Dear Editor, As Simon Crosthwaite says, Cadbury, the famous chocolate firm, has had a glorious past, and many readers have drawn attention to various aspects of their activities.
I found myself thinking about their use of the inland waterways, and in particular the support they gave to the Worcester & Birmingham Canal when it was finding survival difficult in the face of competition from road and rail services back in the 1920s.
Without that help, the canal could have closed down, and become derelict, as the Droitwich Canals did.
As a result of their action, we still have this wonderful canal and linear park stretching for 30 miles between two famous cities.
It is greatly enjoyed by all, whether boaters, walkers, anglers, bird-watchers, cyclists, etc.
Cadbury’s use of the waterways for educational trips for their young employees from 1917 until just after the Second World War was another inspired idea.
As a long-standing resident in Bournville and a former canal boat owner, I have found their involvement with the inland waterways quite fascinating and think it is a glorious chapter in the long history of the company.
If readers are interested in a fuller story, they should try to get a sight of the next issue of Waterways World, due out in the second week of March.
Stanley A Holland
Bournville
