Dear Club Members, families and friends
I have just received an email from the wife of George Taylor who joined us last year from Clayton-le-Woods, he has unfortunately passed away from Covid-19.
If any of you had not yet realised the seriousness of the virus and this news means you take more care, his death may not have been in vain. Please take the advice about not mixing with people and thorough hand washing seriously and I hope you all stay safe.
For those of you who don’t know, United Utilities have closed access to our reservoirs, their letter is copied below. Regarding fishing Colne Water the situation is less clear. Certainly you are not allowed to drive there to fish and the Countryside Alliance have advised against going fishing, so even if you live in walking distance of the river the advice has to be not to fish.
Dear Leaseholder/License
Following the updated Government Guidance on the Coronavirus, we wanted to update you on our current position regarding recreational activities on our reservoirs including fishing/boating activities.
We appreciate these unprecedented times are proving difficult for many organisations, and that may include your own.
As an essential service provider, we must ensure the health and safety of our employees to deliver critical services to our customers. But, because of the open access to the land we own, we also have a duty to protect the health of the public.
As a result, we have taken the difficult decision to close off all our car parks and toilet facilities to assist the Government in achieving its overall goal of reducing the spread of the virus. We are asking all recreational tenants to adhere to this advice and refrain from using our reservoir sites until this instruction has been relaxed. Please can you share this information with your organisation/club members.
We are also aware that the RYA and other organisations are directing their members to follow Government advice which is:
· Non-essential travel must be avoided
· People should ensure social distancing
· Older people and people with severe illnesses should be particularly stringent when considering social distancing
Should you need any further advice on the Government Guidance this can be found on the www.gov.uk website.
I trust you understand why we are taking these measures and we are conscious of what it means for you and the public who enjoy recreational activities on our land. If you have any further questions regarding the above points please do talk to us.
Regards
Dafydd
