Once again our team will be at the ever-popular Show for what promises to be another busy Whitsun weekend.

Organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Marina, the three-day Show offers a great day out by the water for all the family and showcases 300 exhibitors from across the canal and inland waterways industry.

Held at Crick Marina in Northamptonshire, this year’s Show will once again be held over the late May [Whitsun] bank holiday weekend which for this year is across Saturday 23rd, Sunday 24th and Monday 25th May 2026.

Once again there will be a Trade and Preview Day 24 hours before on Friday 22nd May when all boats and Quayside stands and much of the Show Village and Boating Marquee will be open to trade visitors and to Preview Day ticket holders.

Among the wide variety of stalls and entertainment on offer during the three public days, there is opportunity to take a boat trip with us as we will once again be operating the hugely-popular Trips Boats. Visitors to the Show can enjoy a short boat trip with us from the Marina and along the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal aboard canal boats which are once again run by our volunteer team of skippers.

The half-hour trips are free, but we welcome and greatly appreciate donations in lieu, with trips running every 10 minutes from 10.10am each of the three days of the show.

As these trips always prove very popular, our advice is to book with us once you arrive at the Show. You will find us at Stand F0 by the quayside where you can up your tickets  from our team who can tell you more about we can do and offer, answer any questions and take enquiries for potential community group shrt break trips and longer holidays for 2027 (and 2028!)

For more information about the 2026 Crick Boat Show and to buy tickets in advance, go to their website HERE.

We look forward to seeing you at Crick.

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A massive THANK YOU to all for what you individually and collectively achieved at the Crick Boat Show this year.

Our skipper numbers were down to what we now think are minimal levels, but everyone stepped up and together we succeeded.

We completed 94 boat trips, with 803 passengers and 30 dogs. That’s 99.5% capacity (excluding the dogs) mainly down to the efforts of Julie and Lynda convincing people that they really did want to go on a boat trip….now !

NB Lazy Days and NB Daybreak were a big improvement and I hope you all had a chance to take the electric boat out for a spin. The boat trips don’t happen without the skippers & crew. People also need to be fed a watered (thanks Sharren & Russ) so the message is thanks to everyone who did their bit. Individually we are good, collectively we are awesome.

Collections were down compared to previous years although we didn’t have Guinevere as an additional attraction. However, our costs were also down. Our attendance at Crick is about being at the largest inland waterways boat show in the UK, connecting with the local community and the boating communities, an opportunity for us to get together and promote/advertise LNBP. In addition, we are able to hold our AGM on the campsite, which is an efficient opportunity to fulfil a legal requirement.

Waterways World organise the show and are very appreciative of LNBP providing the day boat service for the Show as they know we will deliver. We demonstrated that LNBP is a great team and anyone looking for community boating could approach us with confidence.

Thanks again and hope to seek you back again next year.

* To see more pics from LNBP at Crick 2025, click HERE

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Once again the weekend long event was held over the late May Whitsun bank holiday period with the public days of Saturday 24th to Monday 26th May following the Show’s Trade and Preview Day on the Friday 23rd.

The LNBP team were once again brought in to operate the Show’s trip boats which saw three day boats run every 15 minutes from the marina quayside, out and up a short distance of the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal and back.

The trip boats are always a popular feature amongst showgoers and this year was again no exception with initial reports suggesting the boats and tickets for them were used to capacity and sold out. Although the trips were provided free of charge, donations were encouraged either by cash or card payment in lieu, and gratefully received. Full report details to follow.

The event also provides an ideal platform for LNBP to promote and market its services to the Show visitors with another useful source of enquiries generated

‘Crick’ also is a great venue and opportunity to bring all LNBP members together in one place to hold its AGM on the Saturday as well as provide a post-day social of a spot of food and drink.  This year was no exception and with the notable inclusion and installation of a new Chairperson – more details to follow about this hortly.

All in all it was another excellent, busy and productive Crick Show and thank you to everyone who contributed in whatever capacity during the course of the week and the days leading up to and after it.

Look out for more post-Crick details to follow.

The post In pictures – LNBP at 2025 Crick Boat Show appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

Once again our team will be at the ever-popular Show for what promises to be another busy weekend.

Organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Marina, the three-day Show offers a great day out by the water for all the family and showcases 300 exhibitors from across the canal and inland waterways industry.

Held at Crick Marina in Northamptonshire, this year’s Show will once again be held over the May Whitsun bank holiday weekend which for this year is across Saturday 24th, Sunday 25th and Monday 26th May 2025.

