VIPs turn out for heritage boatyard celebration
The Chairman of British Waterways, Tony Hales was guest of honour at the opening of a new heritage boatyard at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port (formerly the Boat Museum) on Friday 19 March. Andrew Miller MP and local councillors also attended the celebration which officially marks the start of a new operation to create a sustainable working boatyard at the museum which will maintain and restore historic boats, develop and pass on heritage skills and engage museum visitors in the boat collection and its care.
The Heritage Boatyard is a joint venture between The Waterways Trust, National Waterways Museum and The Boat Museum Society. £100,000 of funding has been secured towards the creation of the Heritage Boatyard and restoration of the boat collection, including funding from Future Jobs Fund (Cheshire West and Cheshire Council) for four trainee Boatyard Assistants. Considerable personal financial support has also been given to the project by Tony Hales, who was guest of honour at today’s event. Roger Hanbury, Chief Executive of The Waterways Trust said: “The creation of a Heritage Boatyard at the National Waterways Museum presents a fantastic opportunity to enrich the visitor experience at the museum, engage and involve young people and to conserve the nationally important historic boat collection. Tony Hales, Andrew Miller and Cllr Lynn Clare have been strong supporters of the museum and boatyard and we are delighted that they could attend this celebratory opening event today.” Steve Stamp, Boat Museum Society Chairman, explained: “Our ambition is to establish a sustainable working boatyard at the museum. As well as maintaining and restoring our historic canal boats, we are also developing and passing on essential heritage skills to a new generation. Four trainees from Future Jobs Fund (through Cheshire West and Cheshire Council) are working with museum staff and volunteers from The Boat Museum Society on a wide range of restoration projects including the renovation of historic working boats Mendip and Ilkeston. “The addition of a working boatyard adds another important dimension to the museum, further broadening its appeal and relevance to today’s audiences. It is fantastic that visitors are able to see restoration work in action with young and old working together.” The Heritage Boatyard also works in partnership with the National Historic Ships Unit and West Cheshire College. The National Waterways Museum has joined forces with publishers Waterways World to launch a new Supporters Scheme for its national collection of historic boats at Ellesmere Port. As well as helping to fund vitally important restoration work on the Museum’s 80-strong fleet of historic boats, in return for an annual £39 gift, National Waterways Museum Supporters will receive a series of benefits, including free entry to the Museum and a subscription to Narrowboat Magazine. For more information call Waterways World on 01283 742970 or visit www.nwm.org.uk/supporters. The National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port is housed in a historic dock complex situated alongside the Mersey and Manchester Ship Canal. With indoor and outdoor exhibits, hands-on-activities and quizzes, it is a wonderful day out for all the family, whatever the weather. Daily boat trips from the museum along the Shropshire Union Canal mean visitors can discover more about the history of the waterway and surrounding landscape. The museum, which is open daily 10am – 5pm, is situated just off junction 9 on the M53, 15 minutes drive from Chester and 25 minutes from Liverpool.
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