Stratford River Festival Archives - LNBP Community Boating

A review of 2015

LNBP Press & Media — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 17:48:39 +0000

Chairman, Brian Eaton, provides an insight into what has been a very busy year – if not one of the busiest, for LNBP at Braunston

With 50 bookings slots taken up this year and 20 Community Days filled, we have taken over 600 people from a wide diversified range of groups out on the canals this year and welcomed new guests to our client list.

Our annual attendance at the Crick Boat Show over the Spring Bank Holiday was a great success and supported by a 31 strong team of LNBP staff. The Crick venue for our AGM has also proved to be popular and will be the location for next year.

Our new website is now up and running and we would like to thank Laura Dunn and Karl Quinney for all the work they have done and their loyal support.

In June we also supported the ‘Stratford 2 Stratford Project’ organised by Canal and River Trust. This was a very high profile CRT project for a school drama group from Chobham Acadamy and consisted of 30 students accompanied by 5 adults and a TV film crew travelling from Stratford in London to Stratford-on-Avon teaching the group about Shakespeare and the Canals. The drama group then performed during this year’s Stratford-on-Avon Waterfest several times. Our LNBP skippers provided support by skippering the six boats from Hatton to Stratford and back to Braunston.

A short video from that fabulous trip will be available on our website shortly.

Lights-Camera-Action!
Brian on camera being interviewed

As always, our sincere thanks go to the all our skippers, our face painting team and support team members for giving their time and expertise throughout the year – we couldn’t do it without you!

Over the winter period window replacement will be undertaken together with our normal maintenance schedule. As the 2015 season draws to a close, preparations are already well in hand for next year.

We would like to remind all groups that by booking your boat before the end of this year an early booking discount will be given.

Booking Forms and full details of availability are available on our website www.lnbp.co.uk or contact Nigel our Bookings Officer by e-mail, nigelsmith25@hotmail.com or by telephone, 0121 523 0401.

In November we will be holding our Skippers Workshop, which provides the opportunity to review our policies and procedures and ensure that we can provide a first class service for all our clients.

LNBP is in its 34th year and many members of the team have been dedicated to our aims for over 25 years.
To ensure that we can continue to provide young people, those who are disadvantaged and community groups with the enjoyment of canal boating we are currently seeking new members to join the Executive Team, particularly those who have administrative skills which form the working foundation and backbone of the charity.
If you would like to join us please contact us either by email: secretary@lnbp.co.uk or telephone: 020 8699 7806.

We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year and look forward to welcoming you aboard next year.

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Review of Stratford 2 Stratford – Part 2

LNBP Press & Media — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 10:00:43 +0000

After our hugely successful involvement with the Canal and Rivers Trust’s ‘Stratford 2 Stratford‘ project, here is Part 2 of our look back of a great few days.

Route of the Stratford-2-Stratford project #BardonBoats

The Weekend
We could not have had a better mooring.
We were on the opposite bank of the river to the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) Theatre and right by a water point. Our boats, Lancelot and Guinevere were on the inside (good position for publicity), with the other boats in support, Pennine and Chiltern breasted up to them and then Wenlock and Laughton on the outside of them. Our stall site was less than 50 metres from the boats.
Friday was a very easy day for us, we needed it after all of the lock work in very hot weather!

The students went into town and visited Shakespeare’s birthplace where they were allowed to perform some short extracts of the play in the garden.

On the Saturday morning we completed putting the stand together. It was manned by a rota of all LNBP people who were still on site, led by Peter Page who had originally hoped to meet us at Hatton but was prevented from doing so by a trapped nerve in his back. There seemed to be some real interest in what we had to offer to community groups and a number of useful contacts were made.

During our stay at Stratford the boats were visited by Tony Hales, the Chairman of Canal and Rivers Trust (CRT), who thanked us profusely for the support we were giving. A somewhat nervous Mike was interviewed live on local radio and talked about LNBP and our involvement in the Stratford project, and also about LNBP’s aims and objectives.