Once again there will be a Trade and Preview Day 24 hours before on Friday 23rd May when all boats and Quayside stands and much of the Show Village and Boating Marquee will be open to trade visitors and to Preview Day ticket holders.

Among the wide variety of stalls and entertainment on offer, there is opportunity to take a boat trip with us as we will once again be operating the hugely-popular Trips Boats. Visitors to the Show can enjoy a short boat trip with us from the Marina and along the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal aboard canal boats which are once again run by our volunteer team of skippers. The half-hour trips are free, but we welcome donations in lieu, and will run every 10 minutes from 10.10am each day of the show.

As these trips always prove very popular, our advice is to book with us once you arrive at the Show. You will find us at Stand F0 by the quayside where you can up your tickets  from our team who can tell you more about we can do and offer, answer any questions and take enquiries for potential community group shrt break trips and longer holidays for 2026 (and 2027!)

For more information about the 2025 Crick Boat Show and to buy tickets in advance, go to their website HERE.

We look forward to seeing you at Crick.

——————————————————————————————————–

The post Come and see us at the 2025 Crick Boat Show appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

Once again our team will be at the ever-popular Show for what promises to be another great few days by and on the water at Crick Marina.

Organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Marina, the three-day Show offers a great day out by the water for all the family and showcases 300 exhibitors from across the canal and inland waterways industry.

Held at Crick Marina in Northamptonshire, this year’s Show will once again take place over the May Whitsun bank holiday of Saturday 25th, Sunday 26th and Monday 27th May.

Once again there will be a Trade and Preview Day 24 hours before on Friday 24th May when all boats and Quayside stands and much of the Show Village and Boating Marquee will be open to trade visitors and to Preview Day ticket holders.

Among the wide variety of stalls and entertainment on offer, there is opportunity to take a boat trip with us as we will once again be operating the Show’s hugely-popular Trips Boats. Visitors to the Show can enjoy a short boat trip with us from the Marina and along the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal aboard canal boats which are once again run by our volunteer team of skippers. The half-hour trips are free, but we welcome donations in lieu, and will run every 10 minutes from 10.10am each day of the show.

As these trips always prove very popular, our advice is to book with us once you arrive at the Show. You will find us at Stand Q50 by the quayside, and also find one of our boats, Guinevere, moored and on display nearby (you can’t miss us!). We will be on hand to show community group leaders and managers around the boat and tell them more about we can do and offer, answer any questions and take enquiries for potential community group trips for 2025 (and 2026!)

For more information about the Crick Boat Show, go to their website HERE.

We look forward to seeing you at Crick this weekend.

The post Come and see us at the Crick Boat Show this weekend appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

Background

Crick Boat Show is the largest inland waterway festival in Britain, organised by Waterways World in association with the Canal and River Trust and Aquavista. It attracted over 20,000 people who are interested in canal and river craft over the bank holiday weekend. This year’s dates were 27^th – 29^th May with a Trade day on 26^th

LNBP at Crick

LNBP took Guinevere as a show boat to encourage people aboard and to explain how the Project provides canal experiences for Community Groups. We also run the day boat trip service, a 30 minute trip down the canal and back, including providing a timed ticketing service. LNBP has supported Crick Boat Show for many years and we continue to have good working relationship with the organisers.

Objectives

1. Attendance and support of the largest inland waterway festival in Britain.
2. Show Guinevere to promote LNBP and to encourage future bookings
3. Fundraise via bucket collection, mainly from the trip boats
4. Provide a venue and refreshments for the annual AGM

 Attendance and support

LNBP successfully ran the trip boat booking tent (thanks to Julie and Linda) and provided a good shuttle service with the three trip boats provided. We also collected and returned the trip boats from Foxton and Braunston on the Friday before and Tuesday after the Show. In total we offered 95 boat trips and took 925 passengers plus 48 dogs. Excluding the dogs, this represents 97% capacity which was more than last year.

LNBP provided a team of 27 including 14 skippers. We also had 17 camping over the weekend on the Show Campsite. This included several potential new members and the social value shouldn’t be underestimated. Specific thanks to Denise for organising the catering and John Driver for arranging camping catering kit.

The Show organisers are very grateful to LNBP for our support, especially the professional running of the day boats. We are contacting the organisers to provide some feedback but have been asked to run the trip boats again in 2024 (dates are 24^th May Trade day and 25^th – 27^th public days).

Guinevere on show

Guinevere was given a prime location for the 2023 Boat Show and was regularly visited by a variety of “customers”. Nigel, Paul Dadford and John Tobin were the primary recruiters.

