After an absence of a year, the Society is supporting another Raft Race to be held at Colt Hill, Odiham on 5th September. The Race is being sponsored by Galleon Marine, Odiham Parish Council and 6 local businesses. Eight teams have already entered for the Race. The event will also include canoe demonstrations to be […]
Government Announce Removal of Restrictions from 19th July:(Updated 20th July) There is no legal limit to the number of passengers to be carried, up to our licensed maximum of 50 persons for John Pinkerton, or 12 on Kitty. However, we will be unable to maintain social distancing, so passengers and crew are advised to wear […]
We are victims of our success! And we need your help! The Canal restoration is the result of fantastic work. Since then, the Society has continued to support the Canal actively, albeit it has notably stepped up the work over the past few years, creating the need for more volunteers. We have ambitious plans for […]
The Society is busy with several ongoing projects, most of which are long term in their progress. Particular projects of interest include: Information Boards – the 15 new information boards are proposed to be installed during 2021 at locations along the length of the canal. BCA agrees to the locations and themes, and Greenhouse Graphics has […]
Wow, there is lots going on along the canal – and a lot planned! It’s has been great to see lots of activity on the canal recently. Over the Bank Holiday weekend we had a group of 10 boats some up (the crews all socially distanced of course!), with several going all the way up […]
History – where it all began With it being the 30th anniversary of the opening let’s just remind ourselves of the initiative to restoring our canal – and why we need to continue to look after it! Back in 1966, it looked like the long chequered history of the old Basingstoke Canal appeared to be […]
Our canals and waterways play an important role in wellbeing, inclusion and future prospects for communities and individuals – and the Society very much endorses this. We will be actively promoting the health benefits in our work with the local community and councils. By way of background, the National Planning Policy Framework, aimed at promoting healthy communities, […]
Vegetation Management It’s raining as I write this, and I can practically see the grass growing! This week rangers are mowing and strimming to try and keep on top of the growth in the car park and picnic areas and soon drop back onto the towpaths. With over 64 miles of towpath to mow (up […]