Pulling Stratford back to the Midlands
ONCE upon a time, a 22ft riveted iron maintenance boat lay abandoned and sunk at the bottom of the disused Stratford Canal.
When the canal was restored, so was the boat, which was named Stratford and taken to the National Waterways Museum at Ellesmere Port.
A pre-pandemic review of its historic boats caused the museum to decide to donate 13 of them to various canal charities, and Coombeswood Canal Trust was lucky enough to be nominated to receive Stratford.
Delayed by the pandemic, the transfer was set to start on September 21.
A group of volunteers from Hawne Basin are bow-hauling Stratford the 87 miles and 67 locks from the museum to the home of Coombeswood Canal Trust at Hawne Basin in the West Midlands – a journey expected to take about 10 days.
En route the gang will collect donations for two charities: Cancer Research UK and Newborns in Need – a Birmingham-based charity which offers support to families of premature babies.
Once established in her new home, Stratford will be a welcome addition to the work party team which strives to help to maintain the Dudley No 2 canal as a community asset.