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25/08/2008

Recently Tony and I have been doing a lot of work regarding trees which have fallen into the river. Fallen trees prove a hazard to river users; they catch other trees and debris coming downriver forming larger barriers and lodge across bridge piers even at times blocking complete arches. Once the trees are in the river they are extremely difficult to get out and it would be much better if they were cut down and removed before they fell into the water.
Unfortunately this takes money which it would appear the various Councils do not have and as a result it doesn’t get done. There are hundreds of dead trees lying on the banks of the Clyde ready to be washed away next flood. There are hundreds more trees, dead, but still standing which will in time be washed away. There are hundreds more ready to fall and many take parts of the banking with them when they fall. It is a serious problem.

But back to the work of Tony and I. We do our best to move trees downriver to the weir where the Glasgow City Council boat the “St Mungo” can safely remove them This can entail hours of steady towing by row boat (as motorised craft are not good for manoeuvring when towing in fast currents)

It can entail cutting the trees up into sections we can handle using axes and hand saws (single and double). Sometimes we receive assistance from rowers from the Clubs who supply pulling power to get a tree into the banking or up the banking until the tides currents and winds are right to get it downriver.
At present there are more than 20 fallen trees (or large tree braches) lying in the river between the tidal weir at Glasgow green and Westhorn Park. We are gradually removing these. It takes time; it takes skill and knowledge of tides, currents and winds gathered by Society Officers during lifetimes on the river and it saves Councils thousands of pounds.

05/08/2008

Glasgow Humane Society wish to thank Carillion for their kindness in donating recycled goods for use at the Lifeboat Station. It is most pleasing to find companies willing to recycle goods.

17/07/2008

EE Fun Run

Clyde Rowing Club competed in the recent East Wend Fun Run to raise money for the new rowing club project and the Glasgow Humane society. We are extremely grateful to the members of Clyde Rowing Club and congratulate them on their efforts.

02/07/2008

Important message

Date Released: 19 June 2008> Message from the Ambulance Service We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory. If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE'

(In Case of Emergency) Campaign

The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As mobile phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name 'ICE' (In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents there were always mobile phones with patients but they didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognised name for this purpose.

In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialling the number you have stored as 'ICE'.

13/06/2008

Speech made by Officer George Parsonage at the Glasgow Humane Society Annual General Meeting in the City Chambers Glasgow on Friday 13th June 2008.

Good morning

By now you will have received your copy of the Annual Report.

There are as usual several minor printing errors in the report.

This year I am asking you to put on a piece of paper the numbers of the pages on which there are errors and to send them to me by the end of June Correct sheets will then be put in a hat a winner drawn out and the winner will receive a free trip in a Society boat on a rainy day second prize will be the same trip on a sunny day

Of course I’m only joking

The Annual Report gives you the statistics for 2007

They are impressive and I pay tribute to my fellow Officer Antony for the amount of work he has been doing, to the Lifeguards and the Riverwatchers to our web master Mark Mackay and to Tom A’Hara for turning it into the format you see before you today.

I pay tribute to the various Councils who have listened to our safety pleas especially Glasgow who lead the way in Scotland, the United Kingdom and probably Europe in attempting to ensure the safety of our citizens and visitors from drowning

But what more would you expect from a City that gave birth to the first

Humane Society in the World to have a full time dedicated Officer to prevent waterway accidents

This year we have been busier if that were possible.

There is so much work to be done out there that no one else seems willing to do.

Many say they will do the work but the reality is that it usually gets pushed aside and forgotten. If it was not for constant niggling from the Society much of the safety work would not be carried out

If it was not for the Society the safe river and riverbank behaviour we have today would gradually slip and degenerate until safety would be flaunted daily perhaps with terrible consequences.

If you had lived two hundred and twenty years ago and had fallen into one of Glasgow’s waterways---the chances of anyone coming to assist you were almost nil

Then came the French revolution with the ideals of Liberty Equality Fraternity

The enlightenment that swept across Europe and further afield caused some Glasgow citizens to set up the Humane Society and so 218 years ago if you had fallen into the River---there was a good chance you would have been saved by the Humane Society

200 years ago you had a chance of being saved by someone using a Humane Society lifebelt and or rope or using other rescue and resuscitation apparatus supplied by the Society.

160 years ago you may have drowned while swimming in the River at the Dominies Hole a well known bathing spot which claimed dozens of lives but 150 years ago thanks to the Humane Society and the Glasgow Corporation you could have the pleasure of swimming in the first public baths at the Greenhead---opened to put a halt to so many citizens loosing their lives.

