Unfortunately we have reluctantly made the sad decision to cancel our event due to the Coronavirus pandemic. We are contacting directly and providing refunds to all of our fellow boaters who have already entered their boats to the event. If you are reading this and have entered your boat but have not yet heard from us please do not worry because we will contact you in the near future. Like so many others our workload is presently extremely high owing to the need to contact many other organisations and people who have pre-booked our club facilities.

After more than a decade, Erica Martin has relinquished the post of Regional Secretary for Midlands.  Erica says she has really enjoyed the job, but as her husband Brian has now been registered blind, along with the chronic heart disease he has had for several years, she has decided to 'spend more time with her family' as the politicians often say!  

Mick Griffin of Hinckley BC is acting Secretary until the Midlands AGM next month, at which time it is anticipated that he will be formally elected to take over.  Mick has been involved with AWCC for many years, and has a wealth of knowledge and experience to bring to the role.  Midlands Reps are forewarned that their inboxes will be filled by Mick and no longer by Erica.  However, it is not goodbye from her, as she remains the Rep for Stoke on Trent Boat Club, and will be at Midlands AGM and subsequent meetings, and all being well plans to see you at Aylesbury.

Mick can be contacted on email michael-griffin1@ntlworld.com, or by mobile 07939 934456.

Boating in France

Bon Viveur and Bon Viveur2 were built in 2005 and 2006 by Advanced Composites to cruise the canals and rivers of France. Uniquely they normally spend the summer in the centre or north and move to the south in winter. There are currently shares for sale in each boat. Bon Viveur has 5 weeks for sale towards the end of the year and BV2 has 4 weeks in the summer for sale. The asking price per week is up to £2500 depending on season. Each syndicate is privately run by an elected committee and annual maintenance per week has varied between  £350  and £550 over the last 15 years. We have found this to be an enjoyable and economical way of cruising in France and compares very favourably to hiring. A full specification for each boat can be found at www.boatshare.co.uk if you are interested contact Peter Roberts (peter9sq@gmail.com) for BV or Peter Copland (pohkcopland@hotmail.com) for BV2. We continue to be owners ourselves. For further information see back issues of Alert in 2013

John and Gill Wilkinson January 2020

Soar Boating Club

The location for the next AWCC AGM to be held on 21st March 2020 has now been confirmed as the Aylebury Canal Society. Further details will be included on the events page as they become available. Draft minutes from last year's meeting are currently available in the Members Area on the Documents pages.

ECPDA are proud and delighted to announce that they have been awarded the Queen’s award for voluntary service.  I will try to display the actual document, but being on boat right now, it’s not working properly.  Well done and well deserved to all of them.  

Although not an AWCC club, the Lichfield and Hatherton canal restoration trust has also been given the same  award.  Well done to them too.