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Circus theme at Ellesmere Boat Rally

Boats lined the towpath of the Llangollen Canal dressed in circus colours and fairground paraphernalia. Miniature bell tents hosted puppet shows while working train sets sped beneath dancing bears. Red, yellow and polka dot bunting flew from deck-mounted ‘trapezes’ as boat owners dressed up as circus performers mingled with crowds thronging the canal sides.

In a rally during which Paul Mills, the event's organiser for the past 10 years, announced the decision to hang up his whip, canal society members raised funds for the restoration of the Montgomery Canal. Andy and Liz Morrison wowed visitors with their displays of balloon-tying and fortune-telling and showgoers were invited to ‘Buy a Barrow of Boulders’ for £5 in aid of the restoration.

Sparkling 70-footers moored next to 40-year-old Springers. Emily Anne, a 58ft steam-powered Dutch barge-styled boat, was open to visitors just outside the rally. Daniel Hutchinson, the 23-year-old grandson of the boat's builder, enthusiastically regaled passers-by with technical details of her hand-made propulsion system. Also there was Bill Entwistle’s 16ft launch Marianne, darting between the larger boats on the canal.
 
Award winners

Gleaming Listers thumped away as admirers reflected on the amount of work required to keep such engines in clean working order. Andy Helyar-Brook won the show's Best Engine Room competition, with the 1930 Gardner 3L2 installed in his 70ft traditional narrowboat, Nellie. The engine was renovated by Danny Williamson in 1999 and modestly Mr Helyar-Brook gave this restoration work the credit for its new award-winning status.

“I do hardly any work on the engine myself because it was so well put together initially,” he said. “Yes it does leak a bit, and you have to keep on top of it, but to get it ready for the competition I spent only a day polishing it.” The fact that Mr Helyar-Brook, from Newcastle-under-Lyne, is a former works engineer manager for Bentley Motors probably helps, too.

Helen Newall, from the Wirral won Best in Bloom for her colourful rooftop display aboard 70ft traditional narrowboat Dreamsong. She said: “My husband David swears by the nutrients in the canal water but the secret is continuous dead-heading.”

Closing his last rally as event organiser, Mr Mills said: “I do hope to work with my successor next year. The spread of this event is now almost nationwide, but it is low-key and informal and that's how we want to keep it.”

Words & Photography: perry cleveland-peck