At the same time the Glasgow Humane Society was campaigning for safety on many fronts the filling in of sand pits and quarries along the river banking, the erecting of Railings along the River and at parts of the Canal giving evidence to a Parliamentary Committee regarding the dangers of removing the weir at Glasgow Green and much more

Safety and prevention have always been to the forefront of the work of the Society Officers.

The more persons you see in trouble the more dead bodies you remove the more polarized you become about preventing any more accidents.

That the Glasgow Humane Society has 218 years of records showing what has caused accidents puts it in a unique position to advise on how to prevent more accidents happening

And we have given this advice faithfully.

30 years ago if you had fallen into the river in dockland the chances were that you would not have got out as quay wall ladders up until that time had only been used for getting up from moored ships they did not reach the water level at low tide some did not reach the water level at high tide.

In conjunction with Glasgow City Council and some developers along the riverside we are having this rectified. Much has been done---but it is slow work---and to get the will to spend money on safety features has to be carefully worked at.

Ladders now have to meet many requirements thanks to the Society they have to reach 2 metres below the surface at low tide, there is a lifebelt post at the top of the ladder with lifebelt, signage, lighting---all bright yellow to show persons on the quay wall where the ladder is.

20 years ago there would have been no yellow painted railing no safety signage this is due to the Humane Society

10 years ago there were no lifebelts throughout Glasgow Green and up to Carmyle there are now thanks to the Society

2 years ago there was no Global Positioning by Satellite link to lifebelt stances to enable emergency services to instantly identify the caller’s position. This was secured by the Humane Society.

We are developing ideas fast and furious and with support and financial backing we can assist the City Fathers to make Glasgow, the surrounding Council areas and perhaps the whole of Scotland an example to others as we have done throughout our 218 years.

In the Harbour area of the River Clyde £120thousand has already been spent but possibly as little as 10% has been renovated

Ladder etc provision still required amounts to over £1 million

Lifebelt posts/ lifebelts still required amounts to £650 thousand

This is based on £1800 to £2000 per ladder and £500 per lifebelt stance

There are at present no ladders on the north bank upstream of the Harbour Complex (who listened, agreed and acted) which meet our Water Safety Working Group desired safety standards

Many waterside railings do not meet desired standards to bring these up to the desired standard we are talking upwards of £12 million based on railing costing £300 per metre

Add to the above the daily safety patrols, the event safety cover and all the small but important tasks carried out by the Society that are extremely important but not easily quantified

We continue to push for a safe waterway environment

We are pro active

Some may ask

Your Officers and a vast number of the public out there believe that the Society has a big part to play in the safe development of our waterways

Thanks to our Directors and the City Council we are going to continue to prove this.

The Glasgow Humane Society should advance towards its tri centenary safe in the knowledge that it has a job to do that it can do well

I thank the Directors and the City Council for their work and thank everyone who is giving us their continued support

I thank all the Lifeguards and Riverwatchers

I thank all those who have listened and taken cognisance of our safety advice

I thank all the people who behave safely

I thank my wife and my family

Thank you

24/06/2007

Glasgow Humane Society are again holding lifeboat rowing and canoeing races on the river Clyde during the Glasgow show on Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th July 2007 between the hours of 1000 and 1800.

Racing will be held in the straight between the East and West boathouses.

It is also proposed holding races over the same course during the World Pipe Band Championships on Saturday August 11th and during the Fresh n low Great Scottish Run on Sunday 1st September.

Lifeguards, Riverwatchers and any other person who wishes to take part in this event are requested to contact the Society officers as soon as possible.

15/04/2007

William McIlvanney’s excellent article in today’s Sunday Herald magazine (click here for article) gives me the chance to correct one or two misconceptions.

None of the main Officers of the Glasgow Humane Society have ever been “part time” Officers. The Glasgow Humane Society work always took/takes priority and it would be fair to say that any other work that the Officers undertook was their “part time” job. This was especially true during my time teaching. It must be remembered that most of the 26years I spent teaching I was only assisting my father Ben “part time”. It was only for a few years after Ben died that I was a “full time” Officer and a “part time” teacher.

The other point that I have to make is one that keeps cropping up in books and articles and perhaps this time I will be able to lay this literary ghost to rest. It is continually quoted that George Geddes was the first full time Officer of the Society starting his Officership in 1859. While the Geddes date is correct, the Glasgow Humane Society has always had a “full time” Officer since is conception. The first Officer was a “part time” shop owner in the Saltmarket and by 1795, when the first House was opened on Glasgow Green, a permanently Glasgow Green-based Officer was in residence.

I have almost completed a brief history of the Society which will shortly be placed on the Society web site.

