Towpath Talk

  • ON TOUR: The River Project

    ON TOUR: The River Project

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    Lucy Wood reports… FALLING Stars Theatre has created an immersive, interactive theatre performance for primary school-aged children based on the banks of the River Aire. Supported by The Aire Rivers Trust, The Wild Trout Trust and the Salmon and Trout Conservation, The River Project imagines a host of memorable characters on the banks of the…

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  • FLOATING MUSUEM gets TV spot

    FLOATING MUSUEM gets TV spot

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    The restoration of a 1923-built keel into a piece of living history has been featured on primetime TV. THE Humber Keel and Sloop Preservation Society’s (HKSPS) ongoing work on Comrade was featured on the March 2 episode of the BBC’s flagship Sunday teatime programme Countryfile. The episode focused on the Humber Estuary, and how nature…

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  • HARNESSING the power of our rivers

    HARNESSING the power of our rivers

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    Sports personality and presenter Clare Balding is fronting a new series about Britain’s most iconic rivers. FROM the wildlife that call it home, the folk who live and work on riverbanks, to the many day trippers and pleasure seekers who visit, Tales From The Riverbank is showcasing the sights and sounds of the country’s rivers…

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  • CELEBRATING River Welland

    CELEBRATING River Welland

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    Lucy Wood reports ARTISTS, volunteers and the community came together to create beautiful willow sculptures, nature-inspired waymarkers and a community banner inspired by the riverside heritage of a market town. Over a three-year period Spalding, in the South Holland district of Lincolnshire, was revitalised with a creative and artistic show of strength. Twisting eels and…

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  • BOAT VANDALISM: Worst case ever seen

    BOAT VANDALISM: Worst case ever seen

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    A NARROWBOAT that was broken into, vandalised and scuppered – blocking boats cruising the Hawkesbury junction area of the Coventry canal – was the worst case of wanton destruction River Canal Rescue’s teams had ever seen. The distraught owner visited narrowboat Rosie the week before it was vandalised, and on the weekend of February 15/16…

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  • £500M REVITALISATION with canal restoration at the heart

    £500M REVITALISATION with canal restoration at the heart

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    THE RESTORATION of the Chesterfield Canal could be at the heart of a rejuvenation project which may bring £500m to the region.  The vision is for the Chesterfield Canal corridor to be reclaimed as a place for the local community to live, enjoy and be employed; for tourists and visitors to come, play and stay;…

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  • £3M UPGRADE to tackle climate change

    £3M UPGRADE to tackle climate change

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    AN EAST Lancashire reservoir which provides a vital supply of water to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal will shortly undergo a £3m upgrade to ensure it remains resilient to climate change and continues to meet safety standards. The Canal & River Trust project will involve essential maintenance to strengthen Rishton Reservoir, near Rishton, and increase…

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  • £300 MILLION BLACK HOLE: CRT pressures government

    £300 MILLION BLACK HOLE: CRT pressures government

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    THE Canal & River Trust is hoping to persuade the Government it has a strong case for increased funding so it can continue to maintain and enhance the canal and river networks. The charity made its case as part of a submission to the Spending Review process, asking for “a contribution to its funding sufficient…

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  • WATERSIDE respite lodge dream nears reality

    WATERSIDE respite lodge dream nears reality

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    COURAGEOUS brain cancer sufferer Hannah Roberts is hoping she will see the £203,000 waterside holiday home for other patients and their families finally become a reality. The 21-year-old has now raised £189,225 towards the cost of the respite lodge at Mercia Marina in south Derbyshire and her mother, Gail Iredale, is hoping they will top…

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  • HYDROGEN fuel cell domestic power for boats

    HYDROGEN fuel cell domestic power for boats

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    GREENER solutions are a subject that Towpath Talk reports on frequently and something we like to update our readers on, as and when the opportunities arise. Hydrogen fuel cells are one of the key components in that discussion and liveaboard boater, Neil Trevithick, has supplied us with an independent review of the HyArk hydrogen cell…

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  • BRAUNSTON’S rudder mystery

    BRAUNSTON’S rudder mystery

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    Tim Coghlan reports… THE waterside setting of the Red Wheel Plaque, awarded in 2024 to Braunston Marina by the National Transport Trust in 2024, has been enhanced as a historic canal transport hub by the placing beneath it of an old iron working boat rudder. Its origins remain something of a mystery but various suggestions have…

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  • IWA Canalway Cavalcade 2025

    IWA Canalway Cavalcade 2025

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    IWA Canalway Cavalcade returns to London’s Little Venice on Saturday, May 3, for the full Early May Bank Holiday weekend. Each year the best of life on the waterways in London and its community is celebrated at IWA Canalway Cavalcade. There’s something for everyone at this vibrant canal festival in the heart of London’s waterways.…

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  • WINNERS of photo competition announced

    WINNERS of photo competition announced

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    CANAL holiday business Foxhangers was thrilled to announce the winners of its highly anticipated Memories photo competition. In the run up to the competition the hire firm was inundated with an array of stunning entries, each capturing the essence and beauty of canal holidays. First prize went to Reeling in Holiday Memories by Estella Rich, who…

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  • MUSEUM FOCUS: Celebrating the rich history of the Thames

    MUSEUM FOCUS: Celebrating the rich history of the Thames

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    Nicola Lisle explores the story of the Thames at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, from its royal connections to its industrial heyday. A MARITIME museum might not seem the obvious choice for anyone interested in Britain’s inland waterways, but the National Maritime Museum is not just about our seafaring past. There is also a…

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