Yvonne and I arrived at Granary Wharf in Leeds in plenty of time to meet the boat at 0930 but we were the only ones there.
We had 2 young people and a development team of 6 people coming from Driffield, Keighley, Burnley, Bradford, Huddersfield and Leeds. The boat only came from Thwaite Mills but was the last to arrive – there was an obstruction at the lock preventing it getting onto the canal!!!
No problem - we would revise the plan and moor up, for the first part of introductions, on the river. We had settled in the galley when it became apparent that the river flow was pulling the boat away from the bank.
No problem – we could tighten the ropes or go with the flow and move downstream to a better mooring.
We cruised beneath Leeds Bridge -iconic – the co-terminus of Aire and Calder Navigation and Leeds and Liverpool Canal but more importantly the site of many memorable events in Leeds graduation. We moored at Brewery Wharf- immediately opposite the Heron mural marking the” Heron Trail” to mark the relevance of the natural as well as the built heritage of the waterways.
Today was important because it brought together the past, present and future………
My past: Peter and Katrina…
…who have been with me for a considerable amount of time but both emphasizing the representation of youth and femininity, which is under represented on the waterways
The present: Gary and Graham…
…mid generation who have only just been introduced into the magic of the waterways but bridging the gap between young and old.
The future: Jack and Toren
…teenagers embarking on the voyage into life but with an aspiration to engage with waterways.
How could we mould them into a team to develop a course to bring together our two major projects: IGNITE and Float your Boat- to create a sustainable future for Canal Connections?
Yvonne was there to document the journey but more importantly to use her creativity to capture the opportunities this mixture offered, and perhaps tap the hidden talents of our team.
Follow our journey as the blog continues…