Focus on Accessible Boating Association

The Accessible Boating Association, (Accessible Boating or ABA), is a registered charity initiated in 1985 by Mildred Stocks, then Chairman of Hart District Council, who wanted to enable people who couldn’t use existing canal boats to enjoy cruises on the Basingstoke Canal .

Two boats are available: Madam Butterfly is a comfortable 7-berth cruising boat and Dawn is a 12-person day boat. Both boats are based in Odiham at Galleon Marine’s boatyard with trips operating from Colt Hill Wharf from April to October.

For more details see the website www.accessibleboating.org.uk . New volunteers are always welcome; speak to one of our volunteers or contact our Chairman, John Ranson at chairman@accessibleboating.org.uk

Byfleet Boat Club

As part of the Wey River Festival 2023, aside from raising awareness of our club solely through discussion and leafleting, Byfleet Boat Club took the incentive to introduce activities to our stand to attract a wider audience. A plan was developed and a rowing boat was promptly filled with water which acted as an incredible Hook-a-Duck tank. As a twist, once a duck was hooked the player then had the opportunity to upgrade their prize by matching its colour to a randomly selected card. By the end of the day, nearly 400 ducks had been hooked and the stall was visibly one of the busiest in the wharf!

As the evening closed in, a reduced version of the stall was relocated to a wharfside location where efforts were diverted into selling reusable LED wands with the intention of allowing the spectators the ability to join in and add to the overall atmosphere of the illuminated procession of boats. Sales were great, and the result could be clearly seen dispersed throughout th e crowd.

By the end of a long day, over £400 profit had been made, which as part of our community focus will be distributed amongst local charities.

Steve Pearce