Tipton – a cut above the rest
We've got a magnet on our fridge that we bought from a community event a few years ago. It takes pride of place right in the middle of the door at eye level.
If it falls off the fridge, as do most of our magnets with the traffic through our kitchen, I instinctively know it's missing and have to put it back up. We've also got the matching car sticker. It's got a drawing of a canal boat and bears the legend: "Tipton – A Cut Above The Rest". It pays tribute to the fact that we've got a few miles of canals 'cutting' through our little town.
At some point, most Tiptonians have walked along, fished in, or cycled along the 'cut' (I once had to explain to a bemused Brummie that 'cut' was our word for 'canal'). Most of us have spent an enjoyable couple of hours at the Tipton Canal & Community Festival on a sunny September afternoon. The 'cut' is very much an integral part of Tipton.
I wonder how many people know that Tipton has a group of very dedicated volunteers who look after a stretch of the 'cut' and help organise events, including said Canal Festival? Well – we do! They are called The Friends of Tipton Cut. Ann Johnson, member of the group, tells us more:
I for one am very grateful for the hard work and efforts that the volunteers put in to look after our canals.
We're already counting down the days to the Canal Festival in September (it will be the weekend of 19 and 20) – the weather is usually very kind (the operative word there is usually!), and there's lots to see and do, including taking a canal boat ride which allows you to get a completely different view of our little town.
Next time you are 'on the cut', you might want to say a little 'thank you' to the volunteers who work so hard to look after it for the whole community.
Pride of Tipton Awards
Just a reminder that this year's Pride of Tipton Awards will be handed out on the evening of April 8. If you would like to nominate someone who has does amazing work within the Tipton community, email pot@rsaacademy.org
As always, if there's something going on in Tipton – let us know! We're very keen to tell everyone what's going on! We're on Twitter @ThisIsTipton. See you next month!
