Kennet & Avon Canal Trust seeks nominations for annual award

Nominations are being sought by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust (KACT) for the annual John Gould Award, which is presented annually to a person or group who has undertaken noteworthy actions or deeds for the waterway.

This year’s award covers work undertaken from January to December 2012.
John Gould, from Newbury, Berkshire, inspired many to embark on a 40-year restoration campaign that ended with the reopening of the Kennet and Avon waterway by the Queen in 1990.

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Nominations invited for John Gould Award

THE Kennet & Avon Canal Trust is seeking nominations for the annual John Gould Award.
It is presented annually to a person or group who has undertaken noteworthy actions or deeds for the waterway. This year’s award covers work undertaken from January to December 2012.

John Gould, from Newbury, Berkshire, inspired many to embark on a 40-year restoration campaign that ended with the reopening of the Kennet and Avon waterway by Her Majesty the Queen in 1990. Born in Newbury in 1913, he began his love affair with the waterway as a small boy playing with toy boats on the River Kennet, which flowed past the backyard of his grandfather's harness shop in the market square.

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Climb On Board to see Santa, Gazette and Herald November 29th

The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust is urging parents to book early for the canal trips they are organising with Father Christmas on board.

The trust’s trip boat, the Kenavon Venture, will leave Devizes Wharf at 11am on December 15, 16, 19, 20, 22 and 23, offering mulled wine and mince pies for adults and soft drinks and snacks for children, as well as the chance to get a gift from Santa.

  Alan Smith, the boatmaster of the Kenavon Venture, said: “The Santa trips are a fantastic event for local children who we know look forward to them every year, but also a really lovely thing for the whole family to enjoy."

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Devizes Lanterns Set to Light up Town, Gazette and Herald, 29th November

Schools, community groups and families are this week busy putting the finishing touches to the lanterns they intend to take on the biggest illuminated parade Devizes has ever seen.
Dave Buxton, the artistic director of the Devizes Christmas Festival, says he is confident there will be at least as many lanterns in the parade as last year’s record-breaking 700 plus. This year it could be as many as 1,000.

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Devizes Free Parking as Santa Pays a Visit, Gazette and Herald, 24th November

VISITORS to Devizes will be able to park free for the whole day on November 30 as Wiltshire Council joins in the Christmas spirit.

To encourage more people to visit and enjoy the Devizes Christmas Festival, the town council asked County Hall to agree to free parking throughout the day.

An open air market will operate in the Market Place from 10.30am, with more stalls on offer in the Corn Exchange from 2.30pm.

The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust is once again hosting Santa’s Grotto at its headquarters at Devizes Wharf from 2.30pm to 5.30pm.

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Plea for help with Claverton clear-up, Bath Chronicle, 27th November

Volunteers are needed to help with a clear-up operation at a flooded landmark.
Part of the Claverton Pumping Station has been underwater but manager Pete Dunn is hoping that levels will have subsided enough for him to get in today to survey the damage.

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Turn your time into cash for vital canal projects, Towpath Talk, 22nd November

The Kennet & Avon Canal Trust has launched a major appeal for volunteers during its 50th anniversary year.

It is hoping to turn people’s time into the equivalent of £5 million worth of work on a number of major projects.
The trust is appealing to people who live along the canal’s 87 mile route between Bristol and Reading to pledge their help.
Every hour contributed is equivalent to a £25 donation to the organisation, on average. Based on that figure, the KACT will need 40,000 hours of promised volunteer time in order to reach its restoration target.

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