On April 21 1998 the first all female fly run will take place to the great delight and excitement of the Cotswold Canals Trust. The run will be made by two CCT members, Jude and Claire along with two wrg members Jude and Cathy.
They will be taking "Clover" a 1935 FMC narrowboat generously on loan from South Midland Water Transport, Stoke Bruerne, (on loan from David Blagrove and Malcolm Burge) and "flying" to Gloucester Docks by 24 April 1998, along with a cargo of coal to sell. Also going along for the ‘ride’ is a lock full of scaffolding poles generously given to the Droitwich Canal Society from the Northants IWA…..we plan to unload this ( with vast amounts of assistance!) at the junction of the Droitwich Arm on the Worcester / Birmingham Canal.
Clover – 1935, Iron composite, Yarwood Built, Fellows, Morton & Clayton – originally took 16 tons of tea from London to Birmingham.
The route planned for the fly run is as follows:
| Route: | Waterway: | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| from | to | ||
| Stoke Bruerne | Kingswood | Grand Union | |
| Kingswood | King's Norton Junction | Stratford on Avon | |
| King's Norton Junction | Worcester | Worcester & Birmingham | |
| Worcester | Gloucester Docks | River Severn |
Sonia Rolt (widow of L T C Rolt, who spend a significant amount of time on a working boat) and Audrey Smith (the first female Chairperson of the [IWA] Inland Waterways Association) have marked the date in their diaries, to be there on Saturday 25 April to greet them when they bring the boat on down to Saul Junction Boat Gathering on the Gloucester Sharpness Canal.
They will moor overnight in the Docks at the end of the Fly Run, before setting off first thing on Saturday to join the rest of the boats attending the Saul Junction Gathering. Last year 50+ boats (no mean feat) attended the event much to the delight of the organisers who are hoping this year will be even bigger..
The World War II is presently a theme of the National Waterways Museum at the Docks and this could help raise public awareness as to what waterway life was like in those times.
Sponsorship/funds raised for this event will go towards the restoration of the Cotswold Canals, who would also like to replace their existing trip boat (boat trips at Blunder Lock are a popular fund-raiser) with a more traditional style 30 foot trip boat.
The girls are aiming for an extensive amount of press coverage for this unique event, there is also a White Paper going through Parliament this Spring regarding "Developing an Integrated Transport Policy".
Clover - Ice breaking at Yardley Gobien in February 1996, in the hands of David Blagrove
Contacts for further information regarding the Fly Run are:
|
Claire Lavis: 0145-382-7694 (home) 0145-382-6357 (fax) [c/o work] |
Jude Comber: 0145-383-3938 (evenings & weekends) 0125-634-3393 (work), 0585-313-448 (mobile) |
At Saul Junction the boat will turn left, and nudge "Walk Bridge" the first obstacle preventing the Stroudwater & Thames & Severn Canals from joining the Gloucester Sharpness Canal.
Clover & Fazeley (a Butty) tied above Blakes Lock on the Kennet and Avon Navigation, Easter 1997.
All photographs are to be found on the Web pages of "Clover" in the South Midland Carrying Company Web page.