Here’s your chance to cruise a beautiful isolated stretch of canal that very few other boaters get the chance to enjoy, the Montgomery Canal running down the Welsh borders around Welshpool.
Welshpool’s Heulwen Trust has decided to make wider use of its two Montgomery Canal based passenger boats than in the past with two objectives in mind. Firstly to run the boats themselves to raise income for eventual replacement and maintenance and to fund the charity’s intended purpose, to providing free canal trips for the less-abled and the elderly.
Secondly, to make fuller use of the canal in order to minimise weed growth and provide support for the Canal & River Trust (CRT) in the work needed to keep the navigation clear on the central currently isolated restored section of the Montgomery between Arddleen and Refail.
The trust is appealing for volunteers join it as additional skippers and crew members needed to supplement its permanent skippers during the planned extended 2015 cruising programme.
This programme includes weekend trips throughout the day from Welshpool Wharf of approx 1½ hours duration, commencing at Easter, and – in conjunction with this year’s ‘Making Waves’ programme – five three-hour cruises to Brithdir Locks; also possible hospitality trips for sponsors and supporters.
Volunteers will be trained to the required appropriate competency certificate standards and the trust will meet all training costs. The Trust emphasises that it will always call first on its permanent skippers but desperately needs support or involvement as back-up skippers or crew members. It will also gladly pay those skippers seeking reimbursement for their time.
Anyone interested should contact Pat Ward on patward@intonet.co.uk or on 07801 288388.
Thanks to Harry Arnold and Waterway Images for this report and images.
