Iris Lloyd looks back at the Restoration of the Kennet and Avon canal, from the work of the volunteers in the 1970s and their efforts to raise vast amounts of money, through the re-opening in 1990, and thence on to the present day.
An original and tattered copy of the Newbury Weekly News Centenary Supplement dated February 1967 has recently been discovered in Hungerford Town Hall. It contains an interesting article by David Barnes.
Paddington finds sailing on a narrowboat a very sociable and relaxing way to travel around the country – and he is never seasick! Perhaps he’ll sail by you one day...
Iris Lloyd introduces us to Charles Garven, a waterways chaplain since 1921. Charles shares a couple of boaters' stories and explains how the charity helped.
The Waterways Chaplaincy is a community of trained volunteers who walk the towpaths and river banks of the country, offering a friendly chat and any assistance needed by a boater or towpath user.
Iris Lloyd draws our attention to the services offered by the waterways chaplaincy, with particular information for boaters on the Kennet and Avon Canal
1st January 2023 was a day that marked the transition of the chaplaincy from being a part of Workplace Matters to becoming an independent, ecumenical charity within the Church Army family.
Iris Lloyd compares England in the Springtime with any marvels that Paradise may have to offer. "Seen from the bridge, the water plays Like crystal, diamond glass, And there are mallards in the flow And swans preen on the grass..."
Iris Lloyd writes about life alongside the Kennet and Avon Canal. "There are always plenty of ducks, the males with their beautiful heads of green sheen, and if we are lucky, a flotilla of baby ducklings in the spring."
Our cranes lifted a piano out of an upstairs window; installed a bronze camel in Mayfair; and put an air conditioning unit on the roof of Buckingham Palace. They suspended an escapologist at a couple of fairs, and held up a rocket ship in the James Bond film The Spy who Loved Me. They also rescued a sunken boat.
Iris Lloyd lets another Waterways Chaplain tell her story of her early days in the service, when an unfortunate adventure led to timely help for a boater, and with it the blossoming of a new faith.
Seafarers face many problems, including loneliness, shipwreck, homesickness, less time ashore, increased workload, perhaps being abandoned for weeks on end when their shipping line goes out of business, unpaid wages and not seeing their families or being able to contact them for years.
Iris Lloyd writes about The Bruce Trust based near Marlborough on the Kennet and Avon Canal. The Bruce Trust have four widebeam boats designed to accommodate people with disabilities, plus the disadvantaged and the elderly.
The Rose of Hungerford is owned by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and is run by fully trained volunteers. They can be any age (over 16) as long as they are reasonably fit.
Iris Lloyd talks about The Rose of Hungerford, a traditional canal boat offering public trips and private charters. The Queen travelled in her 30 years ago.
Iris Lloyd introduces us to St Lawrence's Church at Hungerford on the banks of the Kennet and Avon Canal. The church is now open for visitors and for private prayer.
Iris Lloyd looks at Hungerford today, more than 30 years after the massacre which everyone still associates with the town. Iris is keen to point out that Hungerford has much much more to tempt visitors with than memories.
I did not keep a diary at the time so this account is entirely from memory. My friend, Janet, and I, both in our twenties, decided we would enjoy a week’s holiday on a narrowboat. It was not a working holiday, so we were not expected to help at the locks. We were to board at Market Harborough on the Grand Union canal.
Hi! My name is Iris Lloyd. I live in beautiful Hungerford and the Kennet and Avon canal is opposite my front door, across my drive, a side road and the canal bank, so I see all the activity on the waterway. Additionally, our church is half a mile distant,
also on the canal side, so we get boaters going in to have a look around or attend services.
