Volunteers who look after the George Watson Buck narrowboat at Llanymynech Canal Wharf on the Montgomery Canal between Wales and England are asking local people and businesses to consider helping them refurbish the boat for future generations.
The volunteers operate the wheelchair accessible trip boat during the summer as a popular local tourist attraction.
The boat is now some 30 years old and is undergoing a major refurbishment to upgrade it for the future.
Speaking about the plans Graham Deakin one of the volunteer skippers at the wharf said: “On Friday 14 August 2026, we are inviting local people to join us to help get the boat ready for the start of our refurbishments.
“If you can spend an hour or so between 10.30 am and 4 pm, we’d be really grateful. We need to move things off the boat into storage so that we can make space for work to begin.”
Graham added that no technical skills are required but if any local tradespeople are interested in helping with the refurbishment, they would be most welcome to come along to find out more.
“The kettle will be on and there will be cake as payment for your contribution to the refurbishment,” said Graham.
Although there are no boat trips during 2026 due to the refurbishment and low water levels, volunteers continue to open the visitor centre and exhibition in Llanymynech for light refreshments and information about the local area.
Added Graham, lots of volunteers are working hard restoring the Montgomery Canal in Shropshire and a number of projects in Wales are working to improve the canal for future generations.
He said: “We are really looking forward to 2027 and being able to launch our boat trips again to local people and visitors to the area. The icing on the cake will be to do so in a newly refurbished boat that the local community can be really proud of.”
To find out more about the wharf and the George Watson Buck click here. You can also make a donation towards the refurbishment on that page.