There will be a Kennet & Avon Canal User Forum on Wednesday 24th January 2024 from 10:30 to 12:30. The in-person forum will be held at the St James Centre, Estcourt Crescent, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1LR. CRT’s Sarah Cook says “Please join us for some short presentations, have your questions answered and an opportunity to talk to us directly.”
Voting opened on 13th December in the CRT Council elections. We recommend voting for Rosie Strickland and Nick Corrigan in the Private Boating constituency. Both are members of the NBTA and intend to promote the interests of liveaboard boaters without a home mooring if they are elected. Please vote for both of them as your first and second choices. Below are their manifestos from the CRT web site – see
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/about-us/how-we-are-run/the-council/council-elections-2023-24/private-boating-candidates You may also be interested in voting for Penelope Barber and Fiona Burt in your third and lower choices.
If you or anyone you know would like a helping hand and could do with a bag of coal or wood from Pay It Forward, please fill out this quick form below or get in touch with floatyboatfund@gmail.com
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdNgbB3d5oJBtKPvXiCiiD9fonHDhQ8CbaPHX0ZA4XcvUIDNg/viewform
Due to a clear need in the community on the west end of the K&A, Bradford Wharf Services (BWS) and Floaty Boat are teaming up to run a coal boat between Bath and Foxhangers this winter. They will be using Ishtar, a boat built by BWS in 2007.
This is a not for profit service for the community and any profit made will be donated to Floaty Boat for other community projects. The plan is to deliver every Wednesday, one week from Bradford Wharf to Bath and the next week from Bradford Wharf to Foxhangers so deliveries will happen fortnightly.The next run will be to Bath on Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st December. The run to Foxhangers will be in the first week of January.
The second meeting of the new Kennet & Avon Boaters Association takes place tomorrow, Thursday 7th December 2023, at 6pm to 11pm. There will be a Community update on the activities of the association; family-friendly films between 6pm and 7pm, and more boater-orientated short films later. The meeting will take place at the Party Spot at Horsefield, below the towpath between Smelly Bridge and Avoncliff aqueduct.
The lane where boaters park their vehicles in Wilcot has been ‘landscaped’ to make parking impossible, according to boaters who are moored there. On 24th October, rubble and earth was piled up along the whole length of the lane on both sides, making a steep bank as shown in the photographs below. This was done even though there were some boaters’ cars parked in the lane at the time.
Julian House Travelling Communities Support Service will be visiting Bradford Lock on 7th November 2023 and Caen Hill Marina on 14th November 2023 with nb Litania at 11am to 4.30pm. They will be providing Covid 19 and Flu vaccinations to boaters who are in the eligible groups: age 65 and over and other people who are eligible due to specific health conditions etc. There will also be support and information on welfare; other health matters, and free Boat Fire Safety packs and first aid kits.