Guinevere and her crew left Braunston on Wednesday and returned the following Tuesday.

On Thursday, Karl had arranged for a roving reporter from BBC Northampton to broadcast four live broadcasts with crew interviews as we made our way through the Watford flight.

There was some genuine interest in Community boating, there was some family groups interested on getting on a boat without having to book with the boatbuilders and there was some interest from others keen to gain boat layout ideas.

Community groups often need to plan activities over 12 months in advance so it would be difficult to confirm any bookings directly from the 2023 Boat Show as yet. Nigel was on site on Saturday and Sunday we have had bookings from previous shows.

Without definite bookings from the Show, we are unable to confirm if this objective has been fully achieved (yet).

Fundraising

Bucket collections raised £962.21

2022 was £1,047, 2019 was £1,060 and 2018 was £1,118

We also directed people to the LNBP donation website via the QR code to donate online. Given the 925 passengers travelling on dayboats, the buckets represent just over a £1 per passenger.

AGM

We are required to hold an AGM each year and the Boat Show provides the obvious opportunity given the number of people already on site. This avoids having to arrange a separate venue, travel and catering.

A big thank you…

To everyone connected with LNBP who gave their time during the course of the weekend; whether it was manning the ticket tent, guiding Show visitors around Guinevere or skippering the trip boats and manning the quayside. Whatever your input, it is hugely appreciated.

Particular thanks go to Paul Iverson for all his considerable work in coordinating arrangements with the Show’s Organisers, and along with wife Denise – who not only provided a fantastic meal for everyone on the Saturday evening – but both helped bring Guinevere from Braunston to Crick Marina and back.

The post LNBP at the 2023 Crick Boat Show – Report appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

Once again our team will be at the ever-popular Show for what promises to be another great busy weekend.

Organised by Waterways World in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and Crick Marina, the three day Show offers a great day out by the water for all the family and showcases 300 exhibitors from across the canal and inland waterways industry.

Held at Crick Marina in Northamptonshire, this year’s Show reverts back to its usual end of May Whitsun bank holiday date and will be held over the weekend of Saturday 27th, Sunday 28th and Monday 29th May 2023.

Once again there will be a Trade and Preview Day 24 hours before on Friday 26th May when all boats and Quayside stands and much of the Show Village and Boating Marquee will be open to trade visitors and to Preview Day ticket holders.

Among the wide variety of stalls and entertainment on offer, there is opportunity to take a boat trip with us as we will once again be operating the hugely-popular Trips Boats. Visitors to the Show can enjoy a short boat trip with us from the Marina and along the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal aboard canal boats which are once again run by our volunteer team of skippers. The half-hour trips are free, but we welcome donations in lieu, and will run every 10 minutes from 10.10am each day of the show.

As these trips always prove very popular, our advice is to book with us once you arrive at the Show. You will find us at Stand FQ50 by the quayside, and also find one of our boats, Guinevere, moored and on display nearby (you can’t miss us!). We will be on hand to show visitors around the boat and tell them more about we can do and offer, answer any questions and take enquiries for potential community group trips for 2023 (and 2024!)

For more information about the 2023 Crick Boat Show and to buy tickets in advance, go to their website HERE.

We look forward to seeing you at Crick.

The post Come and see us at the 2023 Crick Boat Show appeared first on LNBP Community Boating.

The May 2019 issue of Crick Boating Times is now available in print circulation and online, and we are featured in it.

 

 
Crick Boating Times is a comprehensive free guide to enjoying the UK’s inland waterways, published on a monthly basis in print and online formats by the team behind Waterways World, the organisers of the Crick Boat Show.
 
As the Show’s Official Charity Partner, we are featured on page 51 in this month’s ‘Show’ edition which covers a big preview of everything you can look forward to enjoying at Crick over the Whitsun weekend – including climbing aboard for one of our trip boats up the Leicester Line of the Grand Union Canal.
 
To view the online version, click here
 

 
Heading to the Crick Boat Show over the May Whitsun weekend? 
 
As well as operating the trip boats each day of the Show, you can find our team at our Booking Tent which will be located just up from the quayside at Stand Q0. As well as taking bookings for the trip boats, we will have our face painting team on hand to provide young and old with their catchy designs. Donations in lieu to allow us to continue our work are gladly accepted. 
 
Also, one of our boats Guinevere will be on display in the Marina area a short walk away, with opportunity to come aboard and view the boats, and find out more about us and how groups and organisations can enjoy a short break or longer holiday with us.
 
We look forward to seeing you then!
 

 
 

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