The last point that I must raise is that the Glasgow Humane Society has a large part still to play in the development of water safety throughout Greater Glasgow and beyond. This has always been an aim of Society Directors and Officers. The Society was the first to make life saving apparatus available to the public, to institute the opening of swimming pools, the erection of fencing along parts of the City rivers and canals and, to bring this up to the present year, the use of Global Satellite Positioning for ladders, lifebelt stances and other safety features/landmarks along the City’s waterways.

21/03/2007

Updated Statistics 1st Jan 2006 until 21st March 2007 are as follows:

15/02/2007

Having read the article in today’s (8th February) Evening Times, I sent the following to “letters to the editor”

I well remember the rows of tenements where many of my friends lived being pulled down and the high rise flats being built. Many of the same people who had lived in the tenements moved into the high rise flats and seemed/seem pleased with them.

So long as the rumour that they are to be pulled down in a few years is not true, then it will be good to see them being refurbished.

However the area around the flats and between the flats and the new houses McNeill Street/Ballater Street needs to be upgraded.

This area contains one of the dirtiest, smokiest, noisiest and ugliest buildings (you will gather that I am not a fan) in our City’s residential areas, the distillery. Before the area really progresses the effect that this distillery has on the surrounding area has to be examined.

The waterfront between the Kings Bridge and Florence Street looking over the river to Glasgow Green is one of the best views but as yet its potential has not been realised. A number of years ago there was movement of the riverbank at this locus and partial collapse resulted. Nothing has been done to remedy this although the area to the east and to the west has been upgraded to an excellent standard for which the Council must be congratulated.

A scheme has been drawn up for this area to re grade the river bank giving the river its original line and to erect safe suitable fencing with benches for the locals to sit on and view the rowers on the river and the events in Glasgow Green. Surely these renovations should be run in parallel with any refurbishment of the buildings. It is always nice to live in up to date modern housing, but persons are entitled to come out of the houses to pleasant surroundings and a safe environment.

George Parsonage, Glasgow Humane Society

04/02/2007

Among the happenings of the past week have been the following,

At the request of Inverclyde Council Eddie, Lifeguard Tony and I visited Greenock and advised on safety provision. This was followed by a visit from members of Inverclyde to Glasgow where they viewed first hand safety features along the river Clyde through Glasgow Green and the Clyde walkway. An update of the booklet on safe architecture drawn up by the Glasgow Humane Society was given to the Inverclyde Officials. These Officials are proposing changes to their provision at Greenock.

A rope throwing course was held outside the Gala Casino with personnel from the Casino and Strathclyde University Boat Club taking part. Certificates were handed out and two throw ropes (courtesy of Glasgow City Council Water Safety Working Group) were given to the Casino to keep on their premises together with a lifebelt and rope.

Eddie and I travelled to Strathclyde Park South Lanarkshire where we gave advice on the type of boat required to carry out debris removal work and demonstrated one of our craft. This was followed a few days later by running a rope throwing course for ground maintenance workers at the Park.

Eddie Tony and I have assisted Glasgow Parks with the removal of dangerous foliage from the river banks between the Tidal Weir and Rutherglen Bridges.

Trees that came down river with the recent heavy rains and subsequently jammed on bridge piers have been removed.

2007 tide tables were handed out as requested to Rowing Clubs, Tidal Weir and Nautical College

The development of a GSP system for position identification along riverbanks is being progressed with Strathclyde Police. That this situation works even on a small scale was adequately demonstrated the other day when I received an e mail informing me of the following

“Just back for a wee walk around the park Just thought I'd let you know that somebody has dumped a couple of wooden doors just up a bit from Lifebelt Position 16, near to Polmadie Bridge I believe they have glass panels in them. Just thought I'd let you know in case some kid tries to think it’s a surfboard”.
Thank you.

We immediately went upriver and removed the doors.

Great to see in the Scottish Anglers National Association the following
“Do wear a lifejacket or a well designed buoyancy waistcoat. It should be worn over all other clothing at all times”.

Web site----www.sana.org.uk
Or contact
The National Game Angling Centre
The Pier
Loch Leven
Kinross KY 13 8UF
Tel 01577861116
fax 01577864769

The only point that the Glasgow Humane Society feels should be emphasised is that all boats should be fitted with rowlocks and have adequate oars (we always carry a spare pair) and a boat hook.

27/12/2006

I include the following in my newsletter as it demonstrates the way that the Glasgow Humane Society Officers become involved with safety over a wide area.

I observed the following on the North east Rowing web site

As the title says, the bow section of an eight was spotted in the middle of the Wear at a bend in the river by Orchard Drive on the Sands.

