News

Boat licence fees to rise by 6% in April

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November 29, 2023

THE Canal & River Trust has confirmed an increase of 6% in boat licence fees from April 1, 2024, for both private boat owners and boating businesses. The rise is based on the latest Bank of England forecasts that inflation will remain at around 4.5% until then. Surcharges for boats without a home mooring and…
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Little Star canal trip for Wrexham schoolchildren

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November 27, 2023

A CLASS of Year 4 and 5 pupils from St Anne’s Catholic Primary School in Wrexham recently enjoyed a 45-minute boat trip. They cruised along the Llangollen Canal and crossed over the World Heritage Pontcysyllte Aqueduct on board Anglo Welsh’s trip boat Little Star. Teacher Rebecca Hughes said: “The children had a lovely time on…
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Canal crowdfunder launched for community space

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November 24, 2023

THE Chesterfield Canal Trust has launched a crowdfunder appeal in association with the Aviva Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund to create new community spaces at Staveley, Derbyshire. Aviva is kick-starting the appeal with £500 and will give the trust £2 for every £1 it raises, up to a maximum of £15,000. This means that…
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CRT investing £50M in vital conservation work this winter

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November 24, 2023

The Canal & River Trust is embarking on a programme of winter repairs along 2,000 miles of historic canals across England and Wales. Forty-seven different waterways will benefit, with 138 large-scale works to replace worn-out lock gates, inspect tunnels and aqueducts, repair centuries-old masonry and brickwork, and other important heritage and conservation tasks. Heritage and…
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NABO highlights Calor Gas supply shortages

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Phil Pickin

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November 23, 2023

FOR many in the boating community, the problems surrounding the availability of Calor Gas have become a part of daily life, something that the National Association of Boat Owners (NABO) highlighted in its October newsletter. In the article, the association stated: “The small 3.9kg and 4.5kg cylinders are virtually unobtainable, and the 6-13kg propane are…
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Discovering canal history in Chichester

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November 22, 2023

Nicola Lisle enjoys a visit to the Chichester Ship Canal Heritage Centre in the latest in her museum series. CHICHESTER’S canal basin today is a peaceful backwater, the perfect place to stroll or sit and unwind alongside boats, ducks and a variety of wildlife. For more than 80 years, though, this was a busy industrial…
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IWA welcomes HS2 cancellation

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November 21, 2023

THE Inland Waterways Association (IWA) has welcomed the cancellation of HS2 Phase 2 as announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Cancellation of HS2 Phases 2a, 2b and HS2 East will avoid major noise impacts on waterway users at numerous locations and remove the blight on several canal restoration projects. Phase 2a (Fradley to Crewe) was…
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Horseboating returns to the Chesterfield Canal

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November 17, 2023

EVERY year since 2019, the Chesterfield Canal Trust has put on displays of horseboating in Worksop. Charlie, the horse, could be seen on many summer Sundays towing Dawn Rose along the canal from Shireoaks to Worksop and back. This always attracted crowds of people keen to see a spectacle which dates back 250 years to…
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Oxford Canal bridges get £650,000 lift

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November 16, 2023

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

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November 16, 2023

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

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November 14, 2023

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

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November 14, 2023

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

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November 13, 2023

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

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November 10, 2023

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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