Shropshire canal cruise charity on crest of a wave after £2,500 donation
A Shropshire based charity that takes disabled people and their families on cruises down the Shropshire Union Canal has benefited from thousands of pounds of fundraising.
The Lyneal Trust has received a £2,500 donation from Shropshire animal care business Dechra Veterinary Products.
Based just outside of Ellesmere by Lyneal Wharf, the trust uses customised boats to give thousands of disabled people the opportunity to enjoy time away with their families with specifications hard to find on normal outings every year.
Trustee and volunteer, Peter Walkers, said: “The trust offers disabled, vulnerable people of all ages the chance to have a holiday, whether it is with their families or not. Many disabled people wouldn’t think they could do this, but our boats are built to accommodate them.
“We are very proud of what we do, in 2018 we took over 2,000 people out. People have come from everywhere to experience our trips – one woman came from AucklandAustralia, just to come on one of our boats.”
Adaptations
The charity currently has three vessels, with each holding at least half a dozen passengers, the Maid accommodates six, Lass, eight and Lady, 12.
All are fitted with unique adaptations to allow people with a number of different disabilities and medical conditions aboard.
Peter explained how the donation will keep the trust running: “What this money will allow us to do is continue to operate, as what we do is expensive to buy.
“The last boat was £145,000. These donations make sure we survive and give disabled people these opportunities.”
When discussing plans for the future, Peter was excited to help build the charity: “We are linking up with the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Gobowen to give some patients, who have been recovering in hospital for months from serious injuries, the opportunity to have a trip on our boats over the summer.
“We plan to spread the word out, we are unique because we have had boats built to our specific needs, we want to spread the word nationally. We’re delighted to receive the donation, which was made by the Dechra Veterinary Pharmaceuticals directly, as we have a volunteer who works for them and he put our name forward which we are very grateful for.”
Report by Daniel Cox
