Seagull Trust
Encyclopedia
Seagull Trust Cruises is a waterway society
and Scottish charity in Scotland
, UK.
The Trust was formed in 1978 and offers free canal
cruising for disabled and disadvantaged persons and groups. It is the largest service provider of its kind within the UK. It is run entirely by volunteers. The Seagull Trust was awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2007, which is the highest award which can be given to a voluntary group, considered on par with the MBE awarded to individuals.
It provides a service from four locations in Scotland. These are Ratho
(Edinburgh
) on the Union Canal
, Falkirk
also on the Union Canal, Inverness
on the Caledonian Canal
, and at Kirkintilloch
on the Forth and Clyde Canal
.
From these locations, it operates eight canal boats, adapted with a lift for wheelchair access, and fitted with galley and toilet. Seven operate daily excursions, one (The Marion Seagull) is adapted as a residential boat for hire to families with a disabled member.
These boats are;
From the project in Wales, Charles Quant drew attention to the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC) of the realisation that his operation had a previously unforeseen secondary advantage of demonstrating that sections of the canal system regarded as "remainder" canals, were being used to good effect and as such his organisation now could fulfil a dual role of providing a service to disabled people and demonstrate the advantages of canal travel to the wider public.
As British Waterways at the time had no obligation to maintain remainder canals in navigable condition, this renewed use of the 'remainder' canal system became the early part of a movement which supported the continued existence of the canals.
Mr R.J. Hume OBE, was a friend of Rev. Mackay and a member of IWAAC. He brought the facts of these two projects to the attention of Rev. Mackay and soon between them they formulated an idea of bringing a similar service to the Scottish Canal system.
Rev Mackay approached The Order of St John for £10,000 necessary to buy a boat and meet its immediate running costs. The boat purchased was Clair Hanmer's original craft, which was renamed The St John Crusader. The naming ceremony took place in 1979 at Wester Hailes and was attended by the Duke of Hamilton.
They had nowhere to dock the boat initially, but this problem was soon solved by the generosity of the landlord of the Bridge Inn at Ratho, Mr Ronnie Rusack who also administered a booking system from his premises for the Trust.
Rev Mackay was anxious that the Trust should have its own accommodation, and acquired a partially built canal side facility at Wester Hailes. This was soon to prove beneficial for the canal as its presence prevented the blocking off of the waterway at the building of the new M8 Motorway. An aqueduct crossing was provided instead keeping the waterway open.
The St John Crusader was joined by The Janet Telford. The Janet Telford was soon found to be too small for use by the Trust and was sold to the Forth and Clyde Canal Society. She was replaced by The Mackay Seagull, which is still in operation today. The St John Crusader is not in use today and has been replaced by The St John Crusader II, which came into service in 1996. The St John Crusader is still based at Ratho.
The construction was completed in 1984, just in time for the arrival of The Yarrow Seagull. This boat was built at Yarrow Shipbuilders by the then apprentices. She was taken back to Yarrows yard on the Clyde in Spring 2009 for a complete refit, and, while there, had her bow section lengthened considerably to accommodate passengers sitting outside on deck in the warm summer weather.
The second boat to arrive at Kirkintilloch was the Marjorie Seagull in 2001. This boat was built by a very generous bequest by and named in honour of Mrs Marjorie Brown from Edinburgh. It was built by Stenson Marine in Derby to a new design which aimed to lift passengers higher from the water level in order to see better over the higher banks on the Forth and Clyde Canal.
Town centre development saw the need for the land which the building sat on. New accommodation was built further along the canal adjacent to the new marina and was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal on 30 September 2008.
The Barr Seagull joined the fleet at Falkirk in 2006. She was bought by the Barr Charitable Trust for operation in Falkirk. The steel work was carried out in Falkirk by A.L. Gordon Ltd.
The Marion Seagull was built by funding from the Salvesan Charitable Trust, named in memory of Mrs Marion H Salvesen. It was designed and built as a residential boat, for use by families with a disabled member. It is fully fitted for wheelchair access.
Other boating charities giving access to disabled people:
Waterway society
A Waterway society is a society, association, charitable trust, club, trust or "Friends" group involved in the restoration, preservation, use and enjoyment of waterways, e.g. a canal, river, navigation or other waterway, and their associated buildings and structures, e.g...
and Scottish charity in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, UK.
