Who Are We?
We are the Bit In The Middle regional group of the Waterway Recovery Group, drawing
membership from anywhere which isn't covered by other groups, and even some who are! We
have members from as far afield as Kent, Herefordshire and East Anglia, although most are from
the home counties.
What Do We Do?
We work on a wide variety of sites, based mainly around central and southern England, within easy travelling distance of the M1, M4, M5, M6 quadrangle; although
we have been known to venture beyond. We do whatever work is needed, from earth moving with heavy plant
and stone or brickwork to landscaping, scrub bashing and lock painting. You name it, we'll try
it and whatever your skills or lack thereof there is always something you can do.
When Do We Do It?
We have a working party once a month. Between fifteen and twenty of us converge on a village
hall on the Friday evening, ready to spend the weekend getting dirty, sometimes wet, and very
tired. Oh and occasionally going to the pub too.
Why?
So what exactly is the appeal of spending your weekends in like this? Well
people do it for a wide variety of reasons. For some who are stuck in an
office all week it's a way to escape into
the countryside for the weekend, for others it's a chance to do things
which they wouldn't
otherwise be able to do, after all who else is going to give you the keys to a dumper truck or
hymac and say "drive it"!? For others it's the end result that matters, they want to see a particular
canal restored and reopened. However for everyone involved there is satisfaction at the end of
the weekend in seeing just how much difference a group of volunteers can make.
Included below are a selection of reports to give an idea of some of the sites BITM has visited
and the work they've done. If you would like to know more then email ENQUIRIES or ring Dave Wedd on (01252) 874437.