Trust wants its own boat

AN APPEAL for sponsorship has been launched across the Bedford & Milton Keynes Trust membership, community groups, schools, colleges and local businesses seeking support for the Trust's latest venture—the Bedford Community Boat.

The trust wants to help people realise how much fulfilment and educational opportunity the riverside can offer, and to enthuse people about their own ‘waterway for all' project—the creation of the missing 16 miles link between the Grand Union Canal at Milton Keynes and the Great Ouse at Bedford.

By summer 2012

The Trust now wants its own boat, which it hopes to get off the slipway and into the water by summer 2012, to cruise throughout the summer in Bedford to build community support and involvement in its waterway campaign.

The aim is to set up a trading company and launch a 60ft 50 seat broadbeam boat in time for the Bedford River Festival in 2012 and to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the original plan for the B&MK waterway.

Cost £120,000

It will cost £120,000 to get a new boat built, fitted out, train crew and get ready to cruise. There are grants the Trust can bid for but it needs to raise matching funding. So the initial target is £60,000 and the membership and local community are being asked to get on board with sponsorships.