Saul is to hold a Waterways Pageant over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Organised by the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) Events Team (formerly IWA Festivals), the pageant will have a programme of competitions including boat handling, canoeing, tug of war, Best Boat in Bloom, illuminated boat display, best kept engine and room, as well as three cruising awards sponsored by River Canal Rescue.
The event, from Saturday 23 to Monday 25 August, will be held at the junction of the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal and Stroudwater Navigation and is designed to celebrate the restoration work taking place on the Cotswold Canals and promote the forthcoming Heritage Lottery bid the Cotswold Canals Trust is making.
During the pageant the IWA’s Waterway Recovery Group (WRG) will be working with the Trust, to restore the canal at Ham Mill and Bowbridge Locks near Stroud. Members of the public are invited to come along and see ‘WRG in action’.
Refreshments will be available from the Real Ale Bar alongside artisan food stalls. An evening social programme is also being planned for IWA members, boaters and campers, and there will be a boat jumble on the bank holiday Monday.
There will be no admission charge, although the IWA is suggesting a minimum donation of £2 per person.
On the Saturday and Sunday there will be a market and the events team want to hear from boaters, charities and local groups interested in having a stall and fundraising for their chosen cause and the IWA. Booking forms are available for download online at www.waterways.org.uk/saulpageant
