Alex Hutchings Becomes New RWB Branch Chair

At a meeting on 19th July, the branch membership unanimously elected Alex Hutchings to take the chair. Alex who?

He might be a fairly recent member, but Alex spent his secondary school years at the town's Comprehensive school - now the RWB Academy. He saw older pupils volunteer to help to restore the canal but was too young to take part. He now has his chance to volunteer, after gaining experience with British Gas over many years, starting as an apprentice Gas Engineer and culminating in being one of three regional managers running the carbon-reduction initiative.

Alex has an impressive record of fund-raising, particularly for MacMillan Nurses. He was recognised by winning a regional final of the ITV Pride of Britain Awards.

Canals are for slow boats, but Alex has plenty of experience skippering fast sea-going boats known as RIBs (Rigid Inflatable Boats). He captained one of the squadron of RIBs used as safety boats for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in 2012, where he ended up right next to the Royal Barge, as seen in a short video he took of the occasion. Here's a still photo of Alex and the safety teams from the pageant:

He set up his own business restoring and building RIBs and has a workshop along Bincknoll Lane.

Alex was involved in jet-washing the underside of the work-boat 'Nelson' before it was transported to Royal Wootton Bassett where it was craned into the water on 15th May.

He is certified to fly the WBCT drone, recording video footage of the state of the gabion slip at the Studley Grange Biffa land-fill site.

We wish Alex well in his new role, and we offer our thanks to Jenny Stratton for her many years chairing the branch.