Mersey Basin Campaign Blog

Don’t miss the Floating Garden Festival, 7th –15th June 2008!!!

The Floating Garden Festival commences soon and the British Waterways heritage boat Lindsay is set to visit Congleton and Rode Heath on its journey to Middlewich for the Folk and Boat Festival (13^th – 15^th June 2008). The boat will be florally decorated in an Alice in Wonderland theme using the talents of Chris Harrop, a Bollington based floral designer. Local societies and organisations have been invited to donate hanging baskets or tubs to help dress the boat which is a great way involve the local community in the event and the Year of Gardens 2008 programme.

Lindsay will be launched on 8^th June from Bollington as part of the Floral Weekend celebrations. The boat will then travel through Bosley Locks and Macclesfield to arrive in Congleton on Monday 9^th June. The boat will be moored up at the Queen Head Hotel overnight and everyone is welcome to come down and have a look at the floral creations.

Come and join us at the Queens Head Hotel in Congleton (Park Lane) on Tuesday 10^th June for an evening of folk music with “Lost in the Mist”, CAMRA Award Winning Cask Ales and locally sourced guest beers, from 7pm onwards. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come down to this traditional English pub to soak up the atmosphere, see the florally dressed boat, listen to the music and sample up to 7 quality cask ales. Tel: 01260 272546.

The boat will then head down to Rode Heath for the fun filled Odd Rode Festival on Wednesday 11^th June. The boat will arrive about 2-3pm to be greeted by local school children with festivities commencing from approximately 4pm onwards. The boat will moor up outside The Broughton Arms Pub and there will be a bouncy castle for the children, the Rode Silver Brass Band will perform as will the local school brass band. There will be dancing from the local ‘Trinity’ dance troupe with more in the pipeline. Tel: 01260 291592 (Where possible please leave your cars at home).

For more details about the Floating Garden Festical please see www.visitcheshire.com/floatinggardenfestival or contact Phillippa Brown, Congleton Borough, Tourism Officer [email protected]

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Floating Garden Festival events update

The Floating Garden Festival begins soon and two more events have been confirmed.  On Tuesday 10th June the Jolly Tar at Barbridge is hosting us, with a waterways talk from local legend Harry Arnold at 7pm, followed by live music from 'Steamhead' at 9.30 pm.  The following night, bring your thinking caps for a waterways themed pub quiz at The Olde Barbridge Inn, beginning at 9.30 pm.  See their website for more details, and give David or Kath a ring on 01270 528443 to book your table for the quiz.

For more info on the Floating Garden Festival, visit the website, or get more information about Saturn's launch weekend at Audlem and trip to Middlewich via Nantwich and Barbridge from the flyer (in draft form at the moment) Download floating_garden_flyer.pdf

The Cheshire Floating Garden Festival comes to Congleton Borough!!!

The British Waterways heritage boat Lindsay, will be florally decorated in an Alice in Wonderland theme using the talents of Chris Harrop a Bollington based floral designer and hanging baskets and tubs donated by local clubs and societies. It will depart from Bollington on 8^th June to arrive in Congleton on Monday 9^th June.

Come and join us at the first stop on the journey at the Queens Head Hotel in Congleton (Park Lane) on Tuesday 10^th June for an evening of folk music, CAMRA Award Winning Cask Ales and locally sourced guest beers, from 7pm onwards. Everyone is invited and encouraged to come down to this traditional English pub to soak up the atmosphere, visit the florally dressed boat, listen to the music and sample up to 7 quality cask ales.

The boat will then head down to Rode Heath for the fun filled Odd Rode Festival on Wednesday 11^th June from 4pm onwards. Activities to be confirmed are a bouncy castle, a brass band, refreshments, a tea party, dance troupes, stalls, music with much more in the pipeline.

For more details about the event and various events enroute from Audlem, Bollington, Sale and Trafford please see www.visitcheshire.com/floatinggardenfestival.

Lindsay's Schedule

The Boat from Bollington to Middlewich.

The British Waterways heritage boat Lindsay, a cargo narrowboat, with crew will arrive at Clarence Mill, Bollington in the week before 7^th June, where it will be florally decorated by Chris Harrop, a Bollington-based floral designer who has kindly offered to lend her talents to this exciting project. The boat decorations will include lots of hanging baskets and tubs, donated by local groups, clubs, societies and organisations. In this way, the event involves the wider communities of Macclesfield and Congleton Boroughs. The boat will depart Bollington on 8^th June towards Macclesfield and Congleton .

Bollington will hold a Floral Weekend on 7th and 8th June to send Lindsay on its way. During the weekend, visitors will be able to see the boat being decorated and there will be a number of other events throughout the town such as Open Gardens, plant sales, a family fun day, children's pet show and much more. Pott Shrigley’s Rose Queen will launch the boat on Sunday afternoon, with Bollington Brass Band providing a fanfare of musical entertainment.

Lindsay will moor at Macclesfield Marina on Sunday evening and Macclesfield Canal Society have agreed to man Bosley Locks on Monday 9^th June and to put up a display about the society along the canalside.

The boat will then stop off at the Queens Head in Congleton for an evening's entertainment on 9th June. Anyone is welcome and encouraged to come and view the floating garden, to walk alongside it for stretches of the canal or to join in the canalside events.

On leaving Congleton the boat will stop off at Rode Heath for Odd Rode Festival on the evening of Wednesday 11th June. Activities to be confirmed are a bouncy castle, a brass band, refreshments, a tea party, dance troupes, stalls, music with much more in the pipeline. More details, coming soon!!!

The next stop will be Hassall Green before it arrive in Middlewich on Thursday 12th afternoon. Once Lindsay reaches the Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival the donated floral displays will be sold and all proceeds will be donated to the East Cheshire Hospice.

More details will appear here nearer the time, so do come back and find out more!!

Saturn's Schedule

   

Plans for Cheshire's Floating Garden Festival (8th-15th June) are well under way, and historic boat 'Saturn' has a full schedule of events for her trip from Audlem to the Folk and Boat Festival at Middlewich.

Several local schools will have the opportunity to visit Saturn during the week and learn about her history, as well as participating in garden-themed activities.

There is a full programme of events at the launch weekend in Audlem on 7th & 8th June, including boat-horse harnessing, canal painting, rag-rug making and many other displays.  There will also be performances from The Crofters and Day Star Theatre - see the Floating Gardens website for more details.

En route to Middlewich, Saturn will be stopping at Nantwich, and then moving on to Barbridge where there are two evening events that are open to all.  On Tuesday 10th June, there will be a waterways talk and live band at The Jolly Tar Inn - be there from 6.30 pm onwards.  Then get your brain limbered up for a waterways-themed pub quiz at The Olde Barbridge Inn on Wednesday 11th June.  Watch this space for more details.

More details will appear here nearer the time, so do come back and find out more about how to get involved

Cheshire's Floating Garden Festival

Preparations are well under way for the Floating Garden Festival, a celebration of two of the county's best assets - its canals and its gardens.  Four historic ex-working boats will be setting off from the four corners of Cheshire and meeting at Middlewich for the Boat and Folk festival on 14th and 15th of June.

The Mersey Basin Campaign is supporting two of the routes, with a range of World Environment Day activities on the Rochdale Canal on 5th June, and a launch event at Audlem on the Shropshire Union on 8th June.

All four boats will be on display at the Boat and Folk Festival, with displays and activities to get involved with.

To find out more, visit the Floating Garden Festival web page or contact Izzy at Action Upper Weaver on 01270 537071 or [email protected]