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IWA plans Tom Rolt centenary celebration events

5th Oct 2009

2010 sees the centenary of the birth of Tom Rolt; one of the Inland Waterways Association’s (IWA) “founding fathers”.

Born in Chester in 1910, Tom trained as an engineer and had a passion for Victorian engineering of all kinds. As well as campaigning for the waterways he was also a lifelong vintage car and steam railway enthusiast.

From working within the engineering sector, Tom moved on to become a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction. One of his first books, ‘Narrowboat’, chronicled his tour of the inland waterways in 1939 with his wife, Angela. The cruise, on the restored Shropshire Union narrowboat, Cressy ended up prompting the formation of the Inland Waterways Association in 1946.

To celebrate this centenary several events are currently being planned, and two have already been confirmed.

IWA Chester & District Branch will be staging a Tom Rolt Centenary Celebration Rally at Tower Wharf in Chester. This will take place during the weekend of 26 and 27 June 2010.

The Talyllyn Railway will be represented during the weekend and hopefully local representatives from the Vintage Sports Car Club will bring their cars – enabling the Rally to celebrate Tom’s wide ranging interests throughout his life.

There will also be a Centenary Celebration Dinner taking place, with further details available soon. For further information about the Chester celebrations, please contact Lesley Taylor on 0151 342 6651.

At the other end of the country, near to Oxford and Banbury, the National Festival & Boat Show at Beale Park has also been earmarked as a Tom Rolt centenary celebration event. The National will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend as usual, from 28 – 30 August 2010.

Once again, it is hoped the festival will demonstrate Tom’s wide ranging interests through displays and attractions that will be running throughout the weekend. For further information call 0844 800 6583 or visit www.waterways.org.uk for updates.

Other events will be taking place around the Cressy cruise route and keen boaters may like to consider retracing part of that route – leaving from Banbury in the spring, heading up to Chester for mid-June, back down through Stoke and returning to Beale for the National Festival at the end of August.