The Trust was formed in 1978 and offers free canal
Canal
Canals are man-made channels for water. There are two types of canal:#Waterways: navigable transportation canals used for carrying ships and boats shipping goods and conveying people, further subdivided into two kinds:...
cruising for disabled and disadvantaged persons and groups. It is the largest service provider of its kind within the UK. It is run entirely by volunteers. The Seagull Trust was awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2007, which is the highest award which can be given to a voluntary group, considered on par with the MBE awarded to individuals.
It provides a service from four locations in Scotland. These are Ratho
Ratho
Ratho is a village and civil parish in the west of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland. It was formerly in the old county of Midlothian. Newbridge and Kirkliston are other villages in the area. The Union Canal passes through Ratho. Edinburgh Airport is situated only 4 miles ...
(Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
) on the Union Canal
Union Canal (Scotland)
The Union Canal is a 31.5-mile canal in Scotland, from Lochrin Basin, Fountainbridge, Edinburgh to Falkirk, where it meets the Forth and Clyde Canal.-Location and features:...
, Falkirk
Falkirk
Falkirk is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies in the Forth Valley, almost midway between the two most populous cities of Scotland; north-west of Edinburgh and north-east of Glasgow....
also on the Union Canal, Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
on the Caledonian Canal
Caledonian Canal
The Caledonian Canal is a canal in Scotland that connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William. It was constructed in the early nineteenth century by engineer Thomas Telford, and is a sister canal of the Göta Canal in Sweden, also constructed by...
, and at Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch
Kirkintilloch is a town and former burgh in East Dunbartonshire, Scotland. It lies on the Forth and Clyde Canal, about eight miles northeast of central Glasgow...
on the Forth and Clyde Canal
Forth and Clyde Canal
The Forth and Clyde Canal crosses Scotland, providing a route for sea-going vessels between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde at the narrowest part of the Scottish Lowlands. The canal is 35 miles long and its eastern end is connected to the River Forth by a short stretch of the River...
.
From these locations, it operates eight canal boats, adapted with a lift for wheelchair access, and fitted with galley and toilet. Seven operate daily excursions, one (The Marion Seagull) is adapted as a residential boat for hire to families with a disabled member.
These boats are;
- The MacKay Seagull (Ratho)
- The St John Crusader (Ratho - decommissioned)
- The St John Crusader II (Ratho)
- The Barr Seagull (Falkirk)
- The Marion Seagull (Falkirk)
- The Govan Seagull (Falkirk)
- The Highland Seagull (Inverness)
- The Yarrow Seagull (Kirkintilloch)
- The Marjorie Seagull (Kirkintilloch)
- The Trust also operated The Janet Telford from Ratho, but this boat was soon outgrown and sold on to the Forth and Clyde Canal Society.
Origins
The Seagull trust was formed on 21 November 1978 by The Reverend P. Hugh Mackay, MBE, PhD. Rev. Mackay was Minister of the Parish of Ratho on the Union Canal. He was a canal enthusiast who had learned about two other canal projects, one in England, run by Claire Hanmer, who converted a narrow boat for the service of disabled people on the midland canals, and a project in Wales, the Sunshine Boat, run under the auspices of the Prince of Wales Trust.From the project in Wales, Charles Quant drew attention to the Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council (IWAAC) of the realisation that his operation had a previously unforeseen secondary advantage of demonstrating that sections of the canal system regarded as "remainder" canals, were being used to good effect and as such his organisation now could fulfil a dual role of providing a service to disabled people and demonstrate the advantages of canal travel to the wider public.
As British Waterways at the time had no obligation to maintain remainder canals in navigable condition, this renewed use of the 'remainder' canal system became the early part of a movement which supported the continued existence of the canals.
Mr R.J. Hume OBE, was a friend of Rev. Mackay and a member of IWAAC. He brought the facts of these two projects to the attention of Rev. Mackay and soon between them they formulated an idea of bringing a similar service to the Scottish Canal system.
Ratho
They had nowhere to dock the boat initially, but this problem was soon solved by the generosity of the landlord of the Bridge Inn at Ratho, Mr Ronnie Rusack who also administered a booking system from his premises for the Trust.
