Improvements in the last 12 months


Much has been achieved in the past twelve months to make the Trust more effective and productive.

  1. WBCT’s communications with the public on its website have been completely overhauled, with near daily postings on social media and with increasing presence in the local press, radio and TV.
  2. A matrix of “Spade Ready” restoration projects has been compiled. It is updated regularly and reviewed monthly at the Executive meeting.
  3. Chris Barry’s Comms team has rebuilt communications with the members, including monthly emailings of On the Button, quarterly emailing of Dragonfly (with hard copies being sent to those without email), and an annual print of Dragonfly including the AGM Report and Accounts for all members.
  4. A campaign to boost membership, advised by Dave Thomas, has added 182 new younger members and key volunteers in engineering and MCC maintenance.
  5. Peter Wilkinson and Brian Stovold have redefined financial authority levels for the Executive.
  6. A joint effort by the Chair and the CEO has recruited a new and energetic chairman for WBCT’s East Vale branch, Peter Scatchard.
  7. A Water Acquisition Group (WAG) has been set up under Derek Flexer and tasked with finding sources of this essential supply now and for the future.
  8. The development of relationships with neighbouring canal trusts has started at Cotswold Canals
  9. Martin Stubbs has made the landowners’ mapbook available online internally.
  10. Peter Wilkinson, our Head of Accounts has recruited Rachel Fletcher as his assistant to provide resilience, accounts are being produced monthly on schedule based on her postings.
  11. A Signage Improvement Group (SIG) has been set up under Tessa Lanstein and a survey by George Eycott of all existing signs (with photography) is being done and made available online. The design and costing of new signs is work in progress.
  12. The Trustees have approved the CEO’s planned recruitment of a paid Head of Fundraising.
  13. A new Finance Management Group has been set up under Peter Wilkinson.
  14. Peter Wilkinson and Martin Stubbs have built a paperless workflow for the approvals of expenditure. This went live in January 2021.
  15. At Jenny Stratton’s request, PIG has designed and produced a rolling campaign to win support from councillors and officers in the local authorities along our line. This started rolling out in January 2021.
  16. Recognising that 95% of our users are towpath walkers, Martin Stubbs and Chris Barry are refreshing our walk book and leaflets and making them available online for downloading.
  17. Martin Stubbs has produced refreshed templates for all hard copy and email correspondence from the Trust.
  18. A Chief Engineer, Jonathan Coates BEng, MICE, has been recruited by Gordon Olson to fill this key position.
  19. Our Performance Improvement Group, PIG, met the Trustees for a Governance Workshop on 23rd January to make plans to further improve our ability to deliver a fully restored canal.

Gordon Olson