MP visits National Waterways Museum

THE MP for Wirral South, Alison McGovern, having an interest both in young trainees and in heritage, visited the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port last week.

This was the first week at work for the newest group of Heritage Boatyard trainees, and, remarked Alison:

Often visited

"I visited the museum many times when I was younger and it was lovely to come back today to find out about the great strides it has been making in connecting to the local community, preserving this important part of Wirral's heritage and giving important opportunities to young people.

"I will be looking out for the future developments at the National Waterways Museum with great interest."

From left to right in the picture: Huw Williams, trainee, Di Skilbeck, volunteer, Mark Andrews, trainee, John Inch, General Manager, Alison McGovern MP, Dave Linney and John Moore, Heritage Boatyard, Andy Deer, trainee and Mike Turpin, volunteer, at the National Waterways Museum's Heritage Boatyard.

Preserve boat building skills

The Heritage Boatyard is a project working with a range of partners and funders that aims to preserve traditional boat building skills relating to inland waterways craft, and pass on these skills to a new generation. The boatyard is working to restore and maintain the museum's collection of historic craft and in time develop into a commercial restoration boatyard.

The National Waterways Museum, at Ellesmere Port, is home to the national collection of historic working boats, some of which visitors can board to explore and find out how the working boat people used to live.