Day three - Brentford
04 March 2010
The sun was shining in Brentford on Wednesday, raising our spirits (if not our temperature) as we readied ourselves for a day of hard work.
While the water was sparkling and the ducks, geese and swans seemed pretty content, the lock furniture was looking a bit dingy and in need of a good lick of paint. One team went off to lay down some barley bails - an important tool in the battle against blue green algae - and the rest of us grabbed paintbrushes, paint and scrapers (and the obligatory life jackets) and got to work.
We painted pretty much everything in sight - masonry, bollards, foot plates, cill markers - giving Brentford Lock a complete overhaul. I took some photos and film of the action but disaster! As I was leaning over to reach a tricky spot, the camcorder slid out of my pocket and into the canal with an ominous glop, sinking as I went to grab it. I was pretty sheepish but live in hope that it may be fished out in next year's Towpath Tidy, and added to the weird and wonderful list of things found in our canals and rivers.
The day went smoothly with no other dramas. Lunch in the local café; a surprise visit from a local press photographer who took some pictures of us brandishing brushes; freezing fingers that had to be de-iced under the hand dryer; chatting with familiar faces and meeting new ones. And supportive comments from passersby â always appreciated!
Thereâs something tremendously satisfying about getting a job done well. Standing back at the end of the day and taking in the freshly painted lock, I felt a great sense of achievement. It was a brilliant opportunity to get out of the office and do some hands on work for a change, and gave me an appreciation of what goes on at the front line and the continual battle against the elements that makes securing the annual maintenance budget such a necessity.
By Fran Read, BW National Press Officer
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