It looks to me to be that of the eight that has been on Grey College/Durham University landing stage since the summer holidays. I had a look yesterday, and that eight has indeed disappeared.

The eight must belong to somebody, although having traversed several weirs and missing the stern section I doubt it is much use.

The river didn't rise high enough during the recent flooding to float the eight off the landing stage so I can only assume that somebody has had a few too many and thought it was a laugh to chuck it in the river.

I'm unsure what should be done about this boat, nothing as far as I am aware was done to track down the owners while it spent several months at Dunelm, and moving it from the river will prove difficult, does anybody know what should be done about it?

Yours,
Ben

And again I observed

Not sure who owns this boat, though if it is not accessible for recovery from the bank then use of canoes would be an idea. One thing is certain, if it is left in situ and the river rises again, then it wouldn’t stand up to the rapids between The Sands and Finchale.
Jonathan

I observed another reply

Sounds like a good idea to me,

I have been told that it might belong to St Mary's College BC. Though haven't heard anything directly from them as of yet.

Does anyone own a canoe(s) that could be used to help rescue the boat? And also maybe look for the stern half?

Also once on land it'll need transport to Dunelm or perhaps Darc? Somewhere a bit more secure at least. Is anybody able to assist with this part?

Many thanks,
Ben

Another comment was posted

Sounds like a job for the environment agency to me. And if she does have a home, it sounds like an insurance claim, regardless of how the remains are recovered.

Michael Cannon

I (George Parsonage) then sent the following with copy to Ken Hastie

Ben,

I hope you do not mind my getting in touch with you and stating my thoughts.

As one whose life has been totally involved in safety, prevention rescue and death on waterways, it perturbs me greatly when I hear of incidents like this.

Someone could have drowned trying to reach this boat section, trying to play with it

Someone could have thought that there had been an accident to a crew and called out the emergency services

No craft or piece of craft should be left lying where members of the public can access it and perhaps accidents occur.

Therefore it is my opinion that this section should not have been left lying about.

Once it had been thrown in it should have been removed immediately by some responsible person

Having reached the weir it certainly should not have remained there for any period of time before being removed.

If there had been an accident, heaven forbid a child or youngster drowned trying to access it for play, then the ramifications on the rowing world would have been great.

Rowing cannot afford such an accident.

It is my opinion that this message should reach everyone involved and I will be happy if you would copy my thoughts to regional safety personnel club and college members and indeed anyone who will take cognisance of my views.

Thank you for your time and have a Merry (and safe) Christmas

Ken Hastie then wrote

And I agree the section should be removed forthwith. And if it is known that it does belong to St. Mary's Boat Club then it is they who should take immediate action (assuming it is safe to do so) to remove it from the water. If anyone is reading this from St. Mary's and they know the craft is theirs and don't have the facility to get to it, then if they contact me I am prepared to bring my own tender/outboard/ropes/buoyancy aids to help retrieve the boat.

The main thing that disappoints me here is that equipment appears to be valued so cheaply these days. This is not the first report of misplaced equipment to have hit these pages this year.

Ken Hastie

This was followed to an E mail to me (George Parsonage)

Whilst I agree mostly with what you say regarding the dangers created by craft being thrown in, can you suggest any solutions to avoid this happening in future?

“No craft or piece of craft should be left lying where members of the public can access it and perhaps accidents occur.

Therefore it is my opinion that this section should not have been left lying about”.

In an ideal world this would be the case, but how can this be possible?

With the sport developing at its current pace the quantity of boats far exceeds the available storage. In Durham alone there must be more than 100 boats split between Dunelm and DARC that spend every night in the open - where could they go? If you look at clubs up and down the country the same is repeated.

“Once it had been thrown in it should have been removed immediately by some responsible person Having reached the weir it certainly should not have remained there for any period of time before being removed”.

Again this is an ideal world situation; I agree with Micheal that this is a job for the environment agency. Surely you are not suggesting untrained personnel try to remove objects from a weir without any safety equipment

- launches are not allowed on the river in Durham City and with the river being fast flowing for a number of weeks this course of action would have been highly dangerous.

I agree doing nothing is not an option but with your experience can you advise or help set up a system where incidents such of this can be reported to the environment agency whom will then respond to the situation, hopefully faster than they do at present.

I (George Parsonage) replied as follows

Mark,

Firstly a Merry Christmas to you and all on the Wear.

I cannot comment on what would be necessary to remove the remains of the craft from the weir and certainly no one should endanger themselves doing so. Regarding craft being left lying outside Clubs etc, I can only comment that this is not allowed in Glasgow.

