Over the Bank Holiday weekend of Saturday 25th – Monday 27th May, the 1935 former London fireboat, ‘Massey Shaw’ makes her debut public appearance following five years of extensive restoration.  

She will be attending Gloucester Tall Ships 2013 held at Gloucester’s Historic Docks.  Visitors to the event will have a chance to see this amazing vessel and learn of her unique place in history. 

Until her retirement in 1971 Massey Shaw served the Thames as part of the London Fire Service.  During World War 2 she was called upon to protect and save buildings and property during the Blitz. 

Work on the new Cropredy Marina, situated just north of Banbury in south Oxfordshire, continues to progress well and generate a huge amount of interest from boating customers.

Bookings for moorings are already fifty-percent ahead of target and regular Open Days continue to attract large numbers of visitors, who are delighted with the site’s quiet rural setting, pricing and accessible location.

Work on the new marina started in September 2012 and is being carried out by experienced waterway contractors, Greenford Ltd. The fully privately funded project, situated on the beautiful south Oxford Canal just outside of Cropredy village, is due to open in mid-August 2013.

The Canal & River Trust has today (Wednesday 6th March) removed a 90-tonne crane from the Leeds & Liverpool Canal at Apperley Bridge after the crane overturned into the canal when a towpath gave way in February. 

The crane was being used to replace lock gates at Dobson Locks on the 200-year old canal as part of the Trust’s vital winter restoration and repair programme.

The Trust and crane owner have been working together to carefully plan the removal of the vehicle which will include the use of two additional 200-tonne cranes to lift it into its upright position before being removed from the canal.

Work has commenced on site to repair the breach at Dutton on the Trent & Mersey Canal after a hole equivlant to the size of 12 double decker buses was left in the canal bank following heavy rain in September which caused a section of the 200-year old canal embankment to get washed away.

The Canal & River Trust, the charity caring for canals in England and Wales, is investing nearly £2.1 million to fix the damaged embankment on the 235 year-old canal. 

Due to the remote location of the breach, the Trust has been liaising with the local land owners to gain access as well as carrying out investigations and completing designs before work commences to repair the canal.

The Canal & River Trust is seeking an amendment to the Growth & Infrastructure Bill which it believes undermines planning protections to its 2,000-mile network of historic waterways.

The Trust has written to the Government setting out its objections to the Bill, and requesting that the same protection be given to its canals and rivers as that afforded to land held by the National Trust.