DROITWICH Waterways (Pamela May) now has five more people to take the helm,
The latest group has successfully completed the Royal Yachting Association’s qualification to skipper a small passenger carrying boat on inland waterways.
The new skippers’ training was done in house over many months on boat handling, canal etiquette, and passenger care.
The elements include modules on fire fighting, first aid, emergency evacuation, risk assessment and general health and safety aspects of working on a canal.
The final training and inspection was done by an RYA inspector and was partially paid for by the Wychavon Community Grant Scheme.
All the candidates who passed will now be allowed to act as skippers, which will allow the Pamela May to take more groups and family parties for trips on the canals. The boat has a kitchen on board, and is equipped with a wheelchair lift and a disabled toilet.
People are also being sought to look after the boat itself.
Membership costs £10 per year, and covers a variety of social activities and lectures held by the Pamela May group.
If anyone would like more information, please phone 01905 773620.
The scheme which enables residents and visitors to the town to ride the town’s waterways on festival days and during other events is also on the lookout for more volunteers to help look after the canals from the River Severn to Hanbury.
A stretch of the canalside towards the Marina has already been successfully adopted with the grass mowed and undergrowth cut back to make walking along the waterways easier. Several bird boxes, made by a volunteer, have also been put up.