If this is the case all over the Country then I am surprised that there have not been many accidents, and as I said the Rowing world would find it difficult if such an accident were to occur. In my travels I must state that I have not seen many craft lying in a position where the general public could have got hold of them.

To me, leaving craft lying outside means two things, firstly that the rowers/clubs concerned are not exactly worried about their craft (perhaps some get the craft too easily?) secondly that the rowers/clubs are not really thinking of the consequences of someone taking one of their craft onto the river and there being an accident. If we look at the situation in the canoe world where many persons come out of their canoe and the canoes are subsequently lost when they sail off downstream. The Scottish Canoe Association has asked all members to report such an occurrence as soon as possible. A lost canoe may be swept downriver and end up in a place where children youngsters or others may be able to get hold of it and an accident occur. Then there is the fact that if someone sees an upturned or empty craft going downriver they may assume there has been an accident and alert the emergency services. Emergency services do not know whether or not there is a canoeist floating downriver or hanging onto a tree branch shouting for help. Glasgow Humane Society will do everything it can to retrieve lost canoes as soon as possible.

Recently we had a report of such a happening. The caller said that the canoe was very old and heavy without buoyancy and in their opinion would have sunk. However searches were carried out. We informed Strathclyde Police Helicopter Unit, Clyde Coastguard, craft working in the Harbour area, our Tidal Weir men, Rowing Clubs, walkers, runners and cyclists (who regularly use the towpath) and indeed anyone who we thought might come across it.

That we have not perhaps proves the owner's opinion was correct and the craft has sunk, but lookout will be kept. This prevents accidents. Every time a rower forgets to put an oar away in Glasgow, leaves it on the Clubhouse steps from where it may get washed away the Glasgow Humane Society are alerted usually by our weirman or by a member of the public. Neither these persons nor our Officers know whether or not there has been an accident further upstream or indeed a rowing Club broken into and we must check. Often this occurs in the early hours of the morning or during the night, but we still check. Someone should have known that this craft had been removed from its position (where in my opinion it should not have been) and reported it was missing and looked for it. I an appalled at the number you are quoting for craft being left outside in your area. Something should be done regarding this. I also wonder what the Insurance Companies would say if they knew of this practice? Surely no person who has had to skimp and save up their cash to purchase a racing boat, would leave it lying outside where any passing person could access it? I have no wish to start a correspondence course giving my views on safe practice but am perfectly willing to answer any questions in the hope of preventing an accident. If as you say this is common practice and there have been no accidents then perhaps I am being too cautious and worry too much. However the Glasgow HumaneSociety has rescued many rowers and scullers and prevented many accidents by being alert to what could happen. But to return to your immediate problem, I was of the opinion that assistance to remove this craft safely had already been offered?

If the Environment Agency gets involved, who is going to pay for them to carry this recovery out as surely it is the owner’s responsibility? If necessary I suppose I could come down and assist but surely this is not necessary? I do hope that this matter is sorted out and that at least I have made persons think a little more of what consequences could arise from another such occurrence. Please let me know in the rare chance that you need my assistance

With best wishes George

22/12/2006

The GHS received the following message from a member of the public which we immediately passed on to the relevant department in the Council. Note that the GHS agrees that this area should have lighting. The Polmadie Bridge especially is a dangerous spot. There used to be lighting but it was smashed by vandals and the poles even pulled down. No one has replaced them. Surely with the new houses being built in Richmond Park something will take note. This path and Bridge are well used as a route through the Football area to Polmadie.

Message received as follows

“There should be security in Richmond Park as well, the same as the ones around Glasgow Green.

Every time I've been around the Richmond Park area on my cycle I'm increasingly noticing people hanging around drinking, and just generally causing hassle.

Are there any cameras around there?

The Polmadie Bridge is scary if you go across it after 2pm.

Keep up the good work George and have a lovely Christmas”.

15/11/2006

The Glasgow Humane Society Directors wrote in1857

“They are at considerable yearly expense in renewing or repairing the buoys and attached lines from the reckless and inconsiderate conduct of evil-disposed persons, whom it is the duty of the public to get discovered and punished”

And in 1868

“The Chairman referred to the manner in which malicious persons destroyed the buoys and lines which were placed along the river banks. The ropes had been repeatedly cut, and the buoys damaged”.

The above comments were in my mind during the past few days when Eddie and I had to retrieve more than 20 lifebelts from the river and return them to their positions of readiness. Several lifebelts had their ropes cut off, there was no sign of any of the attached throw ropes and two lifebelts had holes in them made by sharp instruments.

Some things do not change but should.

