The Shrewsbury, District and North Wales branch of Inland Waterways Association is returning to the Narrowboat Inn near Oswestry for its popular Quiz on 9th March. It will again be a lunchtime event with quizzers enjoying a meal before getting down to the serious business.
A branch spokesman said, “Our branch covers Shropshire, south Cheshire and North Wales and our annual Quiz is one of the most popular events we hold in the branch area.
“Our waterway system has a history of 200 years and more. Around the network there are many interesting places – from the great aqueducts of the World Heritage Site to lock flights, wharves and quiet canalside villages – where visitors enjoy the peace of the waterside or sit with a beer or coffee to watch the boats go by.
“Many people will know that Ellesmere Port is the port at the end of the Ellesmere Canal but fewer may know how the canal between Birmingham and London was improved as part of a Government ‘Job Creation Scheme’ in the 1930s. However our quiz is not just for canal experts but is mostly general knowledge – perhaps even things canal experts do not know – making an entertaining afternoon with the chance to talk about the pleasure we get from our canals. So we hope that members and friends will come along and join us to answer our questions – or just be entertained as others try to!
“While this is one of social events for our branch, we like the rest of the national Inland Waterways Association are greatly troubled by Government plans for funding our waterways. The IWA plays a leading role in the Fund Britain’s Waterways campaign which has been running events across the country to draw attention to the consequences of the dramatic cut in funding for the Canal & River Trust, the national waterway charity which runs much of the waterway network across England and Wales. This is the equivalent of a cut of at least 40% compared to recent funding without even taking account of inflation and the effect of more frequent severe weather events.
“So we shall be asking anyone who comes to the quiz and has not done so to take a moment to add their names to nearly 50,000 signatures on the Fund Britain’s Waterways petition.”
The meeting will be at the Narrowboat Inn, Whittington SY11 4NU. Quiz teams will normally be four people but singles and couples will be welcome and can be matched with others to make a team. Organisers do not promise lavish prizes but assure guests of an entertaining afternoon in good company.
The pub is open from 12 noon and there will be quiz sheets for visitors to puzzle over through their lunch.
It would help the Narrowboat Inn to know how many to cater for so anyone planning to come is asked to notify Dawn.Aylwin@waterways.org.uk or Alan.Platt@waterways.org.uk by 1 March.
