Wheelyboat Picks the Litter

Liz Nicholls

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WOW-one crew stand proudly over their spoils of the Littler Pick

WOW! Wallingford Accessible Boat Club heroes support the Thames river clean-up with WOW-one wheelyboat

We thought we would share some heart-warming community news to add some light to what has been a very gloomy week for most.

Members of the Wallingford Accessible Boat Club (WABC), with their wheelyboat WOW-one, helped out with the Thames Clean Up in Wallingford today.  Bankside litter pickers, co-ordinated by local councillors and actively supported by the charity Wallingford 1155, passed the rubbish bags and other debris to the wheelyboat for ferrying downstream to the main collection point at Riverside in Wallingford.

WOW-one proved to be the ideal craft for the job. Its flat decking, designed for carrying wheelchair users, coupled with its shallow draft allowed it to get very close to the bank making it easy to load the rubbish.

Just some of the debris collected by WOW-one during the Litter Pick

Councillor Steve Holder, lead coordinator of the litter pick, said:  “Another great litter pick thanks to the 80 or so local people who turned out to help. We were very pleased to have the support of WABC and WOW-one which was invaluable for the river element of the Litter Pick which coincided with the wider South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse River Thames Clean Up event. It is great they were involved in this important community initiative.”

John Jenkins MBE, WABC chairman of Trustees, added: “The litter pick was all great fun and I am very glad that our involvement proved to be so helpful. After all, our wheelyboat operation is itself a community project and we are always keen to get involved to support local Wallingford initiatives such as this.”

For further information please contact John Jenkins on [email protected] or phone 07976 297835.

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The Rose of Hungerford

Round & About

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Hop aboard The Rose of Hungerford and enjoy a trip along the canal

There can be few more enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon than on a canal boat along the Kennet & Avon and there’s the chance to find out more about how you can get involved in just that at an open day this month.

The Rose of Hungerford is a purpose-built 55ft long wide-beamed passenger trip boat owned by the canal trust. The boat is now preparing to operate public trips for the 2019 season as well as being available for private charter.

Trips run every Saturday and Sunday from April through to October and from May, additionally on Wednesdays and there’s a special treat for Mother’s Day on 31st March when the popular cream tea cruise will be operated.

In 2017, The Rose of Hungerford undertook more than 200 trips, carrying around 6,000 passengers. It travelled about 660 miles and through 772 locks as it toured the canal.

If the idea of this appeals to you as more than just a ‘passenger’, they are always on the look out for more volunteers to help with all aspects of the running of the boat.

The Rose of Hungerford is owned by the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and crewed entirely by trained volunteers but keeping the service in operation is about much more than just crewing the boat with help needed with a multitude of behind the scenes tasks too. They’d love to hear from you if you’re interested in getting involved.

Pop along to the open morning on Saturday, 23rd March at Hungerford Wharf from 9.30am to 12.30pm to find out more about the trips, meet the crew and volunteering aboard The Rose of Hungerford.

visit their website for more information and to book a trip!