Do these vandals not realise that it could be their mother, father, sister, brother or some other relative who could lose their life because of their stupidity. It could be their best friend, their next door neighbour; it could be some brave person who loses their life by entering the water to attempt a rescue because there was no lifebelt handy.

How many years must we wait before some of the mindless people of Glasgow stop behaving in such a manner? I know that there are countless incidents of vandalism throughout our City, but this is a very obvious one which could easily be eradicated with a little thought.

Many persons could have been saved if there had been a lifebelt and rope in its position of readiness.

Next time think before you act and do not vandalise a lifebelt.

08/10/2006

It was good to see Eddie and my views aired in the Sunday Herald today. Having such a beautiful looking and necessary functional bridge within our City is a great asset. However it would not have been asking too much for the bridge to have continued Glasgow’s recent trend in erecting bridges that “lead the way” in safety design.

There are one or two points that unfortunately the paper has missed (or did not have room to print).

They did not warn persons not to attempt to walk on the outside of the bridge railing or on the girders

They did not point out that if some foolhardy person does fall off the Bridge it is often some decent passer-by who loses their life in a rescue attempt. The cost of rescue has escalated recently and this money comes out of the public purse, out of our pocket.

They have not carried the story of how much effort and public money the City Council through the Water Safety Working Group have spent on improving safety along the riverside.

As stated the safety rail along the Clyde Arc could have been better, but this is only one fault that has escaped through the net and unfortunate as that is we must not forget the vast amount of excellent work carried out by the City Council through the WSWG.

Money is tight everywhere just now, but somehow the City Council have found thousands to spend on re designing and renewing Quay wall ladders, erecting new lifebelt posts with signage, erecting new boom gates at places where only emergency access to the riverbank is required, clearance of riverbanks and towpaths, erection of CCTV.

The City Council does not have a bottomless purse and it is my opinion that wherever possible developers should be asked perhaps required to put in place new safety features or upgrade the existing safety features.

There are many residential and office developments taking place along the length of the river and this is the chance to improve the riverbank the towpath/walkway and safety features.

Although the build area/footprint of many of the developments does not include the quay wall or riverbank it would be a bonus to whoever decides to live in these residential buildings or to work in the factories/offices if the safety features in front of their building were to be first class.

For example there are areas of new building where the quay wall railing is still unsuitable.

There are areas of new building where the riverbank in front of the new build is collapsing.

Surely on something as simple as erecting a suitable fencing with lifebelt stances, signage, lighting and perhaps CCTV coverage is not outwith the price range of developers? Perhaps things like this could and should be included in the Planning permission. It would certainly make for a safer riverbank and if the developers took this under their wing, this would cease to be a burden on Council and public resources.

One success is the Harbour development where the designers took cognisance of our ideas, developed them, improved them and have produced a towpath/walkway which is very safe. The Harbour complex set an example to other developments along the riverside. Unfortunately not all have followed the Harbour developments example and there is much work to be done. Safety features are being improved all the time and we have to do our best to ensure that they are included in future developments.

The Water Safety Working Group deserves much praise as does the City Council who supports it.

The Glasgow Humane Society was set up in 1790 at a time when such Societies were being formed all over the world. It is a tribute to Glasgow Council that they had the foresight to not just follow the example of the other Societies and set up a fund for the giving of medals certificates and sums of money to members of the public who took part in river rescues, but to support the setting up of a full time safety Officer.

This is the same type of foresight shown by the Glasgow City Council when they took over the running of the Water Safety Group set up by the Glasgow Humane Society in 1998 at the Quay Complex and developed it into the Group that it is today.

Both the Water Safety Working Group and the Glasgow Humane Society can only advise, but as the article in the Sunday Herald quotes me as saying “If they ignore our advice and end up in court, a judge won’t listen”

A number of years ago I drew up a booklet giving advice on many aspects of safety along the City waterways. To the best of my knowledge prospective developers are given a copy of this document and requested/advised to contact the Humane Society for further advice. Many of these developers seek this advice and take cognisance of our views.

The Halcrow spokesman was quite correct in saying that he had no direct contact with the Glasgow Humane Society, but we were under the impression that our point of view was being put forward for us, and that Halcrow had been given the above mentioned pamphlet.

As said in the Humane Society website newsletter regarding the Clyde Arc, “Perhaps it is the Officers fault for accepting that other persons were pushing our views on safety”

The Clyde Arc rail could and should be looked at again, but I find it regrettable that a new structure should have to be altered.

What is important is that the safety views of the City Council and the Glasgow Humane Society should be listened to and where possible acted on and perhaps (as shown at the Harbour Complex) improved upon.

I thank the Sunday Herald for carrying the story, but there are more required safety features still to be aired than they were able to carry.

