For many years the Girl Guides in the Midlands have had the opportunity to experience living and working on a narrowboat. However, the boat was becoming very old and not very suitable for the guides – particularly for those with handicaps.
Around 8 years ago, the Guide Counties of Birmingham and Northampton decided that an update to a new narrowboat, purpose fitted for their use, was required and an appeal was started to raise the £95,000 needed for this project.
The Tuptonia was identified as a suitable boat and work started in earnest in both funding and fitting out the boat.
Aldridge & District Lions Club heard of this appeal around two years ago and, together with Sheldon Lions Club, donated £800 towards the appeal – a relatively small but essential donation towards a project which will benefit hundreds of young folk in the coming years.
Tuptonia is a 12 berth narrowboat, 21 metres (70 feet) in length, which is moored at Lapworth in Warwickshire. It gives groups of young girls and their Leaders an opportunity to have lots of fun whilst gaining new skills, enjoying the British Waterways and working as a team to help crew the boat.
Earlier this month, Chief Guide Gill Slocombe officially launched Girlguiding Birmingham and Northamptonshire’s brand-new, purpose-built narrow boat, Tuptonia at a naming ceremony at Alvechurch Marina in the presence of some of the Leaders and young members who will be using the boat.
Aldridge & District Lions President, Harry Fry, said, “The vessel will be used for guiding trips and breaks for guides from across the Midlands, enabling girls to have a memorable experience whilst developing skills and confidence from being in a boat crew. We were very pleased to be able to support this project and see it come to fruition.”