On the Saturday afternoon 7 of us attended a performance of A Mid Summers Night’s Dream given by the students and we enjoyed it very much. They had learnt their parts, etc. in just one week whilst by travelling the canals from teaching given by ‘The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’. Their performance was really entertaining and supported by some extremely accomplished acting. Throughout the journey and weekend the TV crew were filming the students.

Clips of these films can be viewed on You Tube under the heading Stratford 2 Stratford. The TV crew also generously promised to make a short video clip for LNBP to post on their web-site. A number of LNBP staff were interviewed and we look forwards to receipt of the film shortly.

Lights-Camera-Action!
Brian on camera being interviewed

The highlight of Saturday evening was a really good firework display.

Time for a well-earned drink!

The Return
Only 5 boats now as UCC had arranged the collection and return of Laughton so that it was back in Braunston to go out on hire on the following Tuesday.

We set off about midday on Sunday and moored at Wooton Wawen for the night. The following day we got to the top of the Hatton flight but had difficulty getting through one of the locks where there was an underwater obstruction. Chiltern had to be pulled out backwards and then driven into the lock at speed. Wenlock got completely jammed and the final solution was one boat towing and another pushing. It did show how we could deal with a difficult situation and work as a team. We found out later that the problem had been reported to CRT at least the day before.

And Finally…..

Our thanks go to everybody who contributed to the success of this project, with apologies to anyone who may have inadvertently been omitted below.
We could not have succeeded without the fantastic help and support of you all.
Skippers & Crew: Mike Wilton-Caley, Wayne Fletcher, Graham Hetherington, Paul & Denise Iverson, Nigel Smith, John Moore, Brian Eaton, Mike Horsley, John & Linda Driver, Chris & Di Woodward, Elliot & Paul.
Extra crew on return journey: Megan & Amy Smith, Julie Unwin and friends Mel, Gary, Chris & Ross.
Other helpers: Nick & Karen Weatherburn, Peter Page, Paul Johnson, Brendan Aegenheister.

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Review of Stratford 2 Stratford – Part 1

LNBP Press & Media — Tue, 28 Jul 2015 09:30:47 +0000

After our hugely successful involvement with the Canal and Rivers Trust’s ‘Stratford 2 Stratford‘ project, here’s a look back at what went on and what it was all about.

Background

The Canal & Rivers Trust (CRT) devised a project to take 30 students from Stratford in East London to Stratford-upon-Avon where they would perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
A journey would go by boat from near the Olympic Park to Berkhampsted, then by coach to Hatton and then the rest of the way by boat.
They booked both of our boats for the Hatton to Stratford-on-Avon section and later asked if we could crew three UCC boats (two for the students and one for a TV crew) over the same section as well.
At a meeting with CRT on 6^th March, attended by Mike Wilton – Caley, Nigel Smith and Brian Eaton we found out that the students would not be on board for a lot of the time when travelling from Hatton to Stratford-on-Avon. This would mean that we would need lock operating crew in addition to boat Skippers so we immediately asked for a sixth boat for crew accommodation, which CRT agreed too.
LNBP had also booked a pitch for our show marquee at the Stratford River Festival which was being held on the same weekend that we were there.

Going to Stratford-on-Avon
Guinevere and Lancelot had been out on a normal weekend hire for the two days prior to our setting off. Thanks to Martin and Boz for ensuring that the boats were returned on time on the Sunday. The turnaround was done in stages while travelling to Hatton to ensure the boats would be pristine on arrival.
After loading the boats set off from Braunston at 17:50 on Sunday 28^th June. Guinevere and Lancelot were pumped out at Kate Boats near Warwick and then it was through the Cape Locks and up the Hatton flight on the hottest day of the year on the Tuesday so that we arrived at the CRT Office at Hatton before the scheduled time! (Our thanks go to Britvic for donating gallons of bottled spring water which were a real lifesaver in the hot weather! Our thanks too to Nick & Karen for their strenuous efforts in delivering the water to the boats!)