Note, the Glasgow Humane Society Officers have had input into developments along the River Clyde, Kelvin, Cart and the Forth and Clyde Canal. Any advice sought is freely given the only reward being the fulfilment of one of the original ideals of the Society—to prevent accidents.

Developers on any waterways are welcome to contact us and visit at Glasgow Green.

Clyde Arc

On Thursday 21st September Glasgow Humane Society Officers Edward McGowan and George Parsonage cycled down the towpath to view the above new bridge.

Having successfully had safety input into the refurbishing of the St Andrews Bridge and into the design of the Millennium Bridge we were looking forward to seeing how our safety ideas and comments had been developed in this new design.

We had been kept up to date with the proposals and ideas for the Bridge and promised that vertical bar fence would be used and if possible no ledge would be left on the outside of the railing. This point (no ledge) was possibly not achievable due to traffic control regulations but at least we were assured that every precaution would be taken to prevent persons gaining access to the outside of the bridge.

The Clyde Arc is a beautiful bridge to look at and a credit to Glasgow and its designers. However although the railing is of the agreed vertical bar it does not prevent persons gaining access to the outside ledge and further. Having a curved or cantilevered piece of rail added above the top rail could have prevented this.
At the two viewing areas there is no apparent reason for the railing not to have been placed right at the edge of the stonework.

Easy access can be gained onto the tubular girders of the Bridge and we fear that it is only a matter of time before some person unable to impose self-discipline in the interest of safety, tries this.

It is to be regretted that the Glasgow Humane Society’s views were not listened too more carefully.

Perhaps this is the Officers fault for accepting that other persons were pushing the Society’s views on safety.

If this is so, we have learned a lesson.

We cannot change what has been built, but we can request that any further bridges being built are closely looked at during the design stage to prevent simple safety features spoiling otherwise excellent structures.
We congratulate Glasgow City Council in the building of this bridge and hope that there are several more in the pipeline.

The Society Officers are of the opinion that where previously there was the need for a river crossing, and it was supplied by a ferry, this need should now be supplied by a bridge.
We look forward to working in a closer partnership with the City Council and the allocated designers on such structures.

PS We trust that the temporary arrangements for Lifebelts on the Clyde Arc will be replaced by permanent fixtures.

21/09/2006

Statistics for 2006 up until 21st September:

22/07/2006

Summer dips.

Every time the weather gets warmer there are some people usually fuelled by drink who seem unable to impose self discipline upon themselves in the interest of their own and other persons safety. I am talking about the people who climb down banking and climb fences to reach the water edge to sit hidden by trees and bushes from the general public and after a drink someone decides to go for a swim and we have a drowning.Some persons, no doubt, will have the ability coupled with some luck to swim in a river and come out safely. The majority, however, especially those who have taken alcohol, are vulnerable. When they get into difficulties they can cause some other person to lose their life in a rescue attempt, or, they cause the less able or the younger to copy their actions and the result again is a drowning.

Recently our Officers and Lifeguards have had to deal with several such incidents. Drunks who thought that they could swim the river, children (aged about 7 yrs) who thought it would be nice to go for a swim (goodness knows where their parents were) and adults entering the river to get a football-surely your life is worth more than a football.

We have had reports of an adult male swimming next to the SEWAGE WORKS yes, the sewage works. Every time we receive this report we race to the locus but the person has disappeared. Will it only be a matter of time before some other people seeing this man swimming think it is a good idea and copy his actions and someone drowns?

The place to swim is in a SWIMMING POOL. Glasgow has many and gives a good service to the public and it is to be hoped that the City Fathers will maintain their fine record in this respect.

Most of the river Clyde throughout the area of Glasgow upstream of the tidal weir at Glasgow Green has deep water straight off the banking. If we take the area on the north bank immediately upstream of Rutherglen Bridge, there is a straight drop of 21ft. If we look at the St Andrews Bridge in the middle of summer we see weeds growing at the side of the river giving the impression of shallow water. It is not shallow. Some of these weeds are 16ft long and will wrap themselves around you and drag you down if you try to swim through them. Even in mid summer the water in the river is only rainwater off the hills and is very cold. It does not seem so at first but you will find this out very quickly.

There have been too many drowning in Rivers so please think very carefully and consider the following;

  1. You are in a built up area, a City where there are many unsupervised children and the less experience watching you
  2. Your actions will be copied and you may inadvertently cause drowning
  3. You may get into trouble and someone else might lose their life trying to save you

Would you stand by and watch persons swimming at a danger spot without reporting it and then read in the papers next day that one of the swimmers had drowned or that children had seen them, entered the water at the same place and drowned?