Rev Mackay was anxious that the Trust should have its own accommodation, and acquired a partially built canal side facility at Wester Hailes. This was soon to prove beneficial for the canal as its presence prevented the blocking off of the waterway at the building of the new M8 Motorway. An aqueduct crossing was provided instead keeping the waterway open.
The St John Crusader was joined by The Janet Telford. The Janet Telford was soon found to be too small for use by the Trust and was sold to the Forth and Clyde Canal Society. She was replaced by The Mackay Seagull, which is still in operation today. The St John Crusader is not in use today and has been replaced by The St John Crusader II, which came into service in 1996. The St John Crusader is still based at Ratho.
Kirkintilloch
Having successfully established cruising at Ratho, the trustees looked to Kirkintilloch as the location for a second branch. Kirkintilloch sits on the Forth and Clyde Canal, and has a very rich association with the canal since its inception. After discussions with British Waterways, a substantial boathouse was built near the town center, on the site of R. Hay and Sons Boatyard. This building also housed a dry dock, which would provide housing and facilities for repair and maintenance for two boats.The construction was completed in 1984, just in time for the arrival of The Yarrow Seagull. This boat was built at Yarrow Shipbuilders by the then apprentices. She was taken back to Yarrows yard on the Clyde in Spring 2009 for a complete refit, and, while there, had her bow section lengthened considerably to accommodate passengers sitting outside on deck in the warm summer weather.
The second boat to arrive at Kirkintilloch was the Marjorie Seagull in 2001. This boat was built by a very generous bequest by and named in honour of Mrs Marjorie Brown from Edinburgh. It was built by Stenson Marine in Derby to a new design which aimed to lift passengers higher from the water level in order to see better over the higher banks on the Forth and Clyde Canal.
Town centre development saw the need for the land which the building sat on. New accommodation was built further along the canal adjacent to the new marina and was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal on 30 September 2008.
Falkirk
The Falkirk branch was formed in 1982, with the original idea to cruise on the Western most end of the Union Canal. Money was raised for a new boat, The Govan Seagull, which entered service at the branch in 1985. Cruising originally was on the Forth and Clyde Canal between Camelon and Bonnybridge, while British Waterways prepared the Union Canal for use. The Govan Seagull was transferred up to the Union Canal in 1987, and moored at Greenbank. Vandalism was a problem, and money was raised to build accommodation which was completed in 1992, at Bantaskine. The new accommodation was to provide enclosed mooring for one boat and a fully equipped reception centre for the passengers. A lift was fitted which allowed embarkation within the building. It also housed a meeting room which provided for meetings of the Falkirk members.The Barr Seagull joined the fleet at Falkirk in 2006. She was bought by the Barr Charitable Trust for operation in Falkirk. The steel work was carried out in Falkirk by A.L. Gordon Ltd.
The Marion Seagull was built by funding from the Salvesan Charitable Trust, named in memory of Mrs Marion H Salvesen. It was designed and built as a residential boat, for use by families with a disabled member. It is fully fitted for wheelchair access.
Inverness
The Highland branch was formed in 1987, operating on the Caledonian Canal. The Highland Seagull is the sole boat in this branch. The Highland Seagull was built in 1975, formerly a cruiser on the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, the Abbey Princess. It was completely adapted by Caley Marina, Inverness for operation with the Trust. It was renamed in 1989 by the Duke and Duchess of York.Fleet
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See also
Other boating charities giving access to disabled people:
- Accessible Boating AssociationAccessible Boating AssociationThe Accessible Boating Association is a waterway society and a registered charity number 295034 in Hampshire, England, UK.The Association aims to provide boating opportunities on the Basingstoke Canal for disabled people with access difficulties. The Association was formerly known as "Boats for the...
- Nancy Oldfield TrustNancy Oldfield TrustThe Nancy Oldfield Trust is a waterway society, a charitable trust and a registered charity no. 1068549 in Norfolk, East Anglia, England, UK....
- Peter Le Marchant TrustPeter Le Marchant TrustThe Peter Le Marchant Trust is a waterway society, a charitable trust and a registered charity number 273207, based in Loughborough, Leicestershire, England, UK....