Whitchurch Rotary Club set for annual canal boat trips in September

The trips are for groups spanning the ages – from the elderly in care homes to youngsters across the schools – and will be running from Monday, September 9 with the opening ceremony.

This will be performed by Whitchurch's mayor, Councillor Bev Duffy, and she will be joined by Rotary president Peggy Mullock as well as the Rotary District Governor Brian Reilly and the chair of the Lyneal Trust, Chris Symes, who own the two boats being used.

Both are specially designed and built for people with a wide range of disabilities, with access to the boats via wheelchair ramps which are level with the towpath, and an internal hydraulic wheelchair lift.

Chris Smith, from the Rotary Club, said they are looking forward to putting the trips on once more, and thanked all those who helped make it happen.

"All the internal passageways are wheelchair width," he said. "The sides of the boats are built especially low, affording wheelchair users an excellent view. and there are disabled toilets aboard each boat.

"The Rotary Club will run three trips a day, morning, afternoon and evening in each boat between the Whitchurch Arm and Grindley Brook.

"We hope to match last year's total of 215 passengers. Our passenger groups include residents of local care homes, day care centre users, child and adult disability groups, the Parkinsons Society, dementia groups, young carers, special schools and groups drawn from the scouting movement.

"The two junior branches of Rotary – Rotakids from Borderbrook School and Interact from Sir John Talbot's School – will also be represented, with the boats being turned into mobile classrooms for the Rotakids.

"The boat trips are provided free of charge. More than £1,000 of sponsorship has been raised thanks to the generosity of more than 40 businesses.

"All the Rotarian skippers and crews are properly trained, and around half of our skippers have achieved the Royal Yachting Association's Helmsman's Certificate qualification."