Could you live with your conscience if any of the above happened because of your actions?

Open waterways are not the place for unsupervised swimming.

Please try to drum this into your children and your friends.

I am fed up with hearing people some in authority talking bravado about how they and their friends swam in river when I know that they are talking rot. I do not know why people like to talk like this and I do not appreciate it.

Lets all try to make Greater Glasgow a Safer area.

09/06/2006

On Thursday 8th June George and Eddie had to move fast when they observed a man swimming in the river near to the viewing platform at Glasgow Green. Three of his pals were on the banking cheering and shouting and there were women trying to take photographs on their phones. Obviously this man had been challenged to swim across the river and by the undressed state of some of his pals they were going to follow.

We stayed alongside in the lifeboat as the man with difficulty reached the south bank. He was white as a ghost, very exhausted and indeed very lucky. This man was extremely fortunate as in my opinion he almost did not have the strength to make it, was suffering from the coldness of the water and also there are weeds at most parts of the river some 14/18 ft long that wrap themselves around anything. Also if we had not been there to sort out the situation this man would have probably tried to swim back and then I am sure there would have been disastrous consequences. After remonstrating with this man and ensuring that he was going over the fencing, along the road and back across the Suspension bridge, we raced across to the north bank to deal with the friends who were still shouting and were still on the riverbank side of the fencing. We had them go back over the fence into the Park. We explained to all, the foolishness of their actions and of the example they had set to the less experienced and especially the youngsters around the Park. The public were vociferous with their support of our comments. We kept at these men verbally until they began to realise the possible consequences of their actions. How would they feel if tomorrow they read in a newspaper that some youngster had drowned copying their actions? They became extremely apologetic and left the area (Police sirens could be heard in the distance).

The Humane Society’s problem is that these men start to boast to their friends, show off any photographs, and someone else is dared or encouraged to try the same thing.

The Society has taken too many persons out of the river trying stunts like this. Actions like this have also had tragic endings in other parts of Scotland. To start with persons should realise that fences are erected for a reason and they should not climb over them. They should realise that waterways in Scotland are freezing cold even in mid summer. There are currents and underwater growth and obstacles. Waterways in Cities can also be heavily polluted. Glasgow has plenty of swimming pools and the Gourock open air pool and the seaside is not that far away. They should always remember that there are children and less experienced watching them, who may copy them and drown.

Please try to think about your actions especially in this hot weather.

03/03/2006

Image of Lucky the catGlasgow Humane Society has taken on a new “Ships cat” (thanks to the good auspices of Walker Weld steel firm).

The previous cat “Wee Tabix” (the cereal killer) was with us for 17yrs. She was a feral cat. The new cat is also a feral cat.

He is called “Lucky trainspotter”. He is larger than Wee Tabix was and slightly more territorial and shows an affection for dogs.

Hopefully he will be with us for a long time.

11/02/2006

In the first 6 weeks of the year Glasgow Humane Society can report the following

While it is very difficult to sit back and watch rescue incidents occurring on the Glasgow waterways and possibly not being dealt with as efficiently as we could have, the amount of prevention work being carried out by the GHS is very heartening.

If we can stop persons getting into difficulty it is always better than having to rescue them.

We are still carrying out rescue cover in the tidal section of the River Clyde between the Tidal Weir at Glasgow Green and Tollcross Burn. We are pleased to say that there have been no accidents requiring assistance in this stretch mainly due to the prevention work of the GHS.
An excellent system of Riverwatch exists covering this stretch and beyond. This includes bank and boat patrols by the Officers, bank and boat patrols by Lifeguards and bank patrols/lookout by the group who have become known as Riverwatchers. Many potential accidents have been prevented by speedy intervention or by a quiet word.

With up to 200 craft on the river in this section some days and over 500 persons walking, cycling, running or fishing on the riverbank/towpath we are kept on our toes.

Many safety features as reported elsewhere on the website are progressing, some unfortunately take time to pass committees and for the order lines to be placed, but we are making ground.

Thanks to the Glasgow City Council Water Safety Working Group with whom we work in partnership much has, can and will be achieved.
Glasgow Humane Society has impute into all new developments for along the Cities waterways.

Glasgow Humane Society works in conjunction with all Glasgow City Council Departments.
There is a special relationship with Land Services with whom much co- operation takes place regarding Bridges, railings, safety ladders etc and of course the massive safety work that is being carried out in Parks (mainly for a start at Glasgow Green).

Letters of congratulation regarding the work we have been carrying out ourselves or in conjunction with Land Services (parks) have been received and passed onto the City Council.

We shall keep you updated as the year progresses.