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Heritage boat yard opens at Ellesmere Port

10th Mar 2010

Friday 19 March will see the Chairman of British Waterways, Tony Hales officially open a new heritage boatyard at the National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port (formerly the Boat Museum).

The Waterways Trust, National Waterways Museum and The Boat Museum Society are working together to develop a sustainable working boatyard at the museum.

The boatyard will be used by staff and volunteers to maintain and restore historic boats, develop and pass on heritage skills and engage museum visitors in the boat collection and its care.

£100,000 of funding has been secured towards the creation of the Heritage Boatyard and restoration of the boat collection, including funding from Future Jobs Fund (Cheshire West and Cheshire Council) for four trainee Boatyard Assistants.

Considerable personal financial support has also been given to the project by Tony Hales, Chairman of British Waterways.

Roger Hanbury, Chief Executive of The Waterways Trust said:"“The creation of a Heritage Boatyard at the National Waterways Museum presents a fantastic opportunity to enrich the visitor experience at the museum, to engage and involve young people and to conserve the nationally important historic boat collection.

"We are delighted with the support that we have received for the project so far, in particular from Tony Hales."

Local MP, Andrew Miller, Tony Hales, Chairman of British Waterways and the Mayor of Ellesmere Port are vocal supporters of the museum and boatyard and will be attending the celebration to mark its official opening.

The Heritage Boatyard is also working in partnership with the National Historic Ships Unit and West Cheshire College.

The museum, which is open daily 10am – 5pm, is situated just off junction 9 on the M53, 15 minutes drive from Chester and 25 minutes from Liverpool.

Daily boat trips from the museum along the Shropshire Union Canal mean visitors can discover more about the history of the waterway and surrounding landscape.

Last updated: 10/03/2010

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