Keppel gets its money
THE Etruria Boat Group at Stoke-on-Trent are celebrating as work starts on Keppel, the historic canal narrowboat they are restoring to use for education and other community activities along the canals of the Potteries.
The rusted sections of the 55 years old hull are cut out ready to be replaced at Roger Fuller Boat Building, Lime Kiln Basin at Stone.
Launched appeal
It was back in August that the volunteer group based at Etruria launched its appeal to raise the final £10,000 of the £16,000 project to complete the work to save and restore Keppel, the last of the working canal boats which brought potters materials to Stoke along the Trent & Mersey canal from Runcorn and took back coal from Sideaways Colliery to Seddon's Salt Works at Middlewich.
After restoration, the group will use Keppel as a floating classroom, teaching school children about canals with the Canal & River Trust Explorers education programme and providing community craft resources around North Staffordshire.
Prince Charles
A mystery donor came forward in June as HRH Prince Charles was carried along the canal from Etruria to open Middleport Pottery on board Lindsay, the sister vessel to Keppel, which had been recently restored by the Etruria Boat Group. This benefactor gave the Etruria Boat Group a challenge to match £5,000, pound for pound, to achieve the appeal total.
Donations have come in from members of the group, individuals and friends from as far afield as Australia. The Trent & Mersey Canal Society generously paid into the appeal. Two members of the group, Andrew and Elisabeth were planning to get married in October and they decided to ask their wedding guests to give donations to the appeal.
Elisabeth Beswick-Watts explained:
"Andrew and I are very difficult people to find presents for and we both really wanted to have Keppel restored, so it seemed the obvious thing to do. We raised over £2,500! Marvellous; so much better than twenty new toasters."
Local firms
Canal & River Trust hosted the appeal, providing a webpage for donors to use and also handling the administration. The Prince's Regeneration Trust also gave advice to help set the appeal going. Local firms have helped in the project, Center-Line Curtains of Longport with boat covers, Colorwerx of Stoke with paint and Dean Signs and Graphics of Burslem with sign writing. A retired local vehicle finisher, who wishes to remain anonymous, will paint the cabin sides. Keppel is on the register of National Historic Ships-UK, who have given grants to help in the preparation of the project.
Work is now well underway at the Stone boatyard putting a new bottom and footings into this historic canal boat. The two boats, Lindsay and Keppel, will be officially re-launched at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port at Easter in 2015.