The North Western Branch covers the areas of Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester and parts of North Derbyshire.

 

The Branch was formed on 8 April 1949 from what was the original Northern Branch founded in Manchester on 23 April 1939. The original Northern Branch covered Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, Westmorland and Staffordshire. It also covered Scotland and parts of Wales. In 1949 the North Western Branch included North Wales, Cumberland, Westmorland and Staffordshire, however, these areas were subsequently formed into their own Branches or joined with another branch.

 

 

The North Western Branch celebrated its 50th anniversary on 8 April 1999 and is one of the largest Branches having around 1000 members. Five members of the Branch have become National President since 1949 starting with:

Sir James Drake (1959-1960)

Michael Callery (1989-1990)

David Ogden (1999-2000)

Alistair Haydock (2006-2007)

Chris Jackson (2009-2010)

 

The Institution’s Certificate of Merit has been awarded to six members of the Branch:

Donald Dean (1979)

Don Hestor (1980)

Bill Johnson (1986)

Gordon Stinson (1998)

Keith Patterson (2002)

Phil Mason (2011)

 

The Branch has always been well represented on the IHT’s Council, its Boards and Committees and currently has three members on Council: our branch delegate, an ordinary member and a Past President

 

Work on developing the UK Motorway system, which transformed British travel, started in the mid-1950s and it all started in the North West. To learn more about this valuable heritage visit www.ciht.org.uk/motorway

 

The Branch committee, currently comprising 18 members, has always had a good representation from all sides of the profession. Within the existing committee there is representation from consultants, local authorities, contractors and academia. The Branch organises a yearly programme of evening meetings which aim to cover a wide range of topics reflecting the diversity of professional disciplines within the Branch membership. In addition, a full day seminar is usually organised once a year in the autumn. This event is in addition to the highly successful North West Transportation Lecture. The meetings and seminars are held in a variety of venues including Bolton, Preston, Manchester, Liverpool, Chester and Warrington.

 

The Branch enjoys a close liaison with other organisations in the North West including the four Branches in the North Western region of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Asphalt Technology, Lancashire Society for Engineering & the Environment and the Cheshire Surveyors Association. Many of the evening meetings are held jointly with one or more of the above organisations.

 

On the social side, the Branch holds an Annual Dinner in the Spring. This is a highly successful awards dinner, celebrating transportation in the North West. A Branch golf competition is held each year for the Robin Parkinson and James Drake Trophies. A team is also entered into the Locan Cup Competition and has been successful on eight occasions since the Cup became a competition for Branches in 1972.