Raise funds by pulling a boat
THE Friends of Dawn Rose have a novel and exciting way to raise funds for your organisation or your favourite charity. Your team can pull a 70ft long, hand-built, wooden narrowboat—the Dawn Rose— along the Chesterfield Canal.
Sponsored Boat Pull
For the second year, the Friends are organising a Sponsored Boat Pull all the way from Shireoaks to West Stockwith and back. They will set off on 22nd April and finish on 17th May.
Last year there was a huge range of groups from the Women’s Institute to the MG Car Club to a group of women from the Co-op. At one stage a skunk got involved with Encounter Exotics! All thoroughly enjoyed themselves and raised tidy sums for their good causes.
21 sections
The journey has been split up into 21 sections which vary from less than one mile to four miles and no locks to nine locks. You can choose which section suits you on which day and at what time of day—morning or afternoon. The picture shows BBC North's Tom Ingall pulling Dawn Rose last year.
You pay a £50 fee to the Friends of Dawn Rose and everything else that you raise goes to your chosen good cause.
Pulling a ten ton boat might sound impossible. In fact it is surprisingly easy. The Friends will supply harnesses with which two people can pull Dawn Rose very comfortably. Your team can take it in turns. The Friends will steer and manage the boat, but you will be able to help, under supervision. As you will be going at walking pace, you can bring friends and family to share in a great day out along this beautiful waterway.
To find out more
To find out more, go to the Chesterfield Canal Trust website, email
Chesterfield Canal boats were built to a unique design dating back to the 1770s. They scarcely changed in 150 years. All the old ones have rotted away, so Dawn Rose is the only one in existence. It is 70ft long with no engine and was built over the course of four years by volunteers from the Chesterfield Canal Trust to the traditional design, using hand tools only, and was launched in 2015.