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  • Oxford Canal bridges get £650,000 lift

    Oxford Canal bridges get £650,000 lift

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    THE Canal & River Trust is carrying out a £650,000 upgrade programme on four of the Oxford Canal’s iconic wooden lift bridges. A familiar part of the Oxfordshire landscape for nearly 250 years, the bridges were built to allow local farmers and residents to cross the newly dug canal. However, with funding for the construction…

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  • Lord Mayor books a visit to barge

    Lord Mayor books a visit to barge

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    Word is spreading about the Marjorie R floating bookshop in Leeds, as Sally Clifford found out. MOORED in the trendy waterside setting of Leeds dock, Marjorie R remains oblivious to her global fame. Queues of visitors, some from abroad, recently flocked to see this 77-year-old former workhorse of the waterway after seeing TV and media…

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  • New green flags for North West waterways

    New green flags for North West waterways

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    MORE than two-thirds of the North West region’s canals have been given Green Flag Award 2023/24 status by Keep Britain Tidy. The designation of a further 33 miles of the Trent & Mersey Canal takes the regional total up to 268 miles of Canal & River Trust waterways in Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.…

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  • Characters of the Cut: RiverMouse – Laura Lee Tanner

    Characters of the Cut: RiverMouse – Laura Lee Tanner

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    Alice Griffin reports… IT WAS a bright November Sunday in 2021 when singer-songwriter Laura Lee Tanner would embark on her first step in the creation of the folk quartet, RiverMouse, that she now fronts. Strolling past The Fox & Hounds pub in Stony Stratford, close to where her narrowboat was moored on the Grand Union…

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  • Closing the Shropshire Gap on the Montgomery Canal

    Closing the Shropshire Gap on the Montgomery Canal

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    THE Shropshire Gap has become the colloquial term for the unrestored section of the Montgomery Canal between Crickheath Basin to Llanymynech, on the Welsh border. But the gap is steadily diminishing as work continues at Crickheath South and Schoolhouse Bridge. This work has been helped in no small part by public donations and volunteers from…

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  • Haven Knox-Johnston launch their next series of “From the Helm” webinars

    Haven Knox-Johnston launch their next series of “From the Helm” webinars

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    The Haven Knox-Johnston crew have announced their new series of ‘From the Helm’ webinars, designed to keep all the grounded mariners company throughout the long winter months and beyond. From the comfort of the main saloon, you can tune in to expert advice about the latest maritime matters or embark on extraordinary boating adventures, all while discovering…

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  • The Boat Safety Scheme Advisory Committee (BSSAC) is seeking a new Chair

    The Boat Safety Scheme Advisory Committee (BSSAC) is seeking a new Chair

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    The Boat Safety Scheme Advisory Committee (BSSAC) seeks a constructive, dynamic, and well-organized individual as its new Chair. We are seeking boat users or members of the marine trade who likely have some experience working in committee processes and are interested in helping to keep people and property safe. The BSSAC has a critical role…

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  • Fund Britain’s Waterways message to be delivered to Westminster at 14:11 on 14/11

    Fund Britain’s Waterways message to be delivered to Westminster at 14:11 on 14/11

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    The need to Fund Britain’s Waterways will be heard from the River Thames on 14/11 at 1411 hours as boats gather off the Palace of Westminster to show their concerns.  A flotilla of around 20 boats dressed with Fund Britain’s Waterways banners, including privately owned narrowboats and commercial working boats, will pass under Westminster Bridge after travelling upstream…

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  • Explore the wonders of the night sky from one of the wonders of the region’s waterways

    Explore the wonders of the night sky from one of the wonders of the region’s waterways

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    PEOPLE IN LEICESTERSHIRE INVITED TO EXPLORE THE WONDERS OF THE NIGHT SKY FROM ONE OF THE WONDERS OF THE REGION’S WATERWAYS The Canal & River Trust and the National Space Centre are inviting people to a special night of stargazing at Foxton Locks as part of a programme of events taking place at the historic…

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  • Tenders sought for fishery management

    Tenders sought for fishery management

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    MANAGEMENT of Harthill Reservoir near Sheffield has been put out to tender by the Canal & River Trust with a deadline of 12 p.m. on Monday, December 4. The upper reservoir is mainly used for specimen carp fishing but also has some specimen tench, bream, pike and roach. The main reservoir is currently undergoing engineering…

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  • Duck collector is not quackers

    Duck collector is not quackers

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    Words & photos: Les Heath WHEN Pete Gammond and his late partner Jeanette began collecting rubber ducks for their narrowboat Andromeda, her justification for their unusual hobby was: “The important thing is it makes people smile.” That was around 18 years ago and although Jeanette died three years ago Pete has ensured her legacy lives…

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  • New community barge gets royal sail of approval

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    WALKERS on the Sheffield & Tinsley Canal towpath were astonished recently to see HRH, The Princess Royal, steering a 57ft-long barge into Sheffield city centre. Princess Anne had flown in by helicopter to view the work of the Ethel Trust, an award-winning charity, providing day and residential waterways experiences for disadvantaged groups in South Yorkshire.…

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  • Canal boss volunteers for a day!

    Canal boss volunteers for a day!

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    CHIEF executive of the Canal & River Trust Richard Parry swapped his day job for volunteering when he joined the crew of Chesterfield Canal Trust work boat Python. The 94-year-old ex-British Waterways narrowboat is used for clean-ups along the canal, partially sponsored by CRT. It is crewed by volunteers and is usually out working for…

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  • A Spooktacular success at Mercia Marina 

    A Spooktacular success at Mercia Marina 

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    Spirits of the spooky kind were present at Mercia Marina for a weekend of witchcraft as many visitors headed to the Derbyshire destination marina to see Halloween displays and enter a ghoulish Halloween costume competition.  Performers dressed as Wednesday Adams, Jack Skellington, Harry Potter, Zombie Bell, and Deadpool hit the Boardwalk to shop and scare.…

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