The group of 30 students from Chobham Academy (16 – 18 year olds) were already at CRT Hatton, rehearsing under the leadership of ‘The Rubbish Shakespeare Company’. The TV crew were busy filming and editing what was going on. After introductions and confirming the programme for the next few days Mike went through our own briefing documents with the students.
As Peter had not been able to meet us at Hatton, our model boat (for use in the display marquee) was moved from a spare bunk onto the TV crew boat where Brian had to share a double bed with it for some nights!
The journey from Hatton to Stratford went smoothly with excellent weather and an overnight stop at Wooton Wawen. (One student was overheard saying during the course of the journey that they had never been out of London before!)
Smoothly that is until Lancelot & Guinevere passed through the lock onto the River Avon!
After the lock had drained it was necessary to move the boats backwards to allow the bottom gates to open. We did not discover that both boat rudders had been dislodged from their cups by the lock cill until we were out of the lock and onto the river, without steerage. Fortunately bow thrusters came to the fore and both boats were eventually safely moored alongside the bank.
After a visit from an engineer from our good friends at UCL the next morning, all was well and both rudders were fixed.

Safely moored at Stratford-upon-Avon…eventually

So, onto the weekend!

See Part 2 of the Review of Stratford 2 Stratford here

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Stratford to Stratford

LNBP Press & Media — Fri, 19 Jun 2015 20:00:38 +0000

From 29th June to 8th July, LNBP at Braunston is involved with what is undoubtedly its biggest project undertaken to date.
Stratford-to-Stratford is a exciting new youth arts project coordinated by the Canal and River Trust.
They are taking a group of 30 budding young thespians from The Chobham Academy based in Stratford, East London, to perform at the Stratford Upon Avon Festival over the weekend of 3^rd-5^th July 2015.
They will be going from Stratford east London to Stratford upon Avon in Warwickshire by narrowboat, and along the way they will learn all about the wonders of the canals together with the wonders of Shakespeare.

Route of the Stratford-to-Stratford project #BardonBoats

Once they arrive they will perform ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ at the Dell and as part of the Stratford River Festival.
The Canal and River Trust are coordinating the whole trip for the group and LNBP have been asked to provide boats and crews to transport the group from Hatton to Stratford Upon Avon.
CRT have hired both Lancelot and Guinevere, and an additional 4 boats from Union Canal Carriers at Braunston. Lancelot and Guinevere + 2 UCCL boats will accommodate the group. A 5^th boat will accommodate the camera crew and their equipment, whilst the 6^th boat will be crew accommodation.
The chronology of the trip for LNBP at Braunston is as follows:-
Stage 1:
LNBP to crew a total of six boats from Braunston setting out on Sunday 28^th June to arrive on the Hatton flight by the evening of Tuesday 30^th when the theatre group and their camera crew will board.
Stage 2:
Departing Hatton on the morning of Wednesday 1^st July the six boats will transport the whole group to Stratford Upon Avon, arriving on the evening of Thursday 2^nd July, when the boats will moor on the river Avon at Stratford.
Stage 3:
The boats will remain moored at Stratford to provide dormitory accommodation for the group until Sunday 5^th July.
During this time, LNBP at Braunston will have an exhibition stand at the Stratford River Festival
Stage 4:
The group will vacate the boats at 9.00am on the Sunday the 5^th. At a time to be agreed the flotilla will depart Stratford on Sunday 5^th, returning to Braunston on the morning of Wednesday 8^th July.

It is a big undertaking for us but one we are ready for and privileged to be involved with.
Look out for updates on our Facebook Page and on Twitter (@LNBP_Braunston)
Report on the project to follow
For more details and background on Stratford to Stratford, head to the CRT’s page here

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