Waterways Festival and Barbeque

The Waterways Festival has always been one of the important events in the Town's calendar and attracts large crowds of visitors and local people. The Festival this year was preceded by a barbeque at the Stone Building in the Wharf. The Stone Building, which is occupied by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust, was originally a mid 19th Century granary and part of wharf building complex, which served the corn trade on the canal.

I was invited to attend the barbeque on the evening of 28 July but the Mayoress was not able to accompany me. The weather was very much the same as it had been during the week, blustery with scattered showers, so I arrived complete with umbrella. I was met by Graham Smith, who is the Newbury Branch Secretary of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. He and his organising team had anticipated wet weather as much of the Wharf area had been protected from rain by awnings, which covered the seating areas and the disco. There must have been around 50 or 60 people there and the barbeque was already cooking the burgers and sausages.

Many of those attending were owners of narrow boats and there were several who came from Hungerford and Devizes. The food was delicious; the two people cooking the barbeque were obviously experts as the meat was well cooked but not tough as I usually find it. I thanked my hosts for their hospitality and went at around 10pm, when the party was well underway and the dancing to the disco. I had to be up bright and early the next day to formally open the Festival.

The next morning, the sun shone as I arrived at the Town Hall and walked with Edwina Cooper to Victoria Park - at least we would not get wet!!! In my speech to open the Festival, I indicated that the river and later the canal in the 18th and 19th centuries, after it had become navigable. was used commercially and the town prospered from it. However, with the arrival of the railway in 1852, this trade declined and by 1927, some parts of the canal ceased to be navigable.

This situation continued until 1951, when the Kennet and Avon Trust was formed and volunteer working parties were established to help improve the navigation. The Trust has over the years, gone from strength to strength and through their efforts, the canal and river is now completely navigable between Reading and Bristol. I concluded by thanking the Trust for its efforts and wished them a successful Festival and for its future success. Having formally opened the Festival, I then walked to the canal side to judge the best dressed boat.

There were 15 narrow boats tied up to the bank and I and the Mayoress visited each one. I was able to speak to a number of the owners, who were all very dedicated "boaters". while some had not been off the Kennet and Avon Canal, other more adventurous had spent months on the inter-connected canal systems up to the Midlands and beyond. Most of the boats were decorated with flags, summer flowers in pots and other adornments. All the owners were obviously proud of their boats, with polished brass and new paint. It was therefore difficult to choose a winner. I eventually decided that a local boat "Pride" was the best and, to my surprise, those accompanying me from the Kennet and Avon Trust, agreed I had made a good decision. I presented the winning owner with and inscribed silver tray, who was suitably delighted.

We walked around the various marquees, which were deployed in the park, from traders selling , cakes, jams and other produce to the charitable organisations such as the Lions and the Lifeboat Institution. There was also other canal trusts present. The Wey and Avon Canal Trust based at Billingham, is restoring the waterway between the River Wey at Shalford, south of Guildford and the River at Shalford, northwest of Pulborough in Sussex. The strategic importance of the Trey and Avon canal is that it is the only outlet to the English Channel from the whole of the National Waterways System. It is not yet fully navigable, which the Trust is addressing. Another was the Wilts and Berks Canal Trust, the main route of this canal was the 52 miles from the Kennet and Avon Canal at Sunnington near Melksham to the River Thames at Abingdon.

The Waterways Festival proved to be a great occasion and I shall return next year.