Fund Britain’s Waterways sailed through Newark on its way down to Westminster

Newark’s Les Reid has led a flotilla of more than 30 boats through Newark as they sail their way to the River Thames in protest of waterways funding.

Yesterday (April 2), a flotilla of boats met the ‘captain’ by the Nether Lock, before guiding them with his boat — Ruffian — through Newark’s stretch of the River Trent.

The convoy is part of a Fund Britain’s Waterways initiative, which was launched in 2023 to highlight the underfunding and deteriorating condition of the country’s network of canals and navigable rivers.

The campaign is seeking the support of parliamentarians and the general public to secure the funds for the upkeep of England’s canals.

“I am quite honoured to think that they want me to guide them through Newark,” said Les Reid.

He added: “The problem is that year by year the Government’s money is less and less and the canals are getting older and one day they might collapse.

“These sort of protests is the only way to raise awareness of the general public as they wouldn’t know about the problems we are facing any other way.

“The canals are over 200 years old, they are part of England’s history and we can’t let them die.”

Dozens of people also joined the protest from Riverside Park to take photos and share their support to the Governments funding of the canals.

The journey began on Saturday (March 29) with a group of six boats setting off from Strawberry Island Boat Club in Doncaster.

The six boats were joined by others along the 21-day journey, which will cover 278 miles and 172 locks before reaching Parliament on May 7.

The boats sailed from the Nether Lock in Newark, near the British Sugar Factory and the East Coast Mainline, through Trent Bridge by Castle where they did a display and stopped to visit Newark’s famous Leicester Trader which is now parked by Les Reid’s house.

At the end of the day, they docked at Farndon Marina where they spent the night before making their way to Nottingham early morning.

This year’s flotilla is being led by Hazel Owen, the chairman of the Association of Waterway Cruising Clubs, who will carry on from London to the East of England and it is believed that over 200 boats will join the flotilla as they make their way to London.