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| The Waterwitch |
The Lancaster Canal Trust held its annual Boatman’s Dinner at the Crooklands Hotel near Kendal last Friday, attracting 35 supporters attending from a large area, including Darwen, Bolton, Lancaster Morecambe Penrith and beyond.
The ’boat people’, as they are affectionately called, run, organise and generally look after the Narrow Boat Waterwitch that sails from Crooklands landing stage from May to October, taking donations and promoting the difficult and expensive restoration of the Lancaster Canal.
Alan Mather, the Trust’s Boat Operations Manager reported a successful year for the organisation, revealing that despite the continuing recession, donations have risen to double over last year and the team had a very good season.
Richard Trevitt, Chairman of the Trust, then introduced Keith Tassart as guest speaker, who worked for many years for British Waterways and has now taken on the job of Work Party Supervisor for the Trust.
Keith has many stories to tell about life on the Lancaster. Once while working a dredger, a substantial steel heavy craft, he heard a crash and found a glass fibre boat had rammed them thinking they could push the dredger out of the way. They had to rescue the man and his wife and lash the boat to the dredger before it sank!
• The Lancaster Canal Trust would welcome similar stories from other ex British Waterways people that
should be recorded, all will be welcome. Contact via: www.lancastercanaltrust.org.uk/restoration